Show Notes
This week’s guest President is the splendid Paul Bazely, the actor best known to many as Troy Ramsbottom in Benidorm, but whose career has taken him everywhere from Doctor Who and Black Mirror to Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars and the National Theatre. He’s also a man who, as we shall discover, should probably be kept away from superglue and flat-pack furniture. Tony’s enchanted bingo machine is warmed up, Sir Stephen Fry is standing by to provide his usual authoritative narration, and we’re off into the great outdoors for three rather unexpected destinations.
Our first number is 684 — Furniture and Home Workshops. Paul has always fancied himself as a bit of a carpenter, but enthusiasm and practical ability are, sadly, two very different things. There are childhood memories of his Uncle Ted’s shed, a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to build a cardboard robot, and the small matter of becoming superglued to ones own decking. We also discover the perils of assembling a trampoline on Christmas Eve, why flat-pack furniture is really an elaborate test of a relationship, and why one should always have somebody nearby who can bring tea while ignoring the screams.
Our second destination is 387 — Water, Air and Space Transportation. From childhood dreams of travelling into space to the sobering prospect of spending years in what amounts to an airport on Mars, Paul has some thoughts on the future of humanity beyond our own planet. But he would much rather be near the sea, where swimming in cold water has become one of life’s great pleasures. Along the way, we talk about growing up in south-east London, discovering Manchester, and why there is considerably more to British culture than the South-East.
Finally, we arrive at 823 — English Fiction, which gives us an opportunity to talk about the craft of acting, the importance of finding the truth in a character, and the particular genius of British drama when it turns its attention to ordinary lives. Paul explains how a single detail from a writer can unlock an entire character, why even a pirate fighting mermaids is still a human being having a difficult day at work, and why the domestic worlds of Pinter, Chekhov and Shakespeare can contain absolutely everything. So pull on your gloves and join us for a ramble through carpentry, space travel, the North, the mysteries of acting and the remarkable things that can happen when you let your imagination run away with you. And then, as ever, it’s back to the Presidential Shed, hopefully without anybody having to be prised off the decking.
Paul's new podcast, A Life with Paul Carmichael, is out now on every podcast app! iTunes-> https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-life-with-paul-carmichael/id6819710823 Spotify-> https://open.spotify.com/show/1aUTKyq2vZ1v9BGTEZCAmB?si=2Fc39XxgRsqzlhH6uaOb-Q&utm_source=copy-link
Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear with Sir Stephen Fry as the voice of the Bingo Machine.
Special Guest President: Paul Bazely
Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell
The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley www.michaellivesley.com
Series Researcher- Soula Carmichael
Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson
Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris
Executive Producer- Mark Strickson
Join the rambling club and receive your club membership card, badges, exclusive content and access to early release episodes, an exclusive extra podcast you won't hear anywhere else and exclusive club-only perks! www.patreon.com/SlatteryLive
Official Website- www.tonyslattery.com Twitter/X: @SlatteryLive Instagram: tony_slattery_official BlueSky: @ramblingclub
Paul's Threads: @paul.carmichael.1213 Paul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaeluk
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More from Tony Slattery's Rambling Club
Would you believe it? Two whole years of Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club! And to celebrate, we’ve invited a few friends into the shed for a special gathering. There is, however, a slight hitch. The bingo machine, having served us faithfully for two years, has finally decided to take a well-earned rest. The gears are grinding, the balls have stopped rolling, and the great outdoors will have to manage without us for once. So, with no numbers to guide us and no particular destination in mind, we settle down for a good old-fashioned natter.
This week’s guest President is the wonderfully entertaining Guy Siner. A ctor, raconteur, accidental international man of mystery and, of course, the man who brought Lieutenant Gruber magnificently to life in ’Allo ’Allo! Once safely installed, Tony’s enchanted bingo machine does its usual work, conjuring three numbers from the Dewey Decimal System and sending us off into the great outdoors. And our first destination is…
Would you believe it? This week’s guest President is the magnificent David Schofield and after a brief encounter with darts, Yorkshire tea and a suspicious-looking path through the shed, the enchanted bingo machine sends us off into the great outdoors once again.
Would you believe it? This week’s guest President is the wonderful actor, director and writer Paul Clayton, and the enchanted bingo machine has once again decided that our ramble should take us somewhere we really weren’t expecting.
The Rambling Shed has gone on holiday this week before the last of the good weather departs. In the meantime, please enjoy this classic episode starring Nigel Planer and our late President, Tony Slattery.