Christmas Bites

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0:35Hello and a very happy Christmas to all of you. Welcome to our special Christmas edition of Table Manners. Well, I hope it's all going well. I hope you've managed to avoid too many shurries or champagne before the grave is made. We have gathered together some brilliant past guests to find out how they'll be spending the festive period and hear about their Christmas traditions to see if you want to inherit any of them. For the first time, this special is going out on Christmas Day. We think it's the perfect accompaniment while you're preparing lunch. Or maybe you're listening on your Boxing Day walk.

1:09Well, you're in for a treat because we'll be joined by the kitchen disco queen herself, Sophie Ellis-Bexter. The gorgeous Tom Adele will be dining in from music rehearsals. Film director Richard Cursis will be telling us about his latest Christmas movie. And we catch Girls Aloud, Nadine Quill, who's currently hot-footing it to Heathrow. But first, here's Ugly Betty and Broadway star, the wonderful Vanessa Williams, who's currently starring in the West End in The Devil Wears Prada. Hi, Vanessa. How are you? I'm okay. I'm okay. You're looking gorgeous. Thank you. We've already done 52 shows already here, which is incredible.

1:48Considering we just opened, we've been here for a while. So how's it all feeling at the Dominion Theatre? Devil Wears Prada, how's it feeling? It's phenomenal. I mean, it's the best entrance I've ever had in my life on stage. I come up in a lift after this whole swell of a crescendo of the orchestra bringing me up. And then there's a ding of the bell and everyone imagines the doors open and I get a thunderous applause every, every show. So it could not be any better. I thank Jerry Mitchell for putting it in the show. How fabulous. That's quite interesting because I know that like applauses usually happen on Broadway when a star enters.

2:35But we're so reserved in the UK. So it must be, well, everyone's very excited about seeing you, Vanessa. But also that's quite unusual for the UK audience to give an applause, isn't it? Yeah, it's been, again, I'm used to Broadway audiences, so I get it. Everyone usually gets entrance applause. But again, it's so dynamic with the orchestration and it literally is like a crescendo. And then I'm wearing an incredible multicolored fur with a gorgeous suit and the glasses and I'm holding the runway in my hand with a fabulous bag. So the people that love the franchise are like, yeah, we're ready. The people that have no idea about the story at all, but just are coming because they're bringing their daughter or whatever, they are thoroughly entertained.

3:25And Jerry Mitchell, who is our director and choreographer, knows how to make a hit show. But she's a big star, Jessie. She's bound to get a huge, huge entrance. Vanessa, can we ask, are you going to be basting your turkey this Christmas like you do at Thanksgiving? Oh, I wish. I don't think I'm cooking at all. We've got a show Christmas Eve and then we've got a show on Boxing Day. And I'm in a flat, a two-bedroom flat. So, you know, you've got your pans that you like and your butchers that you like. So I haven't found, I'm sure there's amazing places here. I've not done my research to find the proper thing.

4:08So I'll probably either go out or I don't know what I'm going to do. Why are you invited for Christmas? We've got a space for you if you need one. Ah, well, thank you. Otherwise, Vanessa, I do think you need to get your reservation in order ASAP. I hate to break it to you, but, you know, we need to get that Claridge's reservation done. Yeah. Lenny, I'm still dreaming about you did a flourless chocolate cake when I came to your home that I still, and you did no flour, and I think it was plums or something. It was so moist and delicious that still haunts me to this day. Oh, my goodness. Oh, maybe I better make you another one for Christmas.

4:47Vanessa, you're in the Dominion Theatre, which is on Tottenham Court Road. Perfect for Christmas shopping. Have you done your Christmas shopping? And are you getting away with it this Christmas because you're not on home soil? Yes, I'm getting away with not doing it because my children came in for our opening on December 1st. So they all had their opportunity to hang out in London for a week or so, which has been great. And they had a wonderful time. I mean, there's nothing like London for the holidays. The streets are lined with beautiful decorations and lighting and every store is just decorated to the nines.

5:23It's beautiful here. So it's like a giant Christmas market everywhere you go. Yeah. A recent guest called London the Christmas city. And I really think it is. Absolutely. It's funny. I think we're all so bar humbug about it. They're like, oh God, the idea of being in bloody Oxford Street is my idea of hell right now. It is busy. That's very good. But I guess you have to be there, but at least you can just walk. Yes. So lots of my friends have come in to see the show and then do their holidays. So I've done the Fortnum Mason. We did the tea there because Sundays are my day off. So Sundays I tend to have to shepherd all my friends and friends that are in the city to, you know, We went to see the Elton John at the Victorian Alpert Museum.

