In short
Morning dog-walk social signaling, “testosterone” misinformation and erection/heart-disease red flags, awkward airport/holiday stress, and adult dating-app catfishing fears.
Guests
Wolf and Owl are the two hosts (Tom Davis and partner/“Owl”/“Caffeine” mentioned). No external guests appear; they discuss their own family (Catherine, Grace, Reggie and Ivy the dogs, Alex, Lisa) and friends.
Key claims
People misread online “low testosterone” ads, and a morning erection issue can be a heart-disease warning sign. For dog-walkers, a simple “how much I’m up for chatting” signal could prevent people thinking you’re rude. Adult photo-taking of strangers (especially while they’re eating) can feel voyeuristic/creepy. Dating apps can involve catfishing using someone else’s profile photo.
Notable examples
Heathrow wheelchair booking chaos; airport Burger King touchscreen ordering; a stranger showing a selfie taken of Tom while he was with family; “Ray-er”/Raya dating-app discussion; Tom’s profile photo allegedly used by others.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOSnapchat Conversations
0:46 to 3:19
Discussion about Snapchat, its features, and generational differences in usage.
“Feels like a long old time since I spoke to you last.”
Dog Personalities and Walks
3:20 to 6:20
Exploration of the personalities of their dogs and experiences during morning walks.
“We've got people that you see every day, yeah.”
Testosterone Talk
6:21 to 10:00
A conversation about testosterone levels, health implications, and personal anecdotes.
“Gay clubs and queer spaces historically use a bandana signalling system known as the handkerchief code or flagging.”
Airport Nightmares
10:01 to 14:00
Romesh shares a stressful airport experience while traveling with his wife.
“I think if you're wearing a tie over a t-shirt, that would say...”
Airport Stress and Emotional Moments
14:00 to 16:40
Tom shares a stressful airport experience that leads to an unexpected emotional encounter.
“I just started telling him all my problems.”
Holiday Reflections
16:40 to 19:00
Romesh and Tom discuss their holiday experiences, including missed opportunities and family dynamics.
“Like looking after someone the whole time, she can't do anything, bless her.”
Weird Encounters with Fans
19:00 to 21:00
The hosts recount bizarre interactions with fans, including unsolicited photos during meals.
“And I sort of, basically I've got a situation where my children are more socially trained than I am.”
Foot Golf Adventures
21:00 to 23:20
Tom shares a light-hearted story about playing foot golf with his son and the challenges they faced.
Social Etiquette and Recognition
23:20 to 27:58
The hosts discuss social norms around taking pictures with celebrities and how they handle such situations.
“So we're sitting there and I'm looking at the board.”
The Importance of Speaking Out
28:03 to 29:30
Discussing the common struggles people face in seeking support and how BetterHelp can bridge that gap.
“this is the one that feels most relevant to the people that listen to this show.”
Show all 18 chapters
Fast Food Reflections
30:07 to 31:01
The hosts reflect on their experiences with fast food at airports, particularly Burger King.
“and then we're at the airport and then I show him that I'm not a good caregiver yeah but did you buy him something after?”
Cultural Differences in Fast Food
31:01 to 35:08
Exploring how fast food tastes different in various countries and personal anecdotes about ordering food abroad.
“Just the care that's given to it and the taste of it.”
Discussing Musical Theatre
35:08 to 37:52
The hosts discuss the challenges and experiences related to musical theatre and the characters they admire.
“Are you having another holiday, a longer one?”
Catfishing and Identity
37:52 to 42:03
The hosts share their thoughts on catfishing, identity theft, and personal experiences with being falsely represented online.
“And the contract was like for a year, I think they were asking for a year.”
Dating App Conversations
42:03 to 44:21
Exploring the dynamics of dating apps and their social implications.
“But I think, because some people, I've seen, there's a show Catfish, isn't there?”
Testosterone Talk
44:21 to 46:30
A humorous discussion about testosterone and personal health.
“so I think you should have your testosterone looked at I need to have a little bit of a chat with you why are you giggling so much Lisa?”
Joking and Role Play
46:30 to 49:41
The hosts engage in playful banter and role-plays regarding dating apps.
“Well, the one that sort of like people in sort of our industry go on to is Ray-er.”
Harlem's Story: Finding Friendship
49:41 to 56:00
A whimsical story about loneliness and the importance of friendship.
“Do you want to do, like, you know, like, Harry Mack?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Romesh Ranganathan:Wolf, Owl, Wolf, Owl, Wolf, Owl, Wolf, Owl, Wolf and Owl, Podcast Time, Wolf and Owl, Podcast Time, Wolfie, Wolfie, Owl, Owl, Hit it, Rom.
0:16Romesh Ranganathan:Yo, yo, what do you want, beak or jaws, feathers or fur, sharp teeth or feet with claws, whatever's preferred. Just kidding, every word in this song's about two grown men dressed up as a bird and a dog. Welcome. Are you well? to the world for now podcast. The shoulder went so special there, boy. Please like and subscribe. Like and subscribe, or you care. Do you know what happened? I was embarrassed that I said please like and subscribe, and then I did like a horrible little laugh. You did it, it was fine. Please like and subscribe. Awful. What a horrible start. How are you? I'm good. What's wrong?
0:53Romesh Ranganathan:I just love this energy from you. Feels like a long old time since I spoke to you last. We've both been to Portugal and back. Since I spoke to you last. Well, we've spoken. We've spoken, yeah. We speak. We communicate every day, don't we? Yeah. Whether it's text or phone call or carry a pigeon. You know what I was thinking? We could start Snapchat together. I'd throw a third one in as a joke. What? Snapchat together. Snapchat. You're on Snapchat, aren't you? Well, yeah, I am actually. Nominally. Okay. I don't have it downloaded. I was genuinely joking. I don't have it. What happened was, is the kids were telling me about Snapchat.
1:25Romesh Ranganathan:Okay. So I downloaded it. I went on for like 30 seconds and I was like did you feel weird yeah it's not for me what is because they showed me what it is that they do like they do things like please don't people have a go at me for not understanding this they do like Snapchat streaks and stuff like that where they send each other photos every day and shit like that it's very young too young for us yeah but we could send each other photos of what we're doing like you I know but we can do that anyway we don't need Snapchat to do that but I like the filters on there yeah I remember the filters back in the day it's got the best filters Yeah, it's got incredible feels.
1:58So it's quite a lot of time when younger people get a selfie with you. They'll have Snapchat and they'll take it on Snapchat.
2:03Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, and also sometimes they'll ask for a photo with you and then put a filter. What, like a silly filter? On both of you, yeah. So somebody will ask for a photo, then I get in there and then I look like a dog. I haven't heard that yet. Have you not? No. It's happened to me more than once. Really? Yeah. You would be a cute dog. What sort of dog do you think you'd be if you were a dog? Dash out. Dash out. A little miniature dash out. yeah yeah maybe i think you'd be you'd be oh you're a lab you've got labrador yeah i've got labrador there's no yeah big lab yeah big love quite a chunky lab yeah sort of sat at the you know always smells of brussels sprouts when it farts we're having a little bit of a problem with ivy at the moment well something ivy's your like we've got reggie and ivy yeah reggie's the older boy ivy's younger girl reggie's all about the lisa life and yeah and also reggie is very incredibly chilled out.
2:52Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah. And Ivy is not. High maintenance. Yeah, she is. No, she's not. Yeah, I would say she's high maintenance. Diva. A little bit of a diva, yeah. Yeah. I'd say that. You've got to be, yeah. But what she's taken to doing is, is being incredibly unpredictable in reacting to dogs on the walk. Oh, wow. So, we take them out about seven o 'clock in the morning. Nice. Going along and loads of people walking their dogs at that time, obviously. Have you got dog walk friends? We've got people that you see every day, yeah. Yeah. I don't stop and talk to them, no. But I would say you don't ever sort of go, hello, John, hello, Chloe.
3:28No. And you end up just all four of you on a walk together.
3:32Romesh Ranganathan:No. No. Oh, okay. Is that bad? No, because that's usually how things transpire. Yeah, I know, I know. But the problem is I'm so erratic with how much I'm willing to talk at that time of the morning. Kind of like if I've been to the gym beforehand. So you get out of the gym, you feel more conversational? If I've done something before... You've done a leg workout. Testosterone's bursting through. No, my testosterone's not bursting through. By the way, just as a little aside, apparently the nation is going through a testosterone peak. Really? Because everybody's been misdiagnosed. Because of all the adverts we're seeing online, people are operating under the false assumption that they've got low testosterone levels and then taking boosters.
4:18Romesh Ranganathan:And now testosterone's through the roof. Are you taking boosters? No. Yours is pretty high. I mean, I talked about this on stage. I got told I had the testosterone of a 70-year-old man. What? Must have been, when did I do Synix Mixtape? Five, six years ago? No, it must have been longer than that. And then I ended up taking, what did I end up taking? Some sort of thing. I didn't get prescribed anything, but I just sorted it out. Apparently, if you wake up in the morning and you haven't got a full erection, that's a red flag. Yeah, for heart disease and testosterone. For heart disease as well? Yeah.
4:50Okay. I read a guy put on, my algorithm's packed full of this sort of stuff.
4:55Romesh Ranganathan:Well, so you're part of the, you're one of the, not part of the problem. You could never be part of a problem. You're one of the victims, potential victims of testosterone influencing. Yeah. Testoster influencing. Well, that's what I read. But remember, I dip in and read a little bit and then I don't really feel like it. Yeah, well, so someone, I know a little bit and his thing was, he had a heart attack and he said one of the red flags he had trouble getting and maintaining an erection. Right. And there was not enough blood pumping to his penis from his heart. Okay. So that was one of the things he was most worried about.
5:29Right. Yeah. Okay. Well, this is great chat, by the way, for the morning when your dog walks.
5:35Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, well, so the point I'm trying to make is sometimes if I've done something beforehand, then I'm quite full of vim. Yeah. You know, when I head out. And if somebody chats, I'll probably have a chat. But sometimes I literally, I roll out of bed. Yeah. go down, get the dogs, and then head outside. And then I'm not really. Yeah, but I think what you want to do is just have, it's almost like a non-committal person that you just chat. Some days you're really chatting with them, other days. I think there should be, for morning walks, because I have a number of issues with, okay, so you know how you're a very sociable guy, and I actually wish I was more like you, in many ways, actually.
6:11Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah. For example, if we're sharing, sometimes I wish I was white. but when you know like how you are open to like just talking to people i'm not as good at that right and so sometimes what happens is i will not talk to people because i'm pre-empting a time when i'm not going to be in the mood to talk to somebody and then they're going to think i'm rude so i think if you set an if you set a bar of like it's just hello then i'm never going to disappoint that person that's where it's coming i'm not saying it's right but that's where it's coming but also I think you could number one I think people wouldn't be too offended what you could do is get some t-shirts Tom I was that's exactly where I was going to I think there should be a colour it should be a colour coding system yeah because you know they have that in like in homosexual clubs if you have certain bandanas they're just clubs actually mate in my eyes no but this is no but in homosexual bars clubs just bars to me okay but no just by the very i mean i don't maybe i have got this wrong as a thing but they have a bandana scheme right a bandana so you've got me i really i think we'll have to google it okay so they've got a bandana i was told this by someone yeah a friend i had i had like like a back like a sort of scarf thing in my pocket back pocket right there's a style thing yeah yeah and they said oh that would mean if you're in a certain gut about like gay bar or club just a bar to me that would mean that you were up for this or that.
7:40Right. Yeah. Yeah, so you're onto something. Yeah, it's a signalling. Gay clubs and queer spaces historically use a bandana signalling system known as the handkerchief code or flagging.
7:50Romesh Ranganathan:Right. People tuck coloured bandanas into their back pockets to non-verbally show specific sexual interest, kinks or preferences. Okay. So I had a yellow bandana. So what if you've got it tied around your erect cop?
8:06Romesh Ranganathan:Does that signify leave me alone? Yeah, yeah. I just want to get on with stuff quietly. Please don't approach me. The idea of a bandana not being able to see you've got an erect car. What does yellow mean? This would be a very difficult system for me because I don't see colour. Oh, God. Literally, then you got suckered into going colour blind. I can see why they found yellow funny. Why? Yellow means that you're into water sports. Oh, wow. So you were right to be wearing it. One on the left means that you're the pisser. One on the right means you get pissed on. I had it in the right. Okay. Wow, that's quite a complex code.
8:48Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah. A yellow hanky in the right pocket means you want to get pissed on. Yeah, man. Is that the pissy? Yeah. What colour would you most likely wear on? Let's have a look here. I would probably say that I'm a latex bottom, so charcoal. In the left. No, charcoal in the right. Yeah, but you wear so much blue. Yeah. Uniform fetish. Yeah.
9:19Romesh Ranganathan:Some of the wording in this, I'm either a cop or a cop sucker. Yeah, that means you're somebody who sets a cop stick. Oh, does it? Is that what you think it means in that context?
