Christmas Bites
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Hello and a very happy Christmas to all of you. Welcome to our special Christmas edition of Table Manners. Well, I hope it's all going well. I hope you've managed to avoid too many sherrys or champagne before the grave is made. We have gathered together some brilliant past guests to find out how they'll be spending the festive period and hear about their Christmas traditions to see if you want to inherit any of them. For the first time, this special is going out on Christmas Day. We think it's the perfect occasion.

while you're preparing lunch. Or maybe you're listening on your Boxing Day walk. Well, you're in for a treat because we'll be joined by the kitchen disco queen herself, Sophie Ellis-Bexter. The gorgeous Tom Adele will be dining in from music rehearsals. Film director Richard Kersis will be telling us about his latest Christmas movie. And we catch Girls Aloud Nadine Quill, who's currently hot-footing at Tahiti.

But first, here's Ugly Betty and Broadway star, the wonderful Vanessa Williams, who's currently starring in the West End in The Devil Wears Prada. Hi, Vanessa. How are you? I'm okay. I'm okay. You're looking gorgeous. Thank you. We've already done 52 shows already here, which is...

Wow. Incredible. So considering we just opened, we've been here for a while. How's it all feeling at the Dominion Theatre? Devil Wears Prada, how's it feeling? It's phenomenal. I mean, it's the best entrance I've ever had in my life on stage. I come up

in a lift after, you know, this whole swell of a crescendo of the orchestra bringing me up. And then there's a, a ding of the bell and everyone imagines the doors open and I get a thunderous applause every, every show. So it could not be any better. I thank, I thank Jerry Mitchell for, for putting it in the show. How fabulous. That's quite interesting because I know that like applauses usually happen on Broadway and,

a star enters, but we're so reserved in the UK. So it must be, well, everyone's very excited about seeing you, Vanessa, but also that's quite unusual for the UK audience to give an applause, isn't it? Yeah, it's been, I mean,

again, I'm used to Broadway audiences, so I get it. Everyone usually gets an entrance applause. But again, it's so dynamic with the orchestration and it literally is like a crescendo. And then I'm wearing an incredible multicolored fur with a

gorgeous suit and the glasses and I'm holding the runway in my hand with a fabulous bag. So the people that love the franchise are like, yeah, we're ready. The people that have no idea about the story at all, but just are coming because they're bringing their daughter or whatever. They are thoroughly entertained. And, and Jerry Mitchell, who is our director and choreographer knows how to knows how to make a hit show.

But she's a big star, Jessie. She's bound to get a huge, huge entrance. Vanessa, can we ask, are you going to be basting your turkey this Christmas like you do at Thanksgiving? Oh, I wish. I don't think I'm cooking at all. We've got a show Christmas Eve and then we've got a show on Boxing Day and I'm in a...

I'm in a flat, a two-bedroom flat. So, you know, you've got your pans that you like and your butchers that you like. So I haven't found... I'm sure there's amazing places here. I've not done my research to find the proper thing. So I'll probably...

Either go out or I don't know what I'm going to do. Why are you invited for Christmas? We've got a space for you if you need one. Ah, well, thank you. Otherwise, Vanessa, I do think you need to get your reservation in order ASAP. I hate to break it to you, but you know, we need to get that Claridge's reservation like done. Yeah.

And Lenny, I'm still dreaming about you did a flourless chocolate cake when I came to your home that I still, and you did no flour. And I think it was plums or something. It was so moist and delicious. That still haunts me to this day. Oh my goodness.

Or maybe I better make you another one for Christmas. Vanessa, you're in the Dominion Theatre, which is on Tottenham Court Road. Perfect for Christmas shopping. Have you done your Christmas shopping? And are you getting away with it this Christmas because you're not on home soil? Yes.

Yes, I'm getting away with not doing it because my children came in for our opening on December 1st. So they all had their opportunity to hang out in London for a week or so, which has been great. And they had a wonderful time. I mean, there's nothing like London for the holidays.

The streets are lined with beautiful decorations and lighting and every store is just decorated to the nines. It's beautiful here. So it's like a giant Christmas market everywhere you go. Yeah, a recent guest called London the Christmas City and I really think it is.

absolutely it's funny I think we're all so bar humbug about yeah like oh god the idea of being in bloody Oxford Street is my idea of hell right now it is busy that's very but I guess you have to be there but at least you can just walk yes so lots of my friends have come in to see the show and then do their holidays so I've done the Fortnum Mason we did uh the tea there because Sundays are my day off so Sundays I tend to have to

shepherd all my friends and friends that are in in in the city to to you know we went to see um the elton john at the victorian albert museum he has this beautiful retrospective of um of photography so we did that we've done high tea you know salvages and harrods and everything there is so i i

I know the crowds on Oxford street. I have been, you know, wiggling my way through the crowds as well. Is there a Christmas tradition on Christmas Eve? Will everyone stop and have a, at the end of the show, you will have a glass of champagne and maybe just a bit of a celebration and a group hug before you, everyone breaks up for Christmas day. Um,

I don't know. We'll see. I mean, I know my dresser, Murray, who's phenomenal, did decorated, snuck into my dressing room and decorated, put a tree up and all kinds of beautiful twinkle lights. So we had a Christmas jumper day, so we did a big group shot of that. So it's a wonderful cast. Where did you get your Christmas jumper from, Vanessa? Prada? I wish. No. I think it was from Primark. No, Prada. Primark. Okay.

We like to call it a primarché or primani sometimes. Absolutely. Yeah, PR begins with Prada and Primark. They're almost the same, aren't they? Before we let you go, Vanessa, so you can actually just rest, what is your favourite Christmas song? Ooh, what is my favourite Christmas song?

Well, I mean, personally, I have one called December Lullaby, which I recorded for my Silver and Gold album. So I had my mom was is a well, she used to be a music teacher and she had a children's choir. So I always would have her bring a select group of kids to sing on my albums. And then Sasha was only four at the time. So she starts it off with love.

listen. And then it always makes me cry because every time I hear her voice, it's like, oh, that's my little baby. And so that's, September Lullaby has, you know, her singing, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. So it just breaks me to listen to her sing. The traditional one, probably,

I mean, Silent Night is just a beautiful, beautiful melody. And it's just timeless. I've sung it

My most unique time was singing it in German for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was governor of California and Maria Shriver called and said, listen, they're doing, you know, Arnold is finishing his term as governor. There's a group of people that are going to fly up to surprise him. And it was me, Danny DeVito, Tom Arnold,

Sylvester, it was like the weirdest group of people on this private plane to surprise him. And I sang still enough, to him in German, which was silent. It was amazing. And he, I made him cry. I made him tear up and Maria's like, how did you do that? I can't make him do that. How did you do that? - You made the terminator cry. That's amazing. - Can I ask one thing, Vanessa, are you wearing stilettos throughout the whole show?

I am. I change pretty much with every scene. So, and I have a tip that I saw on reels, I think on Instagram. If you put, I've got, you know, those corn socks, like those toe tubes that are cushioned. If you do your third and fourth toe together,

it makes your feet more narrow and it cushions where the pressure is. So you can wear high heels all day long. So that's my tip and it actually works. So it's toes, you know, there's a pinky toe. So the one right next to the pinky toe and the third toe.

Put those together. Bind them up. Yeah, bind them up, put your heels on, and you will not feel any pressure, which is what kills you in the high heels. Wow. That's amazing, Vanessa. Thank you for that tip. All the Christmas parties, everyone needs to know. So you're going to be having your flatties on on Christmas Day. Yes, or bare feet, for sure. Slippers.

Vanessa, we can't wait to come and watch you in the Devil Wears Prada. Thank you so much for being on our Christmas special. You look gorgeous. Happy Christmas. And we'll see you soon. And break a leg and many legs. Can't wait to see you backstage. Yeah, absolutely. Loads of love, Vanessa. Thank you. So great to catch up with Vanessa, looking absolutely gorgeous, sitting in central London. Now we're going from one queen to another. Yep.

It's time to speak to the kitchen disco queen. Well, mum, hang on. I think she's slightly more than that. She had probably one of the biggest pop moments. She's had a big year. In 2024. Yeah.

And it was right at the end of 2023. And then, you know, she performed at the BAFTAs this year. She has a New Year's Eve special on BBC and she's going to be in America at the same time, basically on two different screens transatlantically celebrating the new year. And she puts the glamour back in the kitchen.

She's the gift that keeps on giving. It's Sophie Ellis-Bexter. What are some of the Christmas traditions in your house? So we have a lot of traditions, actually, and some of them I didn't realise until I was probably into like my teens that not all the families were doing them. So they all emanate from the Ellis side of the family. And we host Christmas every year, Richard and I. We have done for about, it must be nearly 20 years now that everybody comes to us.

And my mum is always with us. So these Ellis traditions prevail. Some of them. OK, I don't know. Do you know about tree presents? See, I think this is a strange one. Yeah. Oh, you do? My friend does that on Christmas Eve. Right. So she does tiny tree presents that are about a pound. Little tiny things and everyone gets a tree present on Christmas Eve.

Okay, what's your tree present? For us, it's anything that can be balanced on the branches of the Christmas tree. So not really necessarily a pound. Sometimes they might be, I suppose like stocking filler-esque. Yeah, diamond rings. No, no diamond rings. It could be. It's not. Yeah. And every year you have to balance them and then lose some. So there's always an awkward bit.

when you open them which is usually after the big meal on Christmas day so we'll open them like five or six in the evening and I've always got a couple of people where I just cannot find this very small item that I've somewhere hidden on our tree um I think it's been my mother-in-law more often than not and it's genuine I haven't not got her something but it always looks like I haven't because I can't find it what's been your best Christmas tree present that you've been given and been gifted

I think my favourites used to come from my grandpa, actually. He's sadly not around anymore, but he was a very practical man. So he would do quite sort of useful type gifts. So it might be a gadget for something, maybe like a kitchen gadget or something a bit useful like that. And a lot of them I still use. I always think of him actually this time of year. He used to be a special effects man at the BBC for years. And sometimes he would come to Christmas and he'd made like a homemade firework.

for the table um quite quite bonkers but good fun and then forgiving people um well there was a year actually where I'd wrapped um framed pictures of the school kids uh you know they're like class photos and so I'd done different kids for different family members and by accident again Daphne my mother-in-law opened it and went I didn't want that one

We're not going to say which child that was. She came to terms with it. It was fine. And the other tradition we have, which I don't think other people do, is whenever we do the Christmas pudding,

So you set fire to it and then carry it round the house doing a conga line singing Here Comes the Christmas Pudding to the tune of He's a Jolly Good Fellow. Maybe we could do that. Here comes the Christmas pudding, here comes the Christmas pudding, here comes the Christmas pudding and so say all of us. Oh my God, that sounds really fun. I like that. Yeah, like you weave round the house and I like it. It's definitely odd, but I like it. It's jolly.

I wonder if you could do that with a trifle. Yeah. Here comes the Christmas trifle. Yeah. Okay. Amazing. Wow. I'm really, I feel like I may adopt some of your Christmas traditions. The Christmas tree presents, I think, is a really good one. What I used to like about it as a kid is that you've got all the excitement of Christmas Day and the tree present was like a little nice little...

it would sort of give you a little pep in the evening when the grown-ups had eaten a lot and they were all sitting quite quietly and you were feeling like a bit like, oh, is that the end of, you know, all the...

you know, the mad rush of excitement in the morning. And it would give you just another little thing to open. So it was quite a nice moment. So then the kids get, they look forward to it because it's like a little fun bit. And it's sometimes quite silly things and just something thoughtful. It shouldn't be something crazy. It should just be something little that won't, yeah, that someone will appreciate, I guess, or something funny. I love that. Are you doing the cooking this year? Richard does the majority. He's a much better cook than me and he's much calmer in the kitchen. I used to do it.

I used to find it very hard to delegate and he's very good at, we all muck in. Christmas Eve, we get all gathered together, we'll be chopping, peeling. But on Christmas Day, he's the guy in the kitchen with the apron. He loves it. So he's got his apron on, you've got your glittery, tinsel-y leotard and you'll be singing. What music do you have playing when you're cooking your dinner?

We have a Christmas playlist. It's all the songs you would expect, all the classics. My favourite, I think, is still Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. I've always loved that one.

I don't know that one. Don't you? The one, Merry Christmas. No. Merry Christmas. But I think I was this one this year. Is that what it's called? Yeah. I didn't know that. Oh, wow. It's like a love song. It's a great song. We always have the Charlie Brown album. They like jazz Charlie Brown. I love that. That's what me and Sam put on when we're like wrapping presents. Sweet. I love that one. Yeah, I'm very into...

I never get bored of them. I love that Magic has its own Christmas radio station. So you could listen to these if you wanted to in February. I won't be, but anyway. What's the best present you've ever received? I think Richard's done some quite thoughtful ones. He's actually very good with Christmas presents. And he once bought me, I once said when I was growing up, I remember being horrified when my stepmom said she wanted for Christmas a salad spinner.

I was like, I never want to get to the stage in life where I think that that's fine. Like,

I remember being like, what? You just want a salad spinner? So one year he bought me a salad spinner. And when I opened it, there was a necklace inside that I'd seen in a shop that I really loved. And he remembered, got the necklace and hid it inside the salad spinner. That Richard is just a good guy. He cooks. They work together. They're the best. Now on Chinese Eve, you're having like the most fun.

mammoth New Year's Eve, bi-coastal, is that what we say? I don't know, transatlantically. Are we allowed to know about what's happening? Absolutely. So I think the one that's occupying the most brain space in a really good way is the one that we're doing together. So for the BBC, we're doing a New Year's Eve show with some of my songs and special guests, including your lovely self, which I'm so happy about.

Because I'm just looking forward to it and I'm not feeling nervous. It just feels like playing and fun. So that's going to be pretty special. And that's about an hour's worth of music. So there's lots of things happening, lots of prep, but it's all coming together. And then when midnight strikes in New York, I'll be in Times Square.

because I'm singing on this show that's been running since the 70s called Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year. And it's where the ball drops in Times Square, and there's like a million people in Times Square, and three tons of confetti, apparently. So I'm looking forward to seeing that. I'm going to take my mum to that. I'm an eldest boy. So I think that'll be, for me, that's like a champagne cork. But I think that the New Year's Eve show that we're doing is like,

Just like a real, I think it's a bit of a career moment, actually. It's just really special. I feel excited about it.

You deserve it, Sophie. You're a treasure and we're so thrilled for what's happened this year for you with Salt Burn. It's an absolute tune, Murder on the Danceville, but it's been so nice for like a new audience to be introduced to you. You did your first tour in the States, which blows my mind that that was your first tour in like how long have you been making music? I mean, I started my first gig was when I was 16, which will be 30 years going next year.

Okay, so you did your first tour in the States this year. You've got your own New Year's Eve special on BBC One. You're now, when the ball drops in New York, it's just, what's the plan for next year? Well, you know what, you know yourself, you get like special things, but the important thing is to remember it is special. And actually, I will have another year like this one. And that's why I've been trying to really,

Drink it in. And, you know, I think it's good to remember that, like, what we do for a living is, like, it's a really twisty little road, isn't it? And sometimes you can find extraordinary things happening and you've just got to really, like...

just enjoy the wonder of it because it doesn't happen all the time and that's what makes it special and next year's probably gonna be like I can't think it can't top this year but I would love to just have a nice year with the new record I've put a lot into that so well you know what it's like when you're about to release new music I think that's that's a big deal to me so yeah new album but but probably not touring as much it's been it's been quite a busy year like that

Yeah, it's been great. I've had so much fun. And honestly, like singing with you is going to be like another highlight. I can't wait. I'm lucky to be doing it. Sophie, have you met Barry Keogh at all face to face? I have met him, yes.

Did he get his willy out? Did you knock down or you kept your eye level? It was just quite funny because I was, it was about a year ago actually, I was going to sing at the, and they were doing the premiere in LA and I was looking forward to meeting him and thinking it was going to be funny when we say hi but then I got into a lift and I realised he was in the lift and I

kind of incognito and I thought I just don't think now is the time so I had to just sit there kind of giggling to myself thinking we'll wait till we're like properly introduced but I could just be like hello you're in a trapped space with me now.

I think it's, I mean, like what, like extraordinary thing to have. Yeah, that dance. A big moment, yeah. Quite exceptional, really. Well, listen, I better go and try and rest my voice for tomorrow. But happy Christmas. Happy Christmas. Yes. Happy New Year. I can't wait to see you on everybody's screens on New Year's Eve and the whole of 2025. But thank you, Sophie, for joining us. Oh, thank you so much. Happy Christmas to you both. It's a lovely time of year. I like it.

Sophie has very good Christmas traditions, Mum. Yeah, I like the tree presents. Me too. At the end of the day, but I don't know how that will go down with Sam. I just love that she's like, I haven't given them enough. I'm going to give them an extra present on the tree after the full day of Christmas. Yeah.

That's the kind of gal Sophie Ellesbeckster is. Always love chatting to you, Sophie. And you can listen to Sophie's full episode of Table Manners. She joined us in Edinburgh for the first show of our tour back in 2022. And it was quite, I think, quite raucous by the end. And do tune in to seeing us sing on BBC One on New Year's Eve. I think I'm like maybe eight minutes from 12 o'clock.

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Mum, what's your favourite Christmas movie? Elf. Okay. It's my favourite. Well, don't tell that to our next guest, please. Because I think we might have a new favourite in our house. It's called That Christmas. It's on Netflix and it's directed by our next guest, Richard Curtis. Richard and his gorgeous wife, Emma Freud, joined us a couple of years ago on the podcast for our comic relief special where we had guests join us in the kitchen and

And actually it was like the chef from Trullo, which was just really funny. And anyway... I don't remember a lot of that episode because I was on Tramadol for my slipped disc. Oh.

Do you remember? I remember I made very dry Marlboro chicken, actually. Oh, it's dry Marlboro chicken and tramadol. But it's been a good year for Richard. He won an Oscar. No biggie. So, Richard, hello. Are you going to put it in your toilet like Kate Winslet does so people can practice their speeches? No, nor do I believe that she does. But it's on our mantelpiece.

It's the first thing people see when they come into the house. Absolutely right. Actually, it's funny how people don't notice it and then eventually have to say, By the way, look. And my kids are on their third watch of that Christmas. It's so good. Yeah,

That's so sweet. I'm so happy because in the end, it took so long to make. It's quite hard to sort of remember why... You bothered doing it. Yeah, it was like five years of work. Is that because it was animation? Does that make everything a bit harder? Yeah, animation just takes forever.

But I'm so thrilled if people are liking it, and particularly you, and particularly your children. I noticed your mum can't be arsed to watch it. No, I haven't. I didn't know. She actually didn't know you had a Christmas film out, Richard, because... Lenny, what are you watching at the moment? No, I'm not watching anything, really. But I didn't know that there was a Christmas film that was animated, probably because of the animation. Where have you been, Len? Don't know, darling. So sorry, Richard. But...

But Richard, it's really brilliant and beautiful. I think the characters are gorgeous. I wondered whether your gorgeous daughter Scarlet was involved in some of the script because it kind of feels so...

like part of her voice it's so witty it's really funny the thing is i'm refused into one thing i simply do what she says and think what she tells me to think these days so it's difficult difficult to avoid me well it's working and also my son spiked saw it and turned to me at the end and said dad do you have no imagination at all because it's so close to the way that we live

up in Suffolk, that he just thought it was like transposition, not actually...

So we have a Christmas swim, we have a barn, we have kids who all meet in a barn. It's basically a documentary. Yeah, it's an animated documentary. So that's your tradition, a Christmas swim? Yeah, in Warburyswick. There is one in the village. It's absolutely insane. It's gorgeous. It happens at 11 o'clock on the beach and most of the village turn up and half the village go in, which is about 100 people there.

charge into the sea and about twenty-five seconds later they charge out again, get dressed and have a glass of mulled wine and then go off to do their Christmas lunches. Emma, are you in charge of the mulled wine or are you getting in as well? Do you know, I don't, I do cold swim. I go all throughout the year, but on Christmas Day...

I like to not because I like showing off my beautiful bikini body to my dog and my best friend, not to all the people in the village that I live with. I get shy. Of course not. So people don't wear wetsuits? No. That's very much frowned upon. They're hardcore. Oh, they're hardcore. Yeah.

So at the moment, I think your top three in Netflix, you're killing it, Richard Curtis. Well, I'm very pleased because I am obsessed by charts. For instance, I just wrote down here because it's Christmas, just so that you know what a sad figure I am. At the moment, in the UK top 40 singles charts, 26 of the 40 songs are Christmas songs and Wham is number one. Whereas in America...

21 of the songs are of the top 40. This is the moment when anyone listening who might have thought, oh, I really wish I was going out with Richard Curtis. He's fantastic. Are going, thank God. No, they're not. They're thinking it would be nice going out with Richard Curtis because he spends a lot of time in his own room.

doing private things and therefore... Checking charts out. I can grow as a human being on my own. This is all so innuendo-led. Private things, growing as a human being. I think you've just made this not a family podcast, I'm afraid, Richard Curtis, you disgusting man. Oh, God.

That's all the good I tried to do by writing a non-swearing Christmas animated film. It's just gone out. Out the window. But can I say something for the New Year's family? Are you ready? What is it? Is it a chick? We had four children and now we've got a fifth. Oh, wow. That's a beaut. Anybody that can't see what's happening, Emma has...

The golden guy, the Oscar, Mr. Oscar. Is it hefty? Is it heavy? I've used it as a dumbbell and it really works. It's eight pounds, I think.

That is quite enough of that. Can you stay there? That's beautiful. What did you do? What did you do after? Where did you eat after winning your Oscar? So this wasn't our finest hour. We had a lovely evening. They gave us a whole table at the Governor's Ball, which is where they give the Lifetime Achievement Oscars in November rather than in March. And there was food there, but nobody really ate the food because they were too busy wandering around other tables. And then at the end of it, we went after party.

And there wasn't one. And so we went back to our hotel and we sat in the bar with three people and we had chips and Baileys because we're English. That's what you do. Yeah. We had chips and Baileys for about half an hour. Then we went to bed. And then at about two in the morning, I got a text from Hugh Grant who said, sorry, I couldn't because I'd asked him to come to our hotel room. So, I mean, the hotel lobby. So it really felt like we were in Hollywood. And he said, really sorry, I couldn't come. I was at the after party.

What do you mean the office? Did you get an NFI? Not fucking invited. Not fucking invited. That's for your family show. That's a liberty. They only

They gave out four Oscars and one of the people had already died. So there was only three people they needed to ask. It was three guest lists, for God's sake. So who's in charge of the invitations? I don't know, but they're dead to me. They're dead. And they don't care. That's the point. We're so on point. When I did my first film, which was a film called The Tall Guy, we had a huge party afterwards. And I was surprised that I saw so few people involved in the production at the party afterwards.

And it was only the next day that I was told that there'd been a private room for people involved in the film. And I thought it was odd that it was just me and my mum and some strangers. But I will... That's not kind. We've never been fashionable. We've never been cool. No, no, I'm sorry. You are the greatest hosts. I have been privy to your hosting. You are fabulous. Can you tell us, apart from the Christmas swim, what is...

a Freud-Curtis Christmas tradition? Because I'm sure you've got plenty of them, but a food Christmas tradition. Oh, I'll tell you food in a sec, but the biggest Christmas tradition is we always watch a Christmas film and obviously it's Elf. So that goes down very well in our house. We haven't seen Love Actually since the beginning. I get texts from people saying I'm watching Love Actually and I show them to the family saying, no, it's what everyone else is doing, but they're not having any of that.

What's the big Christmas food thing? I'm mainly interested in brandy butter and I'll have that with turkey. I'll have it with sprouts, just anything. Brandy butter. We've got, it's a lovely thing this year. And Jesse, you'll get this in about 15 years, but my middle son is 22 and interested in cooking. And he and I for Christmas are cooking together.

That's the dream, isn't it? And we're making a porchetta because we're all so Italian in our blood that porchetta at Christmas feels like the nice tradition to be embracing.

This sounds really lovely, and I actually think that my middle child, who's the baby that you held when you did the podcast first, he'll be my guy that's helping me. You're not helping me at all this year. I fucking am. Oh, you're doing the stuffing. I'm doing the stuff. Remotely helping. I'll do whatever you need, Lenny. I will do whatever you need. Do you know what I said to Em was before we joined you? I hope they're getting on better than before. And it's a...

But it's still time for rebirth, as you know, at Christmas. Absolutely. We're going to let you go, but Merry Christmas. Thank you so much for coming on. I brought you a present. I was hoping for you to share. But we can say it's a present. It's a beautiful panettone. It's the best panettone in Britain. Which panettone is that? River Cafe. It's absolutely wonderful. To be honest, we were given it, but I'm now giving it to you.

I'm re-gifting my Panazzoni and we'd like you to have it and really enjoy it. And I'm holding it up to the screen now. Oh, what a pity you can't have it. And congratulations on a marvellous year. And you are two of my role models. And I hope by this time, I'll be wearing glasses too.

Oh, God, Richard, you are always welcome. We need to just carry on this tradition of being able to see each other. And congratulations on that Christmas, because I really think it's just it's heaven for everybody. And I particularly loved that.

The head teacher. The head teacher was based on Yemi, to be honest. Thank you. She's not Miss Trunchbull. I'm trying to think of a ferocious old word who's soft underneath. Oh, right. And are you good at, you're not very good with snowmen or igloos?

I don't know. I've never tried. We'll find out. For anyone who's listening who hasn't seen it yet, when you watch it, every time you see the headteacher, if you think Rachel Reeves. Oh, yes. These are looking pretty much the same. Slightly Rachel Reeves and also the lady that's like Grzegorzowski in Monsters, Inc. Yeah. You know, the one that's like... I'd never tell those two apart anyway. Yeah.

On that note, Merry Christmas. Happy Christmas. All the best for 2025. Loads of love. Lots of love. Happy Hanukkah as well, you beauties. Lots of love. Would you go for a cold water swim on Christmas Day, Mum? No. Ever? I can positively tell you I would never, ever, ever do that.

Get the kids in front of Richard's new film whilst you are finishing the turkey. What's the name of it again? That Christmas. It's really so gorgeous. As opposed to last Christmas. Exactly. Now, we had to invite Tom Adele to our Christmas special because he gave one of the best gifts we've ever received this year. Oh, the chocolates? Yes. Oh, you like those? Where were they?

from again, Tom? They were from Bruges, weren't they? Yes. In Belgium. And they were delicious. That's nice. And now, not only have you given me the gift of good chocolate, you've also given me the gift of your wife and her fantastic art. Yeah.

which is... Where's yours? Well, actually, it's being exhibited in her exhibition right now. And you've bought one? Big fan of Georgina Adele. Yeah, it's absolutely amazing that you did that. She is so thrilled. And she encouraged me to encourage you to say, go and have a look at it.

at Soho Review, your wonderful art is hanging up there amongst other mobiles. Well, it's not... I mean, listen, it was something that... OK, let's just... So Tom and I bumped into each other at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition because that's what we do, isn't it, Tom, on our days off? We just go to... Oh, you're so cultured, darling. But you had a reason to be there because your wife was exhibiting in there. She was doing... And so we met...

And obviously me and you know each other and I saw her work and she's brilliant. And then she made me this beautiful mobile for my 10 year wedding anniversary, which is made of aluminium. But that is Georgina and she's fantastic. But on to you and Christmas. Are there any Adele Christmas traditions? Are there any that you and your wife are creating together or inheriting from each other's families?

Oh, that's very interesting. I know that Georgie's mum likes to make smoked salmon sandwiches, which I really like as well. Or like, you know, like white bread, like Hovis or something like that. Which is like a real, they're really good. I think it's the best bread. That kind of bread is the best bread for so many things. I agree. I feel like...

culturally kind of being written off a little bit in recent times by the more, the sourdough and other types of more bougie, hipstery bread. The white sliced bread is fab. Yeah, it's great. It may not have any wheat in it, but it's damn tasty. Who cares? It's gorgeous. And it's the best toast, in my humble opinion. Yeah, I agree. Particularly for baked beans, don't you think? Yes, for baked beans. And Marmite, actually. And Marmite, definitely. Yeah.

Yeah, or Vegemite, which is also a great condiment. Is it your wife that's vegetarian? No, we're both pescatarian. Oh, so you're having fish for Christmas? Yeah, we'll have fish for Christmas, which is a great thing, you know. Works well with roast potatoes and vegetables. Which is your favourite fish, Tom? Probably a...

Like sea bass or salmon. I actually quite like monkfish as well, but Georgie doesn't really like monkfish, but I like it. It's really nice. I made very nice salmon en croût the other day. So good. And it was great for a celebration. Salmon en croût I think might be my favourite food.

Yeah. It's so good. You're at Premises, which is a kind of institution for people, rehearsal recording studios in East London. So what are you rehearsing for, Tom? Something very spectacular, I think. Well, I do have a show in Sydney. You have two? Yeah, two. I feel like you've played lots in Australia, Jessie. I have not, and I love Australia, and we have loads of Australian listeners. I've been there twice in my life, and I love performing there. I love it.

the food, all of it. Do you enjoy being there? You know, I'm not a bit like yourself. Like, I haven't really spent that much time. I think I've probably been two or three times and always absolutely loved it. Like, I have some family who live in Melbourne as well. So, like, looking forward to seeing them. But, like...

Yeah, just looking forward to some sunshine as well, not to make everyone jealous, but it should be nice. You're going in January, aren't you? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it should be good. And will you do like a wine tour? Will you do some eating and drink? I've got really good Melbourne recommendations, actually. Oh, really? Great. I have to get some of those off. But you're playing in Sydney, though, so. We're going up to Byron. We have some friends up there in Byron, which is meant to be really nice kind of,

beachy place so that'll be fun I'm looking forward to that but yeah I don't really know it that well so it's like a bit stepping into unlike you know like playing in Germany or Belgium

Of course, I'm not really that familiar with it. So it's kind of I'm excited to take a look around, you know. Have you finished your Christmas shopping, Tom? I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet. So you were all on Christmas Eve bloke? Not to defend the sort of lazy, unthoughtful and reflective man. But I do think that shopping on Christmas Eve is actually really magical.

Yeah. Please sell it to us. It's really Christmassy. And not stressful. Yeah, and you can do it, if you've got to go all day, you can go all day. But yeah, it's probably not the most ideal thing. But no, I'm definitely going to go this week into town. But although I've gone into town quite a bit over the last two or three weeks, just for various things, it's just like gridlocked. Yeah. Can't move in central London. Yeah.

And also, George and I, we have our birthdays right next to each other and we had our wedding anniversary. So it was like two quite intense, this was like three weeks ago. So it was two really intense, like shopping trips. Like, you know, those are two really intense things you have to buy for. And so I'm kind of like, you know, Christmas is kind of in the shadows of that. What did you do for paper anniversary? I wrote a really long letter. Wow.

And what did Georgia get you? An envelope. She got me two really nice pens with an inscription on it, which I really like having pens. I do. I like writing things.

On paper? Like with, you know, handwriting. I like doing that. Oh God, I need to do better at that. On paper, yeah. I really enjoy doing that. It's really calming. What is the best and worst Christmas present that you have given or received? For a little while...

I used to buy my sister the most annoying present I could find. I once got her a trampoline. How old was she? Which she really didn't want.

And then I got her like a giant Virgin Mary from like a stone Virgin Mary. And then also got her other thing. I've got her a few Virgin Marys actually, which she really doesn't like and gets kind of annoyed about it. What did she do with them? Well, she had quite a few Virgin Marys in her garden. Good luck trying to find a Virgin Mary on Christmas Eve. Yeah.

So, yeah, that's a bit weird, but this is more like when I was a bit younger. I don't buy her weird presents anymore. I guess it used to be slightly funny.

