Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware

James Acaster is a man of many talents - he’s one of Britain’s best loved comedians, the co-host of our rival podcast (yet we love them!) Off Menu, a regular on the telly, and most recently became a very reluctant Traitor on the Celebrity Traitors. James joined us for a chat about his early days in stand-up, the story of his band The Wow Scenario, and we hear about his latest comedy creation, Craig Simons - the UK's number one James Acaster tribute act! We chatted about his experience in the Traitors castle, his lovely friendship with Rome...

Dame Arlene Phillips really has stories to last a lifetime! She’s worked with icons like Whitney Houston, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin, choreographed legendary West End & Broadway musicals and also created the iconic Hot Gossip dance troupe. The legendary choreographer joined us for a brilliant trip through her extraordinary career, we heard about a shy Whitney finding her confidence, teaching Elton to dance and how kind Freddie was on set. Arlene also took us back to her childhood in Manchester, how she started her dance training and her unexpected route into choreography that began wi...

Nick Mohammed is a man of many talents - actor, comedian, presenter, and even a magician! Best known for Ted Lasso and his unforgettable stint on The Traitors, Nick joined us this week to chat about his latest role in legal thriller 'War'. We also found out what it was really like inside the Traitors castle, how his hilarious alter ego 'Mr Swallow’ came to be, that he swapped a potential career in science for comedy, meeting his wife in the university orchestra, his Greek Cypriot and Trinidadian family roots, and you really don’t want to miss his reci...

The brilliant Ashley Walters is over for dinner this week. From his days as Asher D in So Solid Crew, to Top Boy and Adolescence, Ashley has had an incredible career and now he’s stepping behind the camera for his directorial debut ‘Animol'. Mum made sea bass with tomato and anchovy dressing followed by a vegan apple and apricot cake. We chatted about growing up in Peckham, his early days in Oliver! in the West End, how he ended up in prison, working with Stephen Graham and the comfort foods that take him back to childhood - including oyst...

This week we’re beyond excited to welcome the fabulous Christine Baranski to the table. Christine joined us fresh from rehearsals for her West End debut in 'Hay Fever' alongside Richard E Grant, so we had plenty to talk about. We heard about Christine growing up in a Polish-American family in Buffalo, her nana’s theatrical influence, the Christmas traditions she keeps alive with her own family, how she went from Broadway to becoming a television star in Cybill and also some fab on set stories from The Gilded Age and Mamma Mia - plus we get Christine’s take o...

This episode is absolute gold! Joining us for lunch this week it's the wonderful Stephen Graham! Stephen came over for a slightly chaotic brunch where I made a Meera Sodha gochujang & cheddar cornbread with bacon and eggs, and mum made a raspberry & blueberry tiramisu that sadly ended up on the kitchen floor… We heard all about Stephen growing up in Kirkby, his nana’s legendary Scouse, his childhood breakdancing crew, and the very romantic story of how he finally told his wife Hannah he loved her at New Cross station after five years of friendship (with benefits). Stephen also spok...

We are back! Series 19 is here and we’re kicking things off with the phenomenal Kelly Rowland! Fresh off a flight from LA, Kelly joined us for a chicken, peach & mint salad followed by a raspberry poke cake. We heard all about her Southern food roots, her mum’s legendary fried chicken & peach cobbler, coming to London with Destiny’s Child as a teenager where she tried sushi for the very first time, we also get the answer we’re all waiting for - whether we could ever see a Destiny’s Child reunion! Plus, we find out Kelly’s ultimate f...

What a belter of a guest for our Second Helpings finale! The wonderful, charming and funny Rob Brydon came to see us midway through his huge UK tour back in 2021; he popped over to mum’s for some spatchcock chicken, pecan pie (we recorded this episode on thanksgiving), a right old gossip and sing song. We spoke about Rob growing up in Wales, eating his grandma’s custard tarts, his comedy heroes, favourite food spots in London, ‘The Trip’, ‘mucus’ topping ‘moist’ as the worst word & life with 5 children! We end the episode with the biggest sing song we’ve ever had; mum’s ...

