Latest news with #ZoeBall
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley's new podcast might just get me gardening
'Anyway, I digress…' said Zoe Ball during the debut episode of Dig It, a new bi-weekly 'visual' podcast she is hosting with her friend and BBC Radio colleague Jo Whiley. Yet if there was a format designed with the sole function of being impossible to digress from, it's Dig It. The podcast is sort-of about gardening – hence the title – but it's not really. It's about everything and nothing. 'These are the conversations that you and I would have with each other,' Ball told Whiley. 'It's about life, it's about being working mums, it's about our teenagers and what they're up to, it's about our parents, ageing, keeping healthy… It's about 'Can I get away with wearing a Hunza G swimsuit?'. No. I can't….' Anyway, she digresses. You see? It's about everything and nothing. For most of the time, Dig It aspires to be little more than a cuppa and natter, an audio equivalent of those momentarily amusing little books you'd buy at the till in HMV with titles such as 'The Little Book of Gin' or '1001 Funny Dogs'. However, there's no doubt that a cuppa and a natter with Ball and Whiley is a perfectly lovely thing. These are two pleasant, intelligent middle-aged women with stellar broadcasting careers, outstanding radio voices and inoffensively enviable lifestyles. Not every podcast has to change your life. To give them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps this first episode was an opportunity to stretch their legs and get all the clichés out, even if it occasionally drifted into the dangerously banal. 'The joy of getting older is you have experience,' said Whiley, before informing Ball that 'when you throw a big party, you have so much to do'. 'How do you know how much food to put in your fridge?' asked Ball, shortly after telling us about her flatpack shed. With these sorts of 'mum' podcasts, I worry about the teenage children, who probably don't need a warts-and-all insight into their parents' lives. The Ball and Whiley broods have nothing to fear here, with the biggest revelation being that Ball's son calls her 'Madre'. If they wanted to, the pair could produce a barnstorming production, filled with scurrilous tales from their decades in the business, but Dig It is deliberately second-gear. A tantalising glimpse was offered when they briefly discussed how they met – sharing an office while the pair of them were employed on The Big Breakfast and The Word, respectively. 'Most people who worked in that office now run most of television,' said Ball. Oh really, do tell. Alas, industry gossip was not forthcoming and we instead had to make do with a (genuinely lovely) anecdote about how Whiley's sister Frances, who has learning difficulties, heckled her way through Whiley's wedding. The show deserves Brownie points for actually giving some thought to the visual side of the podcast, giving us some graphics and family photos, where most other 'visual' podcasts merely stick a camera in front of their hosts and press record. Towards the end of the episode, something remarkable happened – it stopped being about everything and nothing, and started actually being about gardening. Neither woman, particularly Ball, makes any pretence of being an expert in this area, but this is what gave their horticultural ramble its appeal. When Monty Don tells me I need to start mulching the flowerbeds and I should be giving my herbaceous perennials a 'Chelsea chop', I assume it's beyond my meagre talents. However, when Ball and Whiley discussed it, with the zeal of the keen hobbyist, I found myself taking notes. It was utterly charming and surprisingly inspiring. I'll certainly drop in at Ball and Whiley's for a cuppa and a natter again – but I hope they digress to the garden when I do.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley go rogue: best podcasts of the week
BBC broadcasting besties Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley follow those who have enjoyed new freedom in the podcast world. In a breezy series, which was nearly called 'Jo and Zo's Big Bushes', they invite listeners to ask them questions on subjects from kids to gardening, interiors, music and the menopause. What they won't be talking about, Zoe confirms, is band members they slept with in the 90s. Sorry! Hollie Richardson Widely available, episodes weekly Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins the BBC's space podcast for the third season's look at the space shuttle program and its attempt to create a reusable craft. Given her excitable voiceover – plus a bombastic soundtrack that could have come straight out of 24 – it's a drama-packed tale. Alexi Duggins Widely available, episodes weekly Do Donald Trump's political decisions look wild and incoherent? They're not, according to this measured, fascinating show: they're the classic moves of someone trying to establish an autocracy. Garry Kasparov, chess champ and lifelong democracy activist who lived under Putin for many years, hosts the second series of this look at the US's slide into a pseudo dictatorship. AD Widely available, episodes weekly This Emilia Fox-fronted podcast looks at shocking crimes and the locations where they were committed, from Wales to New South Wales. It's grisly, by-the-numbers stuff, beginning with the (already much-publicised) story of the Todt family, residents of a Florida town once owned by Disney who died in an alleged murder-suicide in 2019. Hannah J Davies All episodes available, Audible Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Defying segregation in the 40s and 50s, a South Carolina nightclub brought together Black and white patrons for performances by the likes of Little Richard and Ella Fitzgerald. This richly told series offers a history of Charlie's Place, where art defied racism – but which became, perhaps unsurprisingly, a target for the Ku Klux Klan. HJD Widely available, episodes weekly
