The Show People Podcast shines a spotlight on the UK performing arts industry and those dedicated to their craft.
Reading the feed…
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This is part two of an in-depth conversation with comedian, writer, actor, presenter, children’s author, documentary maker and charity founder Rosie Jones. One of the boldest and most distinctive voices in British comedy, Rosie has appeared on The Last Leg, Live at the Apollo, QI, Taskmaster, Question Time, 8 Out of 10 Cats and many more. She is also the creator, co-writer and star of the Channel 4 sitcom Pushers and the founder of The Rosie Jones Foundation. In this urgent, candid and frequentl
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This is part one of an in-depth conversation with comedian, writer, actor, presenter, children’s author, documentary maker and charity founder Rosie Jones. One of the boldest and most distinctive voices in British comedy, Rosie has appeared on The Last Leg, Live at the Apollo, QI, Taskmaster, Question Time and many more. She is also the creator, co-writer and star of Channel 4 sitcom Pushers, the author of The Amazing Edie Eckhart, founder of The Rosie Jones Foundation, and the driving force beh
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This is part two of an in-depth conversation with West End and Broadway star Kerry Ellis. Widely recognised as one of the great leading ladies of British musical theatre, Kerry Ellis has played some of the most iconic roles in the West End, on Broadway and beyond. Best known for becoming the first British Elphaba in Wicked, Kerry’s extraordinary career includes originating Meat in the original London cast of We Will Rock You, playing Fantine in Les Misérables, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Nancy in Oliv
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This is part one of an-depth conversation with West End and Broadway star Kerry Ellis. Widely recognised as one of the great leading ladies of British musical theatre, Kerry Ellis has played some of the most iconic roles in the West End, on Broadway and beyond. Best known for becoming the first British Elphaba in Wicked, Kerry’s extraordinary career includes originating Meat in the original London cast of We Will Rock You, playing Fantine in Les Misérables, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Nancy in Oliver!
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This is the second part of an in-depth conversation with Olivier Award winning actor and writer Jack Holden. Recorded just before Jack travelled to America for the Off-Broadway transfer of Kenrex, and before he went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Actor, this conversation captures him at a thrilling turning point in his career. Best known for writing and performing Cruise, his acclaimed one-man play about Soho and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Jack discusses the creation of Kenrex, the true
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an in-depth conversation with now, Olivier Award winning actor and writer Jack Holden. Recorded just before Jack travelled to America for the Off-Broadway transfer of Kenrex, and before he went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Actor, this conversation captures him at a thrilling turning point in his career. Best known for writing and performing Cruise, his acclaimed one-man play about Soho and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Jack discusses the creation of Kenrex, the true
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This is the second part of an in-depth conversation with legendary gay playwright, screen-writer and author - Martin Sherman. Perhaps best known for writing landmark gay play, Bent, As well as other stunning plays such as When She Danced, Messiah, Cracks, Gently Down The Stream and many, many others. On screen, his credits include Mrs Henderson Presents (BAFTA-nominated), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Callas Forever, Alive and Kicking, and The Clothes in the Wardrobe. Across theatre and film,
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an in-depth conversation with legendary gay playwright, screen-writer and author - Martin Sherman. Perhaps best known for writing landmark gay play, Bent, As well as other stunning plays such as When She Danced, Messiah, Cracks, Gently Down The Stream and many, many others. On screen, his credits include Mrs Henderson Presents (BAFTA-nominated), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Callas Forever, Alive and Kicking, and The Clothes in the Wardrobe. Across theatre and film, Marti
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode is the second part of a conversation with actor, Marina Sirtis as the two boldly explore Marina's life and career. Episode Highlights Include: • Playing Deanna Troi in Star Trek. • Incredible encounters including King Charles and The Spice Girls. • Her West End debut in Dark Sublime by Michael Dennis. • Being reunited with her co-stars in Star Trek: Picard. • Her love of football. • Her advice to other actors. • Working on The Orville with Seth MacFarlane. • How she feels about leav
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features part two of our extraordinary conversation with actor and activist, Pearl Mackie. Episode Highlights Include: • Her memories and lessons learned travelling in the TARDIS with Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who • How fame changed her life when appearing in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. • Working with great actors in the West End and the advice she has been given by them • Appearing in her many other roles in film and television, including The Diplomat. Like and Sub
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an extraordinary conversation with actor and activist. Pearl Mackie. Episode Highlights Include: • Growing up in Brixton, a love of Judy Garland and watching musicals, wondering why there were no black faces.• The things she learned while training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School• How she survived after leaving drama schools and the many crazy jobs she had to take.• Climbing her way up the London fringe theatre scene and eventually getting her West End breaks.• What it
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from the Two Brewers in Clapham. In this second half of an extraordinary conversation, Sir Ian McKellen reflects on some of the most iconic roles of his career; from Richard III to Gods and Monsters, Gandalf, Magneto, and his legendary collaborations with Patrick Stewart. He also dives into grassroots theatre, sitcoms, Shakespeare, queer representation, and the roles he still hopes to play. Essential listening for fans of The Lord of the Rings, X-Men, Vicious, Shakespeare lovers, and anyone who cherishes Sir Ian’s extraordinar