6:07He has this beautiful retrospective of photography. So we did that. We've done high tea, you know, Selfridges and the Harrods and everything there is. So I know the crowds on Oxford Street. I have been, you know, wiggling my way through the crowds as well. Is there a Christmas tradition on Christmas Eve? Will everyone stop and have at the end of the show? You all have a glass of champagne and maybe just a bit of a celebration and a group hug before you, everyone breaks up for Christmas Day. I don't know. We'll see. I mean, I know my dresser, Murray, who's phenomenal, did decorated, snuck into my dressing room and decorated, put a tree up and all kinds of beautiful twinkle lights.

6:52So we had a Christmas jumper day. So we did a big group shot of that. So it's a wonderful cast. Where did you get your Christmas jumper from, Vanessa? Prada? I wish. I think it was from Primark, not Prada, Primark. We like to call it Primoche or Pramani sometimes. Absolutely. Yeah, PR begins with Prada and Primark. They're almost the same, aren't they? Before we let you go, Vanessa, so you can actually just rest, what is your favourite Christmas song? oh what is my favorite christmas song well i mean personally i have one called uh december lullaby which i recorded for my silver and gold album so i had my mom was is a um well she used to be a music teacher and she had a children's choir so i always would have her bring a select group of kids to sing on my albums and then sasha was only four at the time so she starts it off with shh listen.

7:56And then it always makes me cry because every time I hear her voice, it's like, oh, that's my little baby. And so that's, September Lullaby has, you know, her sing, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. So it just breaks me to listen to her sing. The traditional one, probably, I mean, Silent Night is just a beautiful, beautiful melody. Melody and it's just timeless. I've sung it. My most unique time was singing it in German for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was governor of California and Maria Schreiber called and said, listen, they're doing, you know, Arnold is finishing his term as governor.

8:39There's a group of people that are going to fly up to surprise him. And it was me, Danny DeVito, Tom Arnold, Sylvester. It was like the weirdest group of people on this private plane to surprise him. And I sang Stille Nacht, Heiliger Nacht to him in German, which was Silent Night. It was amazing. And I made him cry. I made him tear up. And Maria's like, how did you do that? I can't make him do that. How did you do that? You made the Terminator cry. That's amazing. Can I ask one thing, Vanessa? Are you wearing stilettos throughout the whole show? I am. I change pretty much with every scene. And I have a tip that I saw on Reels, I think, on Instagram.

9:27I've got those corn socks, those toe tubes that are cushioned. If you do your third and fourth toe together, it makes your feet more narrow and it cushions where the pressure is so you can wear high heels all day long. So that's my tip and it actually works. So it's toes. You know, there's a pinky toe. So the one right next to the pinky toe and the third toe. Put those together. Bind them up. Yeah, bind them up. Put your heels on and you will not feel any pressure, which is what kills you in the high heels. Wow. That's amazing, Vanessa. Thank you for that tip. All the Christmas parties, everyone needs to know.

10:07So you're going to be having your flatties on on Christmas Day. Yes. Or bare feet. Slippers. For sure. Vanessa we can't wait to come and watch you in the Devil Wears Prada thank you so much for being on our Christmas special you look gorgeous, happy Christmas and we'll see you soon and break a leg and many legs can't wait to see you backstage yeah absolutely, loads of love Vanessa thank you so great to catch up with Vanessa looking absolutely gorgeous sitting in central London now we're going from one queen to another yep it's time to speak to the kitchen disco queen. Well, Mum, hang on. I think she's slightly more than that.

10:45She had probably one of the biggest pop moments. She's had a big year. In 2024. Yeah. And it was right, well, it was right at the end of 2023. Yeah. And then, you know, she performed at the BAFTAs this year. She has a New Year's Eve special on BBC and she's going to be in America at the same time, basically on two different screens, transatlantically celebrating the new year. and she puts the glamour back in the kitchen she's the gift that keeps on giving it's sophie ellis bexter what are some of the christmas traditions in your house so we have a lot of traditions actually and some of them i didn't realize until i was probably into like my teens that not other families were doing them so they all emanate from the ellis side of the family and we host christmas every year richard and i we have done for about must be nearly 20 years now Everybody comes to us.

11:36And my mum is always with us. So these Ellis traditions prevail. Some of them. OK, I don't know. Do you know about tree presents? See, I think this is a strange one. Yeah. Oh, you do? My friend does that on Christmas Eve. Right. So she does tiny tree presents that are about a pound. Little tiny things and everyone gets a tree present on Christmas Eve. OK, what's your tree present? For us, it's anything that can be balanced on the branches of the Christmas tree. So not really necessarily a pound. Sometimes they might be, I suppose like stocking filler-esque. Yeah, diamond rings. No, no diamond rings.

