Outsiding

Will Young first appeared on our TV screens on Pop Idol 25 years ago, quickly winning over the nation’s hearts and ultimately being crowned the winner of the first series of the singing contest. His life since has been a whirlwind of recording and touring, as well as all the ups and downs that life throws at you. But one thing that has brought him great calm and solace is the outdoors. His own garden has become a true retreat, and now quite a big project and part of his life, too. Just don’t ask him to find his secateurs… Will comes armed with questions for Adam, including one that involves the legality of owning a certain plant - and no, it’s not the same one Mike D was asking about! Meanwhile, if you’re in the market for some drought-tolerant additions to your space, Adam has some top advice for you. Not forgetting Caitlin, who happily makes Will’s day with a very casual Kate Bush story, as well as her gift of a particularly graceful Bird of the Week. And, of course, we couldn’t not talk about Evergreen,…

Bass-baritone by day, Danger Mouse by night. Alexander Armstrong is a man of infinite talents. He’s an actor, author, singer and, of course, the host of Pointless. Oh, and he’s also the voice of Danger Mouse. Thankfully for us, he’s also a huge fan of the great outdoors. Whether he’s reflecting on his childhood exploring rural Northumberland, walking cross-country to his favourite pub for his Perfect Pub Walks series, or enjoying his own garden with his family, he simply can’t get enough of being outside. With a very in-demand voice, Xander takes us on a journey through some of his most memorable voice work, including one Wall’s advert that had Caitlin and Adam squirming in their seats… But it’s Les from Hull who we’re all rooting for now. He’s also soon to embark on a tour with his pal Aled Jones for The Big Christmas Sing-A-Long, which is summed up perfectly in four words: music, laughter, Christmas and cheer. Sign us up! Although maybe not Adam, who admits he’d rather not show off his own vocal range.…

What can’t this man do?! Ben Fogle is Mr. Outside. If he’s not climbing Everest, he’s getting his daily 10k run in. And if he’s not doing that, you can find him spending time with his Indian Runner ducks at his Oxfordshire home. First gracing our screens in Castaway back in 2000, when he lived on a remote Scottish island for a year with 36 strangers, Ben’s CV proves he might just be our most outdoors-certified guest yet. Fresh back from a trip to Canada, where he was filming his long-running TV show New Lives in the Wild, Ben comes armed with stories about grizzly bears, parasites, reuniting a tortoise with its owner and one very charming meet-cute between him and his wife, Marina. His latest venture is Buffalo clothing, a brand all about nurturing exploration and inspiring confidence. Based in Sheffield, Ben has joined forces with Savile Row tailor James Sleater (who makes Ben’s infamous short shorts) to take on the brand and continue its legacy of no-frills, no-gimmicks, quality clothing. But for all his…

Don’t even get her started on so much as touching dirt… Ruby Wax is an actress, comedian, writer and TV personality. Known for her infamous interviews with some of the most divisive celebrities, including OJ Simpson and Donald Trump, she’s never been afraid to ask the hardest questions. She joins us to chat about her new tour, Absolutely Famous, where she’ll be joined by her long-time producer and collaborator Clive Tulloh for an evening of scandalous stories never before heard, and insights into some of her most memorable showdowns. For Adam, Ruby is a somewhat unique guest on Outsiding. Not one to get her hands dirty, she arrives armed with pictures of her very vibrant, very plastic garden. Not so much as a crumb of compost in sight! Thankfully, she is a big fan of a cold plunge, has some unforgettable summer camp memories and a new love for gardening at her holiday cottage in Findhorn. So there’s plenty to chat about over a cup of tea. Caitlin gets all the behind-the-scenes stories from Ruby’s colourful…

The Queen of Shops meets the King of Gardens Mary Portas is a broadcaster, writer and retail consultant, who revolutionised shopping in the 90s with her bold approach to retail and many iconic window displays. She’s in our garden to talk about her new book; I Shop, Therefore I am: The ‘90s, Harvey Nicks and Me, which is out now. Mary spends time between London and her home in the Cotswolds, where she’s often seen taking a trip up the steep slopes of Swift’s Hill. She adores ferns, is fanatical about roses, kisses moss, hugs trees and shares a terrific story about the irises from her very first front garden. With such retail expertise at our disposal, Adam and Mary chat about what garden centres are doing right, and where they can make gains, while Caitlin gets the detail on some of Mary’s most memorable ‘90s moments, including payback for a sexist photographer. As for the naked badger watching... it’ll only make sense right at the end. Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your…

