Outsiding

Latest Episodes:

Alexander Armstrong on the great outdoors, Wall’s Viennetta and singing with Aled Jones Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Bass-baritone by day, Danger Mouse by night.

Alexander Armstrong is a man of infinite talents. He’s an actor, author, singer and, of course, the host of Pointless. Oh, and he’s also the voice of Danger Mouse.

Thankfully for us, he’s also a huge fan of the great outdoors. Whether he’s reflecting on his childhood exploring rural Northumberland, walking cross-country to his favourite pub for his Perfect Pub Walks series, or enjoying his own garden with his family, he simply can’t get enough of being outside.

With a very in-demand voice, Xander takes us on a journey through some of his most memorable voice work, including one Wall’s advert that had Caitlin and Adam squirming in their seats… But it’s Les from Hull who we’re all rooting for now.

He’s also soon to embark on a tour with his pal Aled Jones for The Big Christmas Sing-A-Long, which is summed up perfectly in four words: music, laughter, Christmas and cheer. Sign us up! Although maybe not Adam, who admits he’d rather not show off his own vocal range.

Caitlin also gets stuck into Xander’s new book, Evenfall: The Tempest Stone, and the stories and inspiration behind it. And, incredibly, how he intertwined nature into the story.

So settle in for a cup of tea, an update on the guy who sells watermelons at Borough Market, and a very entertaining journey through the wonderfully varied world of Alexander Armstrong.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 A rainy welcome back!
02:05 Listener question
04:50 It's Alexander Armstrong
08:36 Growing up on the Northumberland moors
12:58 Countryside vs. city life
15:40 Alexander’s current garden
21:06 The Big Christmas Sing A-Long
24:39 Evenfall: The Tempest Stone
26:48 Perfect pub walks
30:24 The joys of voiceover work
32:24 Quickfire Quiz
35:21 Bird of the Week
37:55 Adam’s gift for Alexander
40:11 Goodbye for now!

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Ben Fogle can charm a worm, spot a Yeti AND rescue tortoises Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

What can’t this man do?!

Ben Fogle is Mr. Outside. If he’s not climbing Everest, he’s getting his daily 10k run in. And if he’s not doing that, you can find him spending time with his Indian Runner ducks at his Oxfordshire home.

First gracing our screens in Castaway back in 2000, when he lived on a remote Scottish island for a year with 36 strangers, Ben’s CV proves he might just be our most outdoors-certified guest yet.

Fresh back from a trip to Canada, where he was filming his long-running TV show New Lives in the Wild, Ben comes armed with stories about grizzly bears, parasites, reuniting a tortoise with its owner and one very charming meet-cute between him and his wife, Marina.

His latest venture is Buffalo clothing, a brand all about nurturing exploration and inspiring confidence. Based in Sheffield, Ben has joined forces with Savile Row tailor James Sleater (who makes Ben’s infamous short shorts) to take on the brand and continue its legacy of no-frills, no-gimmicks, quality clothing.

But for all his adventures, there is one thing Ben loves more than anything: his dogs. And, honestly, we could probably have devoted the entire episode to them…

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 Welcome Back & Welcome Autumn!
02:45 Listener Question
04:24 Today’s Guest is Ben Fogle
09:30 Ben’s Indoorsy Childhood
13:55 How Ben and Caitlin Met
16:32 Ben’s Garden
19:05 Ben’s Least Favourite Parasites
22:14 Missing Tortoise in London?!
24:02 Join our community!
24:20 Audience Question
26:13 Buffalo Jackets
29:55 Summiting Everest and Yeti Sightings
34:08 Quickfire Quiz
37:04 Bird of The Week
40:04 Adam’s Gift For Ben
42:40 Goodbye!

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Ruby Wax: Interviewing OJ Simpson, challenging Trump and cultivating a very plastic garden Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Don’t even get her started on so much as touching dirt…

Ruby Wax is an actress, comedian, writer and TV personality. Known for her infamous interviews with some of the most divisive celebrities, including OJ Simpson and Donald Trump, she’s never been afraid to ask the hardest questions.

She joins us to chat about her new tour, Absolutely Famous, where she’ll be joined by her long-time producer and collaborator Clive Tulloh for an evening of scandalous stories never before heard, and insights into some of her most memorable showdowns.

For Adam, Ruby is a somewhat unique guest on Outsiding. Not one to get her hands dirty, she arrives armed with pictures of her very vibrant, very plastic garden. Not so much as a crumb of compost in sight! Thankfully, she is a big fan of a cold plunge, has some unforgettable summer camp memories and a new love for gardening at her holiday cottage in Findhorn. So there’s plenty to chat about over a cup of tea.

Caitlin gets all the behind-the-scenes stories from Ruby’s colourful life and career, including her long friendship with Alan Rickman. It turns out the late actor was responsible for helping Ruby find her comedic side, something we’re all very grateful for.

And, of course, there’s plenty of travelling back in time to Ruby’s childhood, which was truly unlike any other…

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 Welcome Back & Caitlin’s New Book!
00:51 Ask Adam!
03:53 Today’s Guest is Ruby Wax!
07:06 Ruby’s (lack of) Outdoor Childhood
09:46 Ruby’s Plastic Garden
12:13 Ruby’s Findhorn Home
13:25 Ruby’s Summer Camp Memories
18:53 Acting and Comedy
20:50 Interviewing
23:00 OJ Simpson
24:49 Donald & Melania Trump
28:02 Listener Question
30:59 Quickfire Quiz
32:29 BOTW
35:06 Adam’s Gift For Ruby
37:15 Goodbye and Join Us!

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Mary Portas is a fan of ferns, roses and plans to go badger watching... naked Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

The Queen of Shops meets the King of Gardens

Mary Portas is a broadcaster, writer and retail consultant, who revolutionised shopping in the 90s with her bold approach to retail and many iconic window displays. She’s in our garden to talk about her new book; I Shop, Therefore I am: The ‘90s, Harvey Nicks and Me, which is out now.

Mary spends time between London and her home in the Cotswolds, where she’s often seen taking a trip up the steep slopes of Swift’s Hill. She adores ferns, is fanatical about roses, kisses moss, hugs trees and shares a terrific story about the irises from her very first front garden.

With such retail expertise at our disposal, Adam and Mary chat about what garden centres are doing right, and where they can make gains, while Caitlin gets the detail on some of Mary’s most memorable ‘90s moments, including payback for a sexist photographer.

As for the naked badger watching... it’ll only make sense right at the end.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 Welcome Back & Bread Burdens

01:24 Listener Question

04:48 Today’s Guest is Mary Portas

06:41 Mary’s Childhood Garden

09:46 Cotswold Living

12:05 Garden Centre Design Faux Pas

16:14 Ask Adam

18:31 Window Dressing at Harvey Nichols

24:00 Dealing with Sexism

25:20 Quickfire Quiz

28:20 Bird of The Week

31:23 Naked Badger Watching

32:30 Adam’s Gift for Mary

34:56 Goodbye & Join our Community!

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Joanna Scanlan: From long horseback rides to Slow Horses with Gary Oldman Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

And we get the truth about the smell of Jackson Lamb…

Joanna Scanlan is a BAFTA winning actor and writer, best known for her roles in shows including The Thick Of It, Riot Women, After Love, and Slow Horses, which she joins us to talk about. She resumes her role as Moira Tregorian in the upcoming sixth series of the show, released on Apple TV on 16 September.

Joanna, who lives in South Croydon, makes an impressive first impression by arriving with a sample of her garden in hand as a gift, including dahlias, fuchsias and gaura. But not before she gets to thank Frosty for his hand in helping her become the gardener she is today. Joanna delivers some of the best formative memories we’ve had on the show so far; from sitting (and thinking) in an ash tree to almost filmic journeys across mountains with her horse and dog as her only companions.

And finally we get to talk about going to the tip in detail. Joanna is a tip fanatic and shares the ultimate guide in making the most of the dump. We will all be living by Scanlan tip-lore from now on.

There’s plenty of time to hear about Slow Horses, too, as Joanna tells Adam and Caitlin that working with Gary Oldman was scary, but contrary to what viewers may think, not smelly. And while the full details of the new series are classified, there’s more than enough to whet your appetite for another trip to Slough House.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 Welcome Back & Garden Update
01:39 Audience Question
03:48 Today’s Guest is Joanna Scanlan
05:01 Adam’s Lockdown Workshops
11:08 Fashionable Fuschias
13:08 Joanna’s Childhood Ash Tree
16:08 Horses and Welsh Farm Shows
17:26 Going to the Tip
22:09 Ralph Fiennes Secret
24:46 Slow Horses Season 4
27:49 Quickfire Quiz
29:52 Bird of the Week
31:52 Adam’s Gift for Joanna
35:37 Join our Community!

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Ed Byrne will make you want to up your composting game! Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

... and get you hiking... and thinking about building a shed!

Our guest this week is Ed Byrne and it isn’t his first time in the Outsiding garden. He came along to help us record an unreleased pilot episode last year and was so much fun we wanted him back... for real!

Ed, a fantastic comic, is also the ultimate outdoorsman, who has kayaking, munro-bagging, dry-stone walling and gourd arch building in his repertoire. His next project is a significant shed in his garden, a project which is taking its sweet time but will get finished. It will!

He’s also a font of knowledge when it comes to composting, which is the perfect excuse to get him to come and deliver a judgement on Caitlin’s own efforts in her new garden. Expect serious compost chat as the trio gather around the bays, including finding out about the essential tool that Caitlin is missing. Needless to say, Adam is very impressed.

We hear about the challenges of growing roses, and how to deal with badgers using some help from a large dog next door. Ed, please come back again... maybe when the shed is finished... and bring some of your black gold with you.

Ed’s new tour is called No Dramas and you can get tickets for a venue near you, right now!

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Our first live show is taking place in London on September 4 and you can buy tickets for it now.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 Welcome Back!
00:18 Ed Byrne’s Reintroduction & Shed!
05:09 Childhood Hillwalking and Peak Bagging
11:25 Ed was a professional gardener?!
17:00 Drystone Walls & Badgers
20:04 Composting!
24:24 ‘No Drama’ Tour
27:36 Ed’s Anthill Problem!
29:42 Quickfire Quiz
33:46 Bird of The Week
35:56 Adam’s gift for Ed
37:47 Goodbye and Join Us!

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Miquita Oliver loves parks, good views and the comfort of being outdoors Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

She arrives on a mission to get people skipping.

Miquita Oliver is a supremely talented broadcaster known for her long career as a TV and radio presenter and, more recently, for providing essential podcast listening in the shape of Miss Me? But we begin our chat with a conversation about her latest venture, Ropes, a skipping rope brand launched by Miquita to get more people jumping.

Miquita is our first balcony gardener, keen on growing herbs for teas and flowers to bring colour to her garden in the sky. She’s also made the bold design choice of having a white sofa in her outdoor space, which just about survived through a tough winter.

We learn all about Miquita’s favourite parks and the majestic view from Alexandra Palace in London. She also shares how she has a love of hillwalking (and shortbread) in her DNA and the joys of working closely with her mum, Andi Oliver.

Caitlin takes time to analyse the continued success of Miss Me? which launched with Lily Allen as Miquita’s co-host before Jordan Stephens stepped up to the mic permanently in June. And Adam rises to the balcony challenge with his end-of-show plant selection.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Our first live show is taking place in London on September 4 and you can buy tickets for it now.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production

00:00 - Welcome back & catch up
01:25 - Listener questions
03:07 - Today's guest is Miquita Oliver!
05:25 - Skipping
08:00 - Balcony gardening
11:43 - Growing up connected to nature
13:17 - Ranking London parks
18:11 - Hillwalking in our DNA
20:30 - 'Miss Me' Podcast & Personal Growth
27:57 - Quickfire Quiz
31:03 - Bird Of The Week
33:13 - Adam's gift to Miquita
35:03 - Saying our goodbyes & Connect with us!

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Alex James invites us round... and we get to inspect his asparagus! Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Our first Outsiding roadtrip!

We’ve decided to let Caitlin and Adam loose in another garden, and this one is a beauty. We hit the road and travel to the Cotswolds to Alex James’ incredible farm, for a walk around the orchards, vegetable plots and his herb garden. Alex, the bassist from Blur, bought the site while on honeymoon with his wife Claire in 2003. The world of Blur had calmed down somewhat and he had a deep desire to go rural... and make cheese!

The impressive 200-acre site is now also used to host thousands of festival goers at The Big Feastival, which celebrates music, food and family every August bank holiday. This year’s line-up includes The Streets, Basement Jaxx, Mimi Webb, and Bastille and tickets are available right now.

Alex, who grew up in Boscombe and spent his first Blur pay cheque on an astronomy book, has always had a strong connection with nature and life outside. This has been converted into a lifestyle running an impressive farm. From plum trees, to corn plots, and several stunning gardens, Adam and Caitlin were in dreamland for this interview, made even more special by discussing the joy of growing asparagus, and the potential of a cold glass of cider to finish.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Our first live show is taking place in London on September 4 and you can buy tickets for it now.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production

00:00 - Welcome back and where are we?!
00:56 - Today's guest is Alex James
04:57 - Alex's first vegetable garden
07:18 - Cliff jumping
09:41 - Corn and asparagus!
14:25 - Cheesemaking
19:26 - Swimming & Feastival
24:00 - Quickfire Quiz
29:26 - Bird Of The Week
32:54 - Adam's gift for Alex
35:29 - Join our community!

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Phil Wang’s epic encounters with gangs of cows and urban foxes Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

He just wants to enjoy his walks and garden in peace!

Phil Wang is a brilliant and talented stand-up comic and comedy writer. Phil was born in Stoke-On-Trent, and then brought up in Malaysia, where he had his quota of sunshine and hot weather for a lifetime. As part of sketch comedy group, Daphne, TV panel shows, and his own run of gigs, tours and streaming service specials, Phil has triumphed throughout his career. He sits down in the sunshine (sorry Phil, we couldn’t turn it off) ahead of the beginnings of his new tour, simply titled Uh Oh.

Phil wins when it comes to first outsiding memories with a childhood surrounded by tropical climbs, screensaver worthy landscapes and dangerous creatures, but is still in the first steps of his own gardening journey. He’s still in the trimming and cutting back stage, potentially because he’s so distracted by the antics of urban foxes.

Phil does love the outside though, and takes the chance to big up winding paths and the charm of a mid-walk stile. He just has to remain wary of the beasts that walk with him, including an instance with a very sharp and tactical herd of cows.

Gardening is still to grab Phil by the horns, then, but will Adam’s gift change that?

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Our first live show is taking place in London on September 4 and you can buy tickets for it now.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production

00:00- London Podcast Festival
00:23 - Welcome Back & Garden update
01:09 - Listener Question
03:24 - Today's guest is Phil Wang
07:22 - How does Adam beat the heat?
09:06 - Growing up in Malaysia & Phil's childhood garden
11:24 - Phil's 'Grown Up' Garden
13:32 - "such a creepy little boy"
15:46 - Animals in the UK vs Malaysia
17:56 - Phil's grudge against foxes
20:25 - Right to Roam & Stylish Styles
21:48 - Quickfire Quiz
23:51 - UH OH Tour
25:29 - Looking forward to being middle age
27:09 - Working in funny business
28:53 - Bird Of The Week!
31:11 - Adam's philosphical gift to Phil!
33:03 - Goodbyes and get in touch!

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Lauren Laverne, founder of worm club, loves her hammock and hugging trees! Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

‘Gardens meet you, wherever you are’

Lauren Laverne is no stranger to Caitlin Moran’s garden. The pair are the closest of friends stretching back to big 90s nights out in clubs, followed by a lifetime of chatting and discussing their favourite trees. The legendary broadcaster can do it all. She presents on BBC Radio 6 Music every weekday from 10-1, hosts BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and regularly leads the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury.

Lauren, who was born in Sunderland, started out in the music industry as the lead singer in Kenickie, before making the move to broadcasting. She comes with equally strong credentials in the natural world too, having founded her own worm club as a child so has much to discuss with Adam & Caitlin.

Lauren loves trees, parks, napping outside and is our first guest to have a hammock. She recalls her favourite outside memories, and pays tribute to her own garden, which has provided a place to recover and provide perspective after treatment for cancer.

We hear about a tarantula on a lead, the joy of rain on a car bonnet and Adam finds the perfect plant to give to Lauren... and Caitlin.

You can also hear Lauren on BBC Radio 6 Music’s Indie Forever station with her Indie Focus mix.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production

00:00 We’re doing a live show!

00:24 Welcome back & a catch up!

02:22 Listener question

06:21 Today’s guest is Lauren Laverne

07:05 Mutual ex-boyfriends?!

08:44 Daisy chains & a childhood in the Midlands

10:53 The exotic wildlife of South Shields!

13:01 A hedgehog fact to forget…

13:47 Seaside days & Lauren’s worm club!

16:41 Lauren’s relationship to nature now