Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

Carr, best known for his dark one-liners and signature laugh, didn't begin life as a comedian. After studying social science and political science at Cambridge, he began working for fuel company Shell. While there, he began reading self-help books and, feeling miserable, decided to make a change - he gave up his job and learned how to write jokes, got his first gig as a stand-up and changed his life!

Joining us at Audible Studios is prominent stage and television actor David Tennant, who has narrated The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells for Audible Studios. The War of the Worlds depicts the arrival of an alien vessel on Horsell Common, in Woking. The initial genial interest in the Martians quickly turns to terror as they emerge with deadly heat rays and power beyond our control and comprehension. Their ruthless disregard for human life leaves humanity under threat of extinction. As the world crumbles, a lone man sets out across the wasteland to find his wife.

Joining us in the Audible Studios to talk to us about his latest series, Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets, is the man himself, Stephen Fry. A comedian, actor, writer and more, Stephen has narrated the full collection of Sherlock Holmes for audiobook, was one-half of comic duo Fry and Laurie and is well known for his many years presenting QI. His list of accomplishments beyond this would far exceed the word count here! Now he lends his smarts and his voice to delving into the mysterious world of the Victorians in new series Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets.

The Three Dimensions of Freedom explains how strongman politics and neo-liberalism have dwindled the power of political parties and how voters have been disillusioned into believing they are helpless to effect change. Bragg's book details the argument that accountability is the antidote to authoritarianism and that we can never be free without it. In this interview, Billy spoke about what constitutes freedom, why Trump is so difficult to hold accountable and the problems with the voting system in the UK.

Born and raised in West Lothian, Brady pursued a career in journalism after university, though always had an interest in comedy. After reaching the final of "So You Think You're Funny" at the Edinburgh Fringe, Brady launched her stand-up career and has since appeared on panel shows. Brady knew she was autistic as a teenager, but was told she couldn't be, as she was good at making eye contact and had a boyfriend. After finally getting a diagnosis in 2021, Brady has now penned her autobiography, Strong Female Character, which details the struggles she faced growing up with autism.

Following her break out role in Circle of Friends in 1995, Minnie Driver has starred in a wide range of films, including Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting, with nominations for Academy Awards and an Oscar nod. Despite her many accolades, awards and nominations, Driver has not appeared in a vast number of movies, firmly believing that she takes the roles that are right for her, happily saying no to job offers and knowing that the journey often opens better doors.

Picoult, born in New York, has published more than 26 novels and short stories, not including the several issues of Wonder Woman she wrote for DC Comics. Picoult has 40 million copies of her books in print, and they have been translated into 34 languages - to say she is a prolific writer would be an understatement, and she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003.

In his memoir Waypoints, Heughan digs into his Scottish heritage by hiking the West Highland Way, and along the journey he recounts the life and career events that have shaped him and his personal values. We spoke to Sam Heughan about the joys and trials of West Highland Way, his journey towards processing the absence of his dad, and how the creation of his Outlander family came at just the point he needed in his career.

You might think that a discipline as serious and complex as psychiatry has no place for humour, but Waterhouse has proven with his sell-out shows at the Edinburgh and Brighton Fringe festivals that they actually go hand in hand! His memoir, You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here looks at his struggles as a frontline NHS doctor in an underfunded sector, and navigates how he ended up in the profession in the first place.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Katherine Ryan, Canadian comedian, actress, presenter and writer. Ryan moved to the UK in 2008 and began her career as a comedian with stand-up shows. Her debut television appearance was in 2012 on 8 Out of 10 Cats, and since then, she has been a regular on panel shows such as Mock the Week, Would I Lie To You and Have I Got News for You, as well as touring with her own stand-up routines. Ryan is also an actress, appearing in sitcoms such as Campus and Episodes.

