16. “I felt a warmth between us”: Recording an episode of my podcast, A Cuppa tea with Richard, with Mel Giedroyc

My name is Richard Keagan-Bull. I am a research assistant with a learning disability, and I work at Kingston University. I host a podcast where I chat to guests over a cuppa tea.  

I’m writing this blog to tell you what it was like to record the thirteenth episode of my podcast with Mel Giedroyc. Mel Giedroyc is a comedian, actress, presenter and writer. You might know her from Mel and Sue, the Great British Bake Off, Children in Need or the Eurovision Song Contest. She has done plenty more as well!  

You can listen to our podcast here, you can watch a video of it here and you can sign up to the mailing list, so you don’t miss my next episodes). 

I was especially nervous before this episode. Mel is the most famous guest that I have had on the podcast and there is a pressure that comes from being in the hot seat asking the questions. What if the conversation does not go well? What if I can’t think of what to ask? 

But when I met Mel, I quickly felt relaxed. She walked into the room, humbly apologised for a small mix up with directions, introduced herself to everyone and handed me some lovely chocolates. I don’t know what I expected, but what struck me was that she did not act according to her status as an A-list celebrity (sorry Mel – she strongly refuted me calling her an A-list celebrity, saying she was a Z-lister instead).  

She came into the office on her own and immediately created a relaxed atmosphere. She spoke directly to me in a way that I could understand and did not look down at me or anything. She took an interest in me and the work I do at Kingston University; the conversation went everywhere. We talked about Bake Off, Eurovision, our families, our dream dinner guests, who would play me in a film. We even started a club, the Rosemary and Michael club, because both of our parents have the same names. The more I think about the conversation, it brings a tear to my eye. 

I felt very honoured that Mel agreed to come on the podcast. I think it is important for people with a learning disability to do things like hosting podcasts with celebrity guests. It is important that we are front and centre and not just forgotten about. People need to see us and understand us so that they can know and respect us. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did! 

Written by Richard Keagan-Bull, Research Assistant at Kingston University London