Tom, thank you so much for joining us on our Christmas special. Go and eat some lunch. Yes. Go and do some Christmas shopping. And good luck in Australia in January. I'm very jealous. If you need me to do a duet with you, I would be very happy to fly out there and eat and drink some wine with you. Come on over. Okay, perfect. Let's just chat about this off air.

We'll make something happen. It'll be great. Yeah. Nice to see you both. Happy Christmas. And thanks for another great year of your podcasts. I appreciate them. Never stop. Tom Adele, you're a gorgeous man. And I wish I was jetting off to Australia in January too. Our next guest is jetting off somewhere, but maybe not quite as far flung as Tom. It's Nadine Coyle. Where are you, Nadine? You're on the move. I am on the move, yes. And this is a last minute flight.

Do you know one of those? It's like, oh my God, I need to pack up, like run like the wind. Where are you going? Here we are.

I am going to Heathrow. For a holiday? For just a little quick trip, just a little quick pre-Christmas trip. Hot, cold? Cold. Okay. Ireland is always cold. Oh, you're going to Ireland. Yeah. Right, what is a Nadine Christmas special meal? Like, what's something that you're always going to have on the table on Christmas Day? I start the cooking for the sides on Christmas Eve. So I will do this Christmas, I will do all the stuffing and...

and cauliflower cheese. And then we started doing the, you know, the American sweet potato with the marshmallows on the top of Thanksgiving dish.

So we started that last year. Yeah, and it was a bank hit. So it's been requested again this year. That's gorgeous. That's a good idea. So that's kind of my thing besides... Turkey? Of course. My mum does that. My mum does the turkey and she'll do like the potatoes and we're in Ireland so there's multiple kinds. We have mashed, we have roasted. So you're going to be in Ireland then? Yes, I'm going to be in Ireland for Christmas. What are some of your Christmas traditions that like, you know...

Apart from the cooking, is there any traditions that your household has? We have a huge, I mean, there's quite a few of us. So we've been through the phases of my sister's, her kids growing up, getting everything organized for Santa. We've got this bear park. A bear park. I don't know if we spoke about it the last time we met, but there are some grizzly bears, the sanctuary bears.

It's not too far away in Donegal. No, we did not talk about grizzly bears. We didn't talk about that? Okay. So we do this thing where a few days before Christmas, they do this lovely Santa thing and you walk around. And every year I think it's a great idea. I'm like, let's go. And then we get there and I think, what are we doing walking around with grizzly bears? I feel like we're in Jurassic Park. I'm like, holding on to everybody. So that's a thing we've started. I think I started it. And then I went, what was I...

What was I thinking? So we'll probably have to do that again as well. What's on your Christmas playlist? Do you know, Anaya, my little girl, made one. She made a Christmas playlist. And she came on the other day and she had her iPad on her shoulder, you know, like a boombox. And she came walking on, like playing our new Christmas playlist. It's all the classics.

Just all of your classic Christmas songs, nothing white or alternative. And are you drinking wine or Guinness and Baileys? We're drinking Slur. Slur? Oh yeah. Is it like Schlur? Schlur, the non-alcoholic. It's the non-alcoholic Schlur. Which flavour? So we used to think we were being really clever, so if you mix the white and the red and you make your own rosé.

So we'll be doing that again the one time a year that you tricked the slur. So it's a teetotal Christmas? Well, for the afternoon. You know, as the day gets on. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be. Are you a Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner? We're more of a Christmas dinner. We usually do a bagged breakfast.

my mum will do and she'll make some mimosas and stuff and do like a smoked salmon some kind of English bagel you know, not bagel, muffin English muffin vibes with eggs and some sausages so you're never really hungry at lunchtime so we kind of, when everybody starts to gather we kind of aim for maybe four or five yeah, later on Nadine, thank you for joining us I hope Heathrow isn't hell on earth

And Merry Christmas. I am just falling off. Perfect. Go on, darling. Happy Christmas. And congratulations on an amazing, amazing year. It was such a joy to see the girls perform. And I think maybe 2025 we should do a few more performances, please. Yes, please. Yeah. Oh, well, we'll definitely see. Thank you so, so much. Lovely to see you all. Happy Christmas.

That's Nadine dashing off to the airport with fabulous signal. I love you, Nadine. You're completely bonkers. So nice to hear from some of our alumni. I hope you've enjoyed our Christmas special and that it's got you through the stress of getting the Christmas dinner underway. I'll keep you company whilst wrapping those last-minute presents. We'll be back next week, 2025. Thanks for listening. Happy Christmas and a happy new year. Yeah, have a gorgeous day and we'll see you in 2025.

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