Best known to millions as Raquel in the iconic BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Tessa Peake-Jones joins Darren to discuss her latest stage role in the heartfelt new comedy-drama Invisible Me, opening at Southwark Playhouse.

Written by Bren Gosling and directed by Scott Le Crass, the play explores dating, loneliness and the search for connection later in life. Following three very different characters navigating singledom in their sixties, Invisible Me offers a funny, honest and touching look at love, identity and the courage it takes to start again.

Tessa talks about bringing the character of Lynn to life, the realities of representation for older performers on stage, and why stories about later-life romance feel more relevant than ever.

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Our guest this week is director and theatre-maker Jesse Jones, Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, who joins Darren to talk about bold programming, new writing, and why theatre should never be afraid of dividing opinion.

Jesse’s career spans devised theatre, new writing, large-scale adaptations and West End hits. He co-founded the award-winning The Wardrobe Ensemble and previously served as Associate Artistic Director at Paines Plough.

In this episode we discuss leading a regional producing theatre, protecting risk in new writing, and his latest production Top Gs Like Me by Samson Hawkins, a provocative new play exploring masculinity, identity and online culture.

A thoughtful conversation about bold programming, new voices, and why theatre that divides opinion can sometimes be the most exciting kind.

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This week Darren and Natalie take on three wildly different theatrical experiences - from razor-sharp satire with The Producers and dark musical thrills American Psycho to outrageous operatic comedy - The Opera Locos.

The Opera Locos – Sadler’s Wells

The madcap Spanish company Yllana brings its international hit The Opera Locos to Sadler’s Wells, turning the world of grand opera completely on its head. This riotous comedy follows a group of eccentric opera singers competing for a prestigious prize, but their soaring voices and egos quickly spiral into chaos. Featuring beloved arias from composers such as Mozart, Verdi and Puccini alongside unexpected pop classics, the show blends virtuosic singing with physical comedy, mime and clowning. The result is a playful celebration of opera that proves the genre can be both spectacular and seriously funny.

American Psycho – Almeida Theatre

Rupert Goold returns to the Almeida Theatre with a thrilling revival of the cult musical American Psycho. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ infamous novel, the show plunges us into the sleek, soulless excess of 1980s Wall Street as investment banker Patrick Bateman hides a terrifying double life. Featuring music by Duncan Sheik, this stylish, darkly satirical musical explores capitalism, vanity and the emptiness of consumer culture. With slick staging and a pounding score, the production captures both the glamour and the horror of Bateman’s world — where appearances are everything and identity is terrifyingly fragile.

The Producers – West End Transfer

Mel Brooks’ legendary musical comedy The Producers storms into the West End following its acclaimed run at the Menier Chocolate Factory. The outrageous story follows down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock and timid accountant Leo Bloom, who hatch a scheme to get rich by producing the worst musical ever written. What could possibly go wrong? Packed with showstopping numbers, outrageous jokes and the infamous “Springtime for Hitler”, this revival proves why The Producers remains one of the funniest musicals ever written — a riotous love letter to theatre itself.

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In this special backstage episode, Natalie sits down with Keala Settle and Hal Fowler, the stars of Mrs. President at the Charing Cross Theatre - a gripping reimagining of Mary Lincoln’s fight to reclaim her reputation after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Keala Settle delivers a powerhouse performance as a woman vilified by history, navigating grief, public scrutiny and the crushing weight of expectation. Opposite her, Hal Fowler plays photographer Mathew Brady, the man tasked with restoring her image - a collaboration that becomes as volatile as it is revealing.

In this candid conversation, Keala and Hal explore the emotional intensity of the piece, the fine line between truth and public narrative, and why Mary Lincoln’s story feels startlingly contemporary. They discuss power, identity, media manipulation and the cost of being misunderstood - themes that resonate far beyond the 19th century.

Raw, insightful and unexpectedly timely, this is a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of one of London’s most thought-provoking productions.

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This week, Darren and Natalie bring you backstage moments, bold new musical theatre, immersive magic and political satire with a photo call for World’s Greatest Lover, Natalie took her school kids to see Into the woods and Darren attended the press night of I’m Sorry, Prime Minister.

World’s Greatest Lover – Photo Call & Cast Chats

We were at the photo call for the high-energy pop-rock musical World’s Greatest Lover, featuring music and book by Julien Salvia and lyrics and book by Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal - the award-winning writing duo behind The Prince & The Pauper and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Fresh from their Eurovision pop success with La Poupée Monte Le Son, the pair now bring their infectious theatrical style to London. Darren caught up with cast members Matt Terry, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, and Jaymi Hensley for quick-fire chats about the show’s bold sound, its romantic chaos and what audiences can expect.

Into the Woods

Back under the trees at the Bridge, this thrilling revival of Sondheim’s masterpiece invites audiences into an immersive fairytale world where wishes come at a cost. With seating wrapped around the action and on-foot tickets allowing you to follow the story, this is musical theatre at its most playful, poignant and theatrical.

I’m Sorry, Prime Minister

The iconic political duo return in this sharp, nostalgic and gently biting farewell to Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey. A final chapter to the beloved Yes, Minister universe, this stage outing blends classic satire with contemporary relevance as power, ego and public image once again collide.

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In this week’s episode, Darren is joined by Joseph O’Curneen - founding member of internationally acclaimed Spanish theatre company Yllana - to talk about the glorious chaos that is The Opera Locos.

Returning to London following standing ovations, The Opera Locos takes over Sadlers Well’s Theatre for a strictly limited run. This vibrant comic opera experience blends world-class singing with outrageous physical comedy, fusing the grandeur of Mozart, Verdi and Puccini with pop anthems from Whitney Houston, Mika, U2 and more.

At the heart of the show are five eccentric opera singers - a faded tenor, a macho baritone, a pop-loving counter-tenor, a dreamy soprano and a fiery mezzo - whose rivalries, egos and hidden desires spiral into operatic mayhem. It’s opera… but not as you know it.

Joseph shares how Yllana, founded in 1991 as a comedy and physical theatre company, has grown into a global powerhouse - producing 41 shows, performing over 16,000 times across 48 countries, and reaching almost six million audience members. We explore the art of non-verbal storytelling, the universal language of laughter, and why opera is the perfect playground for comic anarchy.

From Max Award-winning success in Spain to international touring and a triumphant London return, this is a joyful, insightful conversation about risk, reinvention and making classical music wildly accessible.

If you think opera isn’t for you - this might just change your mind.

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This week Darren and Natalie explore three powerful productions that examine legacy, longing and the stories we pass down - through history - Here there are Blueberries, through song - Ballad Lines, and through quiet acts of courage - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Here There Are Blueberries

A haunting and urgent new play inspired by a real-life photo album discovered in an archive - images taken by Nazi officers at Auschwitz. As archivists begin to piece together the lives behind the photographs, difficult questions emerge: what do we do with inherited history? Who gets to tell these stories? And how do we confront the ordinary faces of extraordinary evil? A deeply unsettling, necessary piece of theatre that lingers long after the lights go down.

Ballad Lines

A lyrical, folk-infused new musical that threads together generations of women through music and memory. Rich in harmony and storytelling, Ballad Lines blends Celtic influences with contemporary musical theatre to create an intimate exploration of identity, love and resilience. Atmospheric, heartfelt and musically stunning.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Based on the beloved novel by Rachel Joyce, this moving musical charts Harold’s spontaneous walk across England to save an old friend. With an evocative score and deeply human performances, it’s a story of redemption, grief and the extraordinary power of simply putting one foot in front of the other.

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This week we’re joined by comedian, writer and performer Jessica Regan, a regular voice on The Guilty Feminist Podcast, to talk about her bold and brilliantly personal one-woman show 16 Postcodes.

Following sell-out, critically acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Pleasance Theatre, 16 Postcodes makes its London premiere at King's Head Theatre. The show chronicles Jessica’s real-life journey through London’s crumbling private rental market - and in a twist that makes every performance unique, the audience decides which stories are told each night.

With the UK’s Renter’s Rights Bill coming into effect later this year, this conversation feels especially timely. Jessica offers a lived, sharp and darkly funny perspective on the realities behind the headlines - exploring instability, autonomy, power, and what it really means to try to build a life when “home” never quite sticks.

We talk about turning housing trauma into theatre, why comedy is sometimes the only survival tool available, how audiences respond when given control, and whether legislation can truly repair the emotional toll of renting in London.

It’s funny. It’s honest. And it’s painfully relatable.

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