Brits In The Wood Podcast

You know Jeff Cohen as the 10 year old kid who played Chunk in Steven Speilberg’s 1985 blockbuster film The Goonies. It was a scene-stealing performance that should have sent him on the path to mega stardom. Instead Chunk became a hunk. He lost the weight, his voice started to change and the work dried up. “Puberty is the ultimate nemesis for a child actor – and puberty kicked me in the gut,” he says. “It felt like: ‘What am I going to do now? I’m going to be a has-been at 14 years old?’” But Goonies never say die and in true Goonies style, Jeff still conquered Hollywood… but on the other side of the camera. He attended law school, worked hard and is now a leading entertainment lawyer representing the biggest names in film and TV at his own Beverly Hills based law firm, Cohen Gardner LLP. He’s also a distinguished lecturer and active writer. His recent book – ‘The Dealmaker’s Ten Commandments’ provides a practical, no-nonsense methodology for negotiating deals, managing your time and handling crisis, all a

  She shot to fame playing Dawn Tinsley, the receptionist in the British version of ‘The Office’. But after switching Slough for the States, Lucy Davis is now rubbing shoulders with superstars AND superheroes in Hollywood. You’ll have seen her in a host of films and TV shows but perhaps the most exciting to date is this year’s blockbuster in which she stars along side Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman playing Wonder Woman’s best friend Etta Candy. Having grown up amongst show biz gods - her father being British comedy mega star Jasper Carrott, Lucy is no stranger to fame. But life hasn’t been all plain sailing for our guest. She was diagnosed with kidney failure which resulted in her own mother donating her a kidney and she’s had a very public battle with anorexia and bulimia.   In this show, Lucy chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about finally being 'at peace' with her body, gaining great comfort from the practice of Reconnective Healing and how her Grandmother is keeping an eye on her from the other s

  Our guest today is a pap - in fact he’s one of the most qualified and highest paid shooters in the business. He’s not only captured the world’s most famous stars in some of their most infamous moments - but his family also owns one of the biggest agencies (WENN) which sell the pics on to magazines and news networks across the world. No-one knows the paparazzi business OR the stars themselves like Owen Beiny. He’ll hand out $10,000 every morning to LA’s maître d’s and parking valets for celeb sighting tips. Then thanks to his omnipresent cameras and beating LA traffic by travelling in the ‘pap lane’ (the other side of the road), Owen and his team are on the scene to capture celebs on camera - documenting their triumphs and tragedies, their breakups and meltdowns, and just about everything in between. In this show, Owen chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about being thrown in jail after chasing Britney Spears, making Jennifer Anniston a promise, defending some of his more controversial shots and h

Funny man Jay Davis is a comedy promoter / producer second to none who hosts the hottest comedy shows in LA. His legendary nights always attract the biggest names in comedy such as Jim Jefferies, Dane Cook, Dave Chappelle, Adam Devine, Chris D’elia, Bill Burr, Lisa Lampanelli and Jamie Kennedy to name but a few – and often in front of star studded Hollywood audiences. A successful comic and actor in his own right, Jay has appeared on a host of TV favourites such as Boston Legal, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Comedy Central’s Tosh.O. But it was starring with Dane Cook in ‘Tourgasm’ a 30-day cross-country-tour-turned-reality-show on HBO which garnered him nationwide attention and led to performing to packed out stadiums across the country. In this show, Jay chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about once having Jackass’ Johnny Knoxville as a roommate, giving Dane Cook his first 7 minutes on stage, finding the funny when you’re shackled to a bed and the secret tunnels under Sunset Boulevard. Don’t miss this fu

We certainly all loved him when he played Sanjay Kapoor in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders – a role he played for five years which turned him into a household name. However, Deepak Verma is also a very successful writer, television producer, film producer and entrepreneur. In fact, earlier this year he was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services to the arts in the Queen’s Honours List – a distinction which reflects his incredible talent and achievements to date. For since EastEnders, Deepak has continued to act but he also launched his own successful film and television production company - Pukkanasha Films specialising in innovative and offbeat feature films by drawing on diverse cultural backgrounds - particularly Indian and Western. His film 'Mumbai Charlie', about a community in India who worship Charlie Chaplin, recently won an award at the Honolulu Film awards and they are currently producing a film version of 'Wuthering Heights' set in India. In

The millennial world of social media is a hotbed of breaking new talent and we have three of the frontrunners on this week’s pod. If you’re on social media – which let’s face it, who isn’t? – you’ll have probably seen Woody and Kleiny “Stick it in that old thing” and the gorgeous Brookelyn kissing strangers and stroking random men’s beards (much to their delight!). Our three guests today are social media superstars and their original comedic sketches, pranks and social experiments are enjoyed by millions across the globe. It all started for entertainment duo - Woody and Kleiny when Simon Cowell called them “the new Ant-y and Dec-y” on Britain’s Got Talent. Since then the best buds have become online celebrities by performing impressive feats such as throwing hats on each other’s heads from insanely difficult angles and pulling hilarious pranks which are uploaded to the web for their millions of fans. Stunning Scottish lass Brooke Lynette - known on social media as ‘Brookelyn’ - also regularly appears in Woody

How does a kid from Hartlepool end up in America, flying the world's most expensive fighter jet F22 stealth aircraft? Daniel Robinson did exactly that - he was the first British pilot qualified to fly the supersonic jet which pilots refer to as 'almost like God.' Putting it simply… he went to Top Gun and being the only Brit - of course his call sign was Bond.   After the military he earned his MBA and moved to New York City to work in private wealth management. But a family tragedy called for our high-flyer to return to England and rescue his family business from bankruptcy. He turned the company around and became the UK’s SME businessman of the year in the process.    Dan Robinson’s story is an inspirational example of following your dreams and achieving greatness - even when it doesn't all go to plan. We feel the need, the need for speed with pilot, businessman and Jiu-Jitsu extraordinaire - the very eloquent, handsome and new Brit actor in the Wood, Dan Robinson. Don’t miss this adrenaline fuelled episode…

What’s it like growing up as the daughter of genuine comedy royalty - and to forge your own career on the comedy circuit? Camilla Cleese should know - she’s the daughter of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers legend - John Cleese. She’s now based in Los Angeles, and a comedian, writer and actor in her own right - but spills the beans on which Python is her favourite (clue…it’s not her dad!), and which of his films he’s least proud of - and the pranks they play on each other.  At 6ft 1in and stunningly beautiful, she certainly looks like she should be strutting down a Victoria Secret runway but she is in fact becoming a firm fixture on LA’s comedy circuit. In recent years she’s been working with and learning from her famous father - writing and performing in a number of tours and various other projects with him. They co-penned the musical stage adaptation of the film, 'A Fish Called Wanda’ and she worked as a writer on the very first ‘Just For Laughs International Comedy Gala’ at the Sydney Opera House.  In this sh

  As if growing up being Kim Kardashian’s BFF isn’t cool enough – these days Nikki Lund is also a singer / songwriter, has styled some of the world’s biggest celebrities, is head of her own global fashion empire and is also a new mother. In the age of multi hyphenates – Nikki Lund is leading the pack. An LA native, Nikki spent years honing her songwriting skills with Hollywood’s finest and has recently enjoyed a Billboard hit record and signed with Madonna’s label Maverick. However, the visionary fashion entrepreneur also serves as the driving force and designer behind global brands such as Eccentric Symphony, Nikki Lund, White Trash Beautiful and Nikki Rich - the latter which she launched with her then boyfriend and business partner, Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora. In this show, Nikki chats to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant about her childhood bestie Kim Kardashian, her rock star ex Richie Sambora, her new single, her fashion empire and basically being the ultimate LA cool girl… http://www.Ni

  Lady Victoria Hervey is known for being a model, aristocrat, ‘It Girl’ and was the author of the popular party animal diary column 'Victoria's Secrets' in The Sunday Times, which gave readers an insight into the life of a London socialite. Daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, Lady Victoria led a privileged life, was seen at all the best events and notably modelled for Christian Dior, However, in a bid to escape her non-stop party lifestyle, Lady Victoria moved to LA in 2004. These days she is embracing a new direction in her career launching her own bikini line and as an author. Her first fiction novel ‘Lady in Waiting’ is semi-autobiographical – and follows the story of Lady Frederica Felton’s adventures from the hijinks of boarding school to the glamour of the Hollywood Hills. Lady Victoria is no stranger to reality TV either, having already appeared on Love Island, The Farm, The Jump and Celebrity Big Brother. She’s also a contestant on a forthcoming ITV2 reality show this autumn - “Celebrity Showman

Actor Charlie Clapham said goodbye to Channel 4 teen soap Hollyoaks earlier this year, in emotional scenes which saw him shed real tears.   After four years playing lead character Freddie Roscoe, he left on a cliff-hanger and now Hollyoaks’ loss is Hollywood’s gain. Charlie swapped his home town of Leicester for Los Angeles, to fulfill his dreams of becoming a movie star.   He's already partied with Will Smith and Jim Carrey and ignored Russell Brand at the urinals, as he reveals to Brits In The Wood on this week's podcast.  He also explains to Caroline Feraday and Claire Bullivant his secret skill... how to perfectly pierce a nipple. Ouch.    https://www.facebook.com/CharlieClaphamUK/ http://www.kazbahonline.com https://twitter.com/charlieclapham https://twitter.com/KazbahLeicester https://www.instagram.com/charlieclapham91/ https://twitter.com/felixdewolfe http://www.beachfinancialgroup.com http://www.britsinthewood.com/listen

  In a city of sycophants, one man is calling us out for Keeping Up With The Kardashians and begging us to stop making stupid people famous. Plastic Jesus - dubbed the Banksy of LA - hit the international headlines when he built a wall around Donald Trump's Hollywood star of fame - but his work was familiar to many in the city before that... even if they didn't realise it. The British-born artist - who strongly guards his identity - is known for his renegade street art popping up all over the city.  He specialises in bold stencil and installation work, inspired by world news events, society, the urban environment, culture and politics. His critically acclaimed work combines humour, irony, criticism and unique opinion to create art that engages on many levels. You may also remember his ‘No more heroes’ piece featuring disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong connected to an IV drip which caught the world’s attention and was featured by many media organisations including CNN, the BBC, The Daily Mail and Huffington pos

Elegant, worldly and alluring, Victoria Summer has been turning heads in Hollywood over the last few years with her timeless look and undeniable talent.  Victoria appeared as the iconic 'Julie Andrews' in Walt Disney's Saving Mr. Banks (2013) opposite Tom Hanks. Then shortly after, she won a supporting role in Paramount Pictures' Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) directed by Michael Bay. Last year she played the lead female role in Game of Aces (2016) opposite Chris Klein. Victoria chats to Caroline and Claire about arriving in Hollywood in 2012 with nothing but two suitcases and a dream. She explains how it was belief, hard work and possibly chopping all her hair off that led to her becoming one of today’s Hollywood leading ladies. Victoria Summer is Hollywood's next big thing, a future icon - you won't want to miss this episode...   http://www.victoriasummer.com http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2408572/ https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaSummerEntertainment https://www.instagram.com/victoriasummer/ https:

Jim Tavaré is an internationally acclaimed actor and comedian with a highly distinguished career. He played Tom the Innkeeper in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and has the honour of being named as Prince Charles’ favourite comedian. He also holds the distinction of being the only overseas act ever to reach the final of NBC's ‘Last Comic Standing’ here in America. Earlier this year - just when Jim’s career was at an all time high - he had a horrific 'head on' car crash in Los Angeles. Narrowly escaping death Jim suffered a broken neck, a punctured lung, 15 broken ribs, two broken clavicles, a broken sternum, a fractured wrist, a smashed up femur, fibula and tibia, had a new metal heel, ankle and four blood transfusions. Caroline and Claire catch up with Jim to find out how this formidable Brit in the Wood is doing.    http://www.britsinthewood.com/listen https://www.facebook.com/jim.tavare https://www.gofundme.com/JimTavare https://twitter.com/jimtavare https://www.facebook.com/jim.tavare http:

Michelle Collins must have one of the most recognisable faces in the UK as over the last 30 years she’s had long, prominent and starring roles in two of the nation’s favourite soaps – AND with some of the juiciest story lines. First she was stalking the Square in EastEnders as bad girl Cindy Beale and then she was conquering the cobbles in Coronation Street as Stella Price, landlady of the Rovers Return. However, she’s also done a plethora of other TV, film and theatrical work including baring ‘nearly’ all in Calendar Girls on the West End, drinking elephant urine with Bear Grylls, time travel with Doctor Who and she’s even been running her own production company working with Jo Brand and Sheridan Smith. Michelle talks to Caroline and Claire about being turned down by half a dozen drama schools as a teen but persevering, working hard and rising to become one of the most successful actresses on the British screen. Listen to her fascinating story and excellent advice on this week’s unmissable Brits in the Wood

   He’s an A-list manager, former agent and is behind some of the biggest shows and deals in television history. There is simply no-one bigger on the business side of TV and talent management than John Ferriter.   Not only has John packaged some of the world’s most successful shows:  The Biggest Loser, The Weakest Link, Project Runway and Keeping Up with The Kardashians – but he’s also managed some of the world’s biggest stars: Ryan Seacrest, Garth Brooks, Larry King, Jimmy Kimmel, Dick Clark and Piers Morgan to name just a few.   John talks to Caroline and Claire about his Jerry Maguire moment leaving William Morris, Mark Wright conquering America and just how you get Piers Morgan to cooperate.   Check out John's incredible story, amazing advice and how he’s helped shape the careers of some of the biggest names in entertainment today on this week’s BITW pod.   http://www.britsinthewood.com/listen http://www.thealternativeco.com http://www.twitter.com/ferretmorgue https://www.facebook.com/johnnyferriter

  If you lived in the UK between 1985-1999, you’ll recognise the unmistakable husky tones of Kara Noble. Kara was Queen of the radio airways - waking up 4 million Londoners on the radio every morning on Europe's most popular commercial radio station - 95.8 Capital FM - as the co-host of their Breakfast show, alongside the irrepressible Chris Tarrant. So how did it turn from Kara being the darling of the airwaves to the national press calling her a 'traitor' on their front pages and forcing her to flee Britain for good? For 17 years Kara has kept to herself the story of how a compromising photo of Capital FM's then-publicist Sophie Rhys-Jones - who married Prince Edward and became the Queen’s daughter-in-law - took her to the centre of a media maelstrom in the run up to the royal wedding.  Kara talks to Caroline and Claire about overcoming this terrible time, as well as her extraordinary childhood where Paul McCartney would pop round and play ‘Yesterday’ on his guitar, to finally finding her own happy ending h

  London “It-boy’’ and PR superstar Sean Borg found success in Hollywood on shows such as TMZ and Hollywood 411. A leader in the field of entertainment and PR, Seancontinues to work with many well-known faces in the world of show business on both sides of the Atlantic.   In the 90s Sean became a well known mover and shaker on the London social scene orchestrating the careers of British ‘It-Girl’ Tamara Beckwith, royal pal Tara Palmer-Tompkinson and Tamara Mellon (of Jimmy Choo) to name but a few. In fact, it was GQ Magazine who labelled Sean as an “It-boy” and placed him firmly on the map as “one-to-know.”   Now living in California, Sean still runs the PR for many of his celebrity friends and is Showbiz Editor at the British Weekly. He also writes the well-read social diary ‘Scene by Sean’ in LIVE Magazine – a column that features the popular people of Palm Springs.   In this podcast episode, Sean chats to Caroline and Claire about being an effective publicist, becoming famous (the right way) and pushing his

  Comedian Jerry Corley has been performing standup for over 25 years. He was writing for Jay Leno and the Tonight Show for 8 years of those and is now teaching classes for those who want to do the same. Jerry’s ‘Stand Up Comedy Clinic’ is hands down the top comedy school in Los Angeles catering to standup comics and comedy writers from all over the world. He has an unmatched ability to break down the art of comedy into a science, imparting breakthrough comedy writing techniques and formulas to his classes in a high-energy, performance style, that not only teach his students the comedy writing secrets the pros use, but keeps everyone laughing along the way. In this episode, Jerry chats to Caroline and Claire about selling jokes to Chris Rock, crossing the comedy line and the art of making someone laugh.   standupcomedyclinic.com twitter.com/jokedoctor youtube.com/user/StandUpComedyClinic facebook.com/standupcomedyclinic linkedin.com/in/jerrycorley/ audibletrial.com/britsinthewood

  Brits will know him from hit TV shows such as Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, Casualty and possibly a well known Cheeky Girls music video. But these days Andy Newton-Lee, who has been living in LA for twelve years, is the mastermind behind Next Stop LAX – a fully bonded immigration company which helps stars from all over the world relocate tothe USA. However, the actor turned business mogul has now put on his TV producer cap and made his own ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ meets ‘The Office’ TV show called ‘British Andy’ which he’s shopping around the networks. The show stars Andy’s hilarious alter ego ‘British Andy’ - and the storylines are based on his funny real life experiences with former Britishsoap stars such as Michael Greco and Charlie Brooks relocating to Hollywood. In this podcast episode, Andy chats to Caroline and Claire about his jet setting lifestyle, overcoming skin cancer, the Sam Smith dating rumours, generally being a big celebrityand helping all his showbiz friends relocate to LA...   http://www.in