We’re travelling way back to 2019 and to close Series 8 of Table Manners we decided to get an absolute Christmas cracker in, the Mother of ALLLL mothers, the Mother of Dragons! After hearing this lady was a fan of the podcast I swooped in like a baby dragon and coaxed her with the promise of chicken soup (her request!) and she even broke her gluten free policy to sample mum's matzoh balls. We talk to our dream girl about her dear late dad's passion for food, salad in a bag, boarding school meals and setting up her charity, 'Same You...

Back in summer 2021 we welcomed actress, director and writer, the phenomenal Emerald Fennell round to Lennie’s for Tarragon Chicken and banana ice cream! We chat everything from her time in Call The Midwife, to writing & directing the absolute must-see Promising Young Woman and her latest venture at the time, writing Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical 'Cinderella’. She talks about meeting her husband in Paris, the art of getting a free Pret coffee and what she’s working on next. We loved having you Emerald and we’re still inviting ourselves over for a Fennell Eurovision / karaoke night!!

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This is a BIG one!!! Straight out of Nashville, the one and only Country ICON Dolly Parton joins us on Table Manners. We chatted to Dolly live from Nashville - dressed head to toe in festive gear - back in October 2020, before her beautiful book Storyteller had reached these shores and before we knew she had potentially helped cure covid with her generous donation to help fund a covid vaccine. As well as telling us all about cosying up with Michael Buble on her new christmas record ‘A Holly Dolly Christmas’ she talks to us about her upbringing in the...

(Warning, I think this guest swears more than me!) Before we entered Lockdown 2.0 in November 2020, we had the pleasure of high tea’ing with a young gentleman by the name of Yungblud at mum's. Whilst sipping on champagne and eating sausage rolls, Yungblud (real name Dominic) talks all about Hobnobs, Yorkshire tea & his mum’s Doncaster cake shop ‘Jaffa & Cakes’, named after the family sausage dog. He tells us about his rockstar lifestyle; hanging out in 'Hollyweird', nights out with Brooklyn Beckham, elephant tattoos & just wanting a pint of lager at Noma, the best restaurant in the world. Dominic has now rel...

While we’re on our summer break we’re diving back into the Table Manners archive to relive some of our favourite episodes from 18 amazing series! First up we’re remembering when we invited Callum Turner over for a fish dinner back in early 2020. After a mesmerising performance as Sean Emery in the BBC's The Capture, he was about to star in the new film 'Emma' playing Frank Churchill. We talked to the Londoner about growing up on a Chelsea estate with his Mum, who was a night club promoter, supporting Chelsea (🥴) all whilst eating sherry cod with tomatoes and butte...

It’s the final episode of series 18, and what a RIDE it’s been! We’ve got the wonderful James Norton taking this season out with a bang! James popped over for a summer barbecue while taking a break from filming the upcoming Beatles biopic in Spain. We heard all about growing up in Yorkshire, his family’s love of outdoor swimming, his mum’s legendary pavlova, the process of filming House of the Dragon, navigating living with Type 1 diabetes, and why tuna pasta in white sauce will always be his ultimate comfort meal. Thank you James for a fabulous s...

This week we’re joined by singer, songwriter, actress and model Suki Waterhouse! Suki came over on the hottest day of the year (so far!), and mum made a delicious refreshing Asian chicken soba noodle salad for lunch, and a fab gooseberry custard tart for pud. Suki told us about what it was like touring with a baby, her love of cauliflower cheese with baked beans, life in London while her partner Robert Pattinson films the new Batman, what it was like opening for Taylor Swift on tour, her tips for vintage & charity shopping, and she reveals her plastic su...

We’re so excited to welcome the brilliant Olivia Wilde to the table this week! Olivia joined us on a whirlwind world tour to promo her new film, The Invite, which she both directed and stars in alongside Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. Over a cheeseboard & jamón (iykyk), plus mum’s homemade apricot ice cream, we heard about Olivia growing up with journalist parents and their lively dinner parties, training to cook at Ballymaloe in Ireland, why she loves eating alone in restaurants, filming The Invite in sequence like a play and the unforgettable moment Penélope C...

Superstar singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams pulls up a seat at the podcast table this week! Ahead of the release of her new album, we caught up with Gracie over brunch where mum whipped up a dutch baby with smoked salmon. Gracie told us about how she finds comfort in cooking while on tour, the meals she always requests when she's back home, the magic of performing live, and how she thought Taylor Swift messaging her was actually a prank! Plus, Gracie reveals the delicious caramelised leeks she’s obsessed with right now. Thank you for a lovely morning Gracie, Daughter Fr...

This week the brilliant Indira Varma joins us for brunch. Known for her roles in Game of Thrones, The Night Manager, The Capture and now starring in the all-female production of Glengarry Glen Ross at The Old Vic, Indira popped over to New Cross and immediately became one of our dream foodie guests! We heard all about growing up in Bath with an Indian father and Swiss mother, the cabbage and peanut curry her dad taught her to make, working with friend of the podcast Ralph Fiennes, how theatre still gives her a thrill after all these years, and...

In Strictly fabulous news, this week we’re joined by dance goddess, Oti Mabuse! Oti was beloved on Strictly Come Dancing in the UK, but she is also now head judge on the Irish version Dancing With the Stars - on top of that she is an author, presenter, podcaster and this week she has announced the wonderful news that she is pregnant with her second child! We heard all about Oti growing up in Pretoria and the delicious South African food her family would cook, being a destined dancer from age 4, competing in Blackpool from age 11, being best ma...

The fabulous Jeff Goldblum pulls up a seat at the table this week. In the midst of his whirlwind tour of promoting his brand new album, Night Blooms, Jeff popped over to New Cross for lunch. A master storyteller, we heard about Jeff’s love of working in the UK, how he met his contortionist wife, why filming Wicked made him pescatarian, the food his family cooked while growing up, and we find out the answer to the ultimate question - ‘at what age should you show your kids the Jurassic Park films?’. Jeff is about to embark on a UK...

Ciao to all of our listeners, and benvenuto to our next guest, the fabulous Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli! We’re so excited to be part of Giorgio's big announcement that he is set to be the new judge on Celebrity Masterchef on BBC One later this year! Mum took up the challenge of cooking for this Michelin star chef, and she even had a helping hand from the master himself. Not only is Giorgio an incredible chef, but he definitely needs his own Italian travel series too - we heard all about the very best places to visit in It...

We are so happy to be joined by award winning comedy writer Jack Rooke on the podcast this week! Fresh from his BAFTA win for his beautiful comedy series ‘Big Boys’ (and still suffering from a 2 day hangover), Jack joined us for brunch to celebrate the occasion. Jack is in the midst of preparing for the return of his comedy show ‘Good Grief’, and we talked about how comedy helped him with the loss of his dad when he was a teen. We also covered meeting Celie Imrie, rating gifted lasagnes, his love of working in Paris, his dream of Chris...

This week we have Ralph Fiennes joining us for lunch! Ralph came over to talk about the new David Hare play he helped bring to life, Grace Pervades. We were swept up in stories of Victorian theatre, Italian food, Catholicism, and growing up as the eldest of six in a very artistic family. Over Mum’s Greek chicken and lemon potatoes, Ralph talked about post-show rituals, his obsession with simple fresh food, cooking Ottolenghi lamb in lockdown, and why a filthy martini with a blue cheese olive is “blasphemy”. Ralph, we just wish you could’ve stayed for a glass of...

This week we have the fantastic James Graham joining us for lunch! James came by to talk about his award winning play, Dear England coming to the BBC. Over lunch, we covered everything from growing up in a Nottinghamshire mining village and telly dinners, to the huge Sunday roasts his family loved. We also chatted about Gareth Southgate, turning football into theatre, his love of musicals, the Polish soup disaster that put him off hosting, and his very romantic passion for whisky. James was such a thoughtful guest, we are such fans of his work and we absolutely loved...

We’ve got political comedy superstar Nish Kumar joining us for lunch this week! Nish is a political satirist, podcaster, comedian & TV host and he is fresh in from the USA where he has been on testing out his brand new tour, ‘Angry Humour From A Really Nice Guy’. Over lunch, we covered everything from creating the podcast 'Pod Save The UK', the delicious Keralan food his grandma made him when he was younger, where he will be eating around the UK on his tour, hosting a travel show with friend of the podcast Joel Dommett, where to find the bes...

Food meets comedy this week as we have comedian and Great British Menu judge Phil Wang joining us! Born and raised in Malaysia, Phil is now a local south London resident and he took a break from judging Michelin star chefs to join us for lunch. A real foodie, we heard all about the delicious dishes Phil ate growing up in Asia, his thoughts on a Yorkshire pudding & chip shop curry sauce, the ‘Slurpies’ awards he created on Twitter (rating the best noodle spots), his go to ice breaker of ranking favourite carbs, how he navigated moving from engineering to co...

This week we’re joined by the wonderful Dame Kristin Scott Thomas for lunch! Kristin came by to talk about her beautiful new film My Mother’s Wedding, and over lunch we covered everything from growing up in a family of five children and her mum’s cooking, to leaving drama school and being sent to France as an au pair. We also chatted about acting in French, auditioning for the incomparable Prince’s Under the Cherry Moon (and kissing Prince), and reuniting with the incredible Scarlett Johansson on the new film. Kristin was such a warm and fascinating guest, a...

This week we have the excellent Kae Tempest joining us for lunch! Kae came by to talk about his beautiful new novel Having Spent Life Seeking. Over lunch, we covered everything from growing up in Lewisham in a big blended family, to music, poetry and the writing process. We also chatted about cooking scallop spaghetti for his girlfriend and giving up sugar, cigarettes and alcohol for Lent. Kae, we loved having you over; a fantastic guest and an enriching, gorgeous afternoon. Kae’s book is available to pre-order now, out April 30th.

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This week we were joined by the brilliant Lisa Kudrow, who came by to chat about the new season of The Comeback. Over lunch we talked about everything from acting opposite her son Julian in the new series, the inspiration behind Valerie Cherish, filming Friends in front of a live audience, to growing up in Tarzana and her mum’s roast chicken with parmesan, garlic and paprika. We also discovered her sweet tooth, her love of KFC, the famous Jennifer Aniston salad, the reason she gave up cooking and the comfort foods she craved while pregnant. Thank you Lisa fo...

We have podcasters, presenters and entrepreneurs, Jamie Laing & Sophie Habboo joining us for lunch this week! Hosts of the NearlyParents podcast & stars of Made In Chelsea, Jamie and Sophie have welcomed their son Ziggy into the Laing family and the cameras followed the full story in their documentary Raising Chelsea. We chatted to Jamie & Sophie about how they met, the literal sparks that flew, what it’s like being a sweet & chocolate entrepreneur, how Jamie became a marathon master, the Iraqi food Sophie grew up with, and we share all of our tales of birthing stories, including mums! Jamie & So...

We’re still pinching ourselves that we had the absolutely legendary Chaka Khan join us this week! Chaka arrived fresh in from visiting a local school, and she brought her gorgeous sister Tammy & daughter Dana along with her too. Over mum’s delicious afternoon tea we talked all about the phenomenal career Chaka has had, including her upcoming album and brand new musical ‘I’m Every Woman’ launching in the UK. We heard about her skincare routine (our fave topic!), living in Georgia with her family, her dislike of touring, how she became Sia’s godmother, the food served at Nelson Ma...

This week, we have the legendary singer and cruise extraordinaire, Jane McDonald! Jane arrived with a gorgeous bunch of flowers in hand and mum & I instantly fell in love with her. We talked about everything from her life on the cruise ships (and the secret crew parties), performing everywhere from Blackpool to Vegas, learning to dance with her dad, growing up in a police lodging house, her tips for the perfect gravy and we discover that she is also her own manager - there’s no end to her skills! Jane is welcome to join us for lunch anytime, ma...

It’s a family affair this week, we have acting royalty Kurt Russell with his son Wyatt Russell here to talk about the brand new series of their hit Apple TV show. We’ve already had Wyatt’s sister Kate Hudson join us, we’re only a few steps away from ticking off the full family (Goldie next?). We covered everything from Kurt being a trained pilot, Wyatt never wanting to become an actor, their joint phobia of spiders, eating ready meals while filming in Australia, being wine & cocktail entrepreneurs, and we even find out that Wyatt took his very firs...

It’s a pop emergency this week as we have Hilary Duff joining us on the podcast! Fresh from her smash sell out London show, Hilary joined us for lunch to talk about her brand new album ‘Luck… Or Something’. We chatted about being a mum of 4, growing up in Texas, we swapped sourdough starter tips, heard about writing the album with her husband, she shared her thoughts on being compared to Sabrina Carpenter, where to eat in LA, and Hilary confesses she actually stopped at Brick Lane for a quick bagel en route to the recording! We can’t wait to...

This week we have science guru, maths mastermind - and owner of the best hair of all time - Professor Hannah Fry! Hannah is a TV host, university professor, AI consultant, social media superstar, and now she adds another string to her bow as the face of the new podcast series ‘The Rest is Science’. Over a delicious lunch we covered everything from Korean skincare routines, to cooking her ex-mother in law’s Indian recipes, her dreams of being a hairdresser, the science behind the best Yorkshire pudding, dabbling in stand up comedy, and we hear about the classic ‘Irish Mi...

The fabulous Emma Corrin joins us on the podcast this week! Straight from Heathrow - where they had just landed from LA - we welcome Emma home with a Kitty Coles asian style roast chicken. We all know Emma from playing Princess Diana in 'The Crown', to Elizabeth Bennet in the new TV series of 'Pride & Prejudice', Emma knows how to do iconic. We talked all about their latest starring role in the fantasy-romance film ‘100 Nights of Hero’, splitting their childhood between Kent & South Africa, having to very reluctantly give up dairy, being rejected from RADA acting school, and thei...

It’s a huge one this week, we have superstar Margot Robbie coming home to Clapham! Fresh from the Eurostar after the Parisian premiere for her new film ‘Wuthering Heights’ (starring Jacob Elordi and directed by friend of the pod, the gorgeous Emerald Fennell) Margot was exactly what we always dreamed she would be; a gem of a guest and gorgeous human! We talked about the juggle with producing and acting in films, the food she ate growing up (including ‘Fivesies’ and 'Bogan Narrrrchos’), how her own gin ‘Papa Salt’ came to be, teaching Bette Midler about ‘Gavin & Stacey’, the bachelorette part...

We’re in the presence of royalty this week, it’s award winning actress (and phenomenal Queen Elizabeth II) Claire Foy! Mum really pulled out all the stops to make the most regal of afternoon teas for our star of 'The Crown' - homemade madeleines, mini trifles and even coronation chicken sandwiches. Claire is fresh from making her latest film 'H is for Hawk' and we heard all about the training process she went through to become a Goshawk handler. We also discover Claire is a sucker for a dessert, would love to star in Six The Musical, is always surp...

We have award winning actor Bryan Cranston on the podcast this week! He’s the star of Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle and is currently starring in the West End in the play All My Sons. He popped round for lunch before his show that evening. We covered everything from working with Tom Hanks, his love of TV dinners, creating a Mezcal brand with Aaron Paul, embracing his fatherly role on every set, his daily routine for London’s West End, filming The Studio with Seth Rogen & Catherine O’Hara and we hear what it was like when he tried...

This week, we’re joined by the ultimate dream duo Alan Carr and Amanda Holden! It’s Alan’s second time joining us on Table Manners and since we last saw him, he’s become a winning Traitor and has just released the third season of his sitcom, Changing Ends. He’s joined by his work wife Amanda, who is celebrating her 20th anniversary as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and is one of the leading voices on Heart Breakfast. Over lunch, we drank lots of wine and enjoyed Ixta Belfrage’s delicious Celebration Salmon while chatting about Amanda & Alan’...