12:15It could be. It's not. Yeah. It's it. And every year you have to balance them and then lose some. So there's always an awkward bit when you open them, which is usually after the big meal on Christmas Day. So we'll open them like five or six in the evening. And I've always got a couple of people where I just cannot find this very small item that I've somewhere hidden on our tree. I think it's been my mother-in-law more often than not. And it's genuine. I haven't not got her something, but it always looks like I haven't because I can't find it. What's been your best Christmas tree present that you've given and been gifted?

12:55I think my favourites used to come from my grandpa, actually. He's sadly not around anymore, but he was a very practical man. So he would do quite sort of useful type gifts. So it might be a gadget for something, maybe like a kitchen gadget or something a bit useful like that. And a lot of them I still use. I always think of him actually this time of year. He used to be a special effects man at the BBC for years. And sometimes he would come to Christmas and he'd made like a homemade firework for the table. Quite bonkers, but good fun. And then forgiving people. Well, there was a year actually where I'd wrapped framed pictures of the school kids.

13:37You know, they're like class photos. And so I'd done different kids for different family members. And by accident, again, Daphne, my mother-in-law, opened it and went, I didn't want that one. We're not going to say which child that was. She came to terms with it. It was fine. And the other tradition we have, which I don't think other people do, is whenever we do the Christmas pudding, so you set fire to it and then carry it round the house, doing a conga line, singing Here Comes the Christmas Pudding to the tune of He's a Jolly Good Fellow. Maybe we could do that. Here comes the Christmas pudding, here comes the Christmas pudding, here comes the Christmas pudding and so say all of us.

14:21Oh, my God, that sounds really fun. I like that. Yeah, like you weave round the house and I like it. It's definitely odd, but I like it. It's jolly. I wonder if you could do that with a trifle. Yeah. It comes the Christmas trifle. It comes the Christmas trifle. Yeah. Okay. Amazing. Wow. I'm really, I feel like I may adopt some of your Christmas traditions. The Christmas tree presents, I think, is a really good one. What I used to like about it as a kid is that you got all the excitement of Christmas Day, and the tree present was like a little nice little, it would sort of give you a little pep in the evening when the grown-ups had eaten a lot and they were all sitting quite quietly and you were feeling like a bit like oh is that the end of you know all the you know the mad rush of excitement in the morning and it would give you just another little like little thing to open so it's quite it's quite a nice moment so then the kids get they look forward to it because it's like a little fun bit and it's sometimes quite silly things and just something thoughtful not it shouldn't be something crazy it should just be something little that that won't yeah that someone will appreciate i guess or something funny are you doing the cooking this year uh richard does the majority he's a much better cook than me and he's much calmer in the kitchen i used to i used to find it very hard to delegate and he's very good at we all muck in christmas eve we get all gathered together we'll be chopping peeling but on christmas day he's he's the guy in the in the kitchen with the apron he loves it so he's got his apron on you've got your glitter glittery Tinsley leotard and you'll be Singing, what music do you Have playing when you're cooking Your dinner?

15:57We have a Christmas Playlist, it's all the songs You would expect, all the classics My favourite I think is still Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses, I've always loved that one I don't know that one Don't you? The one, Merry Christmas But I think I've always This one this year, is that what it's called? I didn't know that. Oh wow It's a great song We always have the Charlie Brown album, the jazz Charlie Brown album. I love that. That's what me and Sam put on when we're wrapping presents. I love that one. I never get bored of them. I love that Magic has its own Christmas radio station. So you could listen to these if you wanted to in February.

16:38I won't be, but anyway. What's the best present you've ever received? I think Rich has done some quite thoughtful ones. He's actually very good with Christmas presents. And he once bought me, I once said when I was growing up, I remember being horrified when my stepmom said she wanted for Christmas a salad spinner. I was like, I never want to get to the stage in life where I think that that's fine. Like, I just, I remember being like, what, you just want a salad spinner? so one year he bought me a salad spinner and when I opened it there was a necklace inside that I'd seen in a shop that I really loved and he remembered got the necklace and hid it inside the salad spinner.

17:17That Richard is just a good guy. He cooks and they work together they're the best um now on to New Year's Eve you're having like the most mammoth New Year's Eve bi-coastal, is that what we say? I don't know, transatlantically. Are we allowed to know about what's happening? Absolutely. So I think the one that's occupying the most brain space in a really good way is the one that we're doing together. So the BBC, we're doing a New Year's Eve show with some of my songs, some special guests, including your lovely self, which I'm so happy about because I'm just looking forward to it and I'm not really nervous.

18:00It just feels like playing and fun. So that's going to be pretty special. And that's about an hour's worth of music. So there's lots of things happening, lots of prep, but it's all coming together. And then when Midnight Strikes in New York, I'll be in Times Square because I'm singing on this show that's been running since the 70s called Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year. And it's where the ball drops in Times Square and there's like a million people in Times Square. and three tons of confetti apparently so I'm looking for saying that I'm going to take my mum to that and my eldest boy so I think that'll be for me that's like a champagne cork like but I think that the the New Year's Eve show that we're doing is like just like a real I think it's a bit of a career moment actually it's just really special I'm I feel excited about it you deserve it Sophie you're you're a treasure and and we're so thrilled for what's happened this year for you with salt burn it's an absolute tune murder on the dance field but it's been so nice for like a new audience to be introduced to you you did your first tour in the states which blows my mind that that was your first tour in like how how long have you been making music i mean i started my first gig was when i was 16 which will be 30 years going next year okay so so that you you did you did your first tour um in the states this year you've got your own new year's eve special on bbc one you're now when the ball drops in new york it's just what what's the plan for next year well you know what you know yourself you get like special things but the important thing is to remember it is special and actually i think i will have another year like this one and that's why i've been trying to really drink it in and you know i think it's it's good to remember that like what we do for a living is like it's a really twisty little road isn't it and sometimes you can find extraordinary things happening and you just got to really like just enjoy the wonder of it because it doesn't happen all the time and that's what makes it special and next year's probably gonna be like I can't think it can't top this year but I would love to just have a nice year with the new record I've put a lot into that so well you know what it's like when you're back to release new music I think that's that's a big deal to me so yeah new album but but probably not touring as much it's been it's been quite a busy year like that um yeah but it's been great i've had so much fun and honestly like singing with you is going to be like another highlight i can't i can't wait i'm lucky to be Sophie have you met Barry Keown at all face to face i have met him yes yes did he get his willy out did you not down or you kept It was just quite funny because I was, it was about a year ago, actually, I was going to sing at the, and they were doing the premiere in LA.

20:49And I, I was looking forward to meeting him and thinking, oh, it's going to be funny when we say hi. But then I got into a lift and I realized he was in the lift, the kind of incognito. And I thought, I just don't think now is the time. So I had to just sit there kind of giggling to my staff thinking, we'll wait till we're like properly introduced. But I could just be like, hello, you're in a trapped space with me now. I think it's I mean like what like extraordinary thing to have yeah that dance a big moment yeah quite exceptional really well listen I better go and try and rest my voice for tomorrow but happy Christmas happy Christmas yes happy new year I can't wait to see you on everybody's screens on year's eve and and and the whole of 2025 but thank you Sophie for joining us oh thank you so I'd like to have a Christmas to you both.

21:36It's a lovely time either. I like it. Sophie has very good Christmas traditions, Mum. Yeah, I like the tree presents. Me too. At the end of the day, but I don't know how that will go down with Sam. I just love that she's like, I haven't given them enough. I'm going to give them an extra present on the tree after the full day of Christmas. That's the kind of gal Sophie Ellespector is. Always love chatting to you, Sophie. And you can listen to Sophie's full episode of Table Manners. She joined us in Edinburgh for the first show of our tour back in 2022. And it was quite, I think, quite raucous by the end.

22:08And do tune in to seeing us sing on BBC One on New Year's Eve. I think I'm like maybe eight minutes from 12 o 'clock.

22:22The market's uncertain. Revenue's tied and hiring on hold. That's why results-driven companies are using Upwork to keep work moving. Go to Upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead. No rigid long-term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com. Post a job for free and get started today.

23:00Mum, what's your favourite Christmas movie? Elf. Okay. It's my favourite. Well, don't tell that to our next guest, please. Because I think we might have a new favourite in our house. It's called That Christmas. It's on Netflix and it's directed by our next guest, Richard Curtis. Richard and his gorgeous wife, Emma Freud, joined us a couple of years ago on the podcast for our comic relief special where we had guests join us in the kitchen. And actually it was like the chef from Trullo, which was just really funny. And anyway. I don't remember a lot of that episode because I was on Tramadol for my slipped disc.

