Episodes

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Michaela Strachan, TV icon, wildlife champion and a woman very clear on who she is at nearly 60. Michaela talks openly about early career labels, imposter syndrome, surviving breast cancer, menopause, mobility fears and the freedom that comes with no longer needing to perform for approval. Whether you’re still carrying old narratives, adapting to a changing body, or quietly wondering what the next decade is really for, this conversation goes deeper than a...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re waving goodbye to January, welcoming a galloping Year of the Horse, and asking whether manifestation actually works, or if you just need to press the button and hope for the best. We talk big life decisions, house projects, pensions, and that moment when you realise your home really is your future, alongside small but strangely emotional wins, clean rugs, tomato seedlings, and the unexpected joy of a cancelled Sunday. There’s also knitting, the £40, still-...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Josie Lawrence - comedy icon, improv legend, and living proof that confidence and anxiety can happily coexist. Josie talks about going on stage with no script at 66, why birthdays still matter, and how you can be fearless in one part of life while catastrophising in another. We get into what improvisation has taught her about ageing, control, and letting go - plus friendships as soulmates, the idea of a “man from Cornwall,” and why being content might be ...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re knee-deep in the small-but-consuming realities of midlife: mysterious itches that turn out to be nerve damage, sinus infections that knock you sideways, and the peculiar stress spiral of trying to buy travel insurance when your medical history has opinions. Whether you’re juggling post-treatment side effects, wondering if every new twinge means something dreadful, or just trying to book a holiday without remortgaging your house, this one will feel uncomfort...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Elise Johnston, founder of Fabulous 70 and unapologetic queen of reinvention, who believes life doesn’t wind down at 60 - it cracks open. Elise reflects on the decade that changed everything: divorce, therapy, finally asking herself “what do I want?”, and deciding to try 70 new things in her 70th year. From pole dancing to boudoir photo shoots, erotic blueprints to learning how to say yes, this is a conversation about curiosity, confidence, sexuality, and...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we talk pink cheeks, overdue roots, and the strange intimacy of finishing radiotherapy - plus the unexpected emotional fallout that comes after the “big milestones” are ticked off. There’s honest chat about bodies that don’t quite feel like yours anymore, the relief (and anti-climax) of treatments ending, and why booking holidays can feel like both triumph and admin hell at the same time. We also wander - as ever - into the comforts that keep us sane in the in-b...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Lucy Kellaway OBE, 64 — former Financial Times columnist who did something genuinely radical on the edge of 60: she left her job, her marriage, and her Highbury home to retrain as a secondary school teacher in an inner London school. Lucy talks candidly (and with real humour) about what pushed her to jump. By 2013, her marriage was deteriorating, her father’s health was failing, and decades at the FT had tipped into burnout and career malaise. Teaching wa...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re talking about those very specific midlife moments no one warns you about. When your roots feel louder than your opinions, your nose develops a mind of its own, and holding your breath becomes a daily medical requirement. From zoning out on Zoom calls and freezing houses that should probably be illegal, to radiotherapy reality checks, relentless itching, eyebrow mishaps at the beauty counter, Pilates-induced body scrutiny, and the deeply controversial topic ...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Jackie Kay - poet, novelist, former Scots Makar and one of the sharpest, warmest thinkers on identity, belonging and getting older without shrinking. We talk about turning 60 as a clarifying moment, why writing is a lifelong form of processing, living on the margins by choice, love without cohabitation, grief, friendship, and what really matters as you age. Whether you’re rethinking who you are, how you live, or how much of yourself you’re willing to give...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re easing into 2026 the only way we know how: chatting through the small domestic dramas that somehow say everything about where we’re at. From the brutal satisfaction of taking the Christmas decorations down early (and judging everyone else who hasn’t), to the chaos of tangled fairy lights, surprise clothing labels, itchy arms, ageing bodies, drum kits, camper vans and gift-giving politics. It’s never just about the tree - it’s about control, fatigue, humour,...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re firmly in that strange in-between zone where no one knows what day it is, Christmas feels like it happened months ago, and normal rules no longer apply. Kay and Karen swap Twixmas stories - from quiet family Christmases and gifts bought (or bought for oneself), to beachside holidays, culinary regrets involving oysters, and the weird emotional flatness that can creep in when the festivities fade. It’s never just about what you did for Christmas. It’s about r...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re recording on Christmas Eve and doing what we do best — talking honestly about how life actually feels at this age. From finishing a final round of chemo (and the brutal side effects no one really prepares you for), to the strange satisfactions of ticking off medication charts, to the sudden realisation that facial hair is… expanding. There’s festive exhaustion, pension chat, karaoke confessions, overpriced Pilates mishaps, and the quiet emotional weight tha...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Sir Chris Bryant - MP, minister, memoirist, and living proof that life rarely runs in straight lines. Chris talks with fierce honesty about growing up too fast, coming to terms with being gay in a far less forgiving era, the strange road through the priesthood, and why resilience isn’t about pretending things didn’t hurt. It’s never just about politics. This is a conversation about identity, shame, adventure, boredom, cancer, ageing, and why curiosity mig...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re checking in just days before Christmas — with Kaye broadcasting from a hotel bathroom in London (puffer jacket, luggage rack and all) and Karen at home, navigating the final stretch of chemotherapy, festive expectations, and the strange emotional weather that comes with both. It’s a wide-ranging, very real conversation about not quite feeling “Christmassy,” the pressure to show up when your body and head aren’t there yet, and how humour carries you through ...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Sunday Times bestselling author Lesley Kara, whose brand-new psychological thriller The Troublemaker is landing next year — and trust us, it’s going to keep a lot of women up past their bedtime. We dig into the extraordinary story behind her so-called “late start”: the years of motherhood, endometriosis, surgical menopause, teaching stress, and sheer exhaustion that pushed her into clinical depression… and the single conversation that flipped her life fro...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we tumble through the very specific flavour of December mayhem — Karen accidentally sleeping through chemo while the nurses wait to go home, the slow disappearance of her right eyebrow, and a restaurant saga that ends with a truly dreadful pizza and a packet of chocolate éclairs to recover from it. Whether you’re still counting out sleeping tablets like an advent calendar or noticing that every jumper you own now looks suspiciously like your mother’s, there’s som...

Fitness expert Jacqueline Hooton joins Kaye and Karen for a grounded, funny and honest conversation about ageing well. She talks about staying strong through shoulder surgeries and osteoarthritis, tackling internalised ageism, navigating post-menopause health, and why balance, bone strength and everyday mobility matter more than any “anti-ageing” promise. It’s a warm, motivating reminder that you’re never past the point of starting — and you don’t need to shrink your life to fit anyone’s expect...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re talking Christmas chaos, stubborn husbands, and the kind of A&E visit that derails even the best-laid festive plans. Kaye finds herself doing the night shift in a waiting room full of germs, Karen is wrapping up head-torches and shoehorns like they’re luxury gifts, and both of them are wondering when life got quite this ridiculous. Whether you’re panic-buying presents, fighting off winter bugs, or just trying to get one night of proper sleep, this one will ...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Scott Hastings, the rugby legend who has lived through the unimaginable and still finds a way to smile. After losing his wife and teenage sweetheart, Jenny, to suicide after 45 years together, Scott shares the reality of grief, resilience, and what it means to choose joy without ignoring pain. Whether you’re navigating your own storms or supporting someone through theirs, this conversation meets you with honesty, tenderness, and hope. We talk about living...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re braving the Baltic chill with toilet confessions, rap-induced bafflement at Hamilton and the ongoing saga of Karen’s chemo side effects. Whether you’re the type who cleans your loo with a brush or a wad of loo roll, you’ll feel right at home. It’s never just about the weather. It’s the insomnia, the metallic taste, the pockets of joy found in ginger puddings and planting tulip bulbs in the rain. And because no one tells you this, we also cover the sheer dis...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Maria McErlane, who brings sharp humour, unapologetic honesty, and a lifetime of mischief as she talks about ageing, invisibility, reinvention, sex, grief, and why she finally surrendered to an e-bike. Whether you’re feeling more third age than old age or still trying to work out who you are at 60+, this one lands. Maria opens up about changing identities, losing confidence, chasing curiosity, and why keeping your world small is the fastest way to feel ol...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we tumble from hairstyle envy to spit jars, chemo side effects and the baffling joy of a bowel screening kit. Whether you’re currently debating how often to wash your neck, dealing with metallic mouth, or wondering if your partner’s dawn chorus of throat noises means anything medically, this one’s for you. It’s never just about hair, feet or poo samples. It’s about laughing through the slog, finding comfort in shared indignities, and remembering that somewhere o...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Fiona Clark, author of Menowars, who’s calling time on the confusion around menopause. From HRT debates to vaginal health taboos, Fiona tackles the mixed messages women face — and reminds us that post-menopause isn’t “after the storm,” it’s the rest of our lives. Whether you’re wondering if you should be on HRT, baffled by conflicting advice, or just tired of whispering the word vagina, this one’s for you. Because no one tells you how much grey area there...

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, Kaye and Karen prove that nothing is off limits — from cheap heaters and dodgy white diets to the hazards of sending a voice note mid-fart. Kaye confesses her accidental “audio offence,” Karen blames chemo for her skincare woes (and possibly Kaye’s face cream), and somehow it all ends with Kim Kardashian’s pubic-hair lingerie. There’s reflection too — on finding pockets of joy, dodging misery, and laughing through the rough patches with friends who tell it like i...