High Anxiety Pod
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsLeon & Chris chat to famous guests about their lives, getting older, staying relevant, what keeps them up at night and general moany chit chat.Get in touch on twitter at @highanxietypod
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Episodes
THE CORONA SPECIALS - MARC WARREN
May 12, 2020 03:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBMarc Warren joins Chris & Leon this week from a barn in the countryside. The star of Van Der Valk tells us about his efforts at learning guitar, how he doesn't seek attention outside of his work and how he can communicate accents just by making guttural sounds. One of our favourite guests from Season One, Marc is a must listen for fans of his as well as fans of good, honest open chat.
THE CORONA SPECIALS - RICHARD BACON
May 04, 2020 03:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBBroadcaster Richard Bacon catches up with us from his home in LA as he relaxes in what seems to be a rather nice situation for isolation. He talks us through his stella street of famous neighbours and recounts how only 18 months ago he was in a medically induced coma for double pneumonia. Throughout this conversation his son hacks at his newly baked loaf of sourdough. A typically surreal and genuinely fun podcast with someone that we, at @highanxietypod, are big fans of.
THE CORONA SPECIALS - LESLIE ASH
April 28, 2020 04:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBActress Leslie Ash (Quadrophenia, Men Behaving Badly, Holby City) joins Chris & Leon to talk about how she is dealing with isolation. Having had her fair share of trauma (she was hospitalised and bedridden for 3 months with the superbug MSSA) she is not as anxious as some about her time in lock down. She gives us a little peek into her life with footballer Lee Chapman as she tells us that she misses the pub the most, has resorted to cutting Lee's hair and enjoys the weekends with a couple o...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - SHAPPI KHORSANDI
April 25, 2020 03:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBStand up comic, author and screen writer, the brilliant Shappi Khorsandi joins Chris & Leon for a lovely blather in what is approaching the end of the second month of lockdown. We talk about the trials of looking after kids as a single mum, how the tiniest of things can cause emotional breakdowns and how the sense of community has grown stronger as the lockdown progresses. Shappi reveals what it was like to be photographed by David Bailey as well as opening up about her creative choices, h...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - JAMIE LAING
April 20, 2020 02:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBMade In Chelsea star, Candy Kittens business owner, TV presenter and all round top bloke, Jamie joins Chris & Leon on a phone call from his mum's house in the Cotswolds. Holed up with is Mum and his girlfriend, Jamie shares what life in isolation is like for him. There is some revealing insight into the pressures of fame and how this time can sometimes be pause for rest and recuperation as well as to reconsider life's priorities.. There is also some less revealing insight when Jamie tells u...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - STEPHEN GRAHAM
April 16, 2020 04:00 - 32 minutes - 22 MBWe only went and got top class actor Stephen Graham (Snatch, Boardwalk Empire, The Irishman, Gangs Of New York, The Virtues). Isolating at home with his wife and kids, he admits that after a gruelling few years of success and being away form home, he is valuing the time with his family. From letting his son cut his hair to meditation and his love for Liverpool FC, Stephen talks about his home life as well as touching upon some of his work. His Mind Yer Coronas is first class and his Isola...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - RANKIN
April 06, 2020 04:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBFor this episode of the Corona Special High Anxiety Pods we welcome photographer, magazine owner and cultural icon Rankin. Holed up in his home in the Suffolk, Rankin tells us what it's like for a creative that NEEDS to take photos of people and not being able to do that. He explains the guilt of feeling helpless in the current climate as well as his worries about how his business will survive the pandemic. There are also some top drawer laughs on the way as he falls at the first fence whe...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - ISY SUTTIE
April 02, 2020 19:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBChris & Leon chat to writer, actor and comedian Isy Suttie about how she is dealing with her isolation madness, re-drafting her new novel, reading in the bath, boiling eggs, childcare and some truly exception accents... as well as some proper crap ones. We cover collective acts of communal kindness and comedy Corona Virus songs as well as some book recommendations. Leon tells Chris off for taking too long in the loo.
THE CORONA SPECIALS - DAVID FORD
March 30, 2020 02:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBLeon & Chris chat to singer songwriter David Ford. With seven albums penned in the last 15 years he is man that values craft over commercial and music over business. Having been voted 'Album Of the Year' twice in the Sunday Times and Word Magazine, the Guardian called him 'one of Britain's best.' We catch up with him as in isolation at home with his wife and young daughter. He freely admits that his life in isolation is not unusual. He spends most of his time writing music alone and has sh...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - RICH HALL
March 26, 2020 01:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBChris & Leon call on the legendary Rich Hall to see how he is dealing with isolation, and you guessed it... he's not over the moon or overly concerned (even though his wife has the virus.) We find out that he is home schooling the kids with lessons in basketball and US legal history and he is absolutely horrific at regional accents. Truly awful. He also has a solution for how to prevent further pandemics. In other news, Leon has cut his own hair and Chris karate kicks pedestrian crossing b...
CORONA SPECIAL - ROMESH RANGANATHAN
March 22, 2020 17:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBIf High Anxiety had a home it would be during a world pandemic. Welcome to our home, take your shoes off, don't touch us and have a listen. Jumping on the isolation bandwagon, Chris & Leon spark up some transatlantic chats and phone some of our previous guests, seeing as everyone has a bit of time on their hands. This episode we phone in to the Ranganathan household as Romesh tells us about his cancelled tour, the pressure of isolation on his marriage as some career ending efforts at regio...
THE CORONA SPECIALS - ROMESH RANGANATHAN
March 22, 2020 17:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBIf High Anxiety had a home it would be during a world pandemic. Welcome to our home, take your shoes off, don't touch us and have a listen. Jumping on the isolation bandwagon, Chris & Leon spark up some transatlantic chats and phone some of our previous guests, seeing as everyone has a bit of time on their hands. This episode we phone in to the Ranganathan household as Romesh tells us about his cancelled tour, the pressure of isolation on his marriage as some career ending efforts at regio...
Shaun Keaveny & Alex Carter
October 12, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBIt’s the end of Season two and what better way to finish than with BBC 6 Music DJ and all round professional curmudgeon Shaun Keaveny. To switch it up a bit we also brought in Alex Carter to add to the laugh salad, friend of the pod and also the occasional punch bag for Mr K. It’s a cracking episode with some good Hate Envelopes as well as a in depth look into value and capacity of travel bags. The North Face Borealis was voted best. Sorry to kill that buzz. Listening to Shaun talk about ...
John Finnemore
September 11, 2019 15:00 - 1 hour - 51 MBThis week Radio 4's John Finnemore (The Souvenir Programme, Cabin Pressure) lies comfortably back on the High Anxiety couch with Chris & Leon. John explains to us the problems he's had with insomnia throughout his life and the processes by which he tries to combat it. Tom Jones' nut bag comes up in conversation as does twitter followers, Leon's supposed friendship with Terence Stamp and the job security (or lack of) being a writer. Please sit back and relax to some proper Radio 4, high bro...
Alexandra Paul
August 28, 2019 18:00 - 1 hour - 59.1 MBA bumper podcast episode this week! Not only recorded in LA, not only do we go in seriously deep in the anxiety stakes but we do it with a bona fide American icon... This week's star guest is Alexandra Paul; actor (actress...she prefers it anyway and her christian name could be confusing) star of Baywatch, numerous movies, health coach, vegan, eco-warrior and model. Even though she is clean-living, we get down and dirty as she generously opens up about eating disorders, addictions, anxiet...
Patrick Kielty
August 13, 2019 21:00 - 1 hour - 52.3 MBChris & Leon manage to catch up with Patrick in his LA home that he shares with his wife Cat Deeley and their two young kids. For anyone that is interested in stand up, fame, ambition and contentment then this episode for you. Patrick talks with a great honesty about where he is at now in his career and his life. We touch on being a comedian in the US, the dynamic of arena comedy, the skill of using a laugh and a story that is 'out of this world'. That's the sort of terrible pun that would ...
Romesh Ranganathan
July 30, 2019 12:00 - 2 hours - 82.6 MBWelcome back faithful angst riddled followers. It took a while but finally a new 5 episode season of the High Anxiety Pod is back. We'll release a new episode every fortnight to make you feel like there is more content than there actually is. Chris & Leon's first guest is a favourite of ours and I suspect yours.... ROMESH RANGANATHAN!!! He took time out to come and play with Chris & Leon and open up about his success, his own self doubt, his life on the road, his Misadventures and his d...
Rich Hall
October 25, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 29.1 MBThe legendary Rich Hall is this week’s High Anxiety guest. From Saturday Night Live with Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal through the Carson show, Letterman and turning down a role on Seinfeld, Rich Hall is the comedian’s comedian. His latest achievements are a string of critically acclaimed BBC4 documentaries about US culture and history. With nearly 40 years in the business he shares his love of running everyday, avoiding stress, staying current and his eagerness to continue his success. W...
Doc Brown aka Ben Bailey Smith
October 18, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 29.8 MBRapper, Comedian, Writer, Actor Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc Brown is this week's gift to you. His soporific, gentle tone is like an aural massage popped, intermittently, by Leon and Chris. Ben is a fantastic guest with a smart angle on life as well as a huge creative output. He talks about his stand up career, how much he gives of himself to ‘show business’, his work with Ricky Gervais and some fresh views on rap and literacy. We play some of his most recent album Stemma and chat through the m...
