Josh Smith's Great Chat Show

Latest Episodes:

Peaky Blinders Star Sophie Rundle: Motherhood, Losing Helen McCrory & Learning to Speak Up Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

In this episode Josh chats with Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle - and the oversharing starts almost immediately.

From box-dye hair disasters and landing Peaky Blinders fresh out of drama school, to returning to work weeks after having a baby, Sophie reflects on the surreal journey of playing Ada Shelby for over a decade.

They talk motherhood, beauty standards, social anxiety, and why actors are actually terrible at small talk. Plus Sophie shares memories of the incredible Helen McCrory and what it really means to be part of the Peaky Blinders family.

00:00 – Teaser trailer

00:52 – What’s the best conversation you’ve ever had?

02:21 – The powerful bond between strangers during childbirth

03:42 – Social anxiety, oversharing & making real conversation

05:34 – Returning to work weeks after giving birth

08:12 – The pressure of appearance in a visual industry

10:12 – Ageing on screen & beauty standards in your 30s

12:20 – Growing up during a toxic era of body image

14:01 – Oversharing, humour & podcast chaos1

4:27 – Landing Peaky Blinders straight out of drama school

19:04 – Watching Peaky Blinders become a global phenomenon

21:05 – Learning the Birmingham accent for Ada Shelby

22:02 – Finding your voice in the industry

23:39 – Standing up for yourself & the impact of the MeToo movement

25:05 – Sophie on Helen McCrory’s legacy

26:43 – Honouring Polly Gray in the Peaky Blinders story

27:39 – What we can expect from the Peaky Blinders movie

28:51 – The conversations the world should be having right now

29:50 – What’s should we be talking about more?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CHATTERBOX | Malachi Kirby: The Power of Being Underestimated Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Chatterbox, a bite-sized taster of Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show. A quick-fire round of conversation starters. Fast questions. Instinctive answers. Real, honest chat. Today's Chatterbox is Malachi Kirby, BAFTA-winning actor Malachi Kirby - known for Roots, Black Mirror, Small Axe, and now leading Disney+’s A Thousand Blows - sits down with Josh for an honest conversation about masculinity, identity, and ambition.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gillian Anderson: “I Don’t Usually Get That Political… But F*** This.” Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Josh sits down for a great chat with Gillian Anderson - aka the iconic Dana Scully from The X-Files, the steely Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, and everyone’s favourite sex-positive therapist Jean Milburn in Sex Education.

A two-time Emmy and Golden Globe winner (plus four SAG Awards for good measure), Gillian gets properly candid with Josh about AI actresses, billionaires playing space wars, phone addiction, equal pay rage and why she’s finally done shrinking herself.

_____

00:00 I Don’t Usually Get That Political

00:41 The Most Extraordinary Great Chat (Breakfast with Jane Fonda)

02:14 Why She Said Yes to Tron

03:30 When Sci-Fi Stops Feeling Like Fiction

04:24 AI, Acting & The Fear Around Technology

05:33 Have We Lost The Art of Connection?

07:09 Forced Offline: The Battle With Presence

08:23 When Are You Proudest of Using Your Voice?

10:04 Equal Pay & “This Is Still New News”

11:57 Learning to Say Yes

12:16 Becoming Authentic in the Spotlight

13:47 Sharing, Shame & Empowerment

15:19 The Power of Great Conversations

15:38 Where Are the Good Leaders?

16:28 “We Have to Keep Our Voices Loud”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chatterbox | Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton) on Love, Red Flags & Trusting Your Heart Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Chatterbox, a bite-sized taster of Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show. A quick-fire round of conversation starters. Fast questions. Instinctive answers. Real, honest chat. As Bridgerton makes waves again with Part 2, we’re bringing back one of our favourite guests for something a little extra. Golda Rosheuvel (aka Queen Charlotte) is as thoughtful as she is powerful. In this episode, she opens up about following your heart, falling fast, spotting red flags - and trusting your instincts when it matters most.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jennifer Garner On Sisterhood: “I Needed Her - And Reese Was There.” Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

Jennifer Garner joins Josh for a funny, heartfelt and unexpectedly emotional chat - yes, she cries twice. From the legacy of 13 Going on 30 to leading The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 on Apple TV, she reflects on longevity in Hollywood and why women over 50 are finally being centred as the heroes of their own stories.

She reveals how Reese Witherspoon “rejected outright” Hollywood’s outdated belief that female-led stories don’t sell - and addresses the rumour about her “rough patch,” confirming Reese showed up when she needed her most.

Jennifer also shares the bold letter she wrote to fight for her latest role, and speaks honestly about the constant tension between motherhood and ambition.

The Last Thing He Told Me” Season 2 is out now on Apple TV

____________

00:00 Teaser Trailer

00:16 Intro

00:44 Meeting Jennifer Garner

01:08 The Greatest Chat That Changed Her Life

01:22 $150 a Week & Broadway Beginnings

02:29 “How Am I Still Working?”

03:32 The Surprise Was Bigger Than the Dream

04:15 Her First Movie & Running Down Broadway

06:22 Chasing “That Feeling”

07:26 Women Over 50 Leading in Hollywood

07:48 How Reese Witherspoon Rejected Hollywood’s View

09:19 “There Have Been Times I’ve Needed Her”

09:38 The Broken Foot Story

10:07 Using Her Voice for Kids & Rural America

12:06 The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 (Apple TV+)

14:05 The Bold Letter She Wrote to Land the Role

16:00 Producing Her Own Projects

17:46 13 Going on 30 – The Legacy

19:01 The Joy of Making 13 Going on 30

20:29 Building Once Upon a Farm – $700M Business

22:57 Why We Should Be Talking About Early Education

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chatterbox | Mia McKenna-Bruce on Motherhood, Saying Yes & Trusting Timing Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Chatterbox - a bite-sized taster of Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show. It’s quick-fire conversation starters. Instinctive answers. Real, honest chat. From Tracy Beaker to a BAFTA Rising Star win and a leading role in Netflix’s Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Mia McKenna-Bruce has grown into one of Britain’s most exciting young talents. In this episode, she opens up about being a “yes queen,” constantly thinking about the future, and her unstoppable need to talk. Mia is a natural Chatterbox. And she shares how becoming a mum has helped her feel more grounded - and more herself than ever before. There’s so much more to this conversation - catch Mia McKenna-Bruce’s full episode on Josh Smith's Great Chat Show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Malachi Kirby On Toxic Masculinity: “The Pressure to Be 100% Masculine Is Destructive” Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

BAFTA-winning actor Malachi Kirby - known for Roots, Black Mirror, Small Axe, and now leading Disney+’s A Thousand Blows - sits down with Josh for an honest conversation about masculinity, identity, and ambition.

In this chat, Malachi reflects on being warned about the “glass ceiling” for Black actors - and why he chose not to live under it. From the freedom and unwavering belief instilled in him by his mother to rejecting the idea that your circumstances define your future, this is a conversation about refusing limitation.

He also dives into toxic masculinity, the pressure to be “100% masculine,” growing up as an introvert and lifelong observer, and why setting boundaries - in life and on set - might be the ultimate power move.

________

00:00 Teaser Trailer

00:42 Podcast Intro

02:05 Malachi's Greatest Chat

02:58 The “glass ceiling” advice he chose to ignore

04:29 Why you shouldn’t internalise other people’s limitations

05:10 Dreaming big vs having vision

06:31 His mum’s belief changed everything

08:11 The introvert who never planned to be an actor

09:33 Finding a safe space in drama class

11:14 When acting became serious

11:31 Giving his BAFTA to his mum

14:25 Why being an introvert is a power

19:00 The moment he almost quit acting

21:06 Learning to set boundaries on set

24:19 What listening really teaches you

26:47 Toxic masculinity and redefining manhood

31:30 “No man is 100% masculine”

33:18 A Thousand Blows and daring to dream

37:17 Forgiveness, second chances and compassion

38:43 Why forgiving yourself matters

40:21 What we should be talking about more

43:10 Outro

________

Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show (@joshsmithsgreatchatshow)

Brought you by Next Chapter Studios (@theNextChapterStudios)

Host: Josh Smith (@joshsmithhosts)

Creative Director: Carrie Rose

Senior Producer: Bella Neale

This podcast is part of the Spotify Partner Programme. Follow Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show on Spotify and tap the 🔔 to be notified when new episodes drop.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chatterbox | Jason Isaacs: Power, Villains & Dobby Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Chatterbox - a bite-sized taster of Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show. Josh dives into a round of conversation starters. Quick questions. Instinctive answers. Real, honest chat.

We’re throwing it back to our very first episode with Jason Isaacs.

From Lucius Malfoy to a darkly unforgettable Captain Hook, Isaacs has built an iconic career playing characters you love to hate - most recently earning a Golden Globe nomination for The White Lotus.

In this chat, he opens up about why silence can be more powerful than words, why he’s always been drawn to questioning authority - and whether he feels even slightly guilty about pushing Dobby down the stairs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Years Later Star, Erin Kellyman, On What Black Talent Is Taught to Accept Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Erin Kellyman is currently slaying it in 28 Years Later, cementing her place as one of the UK’s most exciting rising talents. Before 27, she’s built a remarkable CV - from Solo: A Star Wars Story to Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Eleanor the Great, the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson.

In this conversation with Josh, Erin opens up about growing up with anxiety, finding confidence through acting, the complexities of embracing queerness and female rage.

Erin also reveals the moment she realised she didn’t have to accept being treated differently on set - after doing her own hair for years - and why advocacy and allies matter. From female rage, to working on 28 Years Later, this is an honest, funny, and deeply human conversation about finding your voice and unlearning what you’ve been taught to tolerate.

00:00 – Teaser Trailer

00:53 – Guest Intro

01:11 – Fear of Fame & Stepping Into Visibility

02:17 – From Anxious Child to Confident Actor

04:13 – How Acting Found Erin

07:11 – Being Kicked Out Of Drama School

08:27 – Representation & Being Seen

10:14 – Identity, Sexuality & Coming Out

17:45 – Advocating for Yourself on Set

20:28 – Queer Visibility & Everyday Discrimination

26:22 – “What Should We Be Talking About More?”

________

Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show (@joshsmithsgreatchatshow)

Brought you by Next Chapter Studios (@theNextChapterStudios)

Host: Josh Smith (@joshsmithhosts)

Creative Director: Carrie Rose

Senior Producer: Bella Neale

This podcast is part of the Spotify Partner Programme. Follow Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show on Spotify and tap the 🔔 to be notified when new episodes drop.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mia McKenna-Bruce : "The world is not built for working mums" Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

From ‘Tracy Beaker’ to a BAFTA Rising Star win and a leading role in Netflix’s ‘Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials’, Mia McKenna-Bruce has grown into one of Britain’s most exciting talents. In this deeply honest chat with Josh Mia opens up about burnout, motherhood, learning to advocate for herself after breaking her foot on set, unlearning people-pleasing, navigating life as a working mum, and why we need to be talking about consent more. We also talk about Mia’s upcoming roles, including one of the year’s most anticipated TV series, The Lady, where she plays the dresser to the former Duchess of York, and her portrayal of Maureen Starkey, Ringo Starr’s first wife, in The Beatles biopic. 00:00 – Trailer 00:30 – Intro 01:05 – Her Greatest Chat: Helena Bonham Carter 02:10 – Why I’m bad at advocating for myself 02:45 – Breaking my foot… and saying “I’m fine” 04:00 – Fear of being labelled ‘difficult’ 05:10 – Women, work, and burnout 06:40 – Growing up as a child actor 07:45 – Learning self-respect as an adult 08:40 – Motherhood, guilt, and ambition 10:00 – Why the world isn’t built for working mums 11:45 – Losing yourself after having a baby 13:40 – Acting as therapy 15:10 – Stepping away from acting at 18 16:45 – Australia, starting again, and finding purpose 18:30 – Rejection, auditions, and not taking it personally 20:00 – Why How to Have Sex mattered 22:00 – Consent, language, and unspoken experiences 24:00 – When men came forward after the film 26:00 – Sex education failed us 28:00 – Grief, humour, and talking it through 30:00 – Playing real women with real pain 33:30 – Class, power, and being judged 36:20 – Agatha Christie & The Beatles 38:50 – What should we be talking about more? 40:10 – Outro

________

Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show (@joshsmithsgreatchatshow)

Brought you by Next Chapter Studios (@theNextChapterStudios)

Host: Josh Smith (@joshsmithhosts)

Creative Director: Carrie Rose

Senior Producer: Bella Neale

This podcast is part of the Spotify Partner Programme. Follow Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show on Spotify and tap the 🔔 to be notified when new episodes drop.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected