Pottering with Tom Allen

Hello lovely listeners. Pottering with me, Tom Allen, is taking a short intermission. Yes, I’m stepping away from the garden for a few weeks, swapping my much loved Crocs for something altogether more seaworthy as I step aboard the West End stage in Titanique! But fear not. We shall return, and when we do there are plenty more delightful guests lined up, which I am very much looking forward to. With any luck we may even be greeted by a little Spring sunshine. Now, wouldn’t that be nice?  In the meantime, do pop back next week for some of my favourite moments from the podcast so far, some Clippings if you will. And you can always head over to my YouTube for a nosey at my giant urn and to watch our wonderful guests in full. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a treat it was to welcome the glorious Sam Battersea and Charlie Baker into the garden for this week’s episode. An entertainment power couple and long time friends of mine, we share our gardening secrets, chat the world of TV acting, and get a glimpse into Charlie's superb showbiz knowledge, covering everything from Pat St Clement to Lionel Bart!  Arriving laden with gifts for the garden, Sam’s acting career has taken her from the corridors of The Mill Health Centre (Doctors) to the grand ballrooms of the ton (Bridgerton). She can currently be seen in the BBC sitcom Can You Keep a Secret?, so please do take a look! Charlie will be familiar to many from TalkSport and Virgin Radio, his roles in EastEnders and Doctor Who, or his excellent stand up comedy, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on that very soon! Now, please do dust off that shovel, pop on your top hat and tails, and join us in the garden for a spot of Pottering. Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, founder of Hunsnet and meme extraordinaire Gareth Howells joins me in the garden for a delightfully fun, and occasionally naughty, chat I am very much looking forward to taking Benidorm by storm with our Pitbull / Steve McFadden tribute act. Watch this space. Warning. There is some choice language in this episode, so perhaps best saved for the greenhouse, away from younger listeners. We chat nightlife nostalgia, the Bromley gay scene (my mum’s friends), and the rights and wrongs of the jukebox musical. I also ask Gareth about his gardening obsessions and we explore the garden accessories of a Hun. Clue, it may involve a Lazy Spa. So slip into your Anne Summers bodice, pop on a felt cowboy hat, and let’s go Pottering with Tom Allen. Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.   And please do like and subscribe (is that what I'm meant to say?) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joining me this week among the perennials is the fabulous Amy Gledhill! An Edinburgh Award winning stand up, actor and writer, Amy recently appeared in Netflix hit Run Away, and is very soon to be the star of Last One Laughing UK and Taskmaster! Yes, she is very busy, which makes me even more grateful she popped by for a chat. Melancholically meandering from Dungeness to dungeons, we chat the terror associated with Aled Jones, the infectious nature of the rumba, and fancy funeral plans! So pause that episode of The Demon Headmaster, reach for the boot polish, and join me for another episode of Pottering. Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.   And please do like and subscribe (is that what I'm meant to say?) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh it was truly a delight to have the wonderful Giovanna Fletcher join me in the garden. Actress, author, podcaster and gardening enthusiast, Giovanna is an absolute joy and it was a real pleasure chatting about mulch, motherhood, and most things in between. We discuss the correct way to deal with slugs, late night compost purchases, and the anomaly of audiobook accents. Once again the gazebo made an appearance, but spirits most definitely were not dampened. Please do seek out Giovanna’s brilliant books, her podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby, and the incredible work she does as a patron of CoppaFeel! Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.   So pick up your umbrella, get your hands on a bowl of cucamelons, and come Pottering with me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The brilliantly talented and very funny Phil Dunning joins me this week for a drink and a chat in the rain. A wonderful friend, superb stand up, and creator and star of BBC hit sitcom Smoggie Queens (series 2 on the way very soon), Phil is a complete delight. It was an absolute joy chatting with him, as always, even if we were both slowly soaking through.  Listen in as Phil gives us the recipe for the iconic Chicken Parmo, reveals all about working in London's glittering West End, and yes, we do eventually touch on gardening. Phil also very kindly helped me plant some bulbs, although it was dark and raining, so we await the results on those, watch this space!  Now, don your head torches, grab a handful of posh crisps, and join us for another episode of Pottering. Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.   And please do like and subscribe (is that what I'm meant to say?) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another week, another fabulous guest to get us through these winter months! ☃️ This time it was the turn of the ever-so delightful James Gill to join me in the garden. Superb comic, podcast host and founder of the unbelievably brilliant Always Be Comedy, as I say in the episode, they're truly the best comedy nights in London so do check them out! Our conversation takes us down memory lane, via Hollywood and Penge, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I hope you will too. Filmed a little while ago, James kindly helped me with my wisteria whippy bits, we chat surprise Santas, mowing 'me-time' and of course indulge in some baldness banter.  