Unlikely Friends

"Which version of Happy Birthday are we going to sing?!"
Leigh Francis, Emma Bunton, Jade Jones and Jill Francis get into celebrity encounters, starstruck moments and some seriously big names, including Michael Jackson and Prince.
This week on Unlikely Friends, the gang start with a chat about TV theme tunes and why birthday songs on telly always sound slightly wrong. Then Roxy returns with a very sensible question about how to revise and do well in exams, which may be the wrong podcast for serious academic guidance, although Emma does manage to turn a bit of Spice Girls wisdom into surprisingly useful exam advice.
Leigh, Emma, Jade and Jill also reveal who they have been most starstruck by, with name-dropping galore, embarrassing celebrity meet stories and a listener confession about once spotting Jade in the public domain and only being able to shout, “Hey, it’s Jade from Damage!” Plus, Emma and Jade remember the moment they first met, and why Emma decided to go down the forward route.
Unlikely Friends is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Tell your mum, don't tell the council.

"Well he rimmed me..."
Tony Pitts joins Leigh Francis, Emma Bunton, Jade Jones and Jill Francis for a very dry Unlikely Friends question: what’s wrong with you and what do you want?
This week on Unlikely Friends, Tony Pitts, star of All Creatures Great and Small, or just All Creatures if you’re in the know, brings a question that sends the gang deeper than expected. There is talk of feeling down, feeling anxious, feeling tired and generally being 50-something, with everyone getting unusually honest about what is going on in their heads.
Leigh, Emma, Jade and Jill also get into Stanley Tucci, microphone muffs, and whether the right bit of fluffy kit could have helped Jade avoid picking up a cold sore while performing the other night. Plus, as always, things take a turn that no one could have predicted from the words “what’s wrong with you?”
Unlikely Friends is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Tell your mum, don't tell the council.

"What came first the colour orange or the fruit orange?"
Leigh Francis, Emma Bunton, Jade Jones and Jill Francis tackle one of life’s great listener questions, before spiralling into hairlines, big fears, pregnancy changes and the generational mystery of why kids don’t dance at parties anymore. This week on Unlikely Friends, Jade explains why growing his hair out might not be the best idea, Lee reveals why he would never concede to going bald, and Leigh has his forehead measured. Lee also reflects on his birthday celebrations and admits he may have got a little bit too drunk.
Jill and Emma give a brilliantly honest look at what can happen during pregnancy, from hair growing and falling out to feet, noses and heads changing. Plus, the gang finally discover the word for a fear of big things, Lee shares which oversized objects scare him this time, and everyone gets into a proper Gen X versus kids today debate about dancing, parties and communication. Unlikely Friends is a Global Original podcast.
Tell your mum, don't tell the council.

“And all of a sudden, in slow motion, I grabbed his cheeks…”
Emma Bunton reveals how she met Leonardo DiCaprio on Unlikely Friends, as Leigh Francis, Jade Jones and Jill Francis are joined by questions from Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash.
This week, Unlikely Friends’ first couple contributors Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash ask the gang which character they wish they had invented. Emma easily takes the win with the best answer, while Joe somehow manages to answer his own question terribly.
Also in this episode: Joe Swash reveals his celebrity crush is Emma Bunton, Emma shares the story of meeting her own celebrity crush Leonardo DiCaprio, and the conversation takes a very Unlikely Friends turn.
Unlikely Friends is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Tell your Mum, don’t tell the Council.

"Welcome to our new podcast - called DOGGING"
Leigh Francis, Emma Bunton, Jade Jones and Jill Francis are back for a Bank Holiday bumper episode of Unlikely Friends, with radio voices, 90s TV nostalgia, marathon stories and a very divisive Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? question.
This week, the friends discuss Leigh’s radio voice, whether he could ever truly crack the airwaves, and why his self-deprecating style might be getting in the way. There’s also a trip back to 90s Saturday morning and kids’ TV, with Zoe Ball, Denise Van Outen, Jenny Powell, Cat Deeley and Blue Peter all mentioned.
Also in this episode: Emma Bunton’s radio voice, what it would feel like to lose your voice, last week’s marathon, Emma’s lovely story about her nephew, and Pauline the Pineapple causing chaos with the question: who from Unlikely Friends would you take on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Plus, the friends answer a more sensitive question — when was your last cry? — leading to a surprisingly vulnerable moment from Leigh.
Unlikely Friends is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Tell your Mum, don’t tell the Council.