Pottering with Tom Allen

This week, I had the real treat of being joined in the garden by none other than Saturday Night Live sensation George Fouracres! Perhaps best known for his prime ministerial impressions on SNL, George is also a master of the stage, regularly treading the boards at Shakespeare’s Globe, and a Cambridge Footlights alumnus no less! 🎭 It was a welcome surprise to discover that George and I have rather a lot in common, so expect conversations about top hats and starched collars, being eccentric teenagers, and the joy of Jeeves and Wooster. We also, of course, discuss the sublime success of SNL UK and touch upon George’s earliest memories in the garden with his grandparents. Just what kind of Irish his Grandad really is, well, perhaps we’ll never know... So, don your top hat and tails, pull out the fine china, and let’s go Pottering. 🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And please do like and subscribe, or leave a review! @tomallen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, dear listeners, I was joined in the garden by writer, broadcaster, musician and all-round delight, the Reverend Richard Coles! 🌿 You may know Richard from his hugely successful books, as one half of The Communards, or from his many TV and radio appearances, including, of course, a successful stint in the jungle and a perhaps slightly less successful turn in the Strictly ballroom. Richard and I discovered we have plenty of shared eccentricities, so it was an absolute joy chatting about everything from childhood dreams of silk-lined cloaks and our mutual appreciation of the English language, to PJs (pyjamas and private jets). So, don your kaftan, take a brief pause from your funeral planning, and join “Rev Rich” and me in the garden for some Pottering. 🪴 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And do please like, subscribe or leave us a review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, I am joined in the garden by the utterly delightful Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins! 🌿 Mel and Sue are long-time friends, comedy partners and sure-fire national treasures! 🏆 It was such a joy to welcome them for a chat, compare tales of suburbia and hear all about their many fabulous adventures together! We discuss tackling heatwaves in the garden, hungry cats and even hungrier beavers, and hear all about the exciting return of Win Win! 🍕🐈 So, grab your gardening gloves, jump on the nearest night bus, and come Pottering with us. 🪴🚌 🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And please do like and subscribe, or leave a review! @tomallen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joining me in the garden this week is the glorious Ginger Johnson! 🌿😍Champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, MasterChef maestro and all round delight, it was such a joy to chat with Ginger. I cannot wait to see her brand new show, Show Pony, hit the road later this year! Tickets are available at gingerjohnson.co.uk. 🎭 We chat about theatrical beginnings, depressing queer cinema, the noughties drag scene and our shared love of Alan Bennett. Ginger also shares a rather harrowing garden tale involving guinea pigs, so that is something to look forward to! Now, sweep away those ants, pause that episode of ’Allo ’Allo!, and come Pottering with me. 🐜🐜🐜🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.And please like and subscribe! @tomallen🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code tomallen at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/tomallen ⛵Click below to discover QVC’s My Garden Escape, whether you're a seasoned gardener or a horticultural novice, it's your ultimate gardening destination. And don’t forget to use the code POTTER for £10 off your first purchase (minimum spends apply, see QVC website for full terms and conditions)https://www.qvcuk.com/content/garden-and-leisure/my-garden-escape.html?cid=PR-IF-Pottering&e22=MGE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, what fun was had this week when the delightful AJ Odudu popped into the garden for a potter and a chat! Brilliant presenter and joyful human being, AJ has graced our screens presenting hit shows such as Big Brother, The Big Breakfast, M&S: Dress The Nation (ah, lovely M&S), and of course, cha cha cha’d her way to the Strictly final in 2021! 🌼💃 This week we chat the thoughts and feelings of plants, discover AJ’s ideal mattress, and discuss the World Cup and its oh so complicated rules. ⚽ We also hear a delightful story involving Channing Tatum, Jessie J and a backroom filled with bottles, so do listen up! 🍸 Now, get down off of that top bunk, pour yourself a Martini and come Pottering with me. 🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And please do like and subscribe, that would be lovely, @tomallen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The superb Sara Cox joins me this week for another day of sun in the garden! ☀️🌻Presenter, author and radio extraordinaire, Sara is such a joyful and calming presence, and we had a glorious time chatting about everything from the Radio 1 fax machine to the backside of a bird, and, the sometimes rather arousing, writing process. 👀Sara’s new book The Truth of Us is available to preorder now, and we'll soon all be waking up to a nice cup of tea, perhaps an omelette, and the Sara Cox Radio 2 Breakfast Show! What a treat! ☕🍳🌷 So, skip the marathon training for today, pop the kettle on, and let’s go Pottering. 🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.And please do like and subscribe, @tomallen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, what a joy it was to welcome my dear friend Alan Carr into the garden for a spot of Pottering! 🌻 Comedian, presenter and turret-loving TV sensation, Alan is always a delight! You’ll know him from the brilliant Changing Ends on ITV, his Mediterranean makeovers with Amanda Holden on BBC One, BAFTA-award winning The Traitors, and of course so much more besides. We shoot the breeze (or should that be the trout?) about Alan’s brand new castle, our favourite National Trust spots, and being shamed by national treasure Dame Mary Berry. Much to enjoy! 🏰🍷🦜🍾 So pop open the bubbles, grab those birdwatching binoculars, and perhaps change out of that Poirot outfit, just in case, as you come Pottering with us.🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.And please do like and subscribe, perhaps leave us a review, it's very much appreciated, @tomallen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh what a treat it was to chat with true gardening icon Carol Klein! Presenter, author and gardener extraordinaire, Carol is so gloriously entertaining and a true horticultural hero of mine and so many others. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with her, even if the spring sunshine soon swapped out for sleet! ☂️❄️🌸 We discuss the promiscuity of the primrose, the dangers of the Chelsea Flower Show bar and even, briefly, bathing with John Lennon. 🍷🍇If you’ve enjoyed the conversation, I’d highly suggest seeking out Carol’s books, in particular her perfectly named Hortobiography and, brilliant news, the new series of Greatest Gardens with Diarmuid Gavin and Carol Klein is available on BBC iPlayer right now, please do take a look!Now, pour yourself a glass of crisp rosé, pop open those umbrellas and come pottering with us. Quick! Before the sap rises!🎧 Watch on YouTube and Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.And please do like and subscribe, @tomallen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices