Pottering with Tom Allen

Fresh from the Strictly ballroom and as fabulous as ever, it was an absolute treat to welcome my dear friend and Cooking With The Stars co-host, Emma Willis into the garden! 🌻From NHS maternity wards to the Big Brother house, Emma really has done it all, so there was plenty to chat about. We covered the thrills of live television, the importance of a good bin and the undeniable power of a decent...

This week, dear listeners, I was joined in the garden by writer, broadcaster, musician and all-round delight, the Reverend Richard Coles! 🌿 You may know Richard from his hugely successful books, as one half of The Communards, or from his many TV and radio appearances, including, of course, a successful stint in the jungle and a perhaps slightly less successful turn in the Strictly ballroom. Richa...

This week, I am joined in the garden by the wonderful Ranvir Singh! 🪴 You’ll know Ranvir from Good Morning Britain and beyond, and it was an absolute pleasure to swap the television studio for the slightly calmer surroundings of the garden for a spot of Pottering. We chat about her incredible trip to the Galápagos Islands, from blue-footed boobies to shark tales! Ranvir also takes us back to wher...

This week, I am joined in the garden by the utterly delightful Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins! 🌿 Mel and Sue are long-time friends, comedy partners and sure-fire national treasures! 🏆 It was such a joy to welcome them for a chat, compare tales of suburbia and hear all about their many fabulous adventures together! We discuss tackling heatwaves in the garden, hungry cats and even hungrier beavers,...

This week, I am joined in the garden by star of stage and screen, Dorothy Atkinson!  You may know Dorothy from the brilliant BBC hit series Ludwig, Mum or perhaps Mr Turner. She's also currently staring in Alan Ayckbourn’s How the Other Half Loves at the Old Vic Theatre, so please do check that out! 🎭 We chat freezing film sets, theatrical mishaps and taking Brief Encounter to...

This week, I welcome someone particularly special into the garden, Uncle Andy! 🌿✨ A close family friend, Uncle Andy was the first person I knew who worked in the glittering world of show business and, to a tiny Tom Allen, proof that a life on the stage was possible! 🎭 We chat about his extraordinary years in the theatre, from eight shows a week with Angela Lansbury to working with THE Barb...

This week, I am joined in the garden by the wonderful JB Gill! 🚜 From boyband sensation JLS to The One Show sofa, there's plenty of reasons to know JB, and these days he’s just as at home in a pair of wellies as he is on stage! It was such a pleasure to have him pop by for a spot of Pottering. 🌱 We chat about boybands and barnyards, the beauty of bees, and teaching the next generation all about...

This week, I've had the pleasure of being joined by the wonderfully talented Gaby French in the garden! 🌿✨ Actor extraordinaire and self-proclaimed Toby Carvery Ambassador, Gaby has appeared everywhere from Enola Holmes and, Alfie's favourite, Military Wives to the award-winning Broadway production of Hangmen. It was a real treat to have a good old catch up! We discuss life on stage and screen,...

This week I was joined among the sunflowers by the fabulous Nina Conti! 🌻 Ventriloquist, writer and director, it was so lovely to catch up and reminisce over our first meeting in Edinburgh many moons ago. Nina is back up at the Fringe next week with the delightfully named Nina's C*nti Cabaret, and do also catch her brand new film Sunlight, available now on Prime Video. 🐒 We chat the snobbery of...

This week, I am joined in the garden by the incredibly talented and absolutely joyous Anna Haugh! 🌿✨ Irish chef, restaurateur and MasterChef judge, Anna brought with her the most wonderful selection of goodies, which were, unsurprisingly, delicious. 🇮🇪🍽️ Warning: this episode may make you rather hungry! 😋 We chat about the importance of seasonal farming, the role Anna’s Irish heritage has playe...

Welcome back, dear friends, to my garden for another series of Pottering! The sun is still shining, my Pinky Winky are in bloom, and I have a whole host of fabulous guests for you to enjoy. ☀️ This week, I am joined by the ever-delightful Jake Lambert! A hilarious comic and one of life’s marvellous eccentrics, you may be familiar with his splendid social videos or his global stand up success, and...

More from me in the garden this week, just pottering away, but normal business will resume next Thursday! Yes, we’ve been busy behind the scenes getting everything ready, and I cannot wait for you to see who we’ve got coming up. ☀️ It is truly such a delight doing this podcast, and I do hope it brings some joyful calm to your commutes, your kitchens, your garden paths, or wherever you find yoursel...

Another week and more musings from the garden! While Pottering enjoys a small summer sojourn, I’m bringing you another collection of my favourite moments from the series. Clippings, if you will. 🌱 This week, we’ll be joined by Alan Carr, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Sarah Hadland, Ashley James, Ginger Johnson, Henry Agg, Sara Cox and Philippa Perry. From horticultural heroes to dear comedy colleagues,...

Here’s something a little different for Pottering this week! ☀️ I thought I would hop on to share a few thoughts from the garden, ‘sans guest’, if you will. And while the podcast takes a little summer holiday, I have gathered together some of my favourite moments from the second series to share with you all too. 🌱 I love welcoming you wonderful listeners, and viewers of course, into my garden eac...

An absolute joy this week to be joined among the hydrangeas by gardening guru Henry Agg! 🌸Garden designer and social media sensation, I love Henry’s accessible approach to gardening and was thrilled when he agreed to pop by for some Pottering. Listen in as we discuss Henry’s rather dramatic career change from the glamour of IT recruitment to the garden shed, the mental health benefits of spending...

Joining me in the garden this week is the glorious Ginger Johnson! 🌿😍Champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, MasterChef maestro and all round delight, it was such a joy to chat with Ginger. I cannot wait to see her brand new show, Show Pony, hit the road later this year! Tickets are available at gingerjohnson.co.uk. 🎭 We chat about theatrical beginnings, depressing queer cinema, the noughties drag s...

Joining me this week in the gentle summer rain is the fabulous Philippa Perry! ☔ Author, psychotherapist, artist and agony aunt, Philippa is perhaps best known for the captivating The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, and now her brand new cosy crime novel, Shrink Solves Murder, is out too! 📖Join us for a fascinating conversation, and an occasional visualised therapy session, where we chat wr...

Oh, what fun was had this week when the delightful AJ Odudu popped into the garden for a potter and a chat! Brilliant presenter and joyful human being, AJ has graced our screens presenting hit shows such as Big Brother, The Big Breakfast, M&S: Dress The Nation (ah, lovely M&S), and of course, cha cha cha’d her way to the Strictly final in 2021! 🌼💃 This week we chat the thoughts and feelings of p...

This week I was joined in my Pottering patch by the glorious Kiri Pritchard-McLean! Stand up comedian, podcaster and all round delight, I’ve known Kiri for a long time so it was such a joy to catch up. 🌸 🐓🌾 Straight from the countryside in her transit van, Kiri arrived with tales of dead rats, learning from the past in her own farming adventures, and her wonderful fostering work. There is also...

The superb Sara Cox joins me this week for another day of sun in the garden! ☀️🌻Presenter, author and radio extraordinaire, Sara is such a joyful and calming presence, and we had a glorious time chatting about everything from the Radio 1 fax machine to the backside of a bird, and, the sometimes rather arousing, writing process. 👀Sara’s new book The Truth of Us is available to preorder now, and w...

This week we welcomed the wonderful Laura Checkley in to the garden! A glorious actor and brilliantly funny, you’ll know Laura from King Gary, Action Team, Screw, Detectorists and, well, so many things besides! 🎬 🪴 We chat firing guns in Bulgaria, neighbourhood Facebook groups and what growing up gay did to our wardrobes. My bathroom birdsong also gets another mention, what a successful purchase...

Oh, what a joy it was to welcome my dear friend Alan Carr into the garden for a spot of Pottering! 🌻 Comedian, presenter and turret-loving TV sensation, Alan is always a delight! You’ll know him from the brilliant Changing Ends on ITV, his Mediterranean makeovers with Amanda Holden on BBC One, BAFTA-award winning The Traitors, and of course so much more besides. We shoot the breeze (or should tha...

Joining me this week in our little Pottering oasis is the delightful Cariad Lloyd! Comedian, author and podcast sensation, Cariad is co-host of the brilliant Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club with Sara Pascoe, and part of the all-star improv show Austentatious, which is in the West End and on tour throughout 2026, so do check that out! 🌷🎭We chat nineties nostalgia, the wonderful world of improv,...

Oh what a treat it was to chat with true gardening icon Carol Klein! Presenter, author and gardener extraordinaire, Carol is so gloriously entertaining and a true horticultural hero of mine and so many others. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with her, even if the spring sunshine soon swapped out for sleet! ☂️❄️🌸 We discuss the promiscuity of the primrose, the dangers of the Chelsea Flower Sho...

Joining me this week in the garden is the delightful Ashley James! Broadcaster, campaigner and Sunday Times Bestselling author, Ashley's debut book Bimbo is out right now! 🌸 We chat about turning our hands to gardening, sometimes at the expense of Dad’s daffodils, the surprisingly fascinating origins of the ‘Crazy Cat Lady’, and the highs and lows of being a woman online. 🐈 🌻 So, switch off Thi...