Would you believe it? This week's guest President is the extraordinary Paul Rhys, one of Britain's finest and most respected actors. From Vincent & Theo and A Discovery of Witches to Shakespeare's greatest roles and, most recently, Russell T Davies' acclaimed drama Tip Toe, Paul has quietly built one of the most remarkable careers in British theatre and television. Despite that, he rarely gives interviews and has never before appeared on a podcast, making this a particularly special Rambling Club.

So pull on your walking boots and join us as Tony's enchanted bingo machine once again chooses three entirely unexpected destinations. As ever, Sir Stephen Fry's reassuringly omniscient voice keeps watch while the rest of us happily lose ourselves in conversation.

Our first stop is 292 – Greek & Roman Religion. Since the theatre itself was born from religious ceremony in Ancient Greece, this proves a surprisingly fitting place to begin. Paul's Catholic upbringing, spirituality and the enduring relationship between faith and performance soon come to the fore, before we ask whether modern theatre has lost something by turning its back on the spiritual. Along the way we celebrate King Lear, explore Paul's lifelong fascination with William Blake, and discover how a self-confessed introvert copes with the modern expectation that actors must become their own publicists on social media.

Next, the machine produces 629 – Other Branches of Engineering. None of our ramblers claim to possess much practical engineering ability, but President Rhys immediately confounds expectations by revealing that he once built rather more than a career... he built a house! The conversation gently wanders through family, parents and the curious guilt many of us feel about whether we've somehow let them down, before arriving at a rather different form of engineering altogether. How do you construct a character? How do you breathe life into words on a page? Using his acclaimed performance in Tip Toe as a guide, Paul offers a fascinating insight into the meticulous craft of acting and the invisible work that audiences rarely get to see.

Finally, Tony's bingo machine lands on 179 – Cruelty and Ethics. What begins as a discussion about morality soon develops into a thoughtful conversation about politics, empathy and the responsibilities of artists in an increasingly polarised world. Paul reflects on his father's upbringing and the beliefs it instilled, while considering how today's cultural climate affects actors and the stories they're able to tell. We also celebrate his recent collaboration with the legendary Russell T Davies, asking whether drama still has the power to challenge prejudice, change minds and make us look at one another with greater compassion.

Then it's back to the Presidential Shed, where William Blake is still providing the poetry, nobody has successfully engineered a flat-pack bookcase, and the bingo machine is quietly contemplating the meaning of existence.

Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear

Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell

The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley

www.michaellivesley.com

Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson

Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris

Series 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

© Fanfaronade Productions 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you believe it? This week's guest President is the wonderful Liza Goddard, one of Britain's most beloved actresses, whose remarkable career has spanned more than six decades, from Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and Take Three Girls to the stage, television and beyond.

So pull on your walking boots and join us for another ramble as President Goddard guides us through three destinations selected entirely at random by Tony's enchanted bingo machine. As ever, the reassuringly omniscient voice of Sir Stephen Fry keeps watch while the rest of us happily lose our way.

Our first destination is 909 – World History. Liza's love of history stretches right back to her school days, with the Vikings and Romans holding a particular fascination—perhaps unsurprising for someone whose family can trace its ancestry back to William the Conqueror. But her own history is every bit as compelling. We celebrate her father, the pioneering television producer David Goddard, whose work at the very dawn of television led to one unforgettable childhood moment when a young Liza found herself sitting on Jesus's knee during a live broadcast. Before long we're discussing Take Three Girls, the BBC's groundbreaking first colour drama series and the first to centre on three young women, issuing Gaelic curses from the stage, and heading to Australia when David became Head of Drama at ABC. Which naturally raises the question everyone has wanted answered for years... what was it really like working with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo? And how did an ambition to travel to Siberia ultimately bring Liza back to Britain?

Next, the machine offers 719 – Natural Landscapes. Growing up surrounded by woodland gave Liza a lifelong love of the natural world, and the conversation soon embraces everything from birds and the effects of climate change to the challenges posed by vast new data centres. Artificial intelligence may concern our ramblers, but Liza remains convinced that nothing will ever replace the magic of live theatre. Along the way we celebrate the intelligence of horses, the unconditional love of dogs, and discover why a life spent close to nature has always appealed far more than the trappings of celebrity.

Finally, Tony's bingo machine lands on 104 – Not Assigned, giving our ramblers licence to wander wherever curiosity takes them. Philosophy somehow leads us to Give Us A Clue, where the truth behind Lionel Blair's legendary death stare is finally revealed. Before long we're considering whether Monopoly was secretly designed to destabilise capitalism, discovering a surprisingly gripping board game about managing a haulage company, and asking what Liza really looks for in a script. How do you bring a fresh perspective to a well-loved character? And how do you make an audience believe every word when you're acting opposite... a rubber monster in Doctor Who?

Then it's back to the Presidential Shed, where the birds are singing, the dogs are waiting patiently for a walk, and nobody is quite brave enough to challenge Skippy to a game of charades.

Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear

Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell

The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley

www.michaellivesley.com

Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson

Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris

Series 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

Liza's Instagram: lizagoddardofficial

Paul's Threads: @paul.carmichael.1213

Paul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaeluk

© Fanfaronade Productions 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you believe it? This week, Tony Slattery's enchanted bingo machine has escaped the Presidential Shed and rolled all the way to New Brighton for a very special live edition of Tony Slattery's Rambling Club.

Joining Allan and Paul are TWO guest Presidents: Roland Rivron, actor, comedian, musician and one of Britain's great raconteurs, and fellow adventurer James Payton, actor, broadcaster and writer, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of theatre and television is matched only by his willingness to follow the conversation absolutely anywhere.

With Sir Stephen Fry once again guiding proceedings, it's time to pull on your gloves and see where the bingo machine takes us...

First up is 443 – Dictionaries of Standard French. One member of the Club admits to cheating in their GCSE French exam... and still failing. Along the way, an outbreak of jazz drumming prompts an unexpected cheer from the audience before everyone reluctantly accepts that foreign languages may not be the group's strongest suit.

Next comes 872 – Latin Dramatic Poetry and Drama. We begin by enthusiastically preparing to slit a goat's throat before discovering that this isn't actually what "Latin drama" means at all. Thankfully, the conversation soon wanders into much more familiar territory... namely the curious etiquette of urinating in your own trousers.

Finally, 351 – Public Administration somehow leads us to Russian meerkats, inquisitive ferrets and an important discussion about what should—and definitely shouldn't—go down your trousers. How did we get there? That's the joy of a free-associating ramble.

And then it's back to the Presidential Shed... assuming anyone can remember the way.

Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear

Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell

The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley

www.michaellivesley.com

Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson

Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris

Series 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 Twitter: @PaulCarmichaelV

Paul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaeluk

© Fanfaronade Productions 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.