9:40Romesh Ranganathan:anyway what I don't want is to suggest to John who walks his black lab that I'm a cop sucker no next thing next day he's got a policeman's hat on fucking hell so I don't know if you and Reggie are sitting looking at you going I don't think you had to do that just Reggie Reggie looks traumatised why is he Reggie don't fucking say anything about this to anybody but I do think a colour coding of how open you are to chat yeah they have that at bars don't they like um not as complicated a code as that but if i'm you can say single or attached or willing to chat or not what by the colors of clothing yeah that's half men's clothing is very like similar do you mean women wear a lot more colors than men yeah but i think you can do like a little dash you don't have to do a full yeah you don't have to go top to toe.
10:30Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, like a sort of orange tie. Sure.
10:37Like over a sort of t-shirt. That would look wacky.
10:40Romesh Ranganathan:I think if you're wearing a tie over a t-shirt, that would say... That would say, I've just arrived from 1985. And I've come to see how the future works out. Yeah, but it would also say that I'm pretty wacky and I'm up for a laugh. Hey Chicago, class it up with Crocs. You know back to school is coming in fast. So why wait to find your new fave footwear? Step into a local croc store and step into your new look. Try it. Style it. Make it yours. Because the right pair doesn't just show up. It shows off. First day fits, handled. Walk out ready for whatever's next. Visit your nearest croc store today.
11:24For decades, a shadowy organization called the Lemonati has kept lemon on top and lime in the shadows. Look around, lemon forward sodas, even lemon forward songs.
11:35Romesh Ranganathan:We ran the tracks, slowed them down, reversed them, and squeezed out the truth. That's lemon propaganda right there. But now, 7up is fighting back with their new lime lemon soda. Join the 7up Rising. flip the sep the trouble you've got as well is i think that i've got no yeah genuinely i think is that people make an assumption of of like even if you're being funny one of the things that i find funny is when you're quite curt do you know what i mean yeah i don't i don't look i i don't want to i don't think i'm being curt it's just i'm just being to you're being yourself i accidentally the mk yeah but it's very funny when you do when when you're feeling uneasy about something at times or like a conversation it's very funny but also you have a preconception of how you are with calling you know someone a prick or or being very like sort of what don't say I don't think you're a grumpy guy yeah I think sometimes your public persona is this yeah whereas mine is very much a gregarious idiot mmm like freedom I paid the price for this at the airport going to Portugal so we took rather Heathrow we've booked to put to wheelchair for Catherine to take her into the to the airport wheelchair wasn't there so she's like you run in and try and find it I genuinely spent about half an hour 40 minutes really without stressing because I'm like we're getting later and later so how do you book a wheelchair for the flight yeah to find phone up for the assistance find a British Airways right they'd let us down so then I went to a desk and a woman's like oh no you don't you have to pick up there's an exterior wheelchair you bring in here you bring her in on the exterior one and then we give you the other wheelchair it's an indoor outdoor yeah makes sense yeah so you have to now go to this assistant's desk I went to that assistant's desk and they were like oh you need a form from BA I was I just spoke to BA so then I had to go back to be answered they said I need a form and then we went oh of course you do that's my yeah so now to get the form go anyway I was so stressed this sounds bother this sounds dreadful it was also I'm now getting more more stressed the caffeine's texting on what's going on she had a moment by the way is she feels uneasy about not being able to do anything so she's getting more and more stressed by this and and you know and stressed by the fact we're now getting later later towards the flight sure um and then actually i will just shout out we used airport have you ever used them to send your baggage in front of you no what's that you you can get them to pick up your baggage put it on the plane for you pick up from where pick up from your house they take it from your house the day before are you winding me up genius i only use it because i was like we've got four k three cases and some golf clubs right to take so I understand you got to take your golf yeah because yeah Catherine's incapacitated yeah so I can get out and she got anything about it she's trapped in the yeah she's trapped which I locked her in the room yeah so you got to me and grace from the swimming pool yeah um she could watch us from the balcony like rear window so yeah so they take it take care of everything sort of had the Apple tags I'm geeking out on the Apple tax I was just watching the bags I would say airport I shout them out great great service hmm so I'm sprinting around the airport get more and more stressed as I'm then coming out I've got people sort of saying hello and if the everyone's in a jovial mood people going on holiday everyone's yeah and I'm trying to be nice but I'm getting more and more stress at this point and then as I'm walking out as I'm walking towards the exit of Heathrow I start walking to this guy and his family and this guy smiles and goes Tom Tom I'm like and I sort of was like really like tense at this point I'll get more more like because I couldn't find this wheelchair and then I clock it so I Bennett like you know we know yeah lovely's eye and I was like I had to put on a whole thing of this happier got happy go lucky guy yeah I start literally looks like I'm playing a part in something and bless size I went you okay and I went no no and I said it's like No one had asked me if I was okay for about two weeks.
15:35I just absolutely melted. I just started telling him all my problems. And then he's going, it's okay, mate. You all right? Do you need a hand? His wife was absolutely lovely. She's like, if you need anything. And I was like, as I walked away, I thought, what an awful thing I've done. I've just outlaid all my problems.
15:50Romesh Ranganathan:Just imagine Zaya Bennett's wife going, what the fuck did you do that for? Why did you start talking to that fucking guy? He was walking. He was in a rush. And he called him back for what? For us to therapize him. I thought so bad. And then I internalised that for about two days. Catherine was like, they probably haven't even thought of it again. I tried to find Zai to apologise, and I couldn't find him anywhere. Listen, I think the best thing to do at that point is leave him alone. Yeah. His kids go, why was that man crying, Dad? I was just close to tears. I can't handle it. What I realised is I can't handle that kind of stuff.
16:25You can. You handled it. I was dangerous. I get to the thing. I'm there with Catherine. Catherine's like, are you okay? and I'm like, yeah, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. And then these guys come out of this wheelchair and then the guys almost tip her out of it when we get to the BA desk because they can't go after a certain port. It was insane. Yeah, it's tricky that. Like looking after someone the whole time, she can't do anything, bless her. It's so difficult for her. And I'm like, constantly, I just feel so, yeah, she's basically, is it incapacitated? Yeah. She couldn't even go in the pool the whole time of there.
16:58Really? Yeah. And it was awful because me and Grace
17:01Romesh Ranganathan:having such fun in the pool. It felt bad. Did you make sure you stayed right in front of her? Well, we had to, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just to sort of really rub it in.
17:10I mean, what was nice is when he had antibiotics, she had to stop having the antibiotics. She started drinking and she became a lot more fun then. How was your holiday? My holiday was a delight. It looked and sounded amazing. What do you mean? I saw some pictures on someone's phone. On whose phone? Someone had taken a picture. Well, you took a lovely picture of you and Alex. Yeah. I literally, by the way, went and sat at the same table. Did you? With Grace and Catherine. At Tony's. Shout out Tony's. Pizza's in Guilla de Lago. Jesus Christ. Someone came up to me. Tony's does not need a shout out.