23:34Do you remember? I remember I made very dry Marbella chicken, actually. Oh, it's dry Marbella chicken and Tramadol. But it's been a good year for Richard. He won an Oscar, no biggie. So, Richard, hello. Are you going to put it in your toilet like Kate Winslet does so people can practice their speeches? No, nor do I believe that she does. But it's on our mantelpiece. It's the first thing people see when they come into the house. Absolutely right Actually it's funny how people don't notice it And then eventually I have to say By the way, look My kids are on their third watch of that Christmas It's so good That's so sweet, I'm so happy Because in the end it took so long to make It's quite hard to sort of remember why You bothered doing it Yeah, it was like five years of work Is that because it was animation?

24:25Does that make everything a bit harder? Animation just takes forever but I'm so thrilled if people are liking it and particularly you and particularly your child I noticed your mum can't be arsed to watch it I didn't know she actually didn't know you had a Christmas film out Richard because Lenny what are you watching at the moment? No I'm not watching anything really but I didn't know that there was a Christmas film that was animated probably because the animation Where have you been then? Don't know darling I'm so sorry Richard but Richard it's really brilliant and beautiful I think the characters are gorgeous I wondered whether your gorgeous daughter Scarlett was involved in some of the script because it kind of feels so like part of her voice.

25:06It's so witty. It's really funny. The thing is, we've fused into one thing. I simply do what she says and think what she tells me to think these days. So it's difficult, difficult to avoid me. Well, it's working. And also my son Spike saw it and turned to me at the end and said, Dad, do you have no imagination at all? because it's so close to the way that we live up in Suffolk that he just thought it was like transposition, not actually, so we have a Christmas swim, we have a barn, we have kids who all meet in a barn. It's basically a documentary. Yeah, it's an animated documentary. So that's your tradition, a Christmas swim?

25:46Yeah, in Warberswick. There is one in the village. It's absolutely insane. It's gorgeous. It happens at 11 o 'clock on the beach and most of the village turn up and half the village go in, which is about 100 people, charge into the sea. And about 25 seconds later, they charge out again, get dressed and have a glass of mulled wine and then go off to do their Christmas lunches. Emma, are you in charge of the mulled wine or are you getting in as well? Do you know, I do cold swim. I go all throughout the year. But on Christmas Day, I like to not because I like showing off my beautiful bikini body to my dog and my best friend, not to all the people in the village that I live with.

26:30I get shy. Of course not. So people don't wear wetsuits? No. That's very much frowned upon. They're hardcore. Oh, they're hardcore. So at the moment, I think your top three in Netflix, you're killing it, Richard Curtis. I'm very pleased because I am obsessed by charts. For instance, I just wrote down here because it's Christmas, just so that you know what a sad figure I am. At the moment, in the UK top 40 singles charts, 26 of the 40 songs are Christmas songs and Wham! is number one. Whereas in America, 21 of the songs are of the top four. This is the moment when anyone listening who might have thought, oh, I really wish I was going out with Richard Curtis.

27:17He's fantastic. Are going, thank God. No, they're thinking it would be nice going out with Richard Curtis because he spends a lot of time in his own room doing private things. And therefore, I'm checking charts. I can grow as a human being. on my own. This is all so innuendo-led, private things growing as a human being. I think you've just made this not a family podcast, I'm afraid, Richard Curtis. You disgusting man. Oh. Filthy. That's all the good I tried to do by writing a non-squaring Christmas animated film that's just gone out. But can I tell you, is it a chick? We had four children and now we've got a fifth.

28:05oh oh wow that's a beaut anybody that can't see what's happening emma has the golden guy the oscar mr oscar in and she is it is it hefty is it heavy i've used it as a dumbbell and it really works it's eight pounds i think that is quite enough of that what did you do what did you do after where did you eat after winning your oscar so this wasn't our finest hour we had a lovely evening they gave us a whole table at the governor's ball which is where they give the lifetime achievement oscars in november rather than in march and and there was food there but nobody really ate the food because they were too busy wandering around other tables yeah and then at the end of it we went off to party and there wasn't one and so we went back to our hotel and we sat in the bar with three people and we had uh chips and baileys because we're english that's what you do yeah we had chips and baileys for about half an hour and then we went to bed and then at about two in the morning i got a text from hugh grant who said sorry i couldn't because i'd asked him to come to our hotel room so i mean the hotel lobby so it really felt like we were in hollywood and he said really sorry i couldn't come i was at the after party Oh What do you mean the Oscar?

29:27Did you get an NFI? Not fucking invited Not fucking invited That's for your family show That's a liberty They only gave out four Oscars And one of the people had already died So there was only three people they needed to ask It was three guest lists Who's in charge of the invitations? I don't know but they're dead to me They're dead And they don't care That's the point We're so important When I did my first film which was a film called The Tall Guy. We had a huge party afterwards and I was surprised that I saw so few people involved in the production at the party. And it was only the next day that I was told that there'd been a private room for people involved in the film.

30:06And I thought it was odd that it was just me and my mum and some strangers. That's not kind. We've never been cool. No, I'm sorry. You are the greatest host. I have been privy to your hosting. You are fabulous. Can you tell us, apart from the Christmas swim, what is a Freud-Curtis Christmas tradition? Because I'm sure you've got plenty of them, but a food Christmas tradition. Oh, I'll tell you food in a sec, but the biggest Christmas tradition is we always watch a Christmas film and obviously it's elf. So that goes down very well in our house. We haven't seen love actually since the beginning.

30:50I get texts from people saying I'm watching Love Actually and I show them to the family saying, look, it's what everyone else is doing, but they're not having any of that. What's the big Christmas food thing? I'm mainly interested in brandy butter and I'll have that with turkey. I'll have it with sprouts, just anything. Brandy butter. We've got, it's a lovely thing this year and Jesse, you'll get this in about 15 years, but my middle son is 22 and interested in cooking and he and I for Christmas are cooking together that's the dream isn't it and we're making a porchetta because it's so Italian in our blood that porchetta at Christmas feels like the nice tradition to be embracing this sounds really lovely and I actually think that my middle my middle child who's the the baby that you held when you did the podcast first.

31:47He'll be my guy that's helping me. You're not helping me at all this year. I fucking am. Oh, you're doing the stuffing. I'm doing the stuff. Remotely helping. I'll do whatever you need, Lenny. I will do whatever you need. You know, what I said to Em was, before we joined you, I hope they're getting on better than before. And I'm disappointed. But it's still time for rebirth, as you know, Eric Christopher. Absolutely. We're going to let you go, but Merry Christmas. Thank you so much for coming on. I brought you presents. I hope for you to share. But we did say it for breakfast. It's a beautiful cafe, Panettone.

32:27It's the best Panettone in Britain. Which Panettone is that? River Cafe. It's absolutely wonderful. To be honest, we were given it. But I'm now giving it to you. I'm re-gifting my Panettone. And we'd like you to have it and really enjoy it. And I'm holding it up to the screen now. Oh, it's a piss you can't have it. And congratulations on a marvellous year. And you are two of my role models. And I hope by this time, I'll be wearing glasses too. Oh, God, Richard, you are always welcome. We need to just carry on this tradition of being able to see each other. And congratulations on that Christmas, because I really think it's just, it's heaven for everybody.

33:06And I particularly loved the head teacher. The head teacher was based on Yemi, to be honest. Thank you. She's not Miss Trunchbull. I'm trying to think of a ferocious old bird who's soft underneath. Oh, right. And are you good at, you're not very good with snowmen or igloos? I don't know. I've never tried. We'll find out. For anyone who's listening who hasn't seen it yet, when you watch it, every time you see the headteacher, if you think Rachel Reeves. She does look a bit less. It's slightly Rachel Reeves and also the lady that's like Grzyzewski in Monsters, Inc. Yeah. You know, the one that's like...

33:46I can never tell those two apart anyway. On that note, Merry Christmas. Happy Christmas. Thanks so much. All the best for 2020. Loads of love. Lots of love. Happy Hanukkah as well, you beauties. Lots of love. Would you go for a cold water swim on Christmas Day, Mum? No. Ever. I can positively tell you I would never, ever, ever do that. Get the kids in front of Richard's new film whilst you are finishing the turkey. What's the name of it again? That Christmas. It's really so gorgeous. As opposed to last Christmas. Exactly. Now, we had to invite Tom Adele to our Christmas special because he gave one of the best gifts we've ever received this year.

34:23Oh, the chocolates? Yes. Oh, you like those? Where were they from again, Tom? They were from Bruges, weren't they? Yes. In Belgium. And they were delicious. That's nice. And now, not only have you given me the gift of good chocolate, you've also given me the gift of your wife and her fantastic art, which is... Where's yours? Where is it? Well, actually, it's being exhibited in her exhibition right now. And you've brought one. Big fan of Georgina Adele. Yeah, it's absolutely amazing that you did that. She is so thrilled. And she encouraged me to encourage you to say, go and have a look at it at Soho Review.

35:00Your wonderful art is hanging up there amongst other mobiles. Well, it's not, I mean, listen, it was something that, okay, so Tom and I bumped into each other at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition because that's what we do isn't it Tom on our days off we just go to Oh you're so cultured darling. But you had a reason to be there because your wife was exhibiting in there and so we met and obviously me and you know each other and I saw her work and she's brilliant and then she made me this beautiful mobile for my 10 year wedding anniversary which was made of aluminium but that is Georgina and she's fantastic.

35:38But on to you and Christmas. Are there any Adele Christmas traditions? Are there any that you and your wife are creating together or inheriting from each other's families? Oh, that's very interesting. I know that Georgie's mum likes to make smoked salmon sandwiches, which I really like as well. Or like, you know, like white bread, like Hovis or something like that. Which is like a real, they're really good. I think it's the best bread. That kind of bread is the best bread for so many things. I feel like culturally kind of being written off a little bit in recent times by the sourdough and other types of more bougie, hipstery bread.

36:17White sliced bread is fab. Yeah, it's great. It may not have any wheat in it, but it's damn tasty. Who cares? It's gorgeous. And it's the best toast, in my humble opinion. Yeah, I agree. Particularly for baked beans, don't you think? Yes, for baked beans. And Marvite, actually. and marmite definitely yeah yeah or vegemite which is also a great great condiment is it your wife that's vegetarian no we're both we're both pescatarian oh so you're having fish for christmas yeah we'll we'll have fish for christmas which is a great great thing you know works well with roast potatoes and and vegetables which is your favorite fish tom uh probably it's like sea bass or salmon.

37:00I actually quite like monkfish as well, but like Georgie doesn't really like monkfish, but I like it. It's really nice. I made very nice salmon on croot the other day. So good. And it was great for a celebration. Salmon on croot, I think might be my favourite food. Yeah. It's so good. You're at Premises, which is a kind of institution for people, rehearsal recording studios in East London. So what are you rehearsing for, Tom? Something very spectacular I think. Well I do have a show in yeah in Sydney in. You have two? Yeah two. I feel like you've played lots in Australia Jessie. I have not and I love Australia and we have loads of Australian listeners.

37:40I've been there twice in my life and I love performing there. I love the food all of it. Do you enjoy being there? You know I've not a bit like yourself like I haven't really spent that much time. I think I've probably been to two or three times and always absolutely loved it like i have some family who live in melbourne as well so like looking forward to seeing them but like yeah just looking forward to some sunshine as well not to make everyone jealous but um you're going in january aren't you yeah yeah yeah it should be good will you do like a wine tour will you do some eating and drink i've got really good melbourne um recommendations actually oh really great i have to get some of those you're playing in sydney though so we're going up to uh byron we we have some friends up there in in byron which is um meant to be really nice kind of beachy place uh so that'll be fun i'm looking forward to that but yeah i don't really know it that well so it's like a bit bit stepping into that no unlike you know like playing in germany or or belgium of course um i'm not really that familiar with it so it's kind of i'm excited to take a look around, you know.

38:49Have you finished your Christmas shopping, Tom? I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet. So are you all on Christmas Eve, bloke? Not to defend the sort of lazy, unthoughtful and reflective man, but I do think that shopping on Christmas Eve is actually really magical. Yeah, please sell it to us. It's really Christmassy. And not stressful. yeah and you can do it if you've got to go all day you can go all day but yeah it's probably not the the most ideal thing but no i'm definitely gonna go this week into town but although i've gone into town quite a bit over the last two or three weeks just for various things it's just like gridlocked you can't move in central london yeah and also we george and i we have our birthdays right next to each other and we had our wedding anniversary so it's like two quite intense this was like three weeks ago so it was two really intense like shopping trips like you know those are two really intense things you have to buy for and so I'm kind of like you know Christmas is kind of in the shadows of what did you do for paper anniversary I wrote a really long letter oh and what did Georgia get you an envelope

40:07she got me two really nice pens with an inscription on it which i really like having pens i do i like writing lyric on paper like with you know handwriting i like doing that so god i need to do better on paper yeah i really enjoy doing that it's really um calming what is the best and worst Christmas present that you have given or received? For a little while I used to buy my sister the most annoying present I could find. I once got her a trampoline. How old was she? Which she really didn't want. And then I got her like a giant Virgin Mary from a like a stone Virgin Mary and then also got her other thing I've got her a few Virgin Marys actually which she really doesn't like and gets kind of annoyed about it what does she do with them well she had quite a few Virgin Marys in her garden good luck trying to find a Virgin Mary on Christmas Eve so um yeah that's a that that's that's a bit bit weird but I don't this is more like when I was a bit younger I don't buy her weird presents anymore I guess it used to be slightly funny um Tom thank you so much for joining us on our Christmas special go and eat some lunch yes um go and do some Christmas shopping and good luck in Australia in January I'm very jealous if you need me to do a duet with you I would be very happy to fly out there and and eat and drink some wine with you come on over okay perfect let's just chat about this off air.