Most noted for her work on erotic intelligence and her expertise on issues of infidelity, Esther Perel covers all in her frank and refreshing Audible Audio Shows series, which began in 2017 and listens in on couples talking through their problems in Esther’s therapy room. Esther Perel talks to us about the making of her podcast series with Audible, what she hopes listeners can gain from the intimate discussions and what she learns from her clients.

Joining us for a chat is the people's poet laureate, the punk performance poet, John Cooper Clarke, who is releasing his memoir I Wanna Be Yours. Clarke, born in Salford, is well known for his classic look of drainpipe jeans, wild black hair and sunglasses, whatever the weather, something which hasn't changed since the 1970s. Being inspired and encouraged by an English teacher at school, Clarke decided that he would make a living from poetry. He performed with many hugely successful bands, such as The Sex Pistols, Joy Division and New Order.

In his new book, The Fast 800, he gives recipes and meal plans to help you take your future health into your own hands. He gives scientific evidence for using intermittent fasting, tells of the power of time-restricted eating and confirms that 800 calories is the magic number for weight loss. If you can stick to 800 calories a few days a week, you will trigger desirable metabolic changes while still having enough calories to keep you sustained. We spoke about enduring diet myths that need busting, how fasting can help the brain and always trying things out on himself.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness, an American hairdresser, television personality and podcaster. Van Ness was born in Quincy, Illinois, and has been openly gay throughout his life. In 2013, Van Ness was dressing the hair of a friend, Erin Gibson, who asked him to recap his webcast, Gay of Thrones, on her show, Funny or Die. From this, his Gay of Thrones series garnered more attention, and in 2018, it was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series.

Celebrated for being the ‘Nora Ephron’ of the millennial generation, Dolly Alderton joined us for a chat about female friendships, recording her audiobook, and revealed who she’d like to play her in a film.

Dolly Alderton is an award-winning journalist, writer and director, known for her podcast The High Low, as well as her honest and relatable writing. She brings us her debut audiobook, Everything I Know about Love, a spot-on, wildly funny and sometimes heartbreaking book about growing up, growing older and navigating all kinds of love along the way.

Joining us in the Audible Studios to talk about his latest novel, Salvation, is best-selling science-fiction author Peter F. Hamilton. Coined the king of space opera, Peter F. Hamilton has created some of science fiction’s most vast and extensive universes, making him one of Britain’s biggest selling sci-fi authors. Known for The Night’s Dawn trilogy and the Commonwealth Saga in particular, Hamilton embarks on a new universe, publishing Salvation, the first book in a brand-new trilogy, in 2018.

Theroux began his career in America working on Michael Moore's TV Nation, and from this sprang his Weird Weekends (1998-2000) where Theroux spent time on porn sets, with swingers, body builders and white supremacists, to name but a few. Then came the hugely popular series When Louis Met..., in which Theroux spent time with the likes of Max Clifford, Chris Eubank and Jimmy Savile.

When life got in the way of Mortimer and Whitehouse's friendship, they found their connection dwindled to occasional catch ups and one-off phone calls. Then, conveniently, they were both diagnosed with heart disease! And they realised life is short, and they should spend it together, doing what they love: fishing. Following the success of their BBC series, Gone Fishing, Mortimer and Whitehouse have created an audiobook of the same name, which is their love letter to the joys of angling, and the simple wonder of just having a laugh with your mates.

After studying English at university, O'Leary had a successful career as a children's editor at the Penguin Random House publisher. Not enjoying living in London, O'Leary moved to the countryside and spent her daily commute working on her novel, The Flatshare. After its astounding success, O'Leary was able to achieve her dream of being a full time writer and released her second novel The Switch.

After beginning her television career as a researcher, Humble later began presenting shows such as Animal Park, Tomorrow’s World and Extreme Wives, to name only a few. Known as a familiar face on the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science, Kate Humble published her new book, Thinking on My Feet, in October 2018. Kate Humble talks to us about the beauty of woods in winter, where we’ll see her and her dog, Teg, next and why walking makes a great first date.