And we get the truth about the smell of Jackson Lamb… Joanna Scanlan is a BAFTA winning actor and writer, best known for her roles in shows including The Thick Of It, Riot Women, After Love, and Slow Horses, which she joins us to talk about. She resumes her role as Moira Tregorian in the upcoming sixth series of the show, released on Apple TV on 16 September. Joanna, who lives in South Croydon, makes an impressive first impression by arriving with a sample of her garden in hand as a gift, including dahlias, fuchsias and gaura. But not before she gets to thank Frosty for his hand in helping her become the gardener she is today. Joanna delivers some of the best formative memories we’ve had on the show so far; from sitting (and thinking) in an ash tree to almost filmic journeys across mountains with her horse and dog as her only companions. And finally we get to talk about going to the tip in detail. Joanna is a tip fanatic and shares the ultimate guide in making the most of the dump. We will all be living by…

... and get you hiking... and thinking about building a shed! Our guest this week is Ed Byrne and it isn’t his first time in the Outsiding garden. He came along to help us record an unreleased pilot episode last year and was so much fun we wanted him back... for real! Ed, a fantastic comic, is also the ultimate outdoorsman, who has kayaking, munro-bagging, dry-stone walling and gourd arch building in his repertoire. His next project is a significant shed in his garden, a project which is taking its sweet time but will get finished. It will! He’s also a font of knowledge when it comes to composting, which is the perfect excuse to get him to come and deliver a judgement on Caitlin’s own efforts in her new garden. Expect serious compost chat as the trio gather around the bays, including finding out about the essential tool that Caitlin is missing. Needless to say, Adam is very impressed. We hear about the challenges of growing roses, and how to deal with badgers using some help from a large dog next door. Ed,…

She arrives on a mission to get people skipping. Miquita Oliver is a supremely talented broadcaster known for her long career as a TV and radio presenter and, more recently, for providing essential podcast listening in the shape of Miss Me? But we begin our chat with a conversation about her latest venture, Ropes, a skipping rope brand launched by Miquita to get more people jumping. Miquita is our first balcony gardener, keen on growing herbs for teas and flowers to bring colour to her garden in the sky. She’s also made the bold design choice of having a white sofa in her outdoor space, which just about survived through a tough winter. We learn all about Miquita’s favourite parks and the majestic view from Alexandra Palace in London. She also shares how she has a love of hillwalking (and shortbread) in her DNA and the joys of working closely with her mum, Andi Oliver. Caitlin takes time to analyse the continued success of Miss Me? which launched with Lily Allen as Miquita’s co-host before Jordan Stephens…

Our first Outsiding roadtrip! We’ve decided to let Caitlin and Adam loose in another garden, and this one is a beauty. We hit the road and travel to the Cotswolds to Alex James’ incredible farm, for a walk around the orchards, vegetable plots and his herb garden. Alex, the bassist from Blur, bought the site while on honeymoon with his wife Claire in 2003. The world of Blur had calmed down somewhat and he had a deep desire to go rural... and make cheese! The impressive 200-acre site is now also used to host thousands of festival goers at The Big Feastival, which celebrates music, food and family every August bank holiday. This year’s line-up includes The Streets, Basement Jaxx, Mimi Webb, and Bastille and tickets are available right now. Alex, who grew up in Boscombe and spent his first Blur pay cheque on an astronomy book, has always had a strong connection with nature and life outside. This has been converted into a lifestyle running an impressive farm. From plum trees, to corn plots, and several stunning…

He just wants to enjoy his walks and garden in peace! Phil Wang is a brilliant and talented stand-up comic and comedy writer. Phil was born in Stoke-On-Trent, and then brought up in Malaysia, where he had his quota of sunshine and hot weather for a lifetime. As part of sketch comedy group, Daphne, TV panel shows, and his own run of gigs, tours and streaming service specials, Phil has triumphed throughout his career. He sits down in the sunshine (sorry Phil, we couldn’t turn it off) ahead of the beginnings of his new tour, simply titled Uh Oh. Phil wins when it comes to first outsiding memories with a childhood surrounded by tropical climbs, screensaver worthy landscapes and dangerous creatures, but is still in the first steps of his own gardening journey. He’s still in the trimming and cutting back stage, potentially because he’s so distracted by the antics of urban foxes. Phil does love the outside though, and takes the chance to big up winding paths and the charm of a mid-walk stile. He just has to remain…

