Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell - S8 EP44: Ranvir Singh

Episode Date: June 7, 2024

Joining us this episode to discuss the highs and lows of parenting (and life) is the brilliant journalist and presenter - Ranvir Singh Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Please leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... xxx If you want to get in touch with the show here's how: EMAIL: [e-mail] INSTAGRAM: @parentinghell MAILING LIST: parentinghellpodcast.mailchimpsites.com  A 'Keep It Light Media' Production  Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] NEW ALBUM OF THE SAME NAME IS OUT MAY 10TH - PRE-ORDER HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, I'm Rob Beckett. And I'm Josh Willicombe. Welcome to Parenting Hell, the show in which Josh and I discuss what it's really like to be a parent, which I would say can be a little tricky. So to make ourselves and hopefully you feel better about the trials and tribulations of modern day parenting, each week we'll be chatting to a famous parent about how they're coping. Or hopefully how they're not coping. And we'll also be hearing from you, the listener,

with your tips, advice, and of course, tales of parenting woe. Because let's be honest, there are plenty of times when none of us know what we're doing. ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] Hear that, quarter pounder fans? That silence is two friends enjoying the new creamy Parmesan and bacon quarter pounder at McDonald's.

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Sprites for the makers and creators, the visionaries putting in the work to build their dreams. Whether you're shooting a cinematic masterpiece on your phone, filling notebooks with sketches, or up all night turning your bedroom into the booth, thirst is everything. Obey your thirst, right. Hello, you're listening to Parent in Hell with.

You say Rob Beckett. I nailed it. And Josh Whittakum. I nailed it. And Josh Whiddicombe. I nailed it. Yeah, nailed it. There we go. Very excited about that, the dad. Yeah, that is, hi guys, here are your names. Sorry, that confused me because I thought it said hello, your names.

Here are your names introduced by Alfie, aged two, from Marriott Somerset. He has two older brothers, Leo, aged eight, Charlie, aged five, who want him to be famous. Sent in by their tired parents, Sarah and Tom. There we go. They want him to be famous. Yeah. Do you like being famous? I was thinking about this the other day, actually,

because there was someone I know who was complaining about it, who I think loves it. And I think loves it and I Think it is a neutral in my life. I think it is a positive actually generally I don't think chasing it is a healthy thing at all No, but there's certain things that happen where you go. God. This is useful Yeah, like the like the town like the comfort of my son. I don't know if you've spoken about it that yet. Oh, we not spoken about that. That's to come. No, I definitely feel the positives.

The positives outweigh the negatives. But like with anything, nothing's perfect without fault. However, certain things are a bit more invasive. I think it sort of does even out eventually. I think we've got it quite easy as well, because we're not famous in the way that people give a bit more invasive. I think it sort of does even out eventually. I think we've got it quite easy as well because we're not famous in the way that people give a shit about us. No, it's not like, no, not people that get photographed every time they're on a beach somewhere because whatever they do is a story. Anyway, but that, but...

Anyway, let me tell you about my life Rob. Talking about having a whole life documented, but at least we're doing the documenting. Well that is one of the issues with this job is not the fame. It's the people listen, and then report back and included in my own house. Because from the other episode when I was moaning, not moaning, I was telling you the story about me taking all the car keys, and Lou taking the dog walking bag. Lou's come in hot with some anger, hasn't she?

She sent you three voice memos Rob. To you and Rose. Yeah. Do you want them? Yes. This is Lou's right of reply. This was the episode where I was talking about taking... Three voice memos. Okay. Right, I'm just listening to this Tuesday's podcast. And Josh, I'm going to do this directly to you.

Because I don't think Rob will pass this on. But when he's telling the story about the... Let's just stop there. Would you have passed it on? Probably if it made good content, but if it wasn't great content, then I would have kept me mouth shut. But it's quite funny as she slagged me off. So I thought people would appreciate... It's fair for Lou to have a voice when her whole life is spoken about on this show. Yeah. I'm not even halfway through it, I'm crossed. So I might have more to add in a minute.

But when he says- Just to be clear, she does have more to add in a minute. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He took the keys, and Lou was- And then he did an impression of me, went, where's my keys? Where's my keys? Not in the Anderthal.

Yeah, sorry. I didn't say it like that. I was like, where are my keys? Because you've taken both sets, and I need to pick somebody up from the village that I've offered to pick up. And I've got, you know, things to do and I need my keys. That's very community minded.

You didn't drop in that she was helping an old lady from the village who, you know, is trapped in her house and needs to learn to help. It was a nice day and it was a 20 minute walk. So I'm sure they could have fucking coped. But yes, no one was dropping someone into the village. It's an appointment to get to afterwards. It's a very annoying... An appointment? I'd love to know what that fucking appointment was.

Because I know if it was a proper appointment like I had to go to the bank or had to do something that was official she would have mentioned it. If she had something to go and an appointment with something that's like important, but it's definitely nails or eyebrows. Because if it was doctors, dentists, the kids or anything that's a bit like life admin stuff, that's definitely nails or eyebrows, I reckon that appointment. Also, when you say you should know where spare keys for your car. It was in this bedside table. Oh, don't tell the world!

You'll have to change that. They're no longer going to be my bedside table. What are they in your bedside table? Well, just because, right, because right now, you're going to get me in more trouble. We've got like a set of drawers in the house where like one is supposed to be for keys. I said, well, why don't we put all keys in that drawer? One drawer's my drawer so I can put my headphones and wallet in there.

One drawer's your drawer. And then we have a drawer for like kids stuff like they might need school bags, stuff like that. There's three drawers here. One is just keys. Every key for the house goes in there. How many keys have you got? Not loads, but you know what it is like. You're you know, prison. No, but there's two sets of car

keys and there's a house keys. But you know, when there's like that random key for the window. Yeah, yeah, of course. And also then rather than our wallets or per lose personal stuff out on the side, our stuff that we need to access who can go in those drawers. So the drawers aren't full. They're supposed to be empty. So we know where the stuff is. Yeah. And so what's where's your bedside table coming into this? That's why I keep the car, the spare car key.

Why is that on the keys drawer? I don't know that sort of in a new special drawer with the passports that I feel like really important. But one of them is a technical key drawer and has all the other spare keys in as well as a whole load of shit. But that's where all the spare keys are. I can't express to you how much shit is in these drawers now. It's basically like if you just walked around a stranger's house and just picked up and

you couldn't pick up anything that was similar and you've got a handful of it and you put it in that drawer. It's a fucking disgrace. and it's not my fault because when Lou tidies, she hides. Wow. Oh my word. Okay. That's oh god. Oh my god. That was a big decision to say that. Apart from one spare key from my car that he's put in his bedside table. Stop telling everyone. spare key from my car that he's put in his bedside table. Stop telling everyone! Go fuck yourself Rob, quite frankly. I thought I'd direct that straight to you Josh. Well it seems like it's been directed to Rob. At some point, please. Superb. She's only halfway

through by that point. I'm gonna move the car keys now from the bedside drawer. I don't know who's going to try and steal a Honduri. Yeah, and an immediate other point of order. We weren't one with the dog bag because the dog bag has got all totally replaceable things in the cupboard where we keep all the dog stuff. There's more dog treats. I mean, when you take the dog bag, it's not fucking paramedic. It's got nappy bags in it, or dog bags, whatever they're called, poo bags, that's it, poo bags, and treats, and maybe a ball.

It's not, it's like, oh my god, you took my equipment. I know of reusable things that were kept in a cupboard that's got all the dog stuff in. Not hidden, hidden in my bedside table upstairs. Your hair. Oh yeah, I've got stress. You've got hair stress. Oh God, it's just, yeah. I've got an hour, because I know what I said earlier about the drawers.

She's going to kick off about that. What's that? Is there another one? One more thing. I haven't finished it. One more thing. I think so, it might not be one more thing. But when Rob says, smugly, because he's telling a funny story that he thinks I can't respond to. She doesn't know

where it is. That's on her, isn't it? I would say, I'd say fairly confidently, 90% of the things in our house, Rob doesn't know where it is, because he asks me where they are all the time. What do they need? Where is it? Have we got? Where do we go? Okay? So next time I'll say, that's on you.

That's on you. That's on you. And find your own fucking pants. Who knows where his pants is? Talk about other things. Can't think of them now because I'm so cross. Look, what I would say is, I don't know where things are in our house. Because we're in our house. 97% of the things that have been bought for the house, Lou's bought. Okay, without any knowledge, I've got no idea. Lou buys lots of things, okay, for the house, for the house. So it's very hard to know where stuff is that you didn't know existed.

Until Lou said, Can you go and get the give me an example? Okay. The she by the other day, sheos got a sauna bed. What? It's like a weird electric bed thing that you slide in, zip up and turn it on. And it's like a sauna. What do you mean?

So you're really like a sleeping bag. Yeah, but it's really hot. Is there a head in it? No, no, a whole body's in it. A whole body's in it, it's up to her neck, and her body gets hot. And is it steamy? No, it's just warm. I don't know if I've ever been in it. Our bodies in his hamster neck should get a body gets hot. But is it steamy? No, it's just warm. I don't know if it's been in it. I didn't even know we had it until I saw it in it. I was like what's

going on here? Anyway, I should have told you where the spare car key was in my defense. So I apologize. I'm sorry. And sorry for making you sound like an idiot. But just trying to get a bit of content out there. I think you managed that just got a bit of content out there. But yeah, well, what is it? Well, that's right. How are you and Rose? Yeah, fine. Good. It was hard to have an argument when she's not in the fucking house. Don't turn it on me, Rob. Don't.

It's quite hard to argue with someone who's 900 miles away, isn't it? Right, let's do the intro. We've got Ranvier Singh today, absolute legend, TV legend, good morning TV legend. Yes. The most difficult of all the TVs.

And she did Strictly as well? She did Strictly as well. Leandra, Bel, it's had a bit of Good Morning, she's done it all, she's all, and Lorraine covered for Lorraine, she's an ITV darling. She was in Lorraine's slippers as we interviewed her because she'd just done Lorraine.

Yeah, she was, wasn't she? And she was in the dressing room in her slippers. She's brilliant. And in a bit of a showbiz, unreliable story, I actually got her number and I passed her in the corridors of TV Center. Oh, well, there we go. There we go.

That's how we do this, guys. Hey, Ranveer, you've got a kid. Want to come on the show? Yeah. And she's like, yeah, OK, and then gave me her number. And then before you know it, look. Here we are. Magik.

Here's Ranveer Singh. If you see Rob in a hallway, just hand over your number. You can be on here, too. Hello, and welcome to the podcast, Ranveer Singh, very excited to have you on. It's lovely to be here, I've already done a full day's work you know. You've been on the telly and now you're in a dressing room after being on the telly doing a podcast, you're a machine on a bank holiday. I know listen I used to do 18 hour days so this is like a holiday for me doing the Lor Lorraine show, which is so easy,

because I get to get up at five as opposed to 3 a.m. Which is the norm. Oh my word. Yeah, 3 a.m. normally. So 5 a.m. I'm like, this is amazing. I feel like, it's like a holiday. I feel relaxed. I feel awake.

It's crazy. Do you think Lorraine's getting up at five or do you think Lorraine's phoning it in by now and getting up at half six? You see, she could walk in at like five to nine and do it. You know, I mean, I have to get in for like half six for the meeting. Whereas I imagine Lorraine just waltz in and she just sort of breathes it, you know, because it's so natural.

When you do your sort of GMB stuff, it's more like getting up at three. That's hard. You have to be really across, because it's some quite serious topics. Like when Lorraine does some serious topics, but it's more of a lighthearted look. But when you're like properly talking about... I tell you what, my best thing is when I look down the list and go, Mark Hayes is in to do fashion. I thought seven minutes, done, brilliant. I feel all right. I'm head of sound effects and facial expressions at that point. Oh, lovely.

You know, it actually is great because like you just get to watch someone else do their job, you know. Yeah. Yeah. But GMB is a whole different. It's a whole different thing. But how can you take in that information of 4am and formulate an opinion? How do you do it?

Well, listen, right. So it could be like at five seconds to six, you think, holy shit, we're going live in a minute. I have no idea what we're going to ask, you know, so you're kind of working through the show as well. Like actually when you're on air, you're sort of still, you're reading your notes, you're like checking.

Oh my God. But you're working whilst you're on air because it's almost impossible to really be ready at six, if you know what I mean, because stuff has changed overnight, things that you thought you were going to ask guests have pulled out. So yeah, it's quite... But no one's really watching at six. It's more when it gets to seven is when it gets hardcore, isn't it?

That's when it's your peak. Yeah, well, and also the great thing about the hour at six on GMB is that you have your news panel. So sometimes you'll hear someone just go, yes, you know, you know, we've got the minister on after it. So if you what would you ask? And really that's just us doing our homework on air. I'll look out for that now. Yeah. It looks like you're being really inquisitive, but what you're actually doing is slightly cheating. It's brilliant. Yes, that's clever. And so you presumably had massive people on there.

Like, you know, when you ask a politician something, we will get onto parenting, but while we're on this, and they just say some stats, how often do you think I've got no idea if that's true or not? The thing is, often what happens is a gallery is busy upstairs, so they'll be like checking stuff but it is difficult because all you do is you have your briefing notes and so then it will be like, okay, the last ONS research said this, you know, the Office of National Statistics said this or, you know, an Ipsos poll has said that the public are more interested in the economy than they are in migration or whatever it might be.

So if they say this is the number one priority for voters, you can kind of go actually. So you do have like you do have to have that sort of pushback ready. But sometimes it is true that they just say so. And actually sometimes you think, does the viewers really care about, is it worth getting into this in this like 10 minutes we've got? Or do we talk about something that's a bit more palatable to breakfast time viewers? Do you know what I mean? Because you've got to think like news is different the way it's consumed and the way we talk about it from 6am to like the one o'clock news, six o'clock news does it differently and news like does it differently,

channel four news does it differently. So everyone does it slightly different. It's the same stories, but you do it slightly differently. So yeah, it can be there's a there is a few moments where you just think I think you're lying, but I've got no proof. At this point, I don't know if you're telling the truth. Yeah. What's it like being sat next to Richard Madeley? Do you ever present with him much because I know it always shifts around. You just don't know what he's going to say. Yeah, I feel like that's a loaded question. You just don't know what he's going to say. Yeah, I feel like that's a loaded question.

I feel like you're asking me in a loaded way. No, no. I do not appreciate it. It's a fair question, just asking what it's like being sat next to someone that you don't know what they're like. He's a Maverick. He's a TV Maverick. Yeah, he is, right?

But can I just say, you know if you've grown up watching him and Judy on the telly, which I did, like religiously watching them, okay. So you're like, I'm Judy. Well no, nobody can be Judy. No, no, no, no, no, but you're like living the dream. It's like playing up front with Wayne Rooney. He is living the dream. And you know what, like I won't hear a bad word said about him and I'll tell you why,

right? Well I've not said a bad word yet. So that's a loaded answer. I've known quite a bit. No, listen, because, you know, for me, I think, right, here's a guy who has, his whole career has been on the telly. He's done everything, he's seen everything, he's sat in that chair.

But I have sat next to so many male presenters who do not know how to present properly with a female or another person. Because what you two do now, this is a skill right, so you're having to work together, you've got to be quite generous with each other, you've got to let each other sort of decide where the interview's going even if you didn't think it was going to go that way, but you've got to go with it anyway. And some majority of male presenters in my experience struggle very, very much to share and be generous. When you sit with Richard Madeley, he spent his life doubleheading, you know, sitting

there. I bet he has. Listen, I don't even know what that means. I know that Julie wants a bit of time off. Sorry. So, so, so, is sitting with somebody who could go anywhere. Yeah. But you watch it. You just let it happen.

Yeah. You enjoy the ride. You enjoy the maverick ride. You just got to enjoy it. I love Maidley. I'm a big Maidley fan. I'm a big Maidley fan. Right. Let's talk about parenting. How many children have you got? I've got one and he's nearly 12. He's gonna be 12.

Yeah, just started secondary school but please, people warn you that it's like a Harry Enfield sketch, like overnight. Oh, is it gone? Has he gone? Just I cannot understand what has gone on. grieving process for the baby, beautiful, lovely, soft-natured, compliant, yes mommy person that was there on August 31st, right? Oh, so it was unarriving at school? Unarriving at school, not even on his birthday, unarriving at school overnight. Oh wow. Totally different ballgame of parenting.

Totally different. Wow. I'm sorry to have shattered your... No, I'm worried about that. So what would a normal Saturday be like when he was not at secondary school and a cute soft boy and now what are you dealing with on a Saturday with this sort of teenager? Oh, well pre-teen... Yeah, it's all starting a bit too early as well. He's the youngest in the year. Yeah. But anyway, so before this it would be come on darling, you know, little snuggle in bed, all snuggly snuggly and then you'd be like, oh, should we make pancakes? Oh, how nice. And then I tell you what, shall we go to a national trust park and walk around and have a lovely time? Oh, yes, that'd be lovely. Oh, fabulous. Right. So all go on,

go on that lovely nature trail. Lovely. Perfect. Now, can you just take the dog out? Oh, do you want a hug? No, I don't want to take the dog out to the canal, I can't do it. I'm just like, just take the dog out. Like, you know, just like the smallest things. Oh, God. I'm sure underneath it, he's still lovely. And people keep telling me, don't worry, they go away for a bit, then they come back. So how long's a bit? How long's a bit? 12 years. As soon as he's had a kid probably mid-twenties. No, but I don't know. I'm hoping it's like, what do you think, like six years?

I genuinely think boys disappear from teenage and then come back once you have kids for help. Do you? Do you remember this as boys? Yeah. I remember my mum getting annoyed that we didn't tell her anything. But then I've got that situation with a six-year-old when you go, what did you do at school? And she's like, nothing. Yeah, that's tough.

It's a bad school though, to be fair. She's just telling the truth. I don't even drop them at school. Maybe that's the problem. I don't know. I think they've suffered a bit when they get to sort of 18 and go into uni and stuff like that and become a bit more grown up. Yeah, because they need you for money then, don't they? They really like need you then, yeah. Exactly, so they'll come back crawling.

But I think actual sort of more like grown up connection comes when they've like had kids and stuff like that. And the thing that I'm currently, I feel like this is turning into a slight therapy session, but currently- It's what we're looking for. The thing I'm struggling with is like, do you just let a lot of stuff go,

like kind of like the shrugging of the shoulder, the rolling of the stuff that really pisses you off as a parent, like the sort of like stomping up the stairs, like when you've asked them just to go and get changed after school. What do you do with all that? Do you just have to bite your tongue and let it go? Would you go, excuse me, that's rude. But can you come down and say sorry? Yeah, that's the only conversation you ever have is can you say sorry, that was rude. I think you've got to let some of it go, haven't you? It's like, to use a football analogy, a referee who's got to kind of keep the game going

rather than pull them up on every single thing. Do you know what I mean? Otherwise the game just wouldn't work, if that makes sense. That is a really good bit of advice. I don't know if it's right. Just let the game flow. Well, I had a friend who actually had a teenage son that was like that because they will do stuff that is rude. Like they won't say please I thank you and I'll go shut up or whatever and go into a room and slam a door.

And you go, hang on. All I've said is do you want to stay in two weeks and can you let me know what time you're back tomorrow? And you've told me to piss off, that is really disrespectful. And you want to go, no, fuck you. You know, that is, you don't know, that is bang out of order. But my friend was saying that she was doing that and pulling him up on him and going, no, that's out of order. You need to come down and say sorry and all that. And then getting themselves in a really toxic back and forth. Oh, you just lock horns. You lock horns.

Exactly. And you want to not do that. And then it just, apparently, just escalates it and escalates it. But she said she actually read a book where their hormones, this is teenage boys and girls are so rampant and mad. It's almost like they are on a drug because it's flowing through their body and it's mental. And if someone had just done, you know, like a line of coke and reacted like that, you'd go.

You'd have to tell them off in that situation, Rob. You'd have to, you'd have to tell them off. Teenage boys. Oh, it's all right. You've done a line of coke. Don't worry, don't worry. He's all right. Yeah, sorry. I thought you were being a rude teenager,, you've done a line of coke. Don't worry, don't worry. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's alright. Yeah, sorry, I thought you were being a rude teenager,

but you've taken a line of coke, so that's fine. Yeah. No, but it's almost like a chemical reaction, so that when they're in that high state of adrenaline, no, I hate it here, because I'm a teenager, you almost have to go distant and allow that to happen and go and just sit in the front room and ignore it. And then she said she started doing that and eventually he would come down and go, yeah, that was a bit out of order, mum, sorry.

Yeah, you've got to believe that all the good work you did for the first 10, 11 years of their life, where you were telling them about politeness and all that, that that is somewhere in there. It's lodged in there, haven't you? Yeah. But it sort of gets forgotten in the moment. Like they forget it all the time. Yes. But then I think once they calm down and the hormones calm down a bit and they're not having a big flare up of emotion and energy, they will,

you hope if they are good people and you've done a good job early doors, come round and go, that was a bit out of order, mum. Sorry. I've been a single parent, you see, all the time. So since he was born, I've been a single parent the entire time. He's always said to me, he said, I never really know where I am with you because I have to be good cop and bad cop at the same time. Yeah. So I can't find that like really-

You need Richard Madeley there. I think he's permanently good cop though. I think he'd be good cop. Yeah, I think Judy's coming in with the discipline, right? Yeah, I think so, or in this case me. Yeah, in this new relationship with Richard Madeley, it's your son's stepdad that we just invented. And so how do you work as a single parent?

How do you work the getting up at 3am and going out and stuff? It's been a struggle. It has been hard. And actually, at one point, you know, I did think, am I being selfish by doing this job? Because you know, like, it's interesting, isn't it? But then you're there the whole afternoon, I suppose, in a good way. Yeah, you are home in a good way, except physically you're there. You're tired. So like, you know, when you're really tired and you're like,

you're sort of executive decision making has gone down the path. Yeah. And that's why it's like, yeah, just, you know, when he was little, we just used to sit there and just watch continuous Peppa Pig and just, you know, eat my own crackers. But that was as good as it was going to get. You know what I mean? That was spending quality time together. But yeah, it's been hard. My mum lived with me, which can I just say, right, just to put the record straight, everybody goes, Oh, that must have been so lovely. Oh, that's what are you lucky? Oh, gosh. Oh. And I literally just am like, Yeah, you've no idea that this is so hard, like to have your mum live with you

whilst you are parenting. Oh my god. It's like having the constant critic hovering. And if you do anything that isn't the same as that they did, it's like, well, you've lost it. You've lost, you know, this is a tragedy unfolding. I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have done that. I never did that with you. I mean, just, you know, mark my words. But said it in front of the kid. Yeah, yeah, yeah. As well. Total.

But yeah, my mom was there, bless us. So she did some of the mornings. I had to have a sort of an array of nannies with various of their personal problems coming into the house and then leaving at me in the lurch at various times. So it's just constant like moving the jigsaw puzzle around all the time. But we got there almost. Yeah. And now you're reaching a point where presumably you're going to bed at 9pm. So are you going

to bed before your son? It's awful. It's awful because he has to come and say good night to me in my room. He goes, I'll see you later. I'm like, please make sure you come off FIFA. Like, please. I'm like, you have to do, I'm going to have to whisper this, right? But I sometimes have to say to him, listen, you know, I've got like screen mirroring so I can see everything I can see you have to lie a little bit every now and again every now and again you have to lie a little bit because otherwise do not have screen mirroring then I don't know what it is. But it turns out he doesn't know either. Yeah, but you've got to accept though that this policy, I love how we're all whispering, but this policy of screamer,

you have to accept the fact that he's going to grow up and become a man and you're not going to want to look at what he's doing. Now though, listen, can I ask you for your views? Of course your kids are really young, aren't they still? Yeah, six and three for me. Six and eight, so yeah, a little bit off. So have you even thought about whether you would go through their phone when they get one, if they get one? Right, because I know it's still a long way off, but that is quite a divisor among parents.

I know this sounds bad and I can feel it coming socially and politically. It feels like there's going to be a real kickback against phones. I hope so. And I've got this vague, naive hope that by the time my kids are about 11, there will have been something where phones with kids have been banned or something. And I'll have had kids in like a really lucky window.

And I'm thinking, it feels like the momentum's starting and I've got five years still. I agree with you. For some bad studies to come out about how ruined kids' heads are and stuff. So I'm hoping, I'm basically sticking my head in the sand with that. Is that madness?

So you're hoping you don't have to make a decision. So that it's been taken out of my hands by- Bring on the nanny state is what we're saying. Bring it on. Bring on the nanny state to save me. Yeah exactly. Devolve me of all responsibility. They'll be doing national service by then which will be great and obviously all these kind of things. Yes exactly, exactly. But that's the way I'm thinking. I don't know about you Rob, Has that crossed your mind? So they want to phone the girls and we said they can have a phone when they start secondary school. Yeah. But we've not really gone into any detail about that. But I think maybe their first phone is like one of them crap ones. Dumb phones. Yeah, dumb phones, what they're called, where you can ring someone and send a text message.

But there's no smart WhatsApp or Instagram. Exactly. And let me tell you this right, interestingly. Well, OK, I'm going to say this from my point of view, because just recently I've taken the phone off for a whole month and the iPad, I've taken it off him. Right. Wow. What for? What did he do? I can't tell you. You for a whole month. And actually, what happened? Fucking hell. I've never wanted to know what the crime was more.

And I know you can't tell us, but a month is hardcore. For a whole month, I know, for the whole month of May. Wow. No access to his phone and no access to his iPhone. And we're recording this on four days from the end of May. Right, I tell you, right. So I'm terrified because I'm trying to now, I almost want him to do something really bad so I can take it off him again. Almost. It's a weird thing.

I mean, it's this weird dilemma that like, he's been really good, but I kind of want him to fuck up again. Could you plant cannabis in his room as like an entrapment? But apparently I'd have to forgive him according to our previous conversation for doing blood. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh yes, of course.

Now that was an example. I will stand firm that if my children did drugs, I wouldn't let them calm down in their room. I would put my foot down there. Right. Okay. So what I was going to say to you is the thing about giving them the non-smartphone version, right, is that then when you get closer to it, at the moment, all the chat becomes, yeah, but you know, you've got to find my phone so you know where they are if you give them a smartphone, right? You know, you've got all the privacy and you've got all these other things on it. Now, I took it off him for a month and I thought, right, I'm going

to have to deal with this as well, as in I won't be able to know when he's on his bus or you know, when he's out with his mates. So has he got a smartphone? He has. It's a free one that somebody in our family gave to him. So he got it right. And I have to say, I just felt like it was stepping back in time back to when i was a kid i used to catch two buses home from school when i was 11 and 12 you know in the dead of winter and like you know my mom must have been beside herself she was a single one because my dad's a dog and now i think about it and i think actually you know what he's quite resourceful he's

missed the bus a few times he goes in tells mat tells Matron, I come and pick him up. Actually, kids are really resourceful. You don't actually need to know where they are 24-7 in order to feel a sense of safety. Kind of, I felt released from it. I know it's a weird thing to say. Yeah, because like when I'd come home from school, we'd get dropped off at the bus in the village, and we'd maybe go home or we'd maybe just play football at the bus stop. I don't remember ever telling my parents that I was just going to stay and play football. They must have just, oh he's just not turned up, he must be playing football. I mean I don't really... Yeah, I'd just wander home because there was no phones at that point. You just walk home and then if you got a bit late you're a bit late. Yeah, exactly.

And so it was kind of like a great experiment for me because I had totally fallen into the listen well. You need to know where they are. I need to know because you can get all these other things for smartphones where you can read all their text messages you can see who's called them how long. You can you know you get all these things like SIM cards that record everything. But was you messaging his friend's parents to say, hey, they'll probably be on that bus together because they get that same route. Is he on that bus or is he left yet?

I want to find my friend because you're sort of circumventing it and still getting info. Yeah, so I actually ended up having conversations with his friends. He's like 11 year old. Did you? Face, yeah. They just were like, one of them ran me went,

oh, hi, I was saying I think I fans missed the bar. I could see him running. He's not. And they were three. So I just was like trusting it. I was like, oh yeah. That's really sweet. This is saying actually. But yeah, so I pray for you and that this whole phone thing dies a sudden death by the time you need to make that decision and has he got all the apps on there oh have you got no tiktok or

whatever god no he doesn't have tiktok at all but then it then it comes out he goes oh mom i've got to tell you a really funny meme i saw on tikt I'm like, right, where do you see that then? Oh, my friend's phone. I'm on my friend's phone. So it's like, even though he hasn't got it on his phone, I mean, I don't think there's a meme he hasn't seen. He's seen everything. Yeah. Because they're on the bus together watching it,

but he hasn't got it. He wanted Snapchat. So I kind of didn't give it to him and then I sort of gave in. Oh, it's just, it's, I can't, it's such a headache. Have you got Snapchat, Rob? Because you're very modern, Rob. No, I never did Snapchat, really. Snapchat's a weird one, I never sort of did.

But I do TikTok and Instagram, but I think it might be like, when our kids get a bit older, like, it's probably quite embarrassing to put all your Instagram stuff up there for them, because if their parent generation's doing it. I think Instagram will be... New Facebook. Uncalled by the time, yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know what, though. I think Instagram will be new Facebook uncalled by the time. Yeah. Yeah.

You know what? I think it's like it was quite a good way. Twitter's going now where it's sort of like a weird website. It's sort of like I think it will all exist, but not everyone. Not everyone will care about it. Twitter doesn't seem to matter anymore in the same way that it did. Oh, I don't know. It's just kids. Is there any way for them to sort of be in with a crowd or out of the crowd

or someone's doing this or going there or? Yeah, I wish that all parents when you get to year seven would have a just one meeting, you know, before you start the new school term, just to have a consensus because it really isn't about the wider world or anything. It's literally just about their friends and the parents. It's literally just about, you know, 20, 30 people. But can you imagine how awful that meeting would be? Like 20 parents discussing policy on whether children should be allowed TikTok.

It would be absolutely, and then basically, you'd start the year with every parent falling out. It'd be a disaster. Yeah, you would. And also there'll be one lunatic that's like, no, they're not having a smartphone till they're 21. You know, well, that's just mental. That's, I get not at 12, but come on.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There'll be some outliers. Like there was a kid at my school who brought in, you know, do you remember Video Nasties? Oh, yeah. He brought it in for Show and Tell, a primary school. Oh my God. And you're like...

What, on the VHS? Yeah, like his collection of video nasties on VHSs. I think it would be very difficult to reach a consensus. Oh, 100%. Yeah, no, it would be difficult, but I don't know. I think I've got a fantasy in my head, you know, that like, how it might have been. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the horse has bowled it now.

Would you think our parents were having the same conversations? No. No. Mine weren't. I do. But definitely, mine were very chilled out. About computer games or? No, I remember Grand Fifth Daughter, when that came out, there was always stories that,

you know, Grand Fifth Daughter, they're going to commit crime or a kid had a seizure because he played it for so long, you're not allowed to play that and we're like, that's bollocks, you know what I mean? That's one kid out of 20 million. Well, now it's all the thing about drill music, isn't it? Like, I think that for the kids these days, it's not if the video game stuff has gone by the bank. When I was growing up, that was gangster rap was a thing.

You know, that Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre stuff. There's never been any science to prove there's actually come a reality, is there? Totally. It's just some cultural sort of easy thing, isn't it, to blame? It's not having control yourself, is it? It's sort of you feel like you're losing control of your kids, but that's kind of natural. And so then the other day I was like, right,

we're gonna put, I've discovered that you can put only clean music on Apple Music, right? Only clean. Oh, I didn't know that because the effing Jeffing, my kids get on the way to school. From Mumford and Sons, you wouldn't expect it. I've only fucked it up this time. You're like, calm down, Marcus.

7am here. How do you do that then? The only clean ones. Well, I think you go into like the parenting bit or something and then you can go in and then you can click on whether you want everything to be explicit or clean.

So if you just click on clean, but then basically you can't listen to the majority of like music. You've got Mary Poppins and a few christmas songs left you know but i tried that for a bit and everything's a battle honestly i'm not painting a very good picture of this am i no it's true it's what's happening you're constantly that's why parenting so hard you're constantly questioning yourself is this the right things to do is that the right and you don't really ever get an answer if it was or wasn't. Life just goes on and there's new challenges.

But I always think, because I have obviously, we're Sikh, you know, we're coming from a Punjabi Indian family. Yeah. And I think about not only sort of the generational difference, but the cultural difference now between sort of what traditional Asian parents, Asian parenting is just like, no. Yeah. There's no discussion. Like, there's no conversation. between sort of what traditional Asian parents, Asian parenting is just like, no. Yeah.

There's no discussion. Like there's no conversation. It's just like, it's a no. So then you just sort of shuffled off and found something else, you know. Whereas now I think we're in this whole thing, which I agree with, which is like, find out how they're feeling and, you know.

Yeah. Like explain all your decisions to them and like really listen, you know, like really listen. Like, Mum, if I ever said, can you just listen to me? She'd like, she'd think I'm talking a foreign language. Like, what do you think I'm talking to you? I hear you. Yeah, the respect for elders in that community is like, I see it with Ramesh and his mum

and brothers and stuff like that, where it's like, the parents are just like treated as like gods, you know, and it's like's like well they've said that and everything's worked around them kind of thing where you're like why English work across families it's just sort of like you get to like oh shut up like to your nan you're like oh f***ing or whatever where like you can't do that in that Asian family we were on holiday to Sean and I right we were in a pool. This was last year or something and we were just swimming around and then there was this other little girl in the pool with her mum and dad, right, and she would not stop whining, right, whining and crying and the whole time and she was like, I want to do this, I want to do this and they were being so patient and so nice with her and they kept doing that thing. Now,

come on, you've got to stop screaming now, we're going to count to three. Now when we count to three like this and Tisham and I just looked at each other and he was just like he says mom this is the exact example of the difference between having an Indian mum and having English parents right and he was like he was joking to me he was like he's like mom he'll come up to you go mom mom I've seen this thing on YouTube where um they're really funny comedians out there you, who just do all this stuff about the sort of difference obviously between parenting and they go in English culture a slipper is this lovely comfy thing, you know, that you put on at the end of the day, cosy, makes you feel really, you know, at home. For Indian parents it's just a weapon. It's just something that you find across the room when you've had enough.

As he's got older now though, obviously when you get to 12, your taste change, you like different things. So like, what do you do, especially as a single parent and you've got this 12 year old boy that's interested, are you having sort of pretend you like stuff to go with him or are you trying to find a middle ground of what you like to do? So we do cooking together, which is fantastic. So we're in the kitchen, we cook together. That is really bonding.

But he's really desperate. And I made the fatal error of saying, oh, yeah, I'll learn how to play Fortnite. So video games, I've never played one. So here he is. And honestly, he gets so cross. Mum, stop waddling. Turn your head to walk. You're not meant to waddle.

And I'm like I don't know. And he sets me up these mazes. I've got to try and walk through it. I've got the attention span of an ant. Like I literally can't bear it. And now he guilt trips. Mum it's been about three weeks since you sat down with me to learn Fortnite. You promised me that you'd be able to. You know you promised me. And I'm like yeah yeah, come on, it's hard though, isn't it? Because I find it so boring. Oh man. And do you find that when you're a single mum with one kid that you have to fill that role of almost the other sibling as well?

Yeah, if you've got two, I always think it's much easier if you've got two, because eventually at least they play together or they annoy each other and they figure it out or whatever. Yeah, you've always got to be like the other person that they can play. So it's sad, but then you have loads of play dates and stuff. So like, you have to be very, very proactive. But it's also nice because you've got a different bond.

Do you know what I mean? You've got this room. It's almost you and them against the world, if that makes sense. Yeah, and also like he knows too much. Do you know what I mean? You've got this, it's almost you and them against the world, if that makes sense. Yeah, and also like, he knows too much, if you know what I mean, like, I think it's almost, it's difficult to not offload, but like they sort of know where you're at.

It's very difficult to have a filter all the time where you might go, don't tell the children, let's, you know, let me offload later, you know, with your partner. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But when you don't have that, it is a very different bond because he sort of knows stuff about adult life. And how you're feeling because you need to.

Yeah, yeah. About the stresses and strains. And he's very, very caring, though. A lot of that will come from feeling like you're on more of a level playing field with the adult than maybe. Yeah, but then it is confusing because then one minute you're like just chatting on a level but then the very next minute you know you're bollocking them, do you know what I mean? So it's a bit of a tricky balancing act and it's kind of almost difficult to get it right

but you just keep hoping that you know I don't know I think it's kind of almost difficult to get it right. But you just keep hoping that, you know, I don't know, I think it's probably quite confusing for a child to be on their own with a parent who's sort of trying to do both things all the time. But you know, kids turn out lovely and so I'm not worried. Oh, of course, every set of circumstances is different, has its own challenges and stuff, because then someone might have three or four kids and then they're worried that they can spend enough time with all of them. And also weirdly, over the last decade, some of my friends who have, you know, if their relationships have hit the rocks a little bit, they're going through really rough patch and they've got their kids.

You know, there are those like very, very quiet moments, like a couple of times over the last 10 years, and I've just gone, you know, it is sometimes a bit easier to be a single parent. Like, you know, it's almost like you're not allowed to say it. Because on some occasions, it's a bit easier to be a single parent. Like, you know, it's almost like you're not allowed to say it. Because on some occasions, it's not impossible. If things are really shit, and you're trying to deal with an old, whole grownup person's issues, and your kids, and your own emotions, and everything else,

sometimes it is just easier for it just to be you and the kids. It is just sometimes, and I have found over the years, sometimes I've been like oh this is nice yeah everything's fine he's lovely having a lovely time got nobody else's problem shut the door having a lovely life you know I mean like it's a very protected space when things are going really well like you know I mean you've got nobody else's shit to deal with just your own how has it been with like dating or meeting anyone where obviously you've got a 12 year old son like he must be quite protective or do you keep that separate from him? Do

you know what I mean? We have listeners that are quite interested in that when you are a single parent and how you approach it and I had a friend who had a bit of a difficult breakup then he sort of decided not to redo much of that dating stuff until his son was older and then he started meeting people and met someone and then some people carry on. It's different for everyone, isn't it? Yeah, it is different. Like I've never made a concerted effort to think I need to find somebody or I really I'm a very happy person on my own. Yeah, probably sounds quite I was

on my own quite a lot as a child. Even though I've got two older sisters, I was sort of on my own with my mom quite a lot. Weirdly, it's funny how cycles repeat themselves. My dad, dad, but I'm obviously, that isn't the situation in my situation, but I have become a single mom, you know? Yes. And so it's kind of a strange sort of symbiosis of what's happened in our family. But I've always been very, very content in my own company. And actually, there was a period of time, quite a long period of time where and I meant it as a serious question like a serious thing I was just like what are men for

I don't mean that in a horrible not in a nice way but like what is it for like because in our minds like when in my generation it's like you know you want you want somebody who earns well or somebody who you know can take the bins out or somebody who can like you know like or like French or whatever it might be but I was just like I do all of that for myself but when you're a single mom like a single parent you do everything from the MOT to the leaky roof to the play dates to the fine yeah food cooking like there's nothing you don't do you do everything and you've got your friends and then you think I've got no time for anything else. So like it's the kind of strange thing where I just started to really question what it was for, like what is the purpose of a relationship, a romantic relationship. But then out of the blue

I met someone, like completely out of the blue. Yeah. And it just sort of happened. So I didn't, I literally, I didn't actually look to date. Oh, and it just sort of, you met someone in your life journey and then you've got together? Yeah, almost just like magic. It just sort of happened. Oh, wow. That's a lovely way for it to come around. I've got a mate who's got a child and he's split up with the mum.

And he was like half the time I'm with my daughter and that's all I'm doing then. I don't want to use my other evenings to go I'm gonna go on a series of disastrous dates. Let's go to Wagamama's to see if me and this person like the same holidays Yeah, so he was like, I'm just quite happy Living my life. I get a few nights where I do the things I want to and I get the nights run with my daughter And I quite like that and I'm going to dedicate my life to finding someone. No, but the other thing is that I'm a full time single parent.

So as in there is no break, if you know what I mean. I don't get any nights off. I've never had any nights off. And actually, in a way, that does make it harder because you come as a package. Yeah, of course. Without fail. Like, so it's quite a big thing, I think, for anybody to take on a child. You so it's quite a big thing. I think for anybody To take on a child, you know, it's a big thing Like I think it's different having a relationship with someone and having a few nights off But because if you had split custody and they go to the dads for two weeks over summer or every weekend

It's like okay. Well if I'm meeting someone I would you want to go out Saturday because I'm on my own anyway So you feel the time that way but if you you're full time, just you, then it's sort of like, yeah, do you want to come round and have a pizza with me and my son? You know, because that's what we're doing. Yeah, and we'll be in bed by eight, but you can leave. It's like that, though. But yeah, I think you've got to be,

I think actually in general, you've got to find in yourself a way to be happy alone. Because I think that's got to be, I think actually in general, you've got to find in yourself a way to be happy alone. Because I think that's probably just a key to being happy in life anyway, isn't it? That matters for people in a relationship as well. I don't think that's just people that isn't. I think even if you are married with someone, you've still got to learn to be totally happy alone. I know I have. Rose has barely been here for the last two months.

Yeah, I think that's key because I think the biggest mistake with relationships and seeking relationships is to think, I need to find someone to fix me. Absolutely. That's just not going to happen. Also, the weird thing is that like for me, as an Indian woman, a girl growing up, you know, you never had boyfriends, you were never allowed. Really? I always find it really bizarre because obviously now with my son, like I won't enforce that

same cultural absolute zero. Yeah. It's bogus because now when Tashan like, you know, I'll chat to him, oh, you know, Bill's at school, you know, whatever, you know, he's only little. But I realized I've got no toolkit to know how to handle, you know, a teenager. I don't understand that. I don't know what the parameters are. handle, you know, a teenager. I don't understand that. I don't know what the parameters are. I don't know what's normal.

Yeah, of course. You've never did any dating yourself. And it was never anything that was ever discussed. So I'm going to find myself and currently find myself in a whole sort of alien territory of like this whole thing about kids, kids going out. I don't understand it. Yeah, yeah. Because you might bring a boyfriend or girlfriend home into the house and you're gonna be sat there going, well I don't know how this works

because I never, we never did that as teenagers. Or I'll immediately be like, well you're gonna marry her. Like they're in love. Well let me meet the parents and we'll get a date. To me in my head I immediately am thinking, oh so you'll probably marry her then. It's so bizarre. It's like not even logical. But it's ingrained in your DNA somehow. Like, isn't it weird? Like how parenting from our parents' generation is just somewhere sitting, waiting to come out.

Yeah. And do you find, because obviously there's a huge generational difference between your childhood and your son's childhood. But on the other side of it, I don't know if you're practicing Seeker, but is there lots of things you are worried about losing? If that makes sense. It's a good question. Yeah, it's such a good question. First of all, the language I worry about, because at home I only ever spoke Punjabi to my mum and to my dad.

You know, we only ever spoke Punjabi and then I spoke English outside the house. And now I'm trying to speak Punjabi more to Tishan, but usually, usually it's when I'm telling him off because there's something really interesting, because like, you know, it's all idiomatic, you know, sort of like when I really want to really like talk through, I end up telling him off in Punjabi, but then he understands what it means to translate it. So I'll just go, right? Like that's like a sharp thing to say. Yeah, I thought panics. What have I done? Yeah. Yeah. And that just means stop right there or you'll get a click around the ear.

But actually, what it means is stop right there or you're going to eat my slab. Which is such a visceral thought. Yeah. It's my slap, right? So there's something really satid, like I feel like a warmth and like in my chest when I say it, I'm just like, yeah, like it feels good to tell him off. It feels empowering. It feels empowering. But if I say something in English, like telling off doesn't feel as like impactful.

Right. So like, Punjabi comes out in those moments. Yeah, I'm worried about losing the language a little bit. Well, a lot actually, because Punjabi isn't my first language, you know, like I dream in English, right. So but I'm fluent in Punjabi, but also like religiously is there for him. But I don't, you know, not impose it. I wouldn't say I wasn't.

It's not imposed on me. You know, if you're born into a religious family, becomes your identity as well as your name or as well as your skin colour. It's not something that's an opt in opt out thing that you really intellectually think about. It's just something that you are. Whereas now I think that for him, I've sort of left the door possibly too open, do you know what I mean? Almost like it's there for you, we are to speak. But I feel like I've lost something in that. Maybe I should have been a bit more like we go every Sunday and here's the history. You know, so we went to India recently and that was really connecting and I thought that

was brilliant. So maybe we're going to get back into it. And I think it does provide a good framework. But yeah, it's a good question about whether you hand on religion to your children or whether you let them find it. I don't know. I'm not sure on it. Yeah.

And with your mum, when you were in the house with you when you were younger, was she quite on it with you and him? Was like, well, he needs to do this, he needs to go there to learn about this. And it's sort of a guilt trip from them almost. And then you think, do I care about this or am I just annoyed that my mum's been telling me and now I'm rebelling by not doing it? But actually, it would be quite nice to have a bit of a cultural religion religion but I always want to do it in spite of my mum going at me. Such a tug of war in your mind isn't it because like yeah it's exactly like that so she's definitely like you

know when he goes around to see her now she's like have you done your mormonth? Which is you know if you've done your morning prayers and things like that and then sometimes I find myself getting cross with him I'm just like and if he does something naughty at school, I'm just like, that's because you didn't do your morning prayers. You know? That's not right. All right. What does he say?

Did you do yours? And you go, no, but that's not the point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't answer back. Get upstairs, you know? Yeah, exactly. I've got a lot to do. I'm getting up at 3 a.m. anyway.

Yeah, come on. Give me a chance. I'm not setting the alarm for 2.15 for a prayer. Yeah. What are you gonna pray for? Or lie in? Yeah, exactly, come on, give me a chance. I'm not setting the alarm for 2.15 for a prayer. What are you going to pray for, a lie in? Yeah, exactly, exactly. So yeah, so my mum definitely would like me to be more strict with the religion. But I don't know why I haven't done it. I feel, I do feel guilty about it actually.

Now, you guys have made me feel guilty. I think I've tried to not think about it. No, not at all. When you say like your mum wants you to do more, I don't know if there's any Asian mum that's wanted their kids to do less religion. So it's always one, you know, it's not like oh that's too many prayers, come on let's calm down on this. Don't want to get too into it. Exactly. No, but no he can do a few prayers but yeah I think you're right in that like I found it. Did you have religion as you grew up you two?

No, my parents weren't religious. But I went to my primary school was C of E by dint of being the nearest primary school. I couldn't be less religious really. There was just nothing. And it weren't even like anti religion because like one of them was born in like a, you know, like, those are people that aren't into religion because they were born into like a hardcore cult. And they're like, I'm just more, it's more like same as Latin. I know it exists and it's well old, but I couldn't tell you any of it. And I've not got a problem with it. You know, it's just something that other people Latin. I know it exists and it's well-old, but I couldn't tell you any of it. And I've not got a problem with it. You know, I mean, it's just something that other people do. Yeah, it's really interesting.

