Brits In The Wood Podcast

  It’s a big week for our guest today. After nearly ten years of research and dedication, his documentary – ‘Iconic Vision - John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles’ premiered on PBS and tells the story of a Brit who created over 400 of Los Angeles’ most iconic structures, including City Hall, The Coliseum, Union Station and Bullocks Wilshire. The son of an English mill worker, John Parkinson arrived in North America in 1883 with a toolbox and $5. When he died in 1935, he had inspired over $100,000,000 in construction projects in LA alone. Download to listen to Caroline and Claire chat to the very interesting Stephen Gee, the man behind the documentary and also author of ‘Iconic Vision: John Parkinson,’ ‘Los Angeles Central Library, A History of Its Art and Architecture’ and ‘Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon.’ Find out more on these links: https://twitter.com/sgeetv http://johnparkinsonarchitect.com https://www.angelcitypress.com/collections/authors-stephen-gee   To purchase Stephen’s books please

Move over Russell Brand, there’s a new British comedy rock star taking over America. He pushes boundaries, he’s full of fun and has a lot to say. Jeff Leach is an award-winning actor, comedian, writer, TV host, podcaster, gaming superstar and has made some rather eye opening documentaries… He has a ‘no holds barred’ mentality and Brits may have seen his highly publicised BBC documentary Confessions of a Sex Addict - where he foraged through his own promiscuous dating history to unearth the root causes of this often overlooked addiction. He also took immersive documentary presenting to a whole new level for Current TV’s Male Hookers Uncovered actually taking on the role of escort himself with a real paying customer. Download to listen to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant chat to comedy rock star Jeff Leach about sex addiction, sending naked selfies and being a savage snowflake… Find out more about Jeff Leach on these links: http://www.jeffreyleach.com https://www.instagram.com/jeffleach/ https://twitter.c

John Powell has just finished the score for Solo: A Star Wars Story but has also composed the scores to over 70 feature films. If film composers were movie stars our guest today would be Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. They don’t get much bigger than John Powell. He is particularly known for his scores on animated films including: Antz, Chicken Run, Shrek, Happy Feet, Ice Age and How to Train Your Dragon - for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. But he has also scored many live-action films including the Bourne films, United 93, Green Zone and X-Men: The Last Stand. Download to listen to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant chat to music virtuoso, Oscar nominee and awesome Brit in the Wood John Powell… Brits in the Wood: http://www.britsinthewood.com/listen http://www.britsinthewood.blog http://www.facebook.com/BritsintheWood http://www.instagram.com/britsinthewood http://www.twitter.com/britsinthewood

Trish Kinane is the Executive Producer for U.S. reality juggernauts American Idol, The X Factor and America’s Got Talent. In the world of TV – they don’t come much bigger than Trish Kinane who is the President of Entertainment Programming at FremantleMedia North America. Before moving to LA from the UK, Kinane was President of Worldwide Entertainment for FremantleMedia and before that she was a producer at Granada Television where she produced many music programs including The Way They Were. She was also Controller of Entertainment and Children’s programs at U.K. broadcaster - Tyne Tees Television - where she was Executive Producer of The Prince’s Trust Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. She was also once Executive Producer of the highly acclaimed and controversial Channel 4 youth program, The Word. Trish joins Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant in the Brits in the Wood studio to talk about American Idol Ratings, the brilliance of Simon Cowell, popping over to J-Lo’s for dinner, Seth Rogan potentially getti

  She's everyone's favourite flawed TV executive on Showtime / BBC2’s brilliant TV series Episodes starring alongside Matt LeBlanc. The show is about a British husband-and-wife comedy writing team who travel to Hollywood to remake their successful British TV series. Matt LeBlanc portrays a satirical version of himself after the success of Friends and Kathleen plays the super ambitious show executive who is second-in-command at the network. She also appeared in David Fincher’s huge box office hit Gone Girl and the Duplass Brothers film The Skeleton Twins. Plus, she’s had starring roles on a number of TV shows including Law & Order, The Mentalist, Grey’s Anatomy, Nip / Tuck and American Horror Story. Kathleen joins Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant in the Brits in the Wood studio to talk about the less glamourous side of LA life, her black belt in Taekwondo, being a mad bird lady and how she always wants to go further when filming sex scenes.   Find out more about Kathleen Rose Perkins on these links:

Who can forget Russ Kane and his little blue plane waking up London? 'Russ-Boy' as Chris Tarrant affectionately called him, was the morning voice of Capital FM’s ‘Flying Eye’ traffic-spotter plane for 20 years, as part of the behemoth Chris Tarrant Breakfast show.  It was the most listened-to commercial radio show in the world, with an audience in excess of 4 million.  However, life was not without tragedy for the on-air joker - whose wife died from cancer when their twins were just 5-years-old - making him rethink his life.   Russ has kept his hand in on air - joining BBC Radio London where his weekly, news reviews have earned a loyal following and on TalkRadio, where his Midweek Music Review is a much-anticipated highlight of Paul Ross’ Breakfast Show. He’s also had a great career in advertising, owned a music management company, has just written a novel and has been performing his hit comedy show: ‘Kaned Laughter’ on both sides of the Atlantic.  In this episode, Russ chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bu

  In the words of Storme Warren himself, Brown & Gray - the collaboration between Kaci Brown and Sam Gray, serves as a bridge between the soul of country music in the US to the new boom of country in the United Kingdom. Building a link between the US and the exploding country music scene in the UK, this exciting project is just the beginning of a creative journey through the best both worlds have to offer, with the new single “Top Down” leading the way. Sam Gray is a highly acclaimed songwriter, singer & producer from Hull, England, with millions of streams on Spotify across a variety of current singles, with artists including Hardwell, Julian Perretta, DJ Katch and Manovski. An exceptional multi-instrumentalist, Sam is also a grade 8 classically trained violin player with a unique talent for melodies and lyrics. He’s performed his own music in some of the UK’s biggest venues, and has also written and produced top 10 singles and albums for artists all over the world. Texas-born and Nashville-raised

She recently survived a month living wild in Bear Gryll's Celebrity Island (C4) - which, she says, was no laughing matter.  Comedian Shazia Mirza is a regular face on TV in the UK - appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), Graham Norton (BBC), Top Gear (BBC), Loose Women (ITV), The Late Late Show (RTE), and she is a regular panelist on The Wright Stuff (Channel 5).  However, growing up in Birmingham with strict Pakistani parents nearly saw Shazia's career take a different turn. Her family hoped she'd be a doctor or a lawyer - and she reluctantly got a degree in biochemistry and became a science teacher. But her dream of being on stage led her to take comedy-writing classes at night and she began performing at small clubs around London. A few weeks after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, she got on stage wearing her hijab, and started off her act: “My name is Shazia Mirza… at least that’s what it says on my pilot’s licence...” After that night, Mirza’s comedy career took off. She was profil

Seann Walsh is a regular face on British TV. You’ll have seen him on Saturday night’s sports panel show Play To The Whistle and as team captain on comedy quiz show Virtually Famous. Other recent TV appearances include Live At The Apollo, the Jonathan Ross Show, Tonight at The London Palladium, Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Alan Carr: Chatty Man and Russell Howards Stand Up Central. This guy is everywhere! But there’s good reason for it. For however disheveled he may be, the Foster's Comedy Award nominee is also one of the hottest comics in the UK right now and also taking America by storm. Last week Seann made his big debut on America’s popular late night talk show Conan O’Brien. Not bad for having only been in the country for a week! With a keen observational mind, Seann Walsh can spot the absurdity in everything and convert it to perfectly delivered stand-up comedy. You might have seen Seann on TV, but he’s something else live – pacing the stage, working the room and reducing crowds to hyster

In his 40 years in music, Cult guitarist and songwriting virtuoso Billy Duffy has played with the best - Morrissey, Jagger, Iggy et al. However, it was teaming up with Ian Astbury that launched The Cult into the rock stratosphere hall of fame. With Billy’s songwriting skills and guitar wizardry The Cult enjoyed a streak of huge hits such as ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ and ‘Rain’ before calling it quits in the mid-90s and regrouping in the new millennium.   Billy’s road to rock-stardom is interesting… growing up in Manchester in the seventies, Billy was friends with a teenage Steven Morrissey - who would go on to be that Morrissey. In fact, it was Billy who introduced Jonny Marr to Morrissey who went on to form The Smiths.   Find out about it all in this rock ‘n’ roll episode as Billy chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about throwing TVs out of hotel windows, having three hairstyles at once, writing hit songs and being one of the greatest living guitar heroes of the 20/21st century…   Find out more about

You’ve heard of Jay-Z, Eminem and Tupac… well get ready to be amazed by Chris Turner – a middleclass, British white guy who is giving them all a run for their freestyle rapping money. Chris made his mark when his debut comedy show Pretty Fly won the ‘Amused Moose People's Choice Award’ for Best Show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014. Since then he’s been picking up awards and impressing audiences in all corners of the globe with his sharply written gags and blisteringly quick improvised raps. He’ll ask an audience for five words and will then proceed to blow their minds with an award worthy improvised rap. It’s genius. In this episode Chris chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about studying at Oxford, his huge tongue, being told he’d only live to 25 and his new life in America. He also manages to incorporate the English language’s longest non-scientific word floccinaucinihilipilification into a rap too. Prepare to be thoroughly impressed… Find out more about Chris Turner on these links: http://www.c

Chris Farrell is a well-known British Radio DJ who moved to California to make his dream come true. By creating his own website - ‘The Chris Farrell's Membership Site’ - he became one of the most respected and successful Internet marketers in the industry today. In just one 24-hour period he made over $1million in sales. Chris also has a great podcast called Setbacks and Success. Each episode showcases the highs and the lows of today’s business leaders, entrepreneurs and people doing amazing things. Wow, talk about passion. Listen as Chris describes what is exciting him right now in this inspiring episode with Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant. Hear about his entrepreneurial life with 4am starts, having Deadpool as a neighbour, his friends with private jets and why it’s important to make your bed every day.   Check out the Setbacks and Success podcast here: https://setbacksandsuccess.com   Find out more about Chris Farrell Membership: http://www.chrisfarrellmembership.com   Follow Chris Farrell on socia

  Alice Haig has appeared in countless magazines and strutted down runways across the world for some of the most famous fashion designers. But she’s now starring in a host of new movies and the Amazon Prime original TV series - Jean-Claude Van Johnson with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Hailing from Australia, Alice graduated from the prestigious performing arts school – Sandringham College. However, being a stunning blond at six-foot-tall and playing basketball for her state, it wasn’t long before she was discovered as a model. Several years were spent traveling the globe as an in demand top model until Alice moved to Los Angeles four years ago. In this episode she chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about model life, losing her Aussie accent, casting calls and doing awkward naked scenes where no one will look her in the eye.   Find out more about Alice on these links: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3863899/ https://www.facebook.com/alice.hagg.376 https://www.instagram.com/alice_haig/     Brits in the Wood

  Imagine infiltrating the BNP (British National Party) to crack a news story or going undercover to bring down a celebrity drug ring. This is all in a day’s work for internationally acclaimed journalist Zoe Nauman. Whether it’s breaking world exclusives on Olympic athletes caught in online extortion or dealing with the jilted mistress’ of famous footballers, Zoe, who has written for some of the most respected and high profile publications across the globe is often first to get the scoop on the news we all love to gossip about. In this episode Zoe chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about some of her most nerve-wracking undercover assignments, tracking down Wayne Rooney’s lost hookers through the streets of Liverpool, using the skills she has learned as a journalist to help people who have businesses in the health and well-being industry and her new found passion for all things fitness and lifestyle...   Find out more about Zoe Nauman on these links: http://www.zoenaumanmedia.com https://www.face

Our guest this week is the well known journalist and broadcaster Peter Bowes. He is seen and heard regularly on BBC television, radio and digital services breaking all the biggest news stories from the United States to the rest of the world. As far as broadcast journalists go, Peter is at the top of his game. He has covered everything from the Michael Jackson trial for the BBC to the Lockerbie Pan Am bombing, the Hillsborough football disaster and the Cleveland Child Abuse scandals. However, ever since training as a biologist in his youth, Peter has been fascinated by lifestyles and science-based regimes that promote healthy aging. His weekly podcast ‘Live Long and Master Aging’ (LLAMA) explores the science and stories behind human longevity. In it he chats to world-renowned scientists, future thinkers and biohackers, all of whom have a common goal of figuring out how to live longer and healthier. Basically when he’s not reporting on Trump or interviewing Cher, Desmond Tutu or Tom Cruise, he likes to talk a l

We’d like to thank YOU for being there for us in 2017. The very fact you’re reading this means you’ve helped us get off the ground in our first year of Brits in the Wood. Whether you’ve listened, shared or just interacted with us on social media - thank you! Thank you too to all of our wonderful guests who have been amazing. Their stories - each and every one of them - are so inspiring. In this episode we revisit some of those special stories – snippets from some of our most memorable guests including rock legend Billy Morrison, Smiley Smiley Carol Smillie, superstar soap actress Michelle Collins, former Radio 1 DJ Lisa I’Anson and movie star Lucy Davis to name just a few. We always seem to have a laugh on the show but it’s our guests’ stories of survival, overcoming adversity, perseverance and making their dreams come true that never get old. Lessons to take into the New Year. It’s been a pleasure spending this year with you. We wish you love, health and success in 2018. May all your dreams come true! Your r

It's the Brits in the Wood Christmas Special with Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant. We revisit some of our favourite moments on the show so far with guests such as Ross King, Leilani Dowding and Charlie Clapham. We also have a sing song with the one and only Chesney Hawkes, we discover how well Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley knows LA and Caroline gives Mr. C from the Shamen a run for his money singing Ebeneezer Goode… Happy holidays everyone!   Brits in the Wood: http://www.britsinthewood.com/listen http://www.britsinthewood.blog http://www.facebook.com/BritsintheWood http://www.instagram.com/britsinthewood   http://www.twitter.com/britsinthewood

Claire Fordham is an LA based British writer, producer, journalist and podcaster who has worked for the BBC, ITN, SKY News and written a popular weekly column for Britain's top selling newspaper The Sun. Her podcast ‘The Chat with Claire Fordham’ sees her interviewing interesting and inspiring people who she says: “you may not have heard of but should.” Her acclaimed book ‘Plus One: A Year in the Life of a Hollywood Nobody,’ inspired the mockumentary ‘The Making of Plus One’ starring Jennifer Tilly, Geraldine Chaplin and John Sessions. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of her moving to LA to live with her celebrity sister - the acclaimed singer songwriter Julia Fordham. What follows is laugh-out-loud accounts of her frequently being her famous sister’s “Plus One” – the nameless guest invited to all the best events and parties in Hollywood where nothing is too surreal. Claire’s latest book ‘Life Lessons for Mia Rose: An Irreverent Guide to Living and Loving Well’ was inspired by the birth of her grandda

Imagine spending over a quarter of a century locked up for a murder you didn’t commit. Imagine too you’re technically still only a child when you’re convicted – just 17-years-old – and the victim was your own mother. This happened to our guest – the charismatic, handsome and inspiring Bruce Lisker. Three months shy of his eighteenth birthday Bruce was wrongly tried and convicted of murdering his own mother and forced to serve more than 26 years behind bars before evidence finally came to light proving his innocence. Evidence he had to work tirelessly and courageously compiling from his cell. In 2009, Bruce was finally exonerated and walked out of prison into the modern world as an innocent man. He was then 44 years old and had so far spent every day of his adult life behind bars. He had to learn how to use a credit card, a cell phone, the internet… In this fascinating interview, Bruce Lisker talks to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about life behind bars, exposing the lies and cover-ups by the LAPD and

  Thanks to a series of hugely popular productions staged by our guest Kris Lythgoe (son of Nigel - the British American Idol producer), America has now fallen for panto’s thigh-slapping mix of slapstick humour and classic fairytales. But the version which is now packing theatres in the States is a Disneyfied update featuring chart topping pop songs performed by casts including Hollywood superstars and top Broadway names. Like his famous dad, Kris Lythgoe has the magic touch for creating and producing award winning productions such as TV’s ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Who Are You.’  But his passion for introducing kids to the art of live theatre, is spreading across the US and this holiday season American families in San Diego, Pasadena, Laguna Beach and Houston will chiming in chorus “he’s behind you” and “oh no he didn’t” in true Brit style.    Don’t miss this informative show with Kris Lythgoe as he chats to Caroline and Claire about swapping out panto’s traditional risqué humour for American audience