Walking The Dog with Emily Dean

It’s nearly time to take to the stage - so join us as we walk from St James’s Park to the Sondheim Theatre with the brilliant Luke Kempner!  In this part of our chat, we discuss Luke’s two stints in Les Miserables, being an understudy for Gareth Gates and the experience of being married to a twin.  Luke will be performing his show, ‘GRITTY POLICE DRAMA: A ONE MAN MUSICAL’, at Phoenix Art...

Today we’re in London’s Green Park with the impressionist, comedian and actor Luke Kempner!  We joined Luke just before he took to the stage for a matinee of Les Miserables - where he is playing Monsieur Thenardier… but Luke isn’t the only theatrical member of his family - he tells us all about his showbiz pets and their iconic roles of stage and screen…  Luke tells us about growing up i...

Join us back on Hampstead Heath with the fabulous Rebecca Front for the second half of our walk with her lovely Cockapoo Bailey.  In this part of our chat, we find out about Rebecca’s exciting new podcast - Three People with Rebecca Front - which will be coming out soon. We also discuss what it was like going to meet her son's politics teachers at parents' evening after starring in The Thick...

Today, we’re on Hampstead Heath with the wonderful and immensely talented actress, writer and comedy genius Rebecca Front! Rebecca and her very handsome Cockapoo Bailey have previously appeared on this podcast - you can go back and listen to that episode if you haven’t heard it already .  We were thrilled to take another walk with Rebecca - we talked about the benefits of being vulnerable, ba...

Join Emily and Ray back with Shona McGarty and her lovely chihuahua Cici on the second part of our chilly North London stroll! Shona tells us all about navigating her first EastEnders storyline - which involved her character Whitney being a victim of grooming. We also found out how Shona spent her EastEnders money as a 16-year-old, what led her to make the decision to leave the show - and what the...

This week, Emily and Ray are in North London with the fabulous actress and singer Shona McGarty, and her adorable chihuahua Cici!  Shona is well known for having played Whitney Dean in EastEnders - first landing the role when she was just 16 years old. She tells us all about growing up in Borehamwood, a stone’s throw from where EastEnders is filmed - and what led her to joining one of the UK’...

We’re back in Thorndon Country Park with the brilliant Ferne McCann and her lovely cockapoo Clemmie!  Ferne tells us all about how going into the jungle for I’m A Celebrity changed everything for her, why she always says yes and she gives us an update on her very exciting new project… We also chat about Ferne’s brilliant reality show - My Family and Me - how it bought her out of a challenging...

This week, we’re in Essex’s Thorndon Country Park with the fabulous Ferne McCann and her cockapoo Clemmie! Clemmie is a bit like her owner - charismatic, charming and incredibly well-groomed.  Ferne tells us all about growing up in Essex - and how she started out her working life as a colourist at Vidal Sassoon, but knew that she was destined to do something more! We find out how she became a...

We’re back in Victoria Park on a freezing cold day with the wonderful Chloe Petts!  In this part of our conversation, Chloe tells us about what comes after having a brilliant debut in Edinburgh, her reaction to being trolled and she also reveals some tales from being tour with Ed Gamble and Frank Skinner… Chloe brings her brand-new show,  How You See Me, How You Don’t , nationwide as par...

For our first walk of 2025, we’re in East London’s Victoria Park with the brilliant comedian Chloe Petts!  With a name like Petts - we had high expectations that Chloe was going to be a dog person… and we weren’t disappointed! Chloe told us all about her imaginary golden retriever and then her *real* childhood dog Grady - who had a rather flirty entry into The Petts Household.  Chloe tel...

Welcome back to the second part of our best bits from 2024!  In this episode, you’ll hear clips from the following episodes:  Katherine Ryan David Baddiel Tim Key Richard Arnold Pierre Novellie Jonathan Ross and Honey Ross Bella Mackie Ed Balls Layton Williams Luke Evans Click the links to listen to any of these episodes in full!  Follow Emily:  Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean X...

This week on Walking The Dog, we’re taking a look back at some of our favourite walks of the past year!  In this episode you will hear clips from the following episodes:  Lee Mack Suzi Ruffell Frank Skinner Gabby Logan Phil Wang Angela Barnes James O’Brien Ed Gamble Ross Noble James Middleton   Click the links to listen to any of these episodes in full!  This episode contains s...

We’re at Goodwood this week with the brilliant Kevin McCloud!  Kevin tells us about how a Channel 4 commissioner initially didn’t think he was the right presenter for Grand Designs, how he feels about having uncomfortable conversations on the show, and whether he makes a habit of judging other people’s homes.  Grand Designs celebrated its 25th year in 2024. You can watch every episode on...

Join Emily and Ray for a very special walk with designer, writer and television presenter Kevin McCloud!  The stunning backdrop for our walk with Kevin is the beautiful grounds of Goodwood House in East Sussex. Kevin has a very special connection with Goodwood - as he is the curator of their Barkitecture design contest - which is held annually in aid of charity during a wonderful event called...

Join us for the second half of our walk with Josh Widdicombe! Josh tells us about changing as a person and how he tried to heal his toxic relationship with work. We also find out how Parenting Hell makes him feel a little like a Kardashian… and how sharing more about himself has made him a better comedian.  We also find out how Josh is getting on getting ready for his appearance on the Strict...

We’re in Hyde Park today with our old pal the comedian, presenter and actor Josh Widdicombe!  Josh and Ray have a bit of backstory - the pretty much fell in love when Josh last appeared on the podcast in 2019. We were thrilled to go on another walk with him - because we have a LOT to catch up on… We find out what Josh thinks will be featured on his obituary, the effect of growing up in a very...

Welcome back to the second part of our conversation with musical powerhouse Marisha Wallace. Marisha tells us all about her interpretations of the iconic roles of Ado Annie in Oklahoma and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. She tells us about finding out she was nominated for an Olivier Award in the Celebrity Big Brother house. Marisha also speaks candidly about being a victim of a cruel financial s...

Today we’re joined by the two-time Olivier Award nominated singer and actress Marisha Wallace! Marisha has the most incredible, powerful voice - so we spoke to her at home in order to preserve her precious instrument from the bad weather! Growing up on a hog farm in North Carolina, Marisha is no stranger to dogs... she tells us all about her favourite ever dog - a boxer called Chaos (who had a mat...

We’re in Battersea Park with Lloyd Griffith!  Lloyd tells us about his recent experience of having a hair transplant, his love for hi-vis and the importance of being ready to appear on TV as a comic.  He also tells us the story of auditioning for a part in Return To Paradise - the second spin-off series of long-running crime series Death In Paradise - and what it was like to move to Aust...

Join Emily and Ray with comedian, actor, presenter and singer Lloyd Griffith - in his spiritual home, London’s Battersea Park!  Lloyd tells us all about growing up in Grimsby with his mum and sister and then how is life changed when he got a scholarship to St James’ Choir School.  Lloyd reveals what it's like to walk into a room knowing you can sing, being known for being ‘Diane’s son’ i...

We’re back with the brilliant Luke Evans in St James’s Park! And guess what... he’s still carrying Raymond! Luke tells us how he went from being a jobbing actor to a Hollywood movie star - and he tells us an extraordinary story about one of the ways he made money when he needed it…  We chat about how it felt to have his sexuality under scrutiny again after he broke through to stardom and what...

This week, we’re in London’s St James’s Park with Luke Evans! Raymond and Luke pretty much fell in love with each other from the moment they met - Ray spent the entire walk cradled in Luke’s arms… lucky Raymond, eh?!  Growing up, Luke had a collection of cats and an aviary of birds with his parents, who were Jehovah’s Witnesses. He opens up about how that affected his childhood, and how it fe...

We’re back at home with Cherry Healey and her beautiful cat House Party! Cherry tells us all about how her brilliant career as a documentary maker started thanks to a conversation by a fridge at a house party, how she felt after throwing up on TV and how she navigated complicated feelings about losing her dad.  We also find out all about series nine of Inside The Factory - with her new co-pre...

This week on Walking The Dog - we’re joined by TV presenter and queen of documentaries, Cherry Healey!  Raymond is recovering from feeling a bit under the weather this week, so we spoke to Cherry from home… which meant we got to meet her spectacular Maine Coon, who is fabulously named House Party.  Cherry grew up with dogs, but in her adult life she’s been a cat owner. She tells us the h...

We’re in Dulwich Park with the fabulous Layton Williams!  Layton tells us all about levelling up his career by appearing on Strictly Come Dancing - and how he dealt with criticism about entering the show with a background in dance. He also tells us about his friendship with fellow former-Billy Elliot Tom Holland, how he dealt with rejection as a child star and how he met his partner in a mosh...