Amber Tozer
October 10, 2018 23:00 - 59 minutes - 27.3 MBAmber is our first American guest on High Anxiety. She is a comedian and the author of the brilliant book Sober Stick Figure - we've even added a link so you can have a look at it https://g.co/kgs/qKg6ru Get the book and read it. It's the insanely funny story about Amber's struggle with alcohol. Yup, it's hilarious and about alcoholism. Amber is brilliantly candid about her addiction, her whirlwind romance with her new husband, the pointlessness of social media and the hypocrisy of really ...
Amber Tozer
October 10, 2018 23:00 - 59 minutes - 27.3 MBAmber is our first American guest on High Anxiety. She is a comedian and the author of the brilliant book Sober Stick Figure - we've even added a link so you can have a look at it https://g.co/kgs/qKg6ru Get the book and read it. It's the insanely funny story about Amber's struggle with alcohol. Yup, it's hilarious and about alcoholism. Amber is brilliantly candid about her addiction, her whirlwind romance with her new husband, the pointlessness of social media and the hypocrisy of really ...
Steve Mackintosh
October 03, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 29.1 MBBrimming with anxiety this week is Steve Mackintosh (Lock Stock, Luther, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, Memphis Belle). Steve is an actor with an insanely long CV (or Resumé for our Stateside friends.)Steve has been in the biz since he was a carefree, young nipper. He got married in his early 20s and managed to run a successful acting career alongside bringing up two kids with his wife. He takes us through his life’s quibbles and thoughts; the anxieties of acting, making the right job choices, voices ...
Rhashan Stone
September 26, 2018 23:00 - 57 minutes - 26.1 MBActor, Musician and Dad - Rhashan Stone (Apple Tree Yard, Strike Back, The A Word, Agatha Raisin) joins Chris and Leon for Episode 6 of High Anxiety Pod. Rhashan talks about his anxiety as a black teenager in Norfolk in the 80s, his passion for music and authenticity and his shunning of any sort of social media.Less important things that we chat about are famous people's penis size and the use of the word 'panties'. If you listen right to the end of the podcast you get little treat...It was o...
Kerry Godliman
September 20, 2018 23:00 - 57 minutes - 26.3 MBWant to know what Corporate Comedy gigs are? Interested in masturbation on the dark web? Do you know the difference between prostate and prostrate? Kerry Godliman is this week’s guest with all the answers. Kerry, as a successful stand up and actor, (Derek, Mascots, Bad Move, Carters Get Rich) shares her thoughts about age, depression and anxiety with grace and insight. What made it very special was that she shared these thoughts with us on her actual birthday. It’s difficult not to love Kerry...
Ash Atalla
September 13, 2018 23:00 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MBBafta winning, potty mouthed, comedy wizard Ash Atalla (The Office, IT Crowd, People Just Do Nothing, Trollied) is this week's chatmonger. He moans a bit about the lonely life of a producer as well as talking about his numerous awards. He gives some bona fide good advice about producing top drawer comedy which is his speciality. His anxiety about clutter and what people think about him is a particular highlight. Leon breathes quite heavily throughout and Chris is a bit of a prick... apparently.
Marc Warren
September 06, 2018 23:00 - 52 minutes - 23.9 MBThis week it's the turn of Marc Warren to face the Paxman style grilling from Chris & Leon. Marc has been in a tons of stuff from The Hustle, Band of Brothers, Snatch, Mad Dogs to big Hollywood movies like Wanted in which he stars alongside James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. This last batch of epic name dropping leads to a particularly good impression of Mr. Freeman.We cover addiction and sobriety, hair loss and close hand magic. The episode is packed full of anxiety as Marc, L...
Danny Wallace
August 30, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 144 MBThis week’s guest on the High Anxiety Pod is Danny Wallace: author, actor, presenter, journalist, screenwriter and ‘humorist’ (as stated in wikipedia). Danny talks about his experiences in Hollywood when his novel The Yes Man was made into a hit movie with Jim Carrey, his worries about the apocalypse, finding time to do everything and bemoaning the fact that he finds it difficult to run for a train. Leon gives us an incredibly detailed account of when he fainted and Chris shares his worry abo...
Danny Wallace
August 30, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 144 MBThis week’s guest on the High Anxiety Pod is Danny Wallace: author, actor, presenter, journalist, screenwriter and ‘humorist’ (as stated in wikipedia). Danny talks about his experiences in Hollywood when his novel The Yes Man was made into a hit movie with Jim Carrey, his worries about the apocalypse, finding time to do everything and bemoaning the fact that he finds it difficult to run for a train. Leon gives us an incredibly detailed account of when he fainted and Chris shares his worry abo...
Isy Suttie
August 18, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 30.7 MBIn the first of our High Anxiety Podcasts Chris & Leon talk to award winning writer, actor, comedian, songstress and novelist about the difficulties of finding time to write and create as a mother, crap building up in the house and how to deal with being recognised in Nandos. There's a bit of sweary stuff on occasion. @highaxietypod