What if we all saw age, not as a barrier, but as a new beginning? Featuring sparkling conversation from vintage minds, The Third Act is a podcast that celebrate...
Penelope Tree is as engaging a podcast guest as she is a debut novelist, captivating listeners with her intelligent candour and timeless elegance. Her reflections on her teenage and young adult years, filled with both glamour and grit, serve as the foundation for Piece of Your Heart—a novel that vividly captures the soaring highs and the frankly hellish lows of the 1960s fashion world. To pen such an accomplished debut novel in her 70s is not only an incredible achievement but also a source of inspiration. It’s a reminder that creativity knows no age and that it’s never too late to embrace new ambitions and share your story. It’s a novel and a story, that makes you feel there’s hope for us all.
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36:42
Bruce Weber
Over drinks and the sound of clinking ice at Auriens, host Catherine Fairweather meets Bruce en route to his first major retrospective in Prague. He reflects on shaping the zeitgeist of the eighties and nineties with his sometimes provocative yet always glamorous campaigns for Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Bruce muses on a show that celebrates the unique relationships he forged with his subjects, from the late Stella Tennant, whom he deeply admired, to Kate Moss and countless others. We discuss how fortunate we were to experience the glory days of print journalism—and the unfortunate ways in which 9/11 truly marked the end of an era. Stay tuned for his favourite poem to live by at the end.
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30:12
Bill Nighy
In this episode of The Third Act, Catherine Fairweather sits down over tea at Auriens Chelsea with British film and style icon, Bill Nighy. Together, they dive into his upcoming role in Joy, in which he portrays pioneering IVF surgeon Patrick Steptoe. Nighy also reflects on the highs and lows of life on stage, sharing candid stories about stage fright and the pressures of live performance. Join us for a droll conversation with 'a national treasure', whose dry and, sometimes, irreverent wit; and whose immaculate sense of timing has engaged audiences for decades.
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34:17
Dame Sheila Hancock
At 91, Dame Sheila Hancock reflects on a life rich in experiences which have sometimes tested, sometimes burnished her resilient and independent spirit. Known for her dynamic career on stage and screen— Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas—Dame Sheila has spent the more recent decades captivating a new audience of readers with her writing and sharp wit, the most recent being the captivating memoir of a long life well lived in Old Rage. Yet her drive extends well beyond the arts; Sheila is something of an activist and campaigner, whose life is as powered by compassion and espousing causes as it is a restless thirst for knowledge. This episode offers an inspiring glimpse into the wisdom, humour, and tenacity of one of the UK’s most talented Dames.
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39:34
Pattie Boyd
Host, Catherine Fairweather, is joined by the wonderful Pattie Boyd in warm confessional mode. In this episode, she’s honest about the flip side of celebrity, the sense of feeling invisible as a model in an era when you were judged purely on how you looked, and the highs and lows of being married to famous rockstars George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Motherhood is elusive but we explore how Pattie Boyd finds purpose and direction, particularly in her later years, with photography and travelling.
What if we all saw age, not as a barrier, but as a new beginning? Featuring sparkling conversation from vintage minds, The Third Act is a podcast that celebrates later life – by putting it centre-stage.
Each episode, writer and journalist Catherine Fairweather chats to some of the world’s most experienced artists, adventurers, actors and entrepreneurs – hearing tales of triumphs and setbacks, exploring the intimate secrets of a life well lived and unpacking tricks for ageing gracefully (or otherwise). Over lunch at the sumptuous Culfords restaurant in Auriens Chelsea, each guest reflects openly and honestly about how they are redefining later living and embracing
life’s next act. Warm, witty and invariably wise, this series will leave you with the strong belief that the best is yet to come.
The Third Act is brought to you by Auriens – a luxury residence in Chelsea that redefines later living.
UK