Walking The Dog with Emily Dean

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll through Wanstead Park with Lisa McGrillis, the actress behind one of Rivals' most deliciously snobbish characters, Valerie, the wife of Danny Dyer's Freddie Jones.

Lisa's journey into acting has been anything but conventional. She tells Emily about some of the more unusual jobs she took on before finding success, including a memorable stint standing outside a cinema dressed as Pingu. Her big break came in the BBC sitcom Mum, starring alongside Lesley Manville, before she went on to become a familiar face on British television.

Naturally, there's plenty of gossip about Rivals, the gloriously outrageous drama that's brought shoulder pads, scandal and eighties excess back to our screens. The second part of series two arrives on Disney+ on 11 November, and Lisa gives Emily a taste of what's in store.

She's also playing Adrian Mole's mum in the BBC's forthcoming adaptation of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, another role Emily is particularly excited about.

And Lisa proves to be an instant hit with Raymond. Between admiring the swans in Wanstead Park and discussing her career, she becomes completely besotted with him, even insisting that Emily buy him a puppuccino. It's a generous gesture, although Emily is now concerned that Ray will expect the same treatment from every future guest.

Follow Emily:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean
X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols
Music: Rich Jarman
Artwork: Alice Ludlam
Photography: Karla Gowlett
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray's walk with Anneka Rice, Anneka looks back on her extraordinary rise to fame, from becoming a household name on Treasure Hunt and Challenge Anneka to making the difficult decision to step away from the spotlight and concentrate on raising her family.

She reflects on what it was like to be one of the most recognisable women on British television, the pressures that came with that level of fame and why she ultimately decided that life away from the cameras was more important.

There's also the extraordinary story of Anneka's agent, who became so popular that she was almost recruited to play on a netball team. The only problem? She didn't actually exist. It's a brilliant glimpse into the more eccentric side of Anneka's career.

If you haven't already, catch up on part one of Emily's walk with Anneka, where they discuss her adventurous childhood, her move to Hong Kong and the beginnings of her television career.

Anneka's new memoir, Challenge, is available now, with all her proceeds going to Alzheimer's Research UK, a charity close to her heart after both her parents lived with dementia.

Follow Emily:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean
X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols
Music: Rich Jarman
Artwork: Alice Ludlam
Photography: Karla Gowlett
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with TV presenter, author and national treasure Anneka Rice, whose extraordinary career made her one of the most recognisable faces on British television.

Anneka grew up in Surrey, but adventure was calling from an early age. Barely out of her teens, she packed her bags and moved to Hong Kong, where she managed to find somewhere to live simply by striking up a conversation with a stranger in an airport taxi queue. It was the beginning of a life full of unexpected turns.

Back in Britain, Anneka became a household name presenting Treasure Hunt and Challenge Anneka, with her boundless energy and willingness to throw herself into almost anything winning over millions of viewers. She tells Emily about the extraordinary fame that followed, including people naming their babies after her, and why she eventually decided to step away from television at the height of her success to concentrate on raising her family.

Her new memoir, Challenge, tells the story of those remarkable years and much more. Anneka is donating all her proceeds from the book to Alzheimer's Research UK, a cause particularly close to her heart after both her parents lived with dementia.

Challenge is available to buy now, with all of Anneka's proceeds going to Alzheimer's Research UK.

Follow Emily:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean
X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols
Music: Rich Jarman
Artwork: Alice Ludlam
Photography: Karla Gowlett
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray's walk with Mathew Baynton, it's time to talk Ghosts, much to Emily's delight, as she's an enormous fan of the show.

Mathew looks back on the creation of the much-loved BBC comedy, its extraordinary success and the characters who have become such firm favourites with viewers. There's also plenty about the new film, Ghosts: The Possession of Button House, which brings the gang back together for another adventure.

Emily is particularly excited to hear more about the world of Button House, having been a devoted viewer throughout the show's five series. And, of course, there's the small matter of her enduring crush on Robin the Caveman.

If you haven't already, catch up on part one of Emily's walk with Mathew, where they discuss his childhood in Southend-on-Sea, training at clown school in Paris and his journey into comedy.

Ghosts: The Possession of Button House is in cinemas now.

Follow Emily:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean
X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols
Music: Rich Jarman
Artwork: Alice Ludlam
Photography: Karla Gowlett
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll through North London with actor, writer and star of Horrible Histories and Ghosts, Mathew Baynton.

Mathew grew up in Southend-on-Sea before heading off to Paris to train at clown school. He tells Emily about his childhood, his early ambitions and why he very nearly turned down the role in Horrible Histories that would help make him a favourite with an entire generation of viewers.

That show led to a string of much-loved comedies, including Yonderland, The Wrong Mans and, of course, Ghosts. Mathew and Emily discuss the extraordinary success of the series, its devoted fans and the new film, Ghosts: The Possession of Button House, which reunites the characters for a big-screen adventure. It's in cinemas now.

Mathew proves to be wonderfully easy company, although Emily gets a little too comfortable and starts calling him Matt, while Ray takes an even more familiar approach by doing a poo. Fortunately, Mathew seems entirely unfazed, and even compliments Emily on her impressive poo-bag technique.

There's also the revelation that Emily still has a bit of a crush on Robin the Caveman. Some things never change.

Follow Emily:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean
X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols
Music: Rich Jarman
Artwork: Alice Ludlam
Photography: Karla Gowlett
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.