17:46Tony's is incredible. Anyway, go on. Someone came up to me. I don't know if they got a selfie of you and they'd taken a picture of you. Like when you were sitting somewhere.
17:54Romesh Ranganathan:What did this guy look like?
18:00Romesh Ranganathan:What are you laughing at? just the way you said that I've known you for years and years right that is the most fucking aggressively like what did this guy look like there was two guys that came up there was a guy quite a tall blondish guy who came over he'd taken a picture I think he'd had a selfie of you and there was another guy who came up Indian guy who'd taken a picture of you so the reason I ask what this guy looked like can I say one of them was a picture of you a selfie the other person had taken a picture of you you're not he's not in the picture you're with your family yeah I think that okay that's a bit weird yes did I know the pictures being taken no that's what I mean that's what I was like he literally came up to me and went oh I saw your mate the other day and I knew obviously who he met straight away I said oh yeah yeah I missed him just yeah and he was like yeah yeah yeah he was just here and he showed me this picture and you yeah so he'd taken a picture of you what the fuck is going on you know by the way this is weird and he went yeah but i didn't want to interrupt his dinner and i said can i just say in future go up and say can i have a picture or don't but taking a picture of someone eating family thanks for thank you for yeah doing the honor of pretending that that's what you said to him somebody came over because now I'm about to say the exact opposite to what you said by the way I just want to clear this up it's an honour to have people come and answer photos with you it's incredible and we're very lucky that people even want to do that having said that I was at a restaurant in Portugal I'm eating mouth full somebody comes over says can I get a photo right can he take it and then gives the phone to Alex.
19:49Romesh Ranganathan:Oh, wow. That's happened before as well. It has happened once before. And I sort of, basically I've got a situation where my children are more socially trained than I am. Because Alex immediately took the camera and was like, I'm just going to bring this to a swift end and took the photo. Wow. But that's quite, listen, I do not blame, pretty much don't blame anyone for their behavior when they come up to you. Because I think when you see somebody you recognize, I think it fires off some different there's an adrenaline thing or whatever I'm not saying that I induce an adrenaline spike but what I mean is when you see somebody that you recognise I can tell you by the way the guy who took the picture of you was still buzzing off taking the picture of you he's a voyeur no he is the most awkward thing of this is I'm queuing outside Tony's for Grace to have her face painted so I'm with a load of other parents and as he's showing me the picture and I say what I say about it a lot of other people are going mate that's really fucking weird like genuinely yeah because it's weird that's so good it's really strange it's really strange thing to do and he's going oh yeah yeah but I thought it was being polite and I was like no it's that's not a problem um but so so I sort of I sort of don't um mind yeah and and even if somebody says if even if somebody tries to banter you in a clumsy way I sort of think whatever man like you do you know i mean it's like yeah you're in a height whatever there are people just say weird things when they meet somebody they recognize so you kind of forgive anything and so i also kind of forgive not forgive there's nothing to forgive but i i i think it was weird that that guy did that but i get it right he's thinking because there's selfies now i know but but but what i don't understand is i just find um taking a photo with somebody full stop quite weird when you're an adult do you mean like alex will like to he loves to take photos he loves football yeah so whenever he sees a football he wants a photo and i think well that's a 14 year old kid yeah but like if you happen to be at the same place as somebody and you take their photo i just sort of thinking if i like i think if i saw i don't want to go on about this radius but if i saw thierry henry i wouldn't approach him for a photo i think we've said this before but i find the whole idea of taking photos is there anyone that you'd see and go i'll get a picture of him no sometimes maybe John if I if I was out and about and I saw John and I didn't know he's gonna be there I'd get a photo of him I'll probably get a picture of John if I saw him to send to you yeah and go I've just seen John at the cinema yeah yeah and then I'd go did you really just see him or was this a wolf and alfing that I was oh Ben's here as well yeah and then I'd start spinning out so is jt we're all here um it's really weird everyone's here um when we were on holiday um so lisa and charlie yeah charlie to get back for all of us so they shout out charlie yeah so they came back a day earlier than us mad that the holidays used to end with you having to go back to work and charlie had to go back for work commitments well we were all going to come back at the same time and then i said to lisa what alex and i don't need to come back so we stayed out for another day and went out for dinner went and played a bit of foot golf had a great day just me and Alex yeah that's incredible yes foot golf is like literally that it's five minutes from the hotel you stand up oh my god yeah I don't think Catherine would have loved it no no I mean I went out and she wasn't very happy about me going for six hours no but when we're at the airport it's just me me and Alex obviously and the flight got delayed Always.
23:25Romesh Ranganathan:So we're sitting there and I'm looking at the board. Even on a private jet? Pardon? Even on a PJ? I told you, Tom, I only got a PJ out there. No. So we're flying back and all of the things were all on time except for our flight. And then all of the red boxes were coming up for like board now or clothes or whatever. and I've just like looked from a distance and it's gone boarding right so I've gone right Alex let's go to the flight and then this is closing and I'm like okay they've obviously delayed the flight and now they're ready to go and I don't know why they've done this but it's gone from like delayed to like all hands on deck all hands on deck so Alex starts panicking right oh bless him so he goes are we going to miss the flight and he goes is this bad and then just for a joke I went it's not great but I was only joking right but he wasn't panicking in that situation and then we run we run up the escalators we get to the gate she goes is it just you two and I go yeah and like everybody's going through and then I show her the boarding pass and she says this is the wrong flight and Alex looked at me and look I saw something dying is like a bit of respect for me disappear I don't think it's going to take a while for me to get that back but he looks because he's he's with his dad and your dad's supposed to be like I'm looking after him yeah and i fucked up i'm gonna say he's had an amazing 24 hours tony's pizza i'm guaranteed yeah pizza probably some sides yeah tony does incredible sides yeah right you then have foot golf yeah great way to spend some time just to have a nice drink at a cafe afterwards who won foot golf he it was a humiliation actually he really he really he's a good footballer right yeah did you anything i made the mistake of wearing slides what well you wore sliders to football yeah what are you thinking I didn't think did he take football boots he didn't take football boots I know you you'd be I have shinners on you just had trainers on okay but I'd slow trainers did he wear I don't know okay some pair of nikes okay what you've got on there would be great for football yeah but I wasn't wearing those I was wearing slides did you have to take slides off I thought about it but it's quite dusty that foot golf area yeah yeah i'd have done it to be competitive yeah um but what it was it gave me a handy excuse yeah yeah but can i just ask roughly how many did he beat you by not loads but there's a couple of did you get the ball off the air with slide in the air with yeah with sliders that's admirable that's good uh admirable
26:15Romesh Ranganathan:yeah it was amicable yeah
26:23what I love is whenever this happens I just think of all the times I've used that word wrong in a fucking sentence to someone I don't really know
26:31Romesh Ranganathan:no but I do that I've done that I've discovered a few words where you get so used to using them in a certain context and actually sometimes when you use them in the right context people just or the context you think they should be people don't pick you they won't pick you up but you sooner someone went sorry yeah well would you because yeah because I've been saying amicable in a whole different I know but I think I'm coming across as I'm coming across as a bit of a prick there no no no actually I'm am I doing it to be helpful I've got a question of my motive set am I actually doing it to be helpful no you're doing it as a prick I don't think you're you're doing it you're doing it for a laugh but I will say that me and you quite a lot of the time if I'm getting interviewed about a really really really sensitive subject on the one show and I use amicable wrong just the way that they stood up to the fascists there was incredibly amicable
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27:30thank you
27:31Romesh Ranganathan:exactly Tom the bravery he showed in the face of the attacker was amicable well yes it was anyway from that we're going to go on to barney everyone's favorite dinosaur is doing a new one-man show uh anyway um i love the one show for that this is an advertisement from better help now we've been wanting to talk about this for a while now we're very happy to be sponsored by better help and genuinely of all the things that we've worked on, this is the one that feels most relevant to the people that listen to this show. Because if you're a regular listener, you'll know that this stuff comes up a lot.
