At Home With Colin Murray

Ahead of their 50th anniversary tour, Squeeze members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook chat to Colin Murray about their intense tour schedule, how they’ve improved their craft with time, their unlikely influences, the re-defining of ‘hit’ tracks, and what they think of Brit Pop. The pair also get into their most surreal moments and biggest mistakes of the last 50 years, and their favourite acts to support on tour, including Bon Jovi, REM and U2, plus performing with Dave Grohl and Elton John.

“It’s not thick skin, it’s scar tissue.” Doctor-turned-comedian and writer Adam Kay on why he left his medical career and if he’ll ever return to it, attitudes towards the NHS and its staff, his new-found passion of writing for children, and what he thinks of the TV adaptation of his best-selling book This Is Going To Hurt. Plus he waxes lyrical over the band he’s seen “more than his family”, Pulp!

Former Beautiful South and Housemartins member Dave Hemingway on being raised in the Hull bar scene, how The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper is responsible for his love of music, and his audition process to join The Housemartins (nobody believed him!) The pair also get into regional music scenes in Northern England, gigging with Oasis and Blur, and supporting REM at Glastonbury in the 1990s, and what it’s like touring the country again today as a self-funded band.

“I went straight out of a civil war and ended up hanging out with most of the current Tory cabinet… a very strange place to be”. Comedian and writer Dom Joly on his Lebanese heritage, geo-political comedy, and his dark sense of humour. Joly also discusses AI, being pigeon-holed, his infamous prank show Trigger Happy TV, and his new book The Conspiracy Tourist which saw him travel the globe to investigate and understand some of the world’s most dangerous and hilarious conspiracy theories in a ‘post-truth’ political space.

ABC frontman Martin Fry on his love of late footballer George Best, starting as a music journalist before finding success in performing, the music scene in Sheffield, seeing James Brown at a convention, recording with Smokey Robinson, and how his Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis aged 27 made him see a “different side to humanity”.

“A book is the most interactive form of entertainment there is”. Crime writer Val McDermid chats to Colin Murray about keeping her characters authentic, time management techniques, TV adaptations, imposter syndrome, using Scottish colloquialisms in her writing (her American publishers asked for a glossary!), judging the Booker Prize, and advice for budding writers. Oh, and getting a kiss from Blondie’s Debbie Harry!

Musician Howard Jones chats to Colin Murray about his Welsh heritage, migrating to Canada and how a near death experience involving vegetables gave him the courage to pursue a career in music.

Lead vocalist of Shed Seven, Rick Witter, chats to Colin Murray about fan connection and commitment, the band’s music getting better with age and experience, having agency in their art, and falling out with record labels.

Lead singer of Ash, Tim Wheeler, chats to Colin Murray about the band's latest album Chase the Night and their upcoming tour. The pair also get into how the band has survived over two decades with the original members, hiding the struggle when acclimatising to fame, being featured in Kerrang and being a ‘pin up for teen girls’, and what it’s like having a fashion editor mogul for a mother-in-law.

Comedian Mark Watson on the underrepresentation of the city of Bristol. Do we hear the accent enough and how have they not had a football club in the Premier League? Mark and Colin also get into problems with comparing themselves to more successful people, having a small, loyal following over being a household name, being ghosted by a production company, their shared fascination with sports stadiums, and why Mark decided to write a book about ‘car crash’ stories from his stand-up career.

Joy Division and New Order drummer, Stephen Morris, on being in a band as an older man, adapting to gig audiences, memories of Joy Division vocalist Ian Curtis, Stephen’s fear at the rise of electric drum machines, and his fondness for reading instruction manuals.

Danny McNamara, founding member and frontman of Embrace chats to Colin Murray. They discuss the 25th anniversary of their debut album The Good Will Out and upcoming tour. The never-ending devotion of Embrace fans and how an unlikely friendship with Chris Martin from Coldplay led them to one of their biggest hits. They also talk mental health, and how getting married and having kids has grounded him.

In the second half of their chat, the pair go from Mark being on the MET police’s domestic extremism database, to public trust in police, Mark’s long list of pet hates, ironing his boxer shorts, getting along with people with opposing politics to your own, why he prefers small venues to arena gigs, sharing a kebab with Gil Scott-Heron, and so much more!

Comedian Mark Thomas and Colin Murray talk through the community of grassroots football, working with writer Ed Edwards, and Mark’s new theatre show England & Son. The pair also discuss new styles of wrestling shows, potential new global sports such as ‘curbsy’, and the idea of a maximum wage. Part two will be available from 25 July 2023.

“I still get that call from my sister saying, ‘Bring your scissors’, she never asks me to sing her a song!” Sharleen Spiteri, lead singer of Scottish rock band Texas, chats to Colin Murray about living with synesthesia (a condition that means she sees colours in music), maintaining her hairdressing skills, why she turned down a Calvin Klein ad campaign, collaborating with Wu Tang Clan, and why her daughter doesn’t care that Texas are playing Glastonbury in 2023!

Eurovision extraordinaire Sam Ryder chats to Colin Murray about all-time favourite singing voices, why he thinks cool is ‘the enemy’, what he’s learned since his musical success, how he maintains his ‘secret sauce’ of gratitude, and why his teachers used to call him Tigger.

Performance poet and comedian Pam Ayres chats to Colin Murray about influences like Spike Milligan, how her accent has affected her career, writing for children, and what having ‘the necessary aptitude’ means to her

Sir Tony Robinson on discovering archaic Roman mosaics, how his daughter inspired Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, what being political means to him, the emotional development of child performers, and his new history podcast; Cunningcast.

World Champion sprinter Colin Jackson on his Director role with the Wings for Life world run, being namechecked in Aswad’s track Shine, how his passion for time has manifested in an epic watch collection, how it felt to have his 60m and 110m hurdle world records broken, and why he chose not to discuss his sexuality during his competitive athletics career. Oh, and why wine gums are his go-to energy source.

The Bangles’ lead singer Susanna Hoffs shares career highlights including touring with Cyndi Lauper, having Robert Plant knock on their tour van, jamming with Prince and what Simon & Garfunkel thought of the Bangles covering their music. Susanna is currently working on her first novel and talks through the lonely, creative and escapist elements of the writing process.