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley go rogue: best podcasts of the week
BBC broadcasting besties Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley follow those who have enjoyed new freedom in the podcast world. In a breezy series, which was nearly called 'Jo and Zo's Big Bushes', they invite listeners to ask them questions on subjects from kids to gardening, interiors, music and the menopause. What they won't be talking about, Zoe confirms, is band members they slept with in the 90s. Sorry! Hollie Richardson Widely available, episodes weekly Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins the BBC's space podcast for the third season's look at the space shuttle program and its attempt to create a reusable craft. Given her excitable voiceover – plus a bombastic soundtrack that could have come straight out of 24 – it's a drama-packed tale. Alexi Duggins Widely available, episodes weekly Do Donald Trump's political decisions look wild and incoherent? They're not, according to this measured, fascinating show: they're the classic moves of someone trying to establish an autocracy. Garry Kasparov, chess champ and lifelong democracy activist who lived under Putin for many years, hosts the second series of this look at the US's slide into a pseudo dictatorship. AD Widely available, episodes weekly This Emilia Fox-fronted podcast looks at shocking crimes and the locations where they were committed, from Wales to New South Wales. It's grisly, by-the-numbers stuff, beginning with the (already much-publicised) story of the Todt family, residents of a Florida town once owned by Disney who died in an alleged murder-suicide in 2019. Hannah J Davies All episodes available, Audible Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Defying segregation in the 40s and 50s, a South Carolina nightclub brought together Black and white patrons for performances by the likes of Little Richard and Ella Fitzgerald. This richly told series offers a history of Charlie's Place, where art defied racism – but which became, perhaps unsurprisingly, a target for the Ku Klux Klan. HJD Widely available, episodes weekly
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball declares 'warfare' on local 'gang' after ditching £2 million home
BBC Radio 2 star Zoe Ball, who switched to a townhouse in 2024, explained how she was in the grips of "warfare" with a local "gang" and was planning to take action at "dawn" Zoe Ball has shared her woes about a local "gang" after swapping her lavish £2 million countryside pad for a Brighton and Hove townhouse. In 2024, the BBC Radio 2 presenter bid farewell to her rural Sussex abode in Newick and set up shop in a townhouse, intriguingly right next door to her ex-husband, Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim. The couple, who tied the knot in 1999 and had two children together, parted ways in 2016 and finalised their divorce in 2020. Since relocating, Zoe seems to taken to gardening but has run into quite the predicament. According to the Mail, she revealed that she's been locked in "warfare" with a "gang" of foxes, cats, and squirrels that have been making a mess in her garden. Zoe lamented: "I've got this gang of foxes, cats and squirrels that basically s*** in all the borders." Despite her efforts of using lemon, thyme, and mulch, the tactic backfired. She elaborated on her struggle: "The squirrels are now digging up their monkey nuts and the bulbs they nicked off me ... this is warfare." "I'm going to sit at dawn with a pop gun under a blanket aiming at them. They're bold. They come up to me like a little gang of s****y squirrels." A source previously told the publication that Zoe was seeking a "bit more lively" environment, having grown "fed up with life" in the quieter countryside. Zoe Ball's exit from the Radio 2 Breakfast Show in 2024, after a six-year stint, was a major talking point, with Scott Mills stepping into her shoes. Addressing why she quit, she cited that it was time to "step away" from the "very early mornings" and "focus on family." Fast-forward to this year, and Zoe has returned to BBC Radio 2 with a weekend show. Additionally, Zoe has opened up about battling "really bad social anxiety". She confessed that her role on the Breakfast Show had been a convenient excuse to avoid social gatherings that made her uneasy. While speaking on her new Dig It podcast, co-hosted by fellow radio star Jo Whiley, she explained that she was "always slightly in the back" of her head, attempting to think of an excuse of "not being able to go" and saying her previous job was a "great excuse". Without the Breakfast Show as a reason, Zoe says she can no longer plead the need for an early night. She further discussed her discomfort with social situations, particularly her aversion to small talk. Zoe admitted: "I am really bad at small talk. It makes my skin crawl. I have had to reverse myself out of conversations when I have said something so weird."
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC releases rich list but Stacey Solomon and Rylan Clark are absent from report
The BBC has released its annual rich list once again, though fans were shocked to see two of the broadcaster's biggest stars were missing - Stacey Solomon and Rylan Clark. It'll come as little surprise that Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball were two of the top earners, with the latter being the highest-paid female at the network. The reason for some names being absent is due to them working for BBC Studios, the commercial branch of the corporation. Read more: Barclays paying free £175 into bank accounts and 'many eligible' This means the Beeb doesn't have to publish the salaries of its biggest stars that operate in that arm of the broadcaster. While he has now left the broadcaster, Lineker earned a staggering £1.35 million, while Zoe Ball made £519,000. Full list of highest BBC earners Stacey Solomon The Sort Your Life Out star's earnings have gone from £1.4 million in 2023 to £3 million the following year. Solomon's business, Key Map Entertainment, is also valued at over £7 million. Richard Osman Former Pointless star and now House of Games presenter, Richard Osman, earns a massive salary. Documents state his earnings at £3,702,23 in 2025, a hefty profit from the £1,904,477 from the year before. Louis Theroux Theroux's accounts for his business, Blobfish Limited, reveal a total of £2,883,786, sitting in the bank. This saw an increase in around £1 million between 2022 and 2023. Graham Norton The Graham Norton Show has established itself as one of the best late-night talk shows in the world. Just last year, he took home a hefty sum of £2,774,145 from the production firm So Television. Michael McIntyre Michael McIntyre's The Wheel and The Big Show are some of the biggest shows on the Beeb. As such, his production company, Hungry McBear, was worth a staggering £1,753,861 in 2023. Claudia Winkleman MBE Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman is one of the most beloved stars of the BBC, and that's reflected in her pay packet. Her firm, Little Owl Production, shows a sum of £1,575,279 for her 2023 accounts, while she signed a new £1 million deal to continue fronting The Traitors, as well as taking home around £600,000 for presenting Strictly with Tess Daly. Rylan Clark Clark is a mainstay of the BBC, with his own BBC Radio 2 programme and hosting his show with Rob Rinder - Grand Tour. According to his Companies House records, he profited a nice sum of £1,447,866. Wynne Evans Wynne was sacked from the BBC after his controversial comments made on the Strictly Live tour came to light in January. Despite this, he still took home the sum of £734,000 in 2024. John Torode Torode has been axed MasterChef alongisde his co-presenter Gregg Wallace. Caspar 10 Ltd, Torode's firm, states he earned £47,351 for this year. Gregg Wallace While Gregg Wallace has been booted from the BBC after a report found that 45 out of 83 allegations of inappropriate behaviour were upheld, he still took home a hefty pay cheque. Documents show that Lobster Enterprises, his firm, made £24,830, as of February of this year.