Somebody said the other day that I think somebody had asked Stephen Fry about God. And he'd said, if I ever came face to face with God, I would just say, how dare you? I've seen that clip of him saying that. That is so powerful, you know, but in a weird way. I feel like I can't really enter into that because I have to sort of, the religion and the culture is so intertwined that it's almost like you can't pull away from one without

pulling away from the other. Yes, of course. Yeah. So it's kind of a sort of a marriage, isn't it? And you kind of got to stick in it. If you're going to take on the culture, you kind of got to take the religion with it and you can't do one. It's sort of a weird little tandem thing. But I think what you've done is really good because you've put it there and also like you say that trip to India that really

you know brings it home to him and I think that's the kind of thing that maybe as a teenager who's storming off to their room you're not going to be into it. But when you're in your 20s, I think, and older, you're going to really appreciate where you came from. I'd say, no teenagers going, I really want to get in touch with my family's religion. Yeah, any teenager that's well into religion, you sort of think maybe a high school shooter. You know what I'm saying?

You think, no, this is the time you wouldn't care about it. But then you'll find it eventually. I'm not a religious person whatsoever, but definitely as I've got older, I believe in sort of like an energy within the universe that certain cultures will put a name to, which is God or whatever, and that's where religion come from. But the way I look at it now, I used to think, oh, what a lot of old made-up bollocks kind of thing. But now I sort of feel, well, even if it is or it isn't, if it's bringing calm and a soothing experience to people, then good luck to them and let them enjoy that feeling. Who am I to call it out for whatever it is? Yeah, they call it Pascal's Wager, don't they? Which is, you might as well believe in it, because if it's true, then you believed in it. That's great.

That's high. I believe in you all along. Welcome me in. But like, if you don't believe in it, it's just kind of giving you a sort of reasonably good framework and for life. So in a way, it's just like you might as well sort of hint at it. But I don't think I'm not that bothered about heaven. I just sort of think I'm just going to slip away. For me, there's not going to be anything to go to. It'll just be like it was before I was born, which is nothing. Yeah, but energy never dies. That's what people say. You've just said there's an energy. So your energy will go somewhere.

But then where have I come from? The way I look at it, and I say to the kids when they get scared of death, I say, I was unalive before I was born. And when I'm dead, I'll be unalive. So the feeling when I die will be the same as what it was before I came out of my mom. Nothing. So you're just going back to where you came from?

Yeah, of just a floating nothingness kind of thing. So that you brought a ripping. Oh, that freaks me out. Well, how do you feel when you die, you'll feel the same as you did before you were born? Yeah. Oh my word, this has been thing so. Oh, that freaks me out. Well how do you feel when you die? You'll feel the same as you did before you were born? Yeah, oh my word this has been a journey. What a journey. What a morning. It's been an absolute classic. We've covered so many things. Um your show Ridiculous is a quiz show. You've done 45 episodes already and you've got a third

series. How many episodes in the third series can you say? I think it's still 25, which in this day and age is probably quite good. Oh my word, mate. How many are you doing in a day? Three at the beginning and then four. So it's not too bad actually. But also when you're on a roll. Where do you film it?

In Salford. Oh nice. I love it because it's such a break from news. Yeah, I bet. So it's a daytime quiz show. That's one of my favorite things on television. Is it daytime quiz? Just great quiz shows are great quiz shows.

Could you just give us the elevator pitch of how the premise of it works? Yeah, so you have general knowledge rounds and then you have to unlock the riddle. So we have our riddle master, who is Henry Lewis, who you know from the play that goes wrong and the mind, the manga and all of that. That's Henry who created all that. So he's our riddle master who is Henry Lewis who you know from the play that goes wrong and the mind and all of that that's Henry who created all that so he's our riddle master and I have started by the way for the next series writing my

own riddles. Oh my word you could do the theme tune as well. It's amazing so I've got my little book which I've started writing riddles in but they have to be cross reference like across a whole world network of riddles that are out there on the internet and it has to be truly original. Oh wow. Otherwise it will just be something that's already out there. Do you think a lot of yourself to be coming out here making your own riddles? I'm making my own riddles mate. I wouldn't fancy myself to come up with a riddle if you gave me a hundred years. You need a bit more self-belief Josh, you've got a riddle in you. You've got a riddle in you and then you unlock a riddle in you. And then you unlock the riddles, and then at the end, if you beat all the other contestants,

then you get to do the riddle run, which is where you've got to get six visual riddles, Rebus riddles, they're called, visual riddles correct in 60 seconds, and then you can double your money. If you get that, then you do one final one. Hence, ridiculous. Yeah, riddle, ridiculous.

So you're on the Celeb Special in a couple of years, no doubt. Oh, I'd love to do the Celeb Special, count me in. I'd love that. And if I do do the Celeb Special, I'd hope that you'll be bringing out your own riddles for that. Will you be saying when they're your own?

If I even just get one through, I'd be thrilled. Yeah, so you know, like, I met the guys who write the riddles, I mean, can you imagine that as their full-time job? Wow. They write riddles for a living. Yeah, but what were they doing before you had this fucking show? How much of a demand is there for a riddle team?

Yeah, they're on the dole. I don't know what we were doing. Thanks so much. It's been a joy. Thank you very much. Cheers. Have a good day. And you. Ranbir Singh. I love that, Josh. We covered a lot there. That felt like a deep dive. That was great. She is great value when she's not talking about politics.

I don't mean that she is. No, no, I don't mean that when she's talking about politics. But you don't know when you book someone who's on Good Morning Britain, who's an interviewer, what they'll be like as an interviewee. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, she was great. And also, as well, you don't know if they're just quite serious all the time and just wanted to talk about politicians, but she didn't. No, she was great. And also, as well, you don't know if they're just quite serious all the time, and just wanted to talk about politicians,

but she didn't. No, she was a real laugh. Big fan. And I thought that was a great discussion of single parenting. Yep, another great perspective from us as we try and cover all bases. Right, Josh?

As we try and cover all bases. There's something for everyone here. Just trying to bring something to the parenting community. Just a couple of guys trying their best. That was Ranveer Singh, everyone. I'll see you next time, Josh. I'll see you then. Just a couple of guys trying their best. That was Ranveer Singh everyone. I'll see you next time, Josh. I'll see you then. See you on Tuesday.

See you then. Mum? What is it? Are we there yet? Hello there, it's me, Harry Hill, with some exciting news. I've got a brand new podcast. It's called Are We There Yet? And is the world's first family-friendly podcast that's designed to get you from A to B.

Join me, my son Gary. Hello. Sarah the AI Bot. Hello, Harry. As we delve into the childhood memories of a motley crew of comedians, celebrities and cultural icons. Is it down now, Daddy? Yes, Gary, it is. Are we there yet?

Yes, Gary, it is. I'll be there... yet. I'm Natalie Cassidy, and I've been wanting to do a podcast of my own for a very long time. And here it is. I'm going to be talking each week to family, friends, most importantly, you. I want to talk about the issues that are bothering me, things that make me smile, and how we get through that washing basket without having a nervous breakdown. This is a podcast for the general public, for the normal people. So get on board, become part of my community and let's have a laugh.