Once Upon a Time

Gok Wan is back hosting with Scott, and this week’s guest is a dear friend of the show: Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard. Danny tells us how a £100 pay gap with the drag queen on the next shift at a Canal Street bar started his drag career, and how a “fake agent” called Gordon got him better money. Danny has dyslexia and had never finished a book, until he was cast as Paul O’Grady in Jonathan Harve...

It’s Booker Prize week, and we’re joined by Booker-shortlisted novelist Nadifa Mohamed. We talk through Nadifa’s life and career by way of the three novels she’s written. Black Mamba Boy began as her father’s life story, which she recorded at university. The Orchard of Lost Souls was written in lockdown in her bedroom. The Fortune Men tells the true story of Mahmood Mattan and it put her on the Bo...

This week we’re joined by one of Britain’s most respected drummers, Steve White, who was born a stone’s throw from the studio at Guy’s Hospital. Steve tells us about getting his first paid gig at 14 while signing up to the Musicians’ Union, joining the style council and the Live Aid stage. His three book picks are Peter Ackroyd’s London: The Biography , The Torment of Buddy Rich by John Minahan, a...

Actor, writer and former Butlin’s Redcoat Sue Vincent joins us this week. Sue co-writes and stars in The Madame Blanc Mysteries with Sally Lindsay. She talks about finding her tribe among the Bluecoats at Pontins, getting thrown out of tap class at six and how a read-in for Pauline Collins turned into Mount Pleasant and eventually Madame Blanc . Her three book picks are The Beatles Illustrated Lyr...

This week the show heads to Brighton with author, journalist and screenwriter Juno Dawson. Juno talks about going from a Bradford childhood to the classroom to bestseller lists, almost making it onto Big Brother 4 , and auditioning for Pop Idol even though she can’t sing. Her three book picks are Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, the book that persuaded her to move to Brighton, Michelle Paver...

Content warning: this episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse & addiction Season Two opens with a bumper episode. Gok Wan joins Scott as guest co-host, and they're talking to DJ Fat Tony. This week we swap books for music. Tony picks three tracks from the recovery playlist in his new book, Recover Me : No More Drama by Mary J. Blige, Together Again by Janet Jackson, and Belie...

David and Scott look back at Season One of Once Upon a Time . They revisit six standout book picks from our guests, including Juno Dawson's Yesteryear , Sally Lindsay's A Taste of Honey , Matt Cardle's Perfume and Gok Wan's Prick Up Your Ears . They also share Season One highlights, a bit of bickering, and their dream guests for the future. Season Two is coming. Follow us here: 📸...

Something a bit different this week... our summer reads special before we take a break. We're joined by bestselling author Juno Dawson and Waterstones Brighton bookseller and podcaster Phil Adele, and asked everyone to recommend their summer reads for August. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erim Kaur — founder of haircare brand ByErim and influencer  — joins Jamie & Scott to share the three stories that shaped who she became, spanning grief and grace, the hard work of confronting yourself, and the search for a cultural home you weren't quite handed. Her choices: Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess , Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry's What Happened to You? , and Thou...

International photographer and creative director Elise Dumontet — self-taught and the woman behind the launch issue of Indian Vogue — joins Scott & Jamie for something a little different: a conversation about storytelling through images. From being fifth assistant to Patrick Demarchelier to shooting her own Vogue pages alongside his cover, Elise traces a career built on looking — at Nick Knigh...

Actress, writer and producer Sally Lindsay MBE — star of Coronation Street and creator of The Madame Blanc Mysteries— sits down with Scott & David to share the three stories that shaped who she became, spanning a grandad's bookshelf, a working-class childhood in the 1980s, and the 18-year-old from Salford who changed British theatre forever. Her choices: Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol , S...

Chef, restaurateur and the godfather of Spanish cuisine in the UK, Jose Pizarro — the man behind Jose, Pizarro, Lolo and the Royal Academy's dining room — sits down with Once Upon a Time to share the three stories that shaped who he became, spanning ambition, quiet persistence, and the belief that food is how you tell people who you are. His choices: Marco Pierre White's The Devil in the Kitchen ,...

Singer-songwriter and West End actor Matt Cardle — winner of The X Factor in 2010, Whatonstage Award winner for his debut role in Memphis, and a man who was tricked into his first audition by his girlfriend — joins Scott and David to share the three stories that shaped who he became. His choices: George Orwell's 1984 , Patrick Süskind's Perfume , and Steve Coogan's I, Partridge . Together they tra...

Actress Harriet Thorpe - star of The Brittas Empire, Absolutely Fabulous, Wicked and EastEnders - sits down with Scott & David to share the three stories that shaped who she became, spanning the power of being read to, the courage to tell stories that matter, and the book that taught a dyslexic girl she could love reading after all. Her choices: Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes , her mother Gil...

Comedian and actor Stephen Bailey — star of Live at the Apollo, Would I Lie To You?, and Russell T Davies's upcoming Tip Toe — sits down with Scott & David to share the three stories that shaped who he became, discussing the hustle, mindset and what happens when nobody steps in to help. His choices: Chelsea Handler's Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea , Rhonda Byrne's The Secret , and Deli...

Actress Naoko Mori — star of Torchwood and Absolutely Fabulous, who landed the lead in Miss Saigon as a teenager before she'd even been to drama school — sits down with Scott & Jamie to share the three stories that shaped who she became, spanning cultural identity, the joy of being lost in a story, and the quiet wisdom that stays with you long after the last page. Her choices: Haruki Murakami,...

Comedian, presenter and warm-up extraordinaire Lee Peart — co-host of Bottoms Up! with Alan Carr and support act on Judi Love's UK tour — sits down with Jamie & David to share the three stories that shaped who he became — spanning early validation, the thrill of being pulled into a story, and the discovery of his own comedic voice. His choices: Alan Bennett's Talking Heads , Dan Brown's The Da...

Fashion stylist, broadcaster and national treasure Gok Wan — the man who taught a generation to love what they see in the mirror — joins Scott & Jamie to share the three stories that shaped who he became, spanning identity, belonging and the power of how we present ourselves to the world. His Choices: Prick Up Your Ears by John Lahr, Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey, Bedtime Stories by Vikto...

Drag performer, horror host, and self-confessed sci-fi obsessive Bunny Galore — known for Movie Nightmares on Miami Fox Streaming and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist with Dame Nation — sits down with Scott & Jamie to share the three stories that shaped who he became — spanning time travel, gothic horror, and falling down a very famous rabbit hole. His choices: Terrance Dicks' Doctor Who: Ro...

Singer, songwriter, and vocalist Kelli-Leigh — the voice behind over a billion streams, two Grammy nominations, and debut album Legacy — sits down with Scott & Jamie to share the three stories that shaped who she became. Her choices: Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo , Pam Grout's Thank and Grow Rich , and Jenna Zoe's Human Design . Together they trace a journey from a wo...

Actor David Ames — known for Holby City, Hollyoaks & Changing Ends — is the very first guest on Once Upon a Time. David sits down with Scott & Jamie to share the three stories that shaped who he became — spanning ancient mythology, parallel universes, and a play he read at university before he was ready to understand what it really meant. His choices: Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles...