The Gentleman‘s Journal Podcast

George Ezra, singer

George Ezra is a singer, songwriter, and perhaps the loveliest and most thoughtful man in pop music. He is about to release his third album — The Gold Rush Kid — a record he says is his most personal and honest yet. But it is also a huge amount of fun, of course — that sort of sun-baked perfection that George does so uniquely well.

In a highly enjoyable conversation, we spoke about the origins of his remarkable voice; the weirdness of social media; and how he almost lost a foot (sort of) while walking the length of the British Isles.

Munya Chawawa: “I’m just waiting for Matt Hancock to challenge me to a celebrity boxing match…”

Munya Chawawa is the brilliant comedian and satirist whose viral videos have skewered the likes of Matt Hancock (in a memorable cover of Shaggy’s ‘It Wasn’t Me’), Piers Morgan, Will Smith, Nigella Lawson, vacuous influencers, American YouTubers, and most of the current cabinet. He is also the host of Race around Britain, a documentary series for which he was nominated for a Bafta just last week, while in 2021 he was nominated for a MOBO award for best media personality. He is also the hardest working man in show business, I think, and quite possibly the nicest, too.

In a thoroughly entertaining episode, Munya tells us how he pretended to be Idris Elba’s son in order to get an agent; what having a million followers does to your brain chemistry; what the back of Olivia Colman’s head looks like; and how middle-aged Lithuanian women might just be central to his success.  

”A sunny industry for shady people” – Inside the world of Oligart

On the latest episode of Overheard at the Clubhouse, regular contributor Harry Shukman talks us through his piece about Oligart: a story of how the art market helped launder the reputations of the kleptocratic classes — and created a modern monster in the process.

 

 

Ollie Dabbous, Head Chef at HIDE: ”It’s a pretty extreme existence, the life of a chef...”

Ollie Dabbous is the head chef at HIDE, the beautiful, Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking Green Park in London. Having worked his way up through some of the most renowned and intimidating kitchens in the world, Ollie burst onto the scene with his eponymous restaurant Dabbous in 2012 when he was just 31, quickly becoming a truly darling of the London food scene and gaining a reputation as one of its hardest working chefs. 

 

In a highly enjoyable episode of the Gentleman's Journal Podcast, Ollie tells us about the dish that changed his career forever; what it’s like to be at the mercy of the nation’s restaurant critics; and why Pret a Manger will always hold a very special place in his heart.

Oliver Bullough, Investigative journalist: ”If anyone really cares, they’ll just kill me. So why worry about it?”

Oliver Bullough is the author of Butler to the World: How Britain became the servant of tycoons, tax dodgers, kleptocrats and criminals.

The book does exactly what it says on the tin, as they probably don’t say in Moscow: it tells the story of how, as the British empire declined, we found a new role for ourselves — as a Jeeves to a series of oligarchical Woosters: laundering their reputations, hiding their money offshore, providing them with legal counsel, schools and lordships; and only now realising that perhaps that wasn’t always such a good idea.

Released just last month, in March 2022, It’s hard to think of a more timely or poignant book — and in one of my favourite ever episodes of the podcast, Oliver tells us the story of the Ukrainian gas mogul who bought a defunct tube station; how gambling in this country has become our equivalent of the opioid epidemic; and the mantra that a school pupil taught him that might just sum up his entire career. Enjoy.

“If I can’t look after a plant, how am I meant to look after a child!?” — Freddie Blackett, founder of Patch Plants

Our guest on today’s episode is Freddie Blackett, founder of Patch Plants. Freddie set up the company back in 2015, after discovering that he couldn’t find any decent plants that would survive on his small balcony in suburban London. Since then, Patch has become the purveyor of a very particular millennial status symbol, dragging the houseplant from its 1970s doldrums, and transforming it into a cultural phenomenon all of its own. This is a classic start up story — neat, disruptive idea; buckets of hard work; lovely branding; success. Although it’s never quite as simple as that, as Freddie explains. In a very fun episode of the podcast, Freddie explains how caring for houseplants spurred an existential crisis in him; why the unpleasant taste of Red Bull is oddly inspiring; and the overlooked secret to keeping your own plants alive forever. Enjoy!  

Does Hollywood have a steroid problem? Overheard at the Clubhouse

The use of Performance enhancing drugs — or PEDs — may well be the movie industry's worst kept secret, according to contributor Harry Shukman. It's the only way that many of today’s leading men could cook up those superhero abs at such short notice, as a host of industry insiders reveal. Today on Overheard at the Clubhouse, we discuss the effect these treatments can have on the stars themselves; the wider impact on the rest of us; and the mysterious, shadowy omèrta that surrounds this dark art — and why it persists today. 

Overheard at the Clubhouse tells the stories behind the stories in Gentleman's Journal magazine and beyond.

NFTs: An Insider’s Guide

NFT: the three most befuddling and bemusing letters in the modern English language. Depending on who you ask, that pesky acronym either contains the future of all financial security, innovation and investment; or is simply a passing fad, characterised by geeky internet artwork, the worst kind of speculation, and a thousand dinner party bores. The truth, of course, is much more complex and much more fascinating than either of those definitions. And in today's episode, Harry Jarman, founder of Gentleman's Journal, sits down with three industry experts to get their insider take on the field, their thoughts on where it's about to go next, and their actual useful advice for anyone looking to jump aboard. 

Lord John Bird, Founder of The Big Issue: ”The only way you can get out of the sticky stuff is by devoting yourself”

"I never felt sorry for a homeless person in my life. You've got to use that energy trying to sort them out..."

Lord John Bird is the founder of The Big Issue — the revolutionary street magazine which turned 30 last year. Lord Bird’s story is fascinating. He grew up in one of the roughest slums in London, was homeless at the age five, and found himself in and out of prison several times before the age of 18. (It was here, in fact, that  he first encountered a printing press.) Today, the Big Issue is the world’s most distributed street paper — a project that has given millions of homeless people not just a solid income, but also a way back into society — and Bird himself is a hugely respected member of the House of Lords. In a brilliant episode of the podcast, he takes us on a journey from the slums of Notting Hill to the highest chambers in the land — via the tumultuous and sometimes raucous early days of the Big Issue, the new pressures of the pandemic, and an inside view on the political climate of the moment. 

Shooting Francis Bourgeois, with Photographer Isaac Marley Morgan

Francis Bourgeois is the trainspotter turned TikTokker turned overnight national treasure, and our February 2022 cover star. Here, photographer Isaac Marley Morgan tells us what it was like to shoot him. Choo choo!

Overheard at the Clubhouse is our new series where we tell the stories behind the stories in Gentleman's Journal magazine and beyond.