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an extraordinary conversation with one of the world’s most celebrated actors: Sir Ian McKellen, a performer whose career spans over six decades, with more than sixty major awards across stage, screen and television, and whose voice in LGBTQ+ equality has inspired millions around the world. Episode Highlights Include: • Growing up in Burnley and Wigan during wartime Britain, and the family stories that shaped him, including the loss of his mother and sister. • First memori
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. In Part Two of this unmissable conversation, Andrew welcomes back JP McCue – better known as Mary Mac – one of the UK’s most beloved drag performers, celebrated for her tartan, powerhouse vocals, and infamous Mary Mac medley across theatres, cruise ships, and queer venues worldwide. Episode Highlights Include: • Touring in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – backstage antics, challenges, and why it continues to inspire young audiences.• Life at sea – the realities of performing on cruise ships a
Join host Andrew Keates for The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an unmissable conversation with JP McCue, better known as Mary Mac - one of the UK’s most loved drag performers, famous for her tartan, powerhouse vocals, and infamous Mary Mac medley across theatres, cruise ships, and Queer venues worldwide. Episode Highlights Include: • How long it takes Mary Mac to get ready? • First memories of The Two Brewers and why LGBTQ+ spaces matter • Growing up in Glasgow, coming out in the 1990s, and the role family played in his life. • Traini
Join host Andrew Keates for the second part of a very special relaunch of The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an intimate, wide-ranging conversation with national treasure, Sir Stephen Fry, celebrated writer, actor, comedian, broadcaster, and recent knight for his contributions to mental health awareness and environmental causes. Episode Highlights Include: - Views on JK Rowling and radicalised she has become and his current relatioship with her. - The benefits of re-writign the Greek myths and the universal human truths that come with
The Show People Podcast is back! Join host Andrew Keates for a very special relaunch of The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an intimate, wide-ranging conversation with national treasure, Sir Stephen Fry, celebrated writer, actor, comedian, broadcaster, and recent knight for his contributions to mental health awareness and environmental causes. Episode Highlights Include: - Has Stephen ever been to the Two Brewers before? - Stephen’s formative years growing up, the first parts he played, how he discovered a love of language and how his J
This episode was recorded in January 2020 - before Covid-19 changed everything. Andrew shares an explanation about where The Show People Podcast has been for most of 2020 and celebrates the podcast’s fourth anniversary. Andrew and Peter Polycarpou two discuss Peter’s childhood, his relationship with his sister Eve Polycarpou and their Greek heritage and representation within the industry. Peter explains his passion for teaching (including teaching Andrew when he was a teenager!) and playing his many roles in iconic productions including Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Sw
Trigger Warning: this episode includes discussions about mental health struggles, suicide and death. If you find yourself becoming upset during the episode, please contact the organisation or person you rely upon for support. Andrew Keates chats with journalist, broadcaster and presenter Matthew Wright about his controversial comments about using outside spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic, the last two years of coping with multiple bereavements and PTSD and what it’s like to be second to Nick Knowles in the world of fly fishing.
Andrew chats with Alex Dyer, who runs Theataccounts - a specialist accountancy firm looking after performers and theatremakers in the performing arts industry and advising them on tax and their accounts. In this special episode, Alex takes Andrew through all of the various financial measures and schemes created by the government open to theatremakers during these unprecedented times in a simple and understandable way, including the grants for self-employed people, universal credit, VAT and many other things you may not know you could be eligible for. Also, we hear from Harry Francis, Drew Colb
Andrew chats with Owen Farrow aka Divina De Campo about life post RuPaul’s Drag Race, whether they admire Geri Halliwell and finds out how the drag scene has been affected by Coronavirus. He speaks transatlantically with Robi Hager, writer of Basic Witches, which was a musical due to open in Philadelphia and Robi is now using his drag musical to raise funds for his cast (who we also hear perform a song from the show at the end of the episode). And we open up the Show People Podcast answering machine to listen to messages from Mama G, Ross and Monica of the Montague Arms and Dolly Parton (Well,
We open up the Show People Podcast answering machine and we hear from and AJ O’Neill and Emily Clare about what they’re doing to use their craft to benefit the theatre industry. Andrew chats with West End leading man and teacher George Ure about what it’s like swapping the West End for Tesco Express and we hear a song by Flloyd Kennedy all about social distancing.
Andrew Keates explains how The Show People Podcast is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Merry Christmas from The Show People Podcast! Listen to our Christmas special and last episode of 2019 with actor and author Pauline Mclynn. We make fun listening whilst stuffing a turkey, or of course, if you're having a nice cup of tea. Pauline is best known for playing Mrs. Doyle in the iconic sitcom Father Ted, not to mention roles in Shameless, EastEnders and the acclaimed film Gyypo, of which she was nominated as Best Actress in the Irish Film And Television Awards. She’s recently graced our stages playing Mephistofeles in Doctor Faustus at the Globe, Mother Courage at Leeds Playhouse an
Director, Andrew Keates is joined by actor, singer, composer, writer and musician Kurt Kansley. Kurt was born in Cape Town, South Africa and due to apartheid fled to Australia with his family. He’s had a career that’s taken him all over the world playing roles in Ragtime, Show Boat, Evita, Naked Boys Singing and later would find himself becoming a British citizen when he joined the West End production of The Lion King and go on to other productions including Miss Saigon, Hair and Sweet Bird Of Youth (to name but a few Kurt shares with Andrew Keates the difficulties he’s faced thanks to his eth