28:10And the response we get when it does is always the same. People saying, thank you for saying that out loud.
28:15Romesh Ranganathan:Which suggests that a lot of people are sitting with things that they haven't said out loud to anyone. And the gap between thinking about getting some support and actually doing something about it can feel enormous. And we get that. Life is busy. It never feels like the right moment and it's easy to keep putting things off until it feels more manageable. Except they don't get more manageable on their own. That's sort of the whole point. BetterHelp exists to close that gap. And the numbers speak for themselves. An average live therapy session rating of 4.9 out of 5, based on over 1.7 million client reviews.
28:48People are not giving that rating to something that isn't working.
28:51Romesh Ranganathan:And the practical side of it matters too. BetterHelp is built to fit around your life rather than the other way around. Different ways to connect, different types of professionals, depending on what you actually need. marriage and family therapists social workers counselors you're not just getting whoever's available because it turns out just hoping everything sorts itself out is not medically speaking a recognized treatment plan it really isn't we have checked thoroughly yeah we have if you've been thinking about therapy better help can help you take the first step sign up and get 10 off at betterhelp.com slash wolf owl that's better help.com slash wolf owl Hey, Chicago.
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30:00Romesh Ranganathan:so what was the score? I can't remember but he beat me yeah he beat me by quite a bit but we had a great time and then we're at the airport and then I show him that I'm not a good caregiver yeah but did you buy him something after? did you go for food after? yeah we went for food after did you have? did you have? did you have Burger King? he I we both had Burger King actually yeah that Burger King that on your way home Burger King's like a signing off for the holiday I think it's a beautiful thing I think that's the last treat before you go back to an air of normality. I think like all foreign fast food outlets.
30:34People are. Oh, sorry. Tastes so much better and different. Do you think so? Yeah.
30:41Romesh Ranganathan:All foreign food tastes so much different and better. All foreign, like McDonald's, Burger King, KFC. Can I just say that I think the difference between an airport Burger King and a services Burger King, even if actually services Burger King in Portugal, France, Germany is far better than an English one. You really think so? Yeah. Why? I'd die on that hill. Just the care that's given to it and the taste of it. Yeah. I'd say that I've had a Burger King in Portugal, outstanding at a shopping centre. Went to a shopping centre when I'd been back here, had a Burger King. It was embarrassing. I sometimes just want to go off and go, come on, guys, please.
31:19Romesh Ranganathan:You really can't handle not being their voice anymore, can you? Yeah, it hurts me. Do you think that, So I think getting a Burger King at an airport in Portugal is fine. Yeah. You're having a Burger King when you're out and about in Portugal, are you? We went to the shopping center here. Okay, fine. But you wouldn't roll the dice in the food court in Portugal? Do you know what? I had my little Mexican spot, but it was at the queue. We went on a bank holiday in Portugal. It was rammed. Okay. Fiesta Banguia. Is that what it's called? No, I've got no idea. That's quite a nice thing. Caffeine in a wheelchair.
32:00Right. And Grace being absolutely mad. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
32:04Romesh Ranganathan:So you decided to go for a quick thing. Yeah, yeah. I was meant to be quick. Yeah. But then Catherine won't eat McDonald's or Burger King. Yeah. I don't want to make this a Burger King episode. Yeah. I think they also do this at McDonald's. Customizing shit, man. Yeah. So sick. Yeah, McDonald's do it, but Burger King will be the people who brought it to the poor. It makes such a difference. Really good. can I I Berkian great McDonald's if they don't give us a fucking sponsorship after this McDonald's then pushed me through to go I I wanted to do the touchscreen thing so I don't speak Portuguese right hmm so I'm then put I got get Grace's happy meal and stuff sure and they said oh they saw us with Grace said oh no you go and order I said I'm right at a touchscreen and I said no no no go go I you know when you just realize it's bordering on offense offensive how little I can actually I'm trying to say chicken strips in Portuguese sure what did you say?
33:01El Pule strips
33:02Romesh Ranganathan:El Pule strips? yeah what is it in Portuguese? let's see how close you got tiras de frango that sounds so cool as well doesn't it I should have just looked on my phone but I was so stressed I don't handle stress I'm pretty sure you can do in the moment translation can't you? You cannot, but I was so stressed. I'm sure. Yeah. So you said El Pule Strips. And then I started describing them. Did they get it from Pule Strips? No. I didn't start describing them. I pointed at some chicken nuggets, and I went, this, but longer? Yeah. And she was like, yeah, like this. And I was like, no, like, longer.
33:41And then she was just like, had no idea what I meant. She said, I think this guy needs a shit. And I said, just, and I just pointed at a wrap. I said, just give her one of them. So she got a wrap. So you didn't end up getting the chicken strips? No, because I just couldn't. But if I'd gone, they'd got pictures. What did Little G say to that? Well, she took the strip out of the wrap and ate it. Right. Okay, so it worked all right. Yeah, I mean, but she would have preferred three instead of one. Oh, I see. It was her father's daughter. But Burger King, yeah, I went there, had a touchscreen. It was a beautiful experience.
34:09The customization is great.
34:10Romesh Ranganathan:I mean, touchscreen is an awful thing, isn't it? Yeah, it is if you don't wash your hands. In a world in which we're trying to touch fewer things. Yeah, but do you take wipes with you everywhere? I take Lisa with me everywhere and she has wipes she licks my what licks your fingers I've just done the touch if you will
34:32Romesh Ranganathan:good Lisa how do you know I say that to her clever girl daddy's fingers are dirty Lisa I've got good news and bad news The bad news is the food's going to take a little bit longer than we thought. The good news is I used a touchscreen.
34:57Romesh Ranganathan:Try them on Alex's shirt afterwards. It's great being on holiday. Although Lisa was really sad to come back. Yeah. How long did she get? Four days? Five days? Five days. Are you having another holiday, a longer one? Not this summer, no. The summer's at done. Charlie's schedule is. relentless when's he in Oliver Till February that's a long contract was that two years well he got extended no just over a year that's amazing 18 months I think he's doing well then I guess so yeah I don't know I think part of it is how quickly they grow up if he'd have got taller he'd be out yeah I'd have been done wouldn't I yeah they wouldn't have let you no no no because I was at that age yeah yeah you could have played Fagan at nine arguably Fagin's less noncy at nine yeah he gives Fagin's pretty much pretty much what he's got an air to him what creepy if you yeah there's a little bit around the bush there's school of thought that Fagin isn't one of the old actors that paid him being sort of alleged to be a bit of a wrong and listen I'm not gonna speculate on who might have been a wrong and this is mad right but I also Fagin he lives in a house with a load of kids right yeah yeah yeah I'm not denying that all of that is he's quite creepy tricky to handle in 2026 is his only thing is his friendship with Nancy and I think although Bill is a wrong one Nancy's a pretty decent human being sure I think I like Nancy yeah oh what I think Nancy's yeah Nancy's great he's got the best song as well yeah oh my god as long as he needs me that one yeah yeah Yeah.
36:42Romesh Ranganathan:God, that was so sweet watching you do that. I've been having singing lessons. Yeah, your voice has improved. It's really amicable.
36:54Romesh Ranganathan:Would you ever be in a musical? Yeah, I mean, if it was the right thing. What part would you play? Were there any parts that you've watched that you thought I could be that guy? Well, Bill Sykes would be one I'd love. Yeah, you'd be a great Bill Sykes. Bill Sykes would be fun. I was actually asked earlier this year to do, they were trying to do, is it, what's the one where it's the the woman is being taught how to be she's from a lower class and they're trying to teach her to be posh and speak well and stuff my lady what they were doing is basically doing this flip on that and instead of a it was a male being like that and then a woman teaching them to be right and they came to me to see if I'd want to be in it and what happened I just had other stuff going on sure you've got this to do yeah my fair lady yeah so it would have been my fair guy I think it was something like that my fair man yeah my fair gentleman my thing was I wouldn't have been confident enough singing right but they would have trained you to do that yeah but yeah I don't know I just think if I'm going to be really honest please when you were doing theatre I'd assume this whole time that you were being honest yeah but when you were doing theatre and some of that what I witnessed was the work up towards it when you put so much in, how brilliant it was, the opening night, and then this high, and then the realisation you're doing it for fucking four months after.
38:19And the contract was like for a year, I think they were asking for a year. A year? No, you can't do that. And then you're going, okay, yeah. You can't do that.
38:25Romesh Ranganathan:You can't do that. Yeah. You can't do that. No. But later down, yeah. I could see you doing like a little, do you know what I mean? Being in Les Mis or something. Yeah, Les Mis would be, the pub landlord guy, and they must be fun but that's a hard song today actually the other Russell Crowe Russell Crowe is singing I mean we're going back like the him is singing in Les Mis is insane was it what good no right it's like he's up against Hugh Jackman who I think is one of the greats yeah I think in everything Hugh Jackman does hmm I'd love to just be a personal assistant for months to Hugh Jackman like just to be around him right I adore Hugh Jackman and everything he stands for right what does he stand for just give me the top bullet points of what Hugh you Jackman stands for.
39:07Romesh Ranganathan:I don't know musicals and just being nice. He stands for musicals and being nice. Yeah, I just think he's a, seems like a good egg, old Hugh. Yeah. Right. But in Russell Crowe, who I love, but Russell Crowe's singing is kind of, it's like, it's almost like, yeah, there's just no tone to it. Yeah. And you're worried that would be you. Yeah. Yeah. That that would be the takeaway. It's just got to be good enough not to bump people, right? Yeah. Because that, because there's some parts that, like, so Nancy and Oliver, that's meant to be, holy shit, But other songs, it's just like... Fagin is... It's a character song, right?
39:39Yeah, but Fagin's got a lot of a motive. Parts behind him. I think I better think it out again. Yeah. A man's got a heart, isn't he? That, yeah.
39:51Romesh Ranganathan:You really... I can't believe how well you know it. Yeah. I love all of it. Would you do musical theatre, Rob? No. You wouldn't do it? No. You would be sick. No. I would say... I can't sing. You were brilliant in theatre. Yeah, thank you. that's very kind of yeah instinctively yeah yeah I know a thing to find out yourself yeah I read the reviews and I was in my body every night when I got a standard ovation thank you I couldn't do musical theater why not just can't can't sing you can see I can't if Lisa woke up one morning she went you have to do a musical right or I'm taking the boys and the dogs I'm gonna hide somewhere i would i guess i the first thing i'd do is um i would download raya um and i'll start to see what's out there
40:44Romesh Ranganathan:you've fantasized about that haven't you no have you been on raya before no i've not even i don't even know what it looks like no i don't i've got to say the one thing that i'm sad about no it's not the one thing i'm sad about sad about a lot of things but one of the things that i'm sad about with regards to my relationship is that i was post the app you know i got hooked up post i don't think you should be sad about that i wouldn't know but it'd be fun to have a go wouldn't it do you know they'd be fun to have a go i might just go on there can you go on there and go i'm just doing this to see i don't think that's the worst fucking hell someone gets excited they got a date with robert's rang and i'm just going to see what's about see what fluffs out there we'll just keep lisa on her toes i'm just uh i'm just gonna see what's available lisa I've had two people use my profile and my picture as their picture.
41:35Romesh Ranganathan:Really? Yeah. Have they said they're you? I'm not sure. I've been messaging one from someone I know saying, this person in the Guildford area is using your picture. And another one where it was just a random person on Instagram was going, look, I'm guessing that this isn't you, but this person is asking to meet me. And they're saying they're Tom Davis? I don't know if they were just using my picture. Right. which I find that's a mad thing if you turn up. That's just a really weird catfish, isn't it? Because at some point you're going to meet and you're going to go, no, it's not. Yeah, I know. But I think, because some people, I've seen, there's a show Catfish, isn't there?
42:10Romesh Ranganathan:It's great. I saw a bit of it. I was addicted. Where some of the guys think that they'll use a different picture and then when they meet up and look different, they'll have got to like them so much that that'll become irrelevant, right? Yeah. Have you not watched Catfish the original? Oh my god, it's incredible. But that's a bit like, you know, when you watch Love is Blind? Yeah. Which I do religiously. When you watch Love is Blind... What's that? It's just... A new thing you're doing. A new shtick. I love how awkward you feel about it. I'm going to start doing little John Krasinski office bits to...
42:47Romesh Ranganathan:But when you watch Love is Blind, they all pretend that they're not into looks. Yeah. And then they have that horrible... Yeah, but I don't think you'd look at my profile and go, oh, it's someone that's based on looks. I don't think that's why you're using my picture. Why? Because you could use any picture, couldn't you? Yeah, so, right, you run it past Lisa, right? Let's say I'm Lisa, you're you. Okay. It's breakfast. When would you have this conversation about your... When would I have the conversation about me going on to a dating app? Yeah, try it, yeah. Probably morning, yeah. Yeah, okay.
43:19Yeah, okay. Morning, babe. You all right?
43:29Yeah, hi, Lacey. You all right? Yeah, I'm so tired. Just went out for a run and did some palatos. That's me, I guess.
43:40Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, well done. Yeah, good. Well done. Oh, by the way, you were snoring last night. Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Do I snore? Yeah, a little bit. Alex, your dad said, did he snore? yeah you snore why have you already given yourself an extra character sorry yeah you snore dad okay sorry sorry guys for snoring sorry sorry so was it annoying we've got this big house but you wake everyone up I wake everyone in the house up yeah Jesus yeah I nudge you a couple of times then you wake up and I also noticed you didn't have an erection this morning so I think you should have your testosterone looked at
44:34Romesh Ranganathan:I need to have a little bit of a chat with you why are you giggling so much Lisa? you've just told me that you think I've got low testosterone and it sort of sent you off on a no but that's a condition thing isn't it yeah I'm sorry it's weird that you find that funny I've got the giggles this morning About my low testosterone? No, no, no, no, no. I have something Alex said before you came in the room. What did he say? Well, I said, oh, no, it's this morning. I didn't have an erection. Why would you talk to Alex about my erection? Well, I just needed to talk to someone, and none of the women at Pilates had any kind of answers for me.
45:09Romesh Ranganathan:So you'd already talked to the women at Pilates about it? Yeah, yeah. And you talked to our son about it? Yes. Well, this makes what I'm about to say a little bit easier, actually. because you know look obviously I love you very much I love you too oh by the way I brought you a present a new scarf a new scarf yes it's blue you can wear it out oh is this to suggest to indicate to the dog walkers I'm a cop sucker I don't know what you're talking about sorry what were you saying well I just thought it would be fun to I don't I just thought it would be a fun thing I was talking about it with Tom Are you talking about Centre Parcs again?
45:53Romesh Ranganathan:No I was talking to Tom about it Are you talking about Centre Parcs? The implication there is that you'd had Lisa's voice at any point I just wanted to Tom and I were chatting about a dating app Oh Tom, he's such a sweet guy Really? He's so kind For the last couple of weeks you've been saying why do you insist on still doing that podcast with him he's so so sweet and he's always got your best interests at heart you said he was a leech the other day i said he reminded me of your old friend you said he's a horrible leech that forces you to do this podcast even though it's going nowhere yeah but you know what then i started thinking about it i started thinking how how happy you always seem when you you know when you looked on his instagram and he said he's such a thirsty
46:44yeah but the thing about you know what when I've had a couple of drinks what I can be like I say things that I don't always mean I feel like you meant that it's like the other week when we were out and I was like
46:56Romesh Ranganathan:what about the other day when you said to me are you certain he's never had a head injury yeah but it's like the other week when you came out and I said you look really really nice in that so you were drunk bright yellow t-shirt you know I didn't necessarily mean it but it made you feel good about yourself sometimes I'm mean about Tom to make you feel better the reason I was wearing that t-shirt is for reasons that I don't really want to talk to you about right now okay so I insisted go into that bar yeah even though it wasn't raining you came home drenched correct okay anyway Tom and I were talking about dating apps and I thought it would be it's not a serious thing but I thought it would be fun to just download it and just have a mess around thinking about kind of?
47:40Romesh Ranganathan:Well, the one that sort of like people in sort of our industry go on to is Ray-er. What's that all about? What is that? It's a dating app. Like the singer? That's Ray. Okay. But yes, like the singer if you put an A on the end, yeah. So what, you're going to, you want to go on a dating app? Well, I don't want, yeah, I do want to. So what's your, what's, what are you thinking? What's the end? There's no end thing. It'll just be funny to see how it goes down. Oh, you just can have sex with random people? um i'm not gonna have sex with random people no i'm not gonna have sex with anybody so what you're just leading people up the garden path well no i'm not gonna say i'm not gonna do that either i'm just gonna you know so oh this is all about your ego you want to feel attractive well i hadn't thought about it like that but now you say that i've got to say yeah that's probably that's part of it what would you feel like if i went oh i'm on tinder and i put pictures of me in like sexy clothing on there and loads of people like them i'd love that for you well i'm gonna do that okay and you know the mechanic who does that car yeah he's on there what what in what world at least are you under the impression that we have a regular mechanic that does our car well you know ian that does the car ian yeah yeah he plays golf on tuesdays right yeah he's got the goatee ian with the goatee yeah he's a mechanic that plays golf on tuesdays yeah what about him Well, he's always smiling when I'm around.
49:05So I would just say, I'll put myself on Tinder and see who gets...
49:09Romesh Ranganathan:Here's a little fun fact for you about Ian. I bumped into him while wearing a yellow T-shirt.
49:19To be fair, I actually think you handled that pretty well.
49:21Romesh Ranganathan:Thanks, mate. I mean, I'm not actually going to do it. No, but you... Yeah, that was good. Thanks. Can I say, in these role plays, I've noticed you've become a lot more assertive. Have I? Yeah. I think you've become more like you used to be a bit nervous around them but you feel like there's I feel there's another level of confidence which is nice thank you hopefully that feels like you're taking that home thanks for that development though I appreciate that yeah Tom yes it's about that time how do you think this episode went I don't know I actually think my energy was quite low at the time I feel I was quite quiet do you feel so yeah do you feel so what happened to me there do you feel so I feel like I've got this post-holiday do you feel so feel to me right Right.
50:01But, yeah. How do you feel it went? I thought it was good. I thought it was good. You enjoyed it? Yeah.
50:07Romesh Ranganathan:Fun. I feel that the pressure is on now. What do you mean? For this closer? Yeah. Do you want to do, like, you know, like, Harry Mack? Yeah. You know Harry Mack? No. Okay. So why did you say yeah? Because I'm trying to seem intelligent. Okay. So Harry Mack is, like, probably the greatest freestyle rapper around at the moment. And he does these videos where just anybody throws stuff at him. Oh my God. Can I just say, there's a guy who's doing, who's in, we talked about him before. He was in Married at First Sight. He's the guy I showed you. He's doing it. John, right? I can't remember his name.
50:40He's a fucking idiot. Yeah. He's been doing this thing where he does these. Yeah. Please. People give him three words. Yeah. And he's got to make a rap. Yeah. The raps never rhyme. They're never in tune.
50:53Romesh Ranganathan:What's his name? Dean. Dean. Dean. Okay. So, yeah. Yeah. So, anyway. So, Dean from Married at First Sight. So Dean and Harry Mack are doing the same thing in principle, but Harry Mack's actually amazing at it. Yeah, and Dean isn't. Dean's very, very sweet. He's got a really good spirit. I'll give him that. He can't rap. He's an awful rapper. His knees have stopped. Dean, please stop. It's like genuinely... No, Dean, do what you want. I'm only joking. Do what you want. Do what you want. Can I just say, go away. The idea of Harry Mack, I don't know, is so difficult. Like a band of men, right? He's brilliant.
51:29You sit and someone will give him something to rap about or give him a subject or whatever, and he could do that. He literally stands there and goes, give me three things and I'm going to make a rap-up about it. And it's like, I don't know, like doors, toilet rolls, and cheese. And he'll go, oh, okay. I walk through a door. I need some toilet roll. I've just eaten some cheese. It's not a complex rap. Give me a beat. and the person gives it a beat and it sounds the same every time. Yeah, yeah. I've seen it. Yeah, it's, yeah.
52:05Romesh Ranganathan:Anyhow. Anyway, the reason I raise Harry Mack. Yeah. Who I'm going to watch on the way home. Is I thought we could give you, I could give you three elements that you could find into your clothes. Okay, cool. Yeah, yeah. So the first thing is a red squirrel. Okay. Okay. The second thing is a pottery class. Okay. Okay. and the third thing is a chicken gel phrase II okay so I would just want some element of that into the story okay of those three good luck Harlem Thompson was a lonely man so lonely that he would try in any way he could to make friends tried different clubs and classes he took up surfing one week another he started karate one time he even started pottery classes it's hard to chat to people at a pottery class as you're folding in the clay and try and make a pot alas even a statuette other people are so consumed every time he started a good conversation people would go not now harlem i'm doing something he felt sad and one day when he was walking home from his newest club he joined, a skateboarding club.
53:22He was walking because he'd fallen off his skateboard and some bigger kids had taken it, even though he was an adult. He was strolling home, consumed by his thoughts and his loneliness. And a little voice said, Where are you going, fella? He looked up and there was a little red squirrel sitting in the tree. Arlen went, What? A talking squirrel? He said, I don't really talk, but sometimes people, when they're so lonely, imagine stuff how are you doing Harlem and Harlem was like yeah I'm just feeling like shit at the moment I have to be mugged from some big kids who took my skateboard and the red squirrel was like do you ever think Harlem that you ask for too much and he was like what do you mean it's like you expect so much from people but you give them nothing back Harlem said I don't know what you mean he's like come with me and the squirrel took Harlem a little bit like the ghosts in Scrooge or the Christmas Carol whichever version you've seen to different parts of town I'd look into a weather spoons and see people laughing and joking being together or they go pass a Indian restaurant and see some people share in a chicken jar frazee Harlem stared in at the window his breath in his nose just making a sort of, I don't know, sting.
54:45The end of the evening, Harlem was like, I don't know what any of this means. And a red squirrel turned around and was like, don't you get it? And he's like, no. And he's like, friendship takes time. And people have got to come together. You're not going to meet them at clubs. The friends that you need are just there in front of you. And Harlem thought, maybe that's true. The next day at work, Harlem went in and asked Maggie by the coffee machine what she'd watched the night before. They laughed and joked they'd both watched Love Island. A bit later that day, he talked to Tim, who cleared the bins where he was a cleaner there, and said, what's been going on, Tim?
55:21Turned out Tim was also a Chelsea fan, so was Harlem. That Saturday, he went to footwear with Tim. That Sunday, he had a roast dinner at Maggie's. The people that Harlem had been looking for had been right under his nose all the time. Sometimes in life we go looking for things. We go looking for things in the strangers of places, but the things that we need are just there. The things that we need to quell our appetite, like a good chicken jalfrezi. Sometimes the wise people in the world aren't people at all. They're a red squirrel, just showing you some people sharing a chicken jalfrezi and happiness to say, yo, what you need is already on your plate.
56:01Really lovely. Thank you. I'd much rather do it like that would you I'll tell you what from now on this will make my life so much easier you can do this or other people just send in three words and I'll make the stories up
56:13Romesh Ranganathan:Wolfowlpod at gmail.com we will see you for the email special of the Wolf and Owl if you would like to send something what's the email address Tom? wolfowlpod at gmail.com correct remember to like and subscribe we'll see you next time peace I love you
56:37Romesh Ranganathan:Fall is the perfect time to refresh and reorganize your space. At the Home Depot, find power tools and tool sets starting at$50 to help tackle DIY projects, home updates, and more. Whether you're drilling brackets to support new shelving or sharpening your hedge trimmer blade with an angle grinder, the Home Depot has the tools you need to check projects off your list. Shop Labor Day Savings at The Home Depot and gear up for fall projects with the right tools to keep your projects moving. Have you heard that McDonald's spicy chicken McNuggets made with spicy tempura and a blend of aged cayenne are back?
57:15Remember to grab a few extra napkins. For a limited time at participating McDonald's.
From the publisher
What happened to Tom at Heathrow?
In this week's episode, Tom tells us all about the chaos of a stressful trip through Heathrow, where a simple question led to him unloading all of his travel stress in spectacular fashion on a stranger.
Elsewhere, the boys discuss the etiquette of being asked for a photo, holiday fails, dog walking small talk, and the world of Raya, online dating, and the bizarre phenomenon of being catfished.
Plus, Tom attempts to turn a red squirrel, a pottery class, and a chicken jalfrezi into a meaningful story.
If you've been thinking about therapy, BetterHelp can help you take the first step. Sign up and get 10% off at https://www.BetterHelp.com/wolfowl
A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:10 Snapchat
02:21 Dog chat
04:01 A side note on testosterone
04:34 Dog walking
06:56 Tom’s signalling scheme
10:56 The trouble with Rom
11:44 Tom’s Heathrow story
16:19 Rom’s holiday
18:00 Asking for photos
21:37 Rom’s airport mishap
28:50 Fast food and foreign countries
34:11 Tom’s issue with Fagan
39:18 On Raya
41:37 A Raya role play
48:15 Tom’s Outro
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