41:49We'll make something happen. Oh, it'd be great. Yeah. Nice to see you both. Happy Christmas. And thanks for another great year of your podcasts. I appreciate them. Never stop. Tom Adele, you're a gorgeous man, and I wish I was jetting off to Australia in January too. Our next guest is jetting off somewhere, but maybe not quite as far flung as Tom. It's Nadine Coyle. Where are you, Nadine? You're on the move. I'm on the move, yes, and this is the last minute flight. Do you know one of those? I was like, oh my God, I need to pack up, like run like the one. Where are you going? I am going to Heathrow.

42:25For a holiday? For just a little quick trip, just a little quick free Christmas trip. Hot, cold? Cold. Okay. Ireland is always cold. Oh, you're going to Ireland. Yeah. Right, what is a Nadine Christmas special meal? Like what's something that you're always going to have on the table on Christmas Day? I start the cooking for the sides on Christmas Eve. So I will do this Christmas Eve. I will do all the stuffing and cauliflower cheese. And then we've started doing the, you know, the American sweet potato with the marshmallows on the top of Thanksgiving dish. So we started that last year. Yeah. And it was a bank hat.

43:05So it's been requested again this year. That's gorgeous. That's a good idea. So that's kind of my thing besides. Turkey? Of course. My mum does that. My mum does the turkey and she'll do like the potatoes. And we're in Ireland, so there's multiple kinds. We have mashed, we have roasted. Are you going to be in Ireland then? Yes, I'm going to be in Ireland for Christmas. What are some of your Christmas traditions that are like, you know, apart from the cooking, is there any traditions that your household has? We have a huge, I mean, there's quite a few of us. so we've been through the the phases of my sisters her kids growing up um getting everything organized for santa we've got this um bear park i don't know if we spoke about it the last time we met but there is some grizzly bears that the sanctuary it's not too far away in donegal no we did not talk about grizzly bears we didn't talk about that okay so we we do this thing we're a few days before Christmas they do this lovely um Santa thing and you walk around and every year I think it's a great idea I'm like let's go and then we get there and I think what are we doing walking around with grizzly bears I feel like we're in Jurassic Park I'm like holding on to everybody so that's a thing we've started I think I started it and then I'm like what was I what was I thinking so we'll probably have to do that again as well what's on your Christmas playlist?

44:34Do you know Anaya, my little girl made one. She made a Christmas playlist and she came on the other day and she had her iPad on her shoulder, you know, like a boom box. And she came walking on, like playing our new Christmas playlist. It's all the classic. Just all of your classic Christmas songs. Nothing, nothing wild or alternative. And are you drinking wine or guinness and baileys we're drinking slur you know slur oh yeah like slur slur the non-alcoholic it's the non-alcoholic slur which which flavor so we used to think we're being really clever so if you mix the white and the red and you make your own rosé so we'll be doing that again the one time per year that you trick the slur so it's a teetotal christmas well for the afternoon you know the day gets on yeah i'm sure are you a christmas lunch or christmas dinner we're more of a christmas dinner uh we usually do a bag breakfast my mom will do and she'll make some mimosas and stuff um and do like a smoked salmon some kind of English bagel, you know, not bagel, muffin, English muffin vibes with eggs and some sausages.

45:55So you're never really hungry at lunchtime. So we kind of, when everybody starts to gather, we kind of aim for maybe four or five. Yeah, later on. Nadine, thank you for joining us. I hope Heathrow isn't hell on earth. And Merry Christmas. I am just following up with Heathrow. Perfect. Go on, darling. Happy Christmas. And congratulations on an amazing, amazing year. Yeah. It was such a joy to see the girls perform. And I think maybe 2025 we should do a few more performances, please. Yes, please. Yeah. Well, we'll definitely see. Thank you so, so much. Lovely to see you all. Happy Christmas. That's Nadine dashing off to the airport with fabulous signal.

46:38I love you, Nadine. You're completely bonkers. So nice to hear from some of our alumni. I hope you've enjoyed our Christmas special and that it's got you through the stress of getting the Christmas dinner underway or kept your company whilst wrapping those last-minute presents. We'll be back next week, 2025. Thanks for listening. Happy Christmas and a happy new year. Yeah, have a gorgeous day and we'll see you in 2025.

47:16Thank you.