‘Gardens meet you, wherever you are’ Lauren Laverne is no stranger to Caitlin Moran’s garden. The pair are the closest of friends stretching back to big 90s nights out in clubs, followed by a lifetime of chatting and discussing their favourite trees. The legendary broadcaster can do it all. She presents on BBC Radio 6 Music every weekday from 10-1, hosts BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and regularly leads the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury. Lauren, who was born in Sunderland, started out in the music industry as the lead singer in Kenickie, before making the move to broadcasting. She comes with equally strong credentials in the natural world too, having founded her own worm club as a child so has much to discuss with Adam & Caitlin. Lauren loves trees, parks, napping outside and is our first guest to have a hammock. She recalls her favourite outside memories, and pays tribute to her own garden, which has provided a place to recover and provide perspective after treatment for cancer. We hear about a…

We travel with him from Central Park to the Californian coast all from Caitlin’s garden. When we started Outsiding, we definitely couldn’t have predicted that Mike D would be among our first guests. But, luckily for us, the lure of the outside is strong. The founding member of hip hop pioneers Beastie Boys, is in the UK making a ‘joyous ruckus’ ahead of the release of his new record, Thank You, which is out on August 28th. He took a garden seat with Adam and Caitlin to explore his connection with nature, how surfing can provide you with both beautiful and humbling moments, and his own unique experience of getting started with gardening. Mike grew up in New York with Central Park on his doorstep, providing endless exploration, before ending up in his Californian home, right by the coast. He explains how he’s always loved park life, including spending time in London’s best offerings and their beautiful lawns. We also chat about taking his sons to Green School in Bali, where they were also introduced to the…

Dawn’s not a gardener yet... but the knee pad is calling. We welcome Dawn O’Porter to our garden for an enlightening episode that starts with a chat about Harry Styles and ends with a conversation about Sandwich the tortoise. Two total icons in one show. Dawn joins us as she embarks on a few new journeys within her already incredible career. A writer, director and TV presenter, Dawn is in the early days of her new gig for Classic FM, where you can hear her on Saturday afternoons, from 12-3pm. She also is celebrating the release of her new memoir, Hungry Eyes, which looks at her favourite moments and memories associated with great meals and ingredients. The book is so good Caitlin has read it three times already. Dawn, who co-founded Choose Love, an organisation which provides help and support for refugees and displaced people, was born in Scotland and raised in Guernsey; two great sources for outside inspiration and formative memories. She now lives in Kew with her husband Chris O’Dowd and children, after…

A new best friend for all of us! Kerry Godliman is our second Outsiding guest and brings with her some serious growing credentials. The actress and comedian, known for her roles in Afterlife, Derek and Whitstable Pearl, is a keen and proud gardener with her own potting shed. She also (not that Caitlin is going to mention it) has some great celebrity crushes, including Colin Firth (or is it Mark Ruffalo?) and our very own Adam Frost. She’s very good at keeping it cool though, as we bask in full sunshine in Caitlin’s old established garden while the new one remains a work in progress. We get to hear all about her comedy special, Bandwidth, available to watch on Comedy Central now, and how she’s into taking a cold plunge... but perhaps not every month of the year. Kerry’s big day out ends with a few gifts from Adam, and Caitlin uses her love of birds to pair one with Kerry. Does it prove to be a good match? Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding (or even if you’re not - we love feedback) and please send us…

It’s the first episode of Outsiding and we have found the perfect guest to welcome into our garden. Bob Mortimer is an adored comedian, presenter, writer and actor, who loves the outdoors with the same passion as he does big TVs. Bob joins Caitlin and Adam to chat about the paperback release of his third novel, The Long Shoe, a book that, as we find out, has plenty of Bob’s charm and personality within it. But, before that, Bob gets a tour of Caitlin’s new garden plot and is invited to christen the project ahead of its upcoming transformation. Then, over pocket meats and pies we journey through Bob’s love of life outdoors from walking and gardening to spending time with Paul Whitehouse on Gone Fishing. We get new names for established plants, marvel at the wonder of oaks trees, and Adam is given a special gift. We have our first gardening friend and we’re delighted it’s Bob, a certified national treasure! Let us know what you think of our first episode and please send us your favourite outside places,…

Welcome to Outsiding - a new show from the producers of Dish. Hosted by TV presenter and gardening expert, Adam Frost, and writer and gardening enthusiast, Caitlin Moran, Outsiding is a show that celebrates nature, gardens, and the joy that being outside brings. New episodes will be released every Thursday and you can follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, live Q+As, and to track the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Send your favourite outside places, memories and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk. Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices