Pottering with Tom Allen
Join Tom Allen as he invites you into his garden for a chat and a potter with some very special guests.
Episodes
Jenna Russell
This week, I am joined in the garden by bona fide musical theatre royalty, the utterly fabulous Jenna Russell! 🎭🌿
A true West End icon, I have been a huge fan of Jenna’s for many, many years, so it was an absolute treat to sit down and talk all things theatre! From the thrill of performing live to the rather less glamorous matter of some very unexpected audience interruptions... We also bond over
George Fouracres
This week, I had the real treat of being joined in the garden by none other than Saturday Night Live sensation George Fouracres!
Perhaps best known for his prime ministerial impressions on SNL, George is also a master of the stage, regularly treading the boards at Shakespeare’s Globe, and a Cambridge Footlights alumnus no less! 🎭
It was a welcome surprise to discover that George and I have rathe
Emma Willis
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 p
The Reverend Richard Coles
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.
Ranvir Singh
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 whe
Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins
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 beav
Dorothy Atkinson
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 Encount
Uncle Andy
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 B
JB Gill
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
Gaby French
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,
Nina Conti
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
Anna Haugh
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 p
Jake Lambert
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,
A Garden Tour
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 yours
The Clippings: Part 2
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
The Clippings: Part 1
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 ea
Henry Agg
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 t
Ginger Johnson
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 scen
Philippa Perry
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 wri
AJ Odudu
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 pl
Kiri Pritchard-McLean
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
Sara Cox
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 we'
Laura Checkley
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
Alan Carr
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 that
Cariad Lloyd
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, y
Carol Klein
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 Show
Ashley James
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 This
Jonny Hincks
This week joining me for some Pottering is Horticultural Hercules, social media sensation and author of Garden Yourself Happy, Jonny Hincks! 🪴
It was a real delight to have a true green-fingered great in the garden, and we had a lovely chat about the intoxicating smells of nature, the power of planting for our health and wellbeing, and Jonny’s lessons for lawns: don’t go too short! ✂️
It's rathe
Sarah Hadland
Oh what joy to have the marvellous Sarah Hadland joining me in the garden this week. 💃🏼🪩 Strictly sensation, such fun sitcom star and a truly fabulous actress, soon to be lighting up the London stage in The Truth.🦊 We chat fox poo, the perils of Slip 'n' Slide and, of course, getting pissed with Alan Titchmarsh. And stay tuned to hear all about a rather alarming encounter with a bull in East Croyd
Lou Beckett
Umbrellas at the ready, dear listeners, as the brilliant Lou Beckett joins me in the garden on a rather dreary spring morning. ☔But fear not, spirits remain undampened. We chat reality television, the delightful side of social media, and, with plenty of thoughts on motherhood along the way, discuss Lou’s wonderful new book, Lessons from a Default Parent. Out right now! 👈So, pause Real Housewives,
Dr Amir Khan
Oh hello, and welcome back to the garden, lovely listeners. 🌱 Spring has sprung, the daffodils are doing their thing, and the doctor is in! Yes, joining me this week is the ever-delightful Dr Amir Khan. 🩺
We had a lovely chat about grief and gardening, his work with the RSPB, and what it’s like being the nation’s favourite GP. Plus, listen in to discover why a rather unfortunate rash brought Amir
The Clippings: Part 3
Whilst Pottering is taking a little break, we’re bringing you some of my favourite moments from the first series, some Clippings if you will. 🌱
Join us this week to hear from Jo Brand, Gareth Howells, Phil Dunning, Fay Ripley, Angela Scanlon, Amy Annette and Giovanna Fletcher.
Expect chats about ghosts and gravy, Edinburgh Fringe adventures and fancy dress, hun culture and hypnosis. Yes, Pot
The Clippings: Part 2
Whilst Pottering is taking a little break, we’re bringing you some of my favourite moments from the first series, some Clippings if you will. 🌱Join us this week to hear from James Acaster, Kerry Godliman, Nish Kumar, Jess Wright, Amy Gledhill, Harry Hadden Paton, Charlie Baker and Sam Battersea. A truly glorious collection of guests. Expect National Trust nostalgia, Catio chat, and plenty more bes
The Clippings: Part 1
Whilst Pottering is taking a little break, we’re bringing you some of my favourite moments from the first series, The Clippings if you will. 🌱Join us this week to hear from Rob Beckett, Suzi Ruffell, James Gill, Gabby Best, Phil Wang, Lee Peart and Natalie Cassidy. A truly glorious gathering for the garden.
We cover everything from Christmas chaos to cocktail creation, with a few horticultural mu
A Message From Tom
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. Wi
Charlie Baker and Sam Battersea
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
Gareth Howells
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
Amy Gledhill
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 ter
Giovanna Fletcher
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
Phil Dunning
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
James Gill
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 Ho
Gabby Best
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
New Years Message
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
Christmas Message
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 like
Harry Hadden-Paton
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, ava
Natalie Cassidy
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 Stric
Lee Peart
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 sh
Amy Annette
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 m
James Acaster
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 enco
Jess Wright
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 podcas
Phil Wang
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. Phi
Angela Scanlon
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 b
Fay Ripley
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, a
Nish Kumar
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 du
Suzi Ruffell
It was a delight to welcome my dear friend, the hilarious Suzi Ruffell into the garden for a chat and some light manual labour. You’ll perhaps know her from the brilliant Big Kick Energy podcast, her gloriously funny stand-up, and of course as my co-host on the Like Minded Friends podcast. She’s also written a beautiful and thoughtful book, Are We Having Fun Now?, which we discuss in this episode,
Jo Brand
What a joy to be back in the garden for another episode of Pottering, this time with the wonderful Jo Brand. I know her very well from our time together on Bake Off: An Extra Slice, but you may perhaps know her as a stand-up legend, the mind behind Getting On, and the author of numerous best-sellers. In our chat we cover growing up in the countryside, the spookiest of sleepovers, and the toxicity
Kerry Godliman
On this episode of Pottering I’m joined by my dear friend, the brilliant Kerry Godliman. You’ll know her from After Life, Whitstable Pearl and, oh yes, the brand new Spinal Tap movie OUT NOW!We chat about all sorts of glorious things: our obsession with Gardeners’ World, the splendour of the National Trust Gift Shop, and, of course, Handkerchief Trees. Kerry even shows me how to do a bit of tomato
Rob Beckett
Well, here we are, the very first episode of my brand-new podcast Pottering! Who better to kick things off than my brilliant friend, the hilarious Rob Beckett. You’ll know him from Rob & Romesh Vs, Last One Laughing, the hugely popular Parenting Hell podcast, and plenty more besides. He’s also currently out on tour with his stand-up show Giraffe, so catch him when he’s near you! Filmed earlier thi
Introducing... Pottering with Tom Allen
Join Tom Allen as he invites you into his garden for a chat and a potter with some very special guests. Launching Thursday 25th September.
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