Don't forget, you can also watch the podcast on Youtube - just search for @tomallen.  So grab your toupee, wrap up warm and come Pottering with me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to the garden, where we are kicking off 2026 properly with the gloriously funny Gabby Best. A brilliantly talented actor and a very good friend of mine, you may know Gabby as Alan Carr’s neighbour in the wonderfully funny Changing Ends. Series 2 is available now on ITV and ITVX so do please take a look. We chat holiday tomatoes, norovirus with Noel Edmonds, and the audience crossover between air fryers and mindfulness. Gabby even treats us to a cheeky bounce on the trampoline and kindly helps me pull up some potatoes! Don't forget, you can also watch the podcast on Youtube - just search for @tomallen.  So, pop on that tanning oil, grab the gardening gloves and please join us for another episode of Pottering. Now, if you will excuse me, I am off for a small lie down in the wardrobe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, and a very happy New Year to you. It is New Year’s Day, which feels like the perfect moment for a little post Christmas pottering, a calming walk, a satisfying sort of the recycling, or a nice cup of tea in the garden. Perhaps, like Kerry Godliman, you are lucky enough to have a potting shed, the perfect place to unwind, away from the chaos of Christmas, and maybe settle in with an episode of your favourite podcast.I cannot wait to bring you lots more fantastic guests over the coming weeks and months. We have the super Giovanna Fletcher, who is by all rights a rather brilliant gardener herself, the magnificent Gabby Best, who was an absolute joy to chat to, the hilarious Amy Gledhill, and plenty more that I am very much looking forward to welcoming into the garden. I do hope you can join us. Don't forget you can watch Pottering on Youtube. Just search @tomallen.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh well, a very merry Christmas to you, my dear friends. Thank you so much for listening to Pottering this year. It has been an absolute delight to spend time in the garden with such a glorious parade of guests, and I am simply thrilled that you have been enjoying it too. By now, Fay Ripley will almost certainly be elbow deep in the preparation of a truly spectacular feast, Lee Peart has very likely treated himself to a martini, possibly two, and James Acaster’s cats, one imagines, will have been indulged in a festive turkey nibble of some description. Frankly, as it should be. Whatever you are up to today, I hope it brings you joy and comfort, and that amongst all of the goings on, you are able to carve out a little time for some Pottering of your own. Thank you for being such lovely company this year, and have a very happy Christmas. Don't forget you can watch Pottering on Youtube! Why not revisit some favourites with a box of Quality Street and a glass of something. Just search @tomallen.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was my absolute pleasure to welcome the ever so charming Harry Hadden Paton into the garden this week for another episode of Pottering. A superb actor, Harry is perhaps best known for his turn as Bertie in Downton Abbey and as Martin Charteris in The Crown, both of which would make wonderfully classy Christmas viewing. Harry also appears in the brand new film Downton Abbey The Grand Finale, available to watch now and perfect for popping on straight after the King’s Speech. We chatted about working with the incomparable Dame Maggie Smith, the sheer joy of Broadway and Harry’s proper countryside credentials, which include pigs and a nuclear bunker! Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.  So pour yourself a vintage port, grab a handful of Doc Martin's fudge and tune the wireless to another episode of Pottering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The utterly fabulous national treasure that is Natalie Cassidy popped into my garden for a spot of Pottering this week. EastEnders legend, cultural icon, podcaster and noted trumpet aficionado, she was, as you would expect, an absolute delight from start to finish! Her joyous new book Happy Days is out now which, may I say, would make a marvellous Christmas present. We chat Ronnie Corbett on Strictly Come Dancing, the incomparable taste of homegrown tomatoes and the many joys of hun culture. Things also took a decidedly festive turn which I did not mind one bit! Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.  So pop on those wellies, pour yourself an eggnog and join us for another episode of Pottering.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The lovely Lee Peart joined me in the garden this week for a spot of Pottering! A splendid stand up, actor and presenter, Lee is the ever charming warm up for Loose Women on ITV and has just popped the cork as co-host of brand new podcast, Bottoms Up, where he shares his wine wisdom with Alan Carr. We chatted LGBTQ+ in comedy, classic soap actress scenarios and seeing Adele in concert. Lee also shares his love for cocktails as we rustle up a couple of refreshing mojitos to enjoy in the afternoon sun feeling terribly pleased with ourselves.  Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.  So, put down that copy of GQ magazine, pour yourself something nice, and come Pottering with us.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, I had such a lovely time pottering with my dear friend Amy Annette, a marvellous comedian, writer and broadcaster and an all round delight. Amy joined me fresh from the triumph of her Edinburgh show Busy Body, and if you have not yet seen it, do catch it on tour early next year! It's always a delight to see Amy! We discuss Mr Blobby, the rise of misinformation and why the future of streaming may just belong to Angela Lansbury. We also have a go at our very own Tavern Fantasy Play, yes that's right, and enjoy some bouquet building. Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.  So put down that episode of Murder, She Wrote, pick up your pruning shears, and join us in the garden for another episode of Pottering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a joy it was to be back in the garden for another episode of Pottering, this time with none other than James Acaster. A splendid stand up, author and of course everyone’s favourite genie waiter!It was an absolute delight to spend an afternoon in the sunshine with James. We discuss mindfulness apps, the trials and tribulations of home decorating, and the fascinating world of anime. I also encounter the term 'Catio' and well, what a charmed existence those cats must have!Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.  So, as the weather begins to turn a little chilly, let us put the kettle on, retrieve those thick socks from the depths of the drawer, and go Pottering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was my absolute pleasure to welcome the radiant Jess Wright into my garden for a spot of Pottering. You may know her best from her hugely successful tenure on The Only Way Is Essex or perhaps from her many glamorous ventures in fashion, beauty and the world of television!On a delightfully sunny day amongst the hydrangeas, we discussed being a part of the dawn of reality television, dream podcast guests and the lads and their lawnmowers! Jess was charmingly generous, and insisted on saying some very lovely things about me, she even brought me chrysanthemums, so future guests take note!Did you know you can watch the podcast on Youtube? Come along and count the butterflies! Just search for @tomallen. Now, slip off those stilettos, grab your Crocs, and come Pottering with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another week, another brilliant guest joining me in the garden, the fabulous Phil Wang! Brilliant comedian, author and old friend of mine, Phil's stand-up specials on Netflix are not to be missed, including his most recent Wang In There Baby, which is an absolute joy.On a very blustery day in the garden, we chat guttering, goose stepping, and of course, as all good podcasts do, serial killers. Phil also takes a tour of my vegetable patch and leaves with a handful of beans, which I think makes him the real winner of the podcast so far. So straighten your epaulettes, sharpen those secateurs, and let's get Pottering!Did you know you can watch the podcast on Youtube? Come along and count the butterflies! Just search for @tomallen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Pottering this week, things take a splendidly spooky turn as we celebrate Halloween in the garden with broadcaster, author and bewitching presence Angela Scanlon! There are pumpkins among the perennials, spirits stirring in the shrubbery, and nachos in a Le Creuset – a terrifying treat indeed! As darkness falls, our hauntingly horticultural conversation covers crystals, carveries and Angela's bumper crop. It's amazing what sipping negronis beneath a full moon can bring to the surface! We also attempt a spot of sage smudging – which I am fairly certain I still do not understand – and discuss Angela's wonderful podcast 'Get A Grip' which is a delight!You can also watch each episode of Pottering on my YouTube channel. Just search for @tomallen. So switch on your slug torch, wrap up warm, and step into the garden if you dare, for another episode of Pottering. 🧛‍♂️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ah, what a lovely time we had pottering in the garden with the brilliant Fay Ripley! A wonderful actor, brilliantly talented cookery book writer, and all-round lovely person! The umbrellas were out once more; however, as we filmed earlier in the autumn, it was pleasantly warm, so even in my Crocs I didn’t get 'cold feet'.We chat about the joys of a British garden, the pitfalls of the pizza oven, and of course I show her my Jane Asher dressing-up book, just in time for some Halloween inspiration! Fay also very kindly explores my garden produce and shares a delicious recipe for an out-of-this-world tomato salad, so that’s certainly something to listen out for. You can also watch each episode of Pottering on my YouTube channel. Just search for @tomallen. So yes, it’s that time again. Pull up a chair, light that citronella candle, and let’s go Pottering.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Pottering, I had the pleasure of being joined for some 'Alfresco Therapy' by the gloriously funny Nish Kumar! Superbly satirical stand up, you may also know him from Radio 4, his hit podcast Pod Save The UK, or from television (The Mash Report, Taskmaster, Joel and Nish vs The World).On a rather changeable day in the garden, we chat “oh dear thoughts,” men’s culture, and podcasting during the Rapture. We even get harvesting! Remember those carrots Suzi planted last week? Well, time flies in Tom Allen’s veg patch... 🥕🥕🍆You can also watch each episode of Pottering on my YouTube channel. Just search for @tomallen. So, pour yourself a refreshing protein shake, dust off those gardening gloves, and come Pottering with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices