World What's Up!: Recent Episodes
Andy James
WHAT IS WORLD WHAT’S UP?Weekly Podcast where I chat to fascinating guests. I’ll ask them to give me six questions they think it would be interesting for listeners to know about them. Then I’ll ask a few of my own and we’ll go from there. I'll also take a look at some of the weird and wonderful, things happening every week.
Adam Stanton Warmby was born with cerebral palsy, but he never let that stop him from achieving his goals.
Adam demonstrated his resilience and determination during his epic journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End in a wheelchair modified by the Mercedes Formula One team. Some days he spent 14 hours in his wheelchair, eventually breaking the Guinness World Record for the trip, completing it in 22 days and 16 hours.
We also discussed the challenges people with cerebral palsy face with accessibility. For example visiting a museums, something most of us wouldn’t even think about.
Adam is one of eight children, a middle child, and was born on Friday, May 13th. He is a Winston Churchill Fellow, originally from Kent, he now resides in Cheltenham Gloucestershire.
I found Adam to be incredibly inspiring, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. I hope you do too!
https://www.facebook.com/adam.s.wharmby
https://x.com/challengeadam83?s=21&t=fJC5q3rmt-7JejKSVtTdfg
Dr. Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun is an amazingly dynamic General Practitioner who I have had the pleasure to hear teacher. She talks with such passion you can't help but listen. In our interview we talk about her love for women health and how salt is the leading contributor to chronic and fatal diseases among the black community in the UK. A fact that is often missed by doctors. We discuss why there is sometimes distrust within the black community in regards to health treatments and how all groups can be better representated in the health service.
Dr Johnson- Sogbetun has over a decades experience in both the National Health Service and the private sector. Specializing in women's health, sexual and reproductive health, and menopause care, she is a member of the British Menopause Society. Actively involved in the RCGP North West London Faculty Board, she leads initiatives promoting Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. Dr. Johnson-Sogbetun's advocacy extends to her role in the Rock My Menopause Committee within the Primary Care Women's Health Forum. She passionately champions health equity, notably through the HEAL courses initiative, addressing health issues affecting the Black community.
Beyond her medical career, Dr. Johnson-Sogbetun serves as a GP tutor and examiner at Queen Mary's University of London Medical school. Balancing professional excellence with insights gained from personal healthcare challenges, she forges a unique connection with her patients. Dr. Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun embodies a holistic approach to healthcare, bringing a wealth of experience and passion to her multifaceted roles.
If you would like ton here more from Dr Johnson-Sogbetun please check out these links
https://www.osmosis.org/blog/2023/11/17/black-health-inequity-a-cry-for-equity-and-justice-for-all
https://www.youtube.com/@HEALCourses
Natalie grow up on the Isle of Wight has worked as a NHS GP in Tower Hamlets for the past 20 years. She has now left the job she loves to focus on women's health and and the growing pandemic of dementia. Natalie has traveled this country as well as Europe and the USA to see how different places manage dementia. Some of her findings have been fascinating . Her new book THE DEMENTIA REVOLUTION will be out soon.
Director ELIZABETH BLAKE-THOMAS is a British award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles, having recently completed her 11th feature film. We chat about Elizabeth's love of theatre and how she made the transition into directing feature films. We also talk about her methodology to life called "Medicine with word"
Her podcast "Filmmaking Without Fear" is available now on all major streaming platforms: https://www.motheranddaughterent.com/podcast
Her book “Filmmaking without Fear” is also available online at Amazon (https://amzn.to/39cwe59) and Walmart (https://bit.ly/3zhFDTH)
Karen is an award-winning producer from the UK who moved in to producing following a highly successful career in Global Events Management in the City of London. Her former training as an actor combined with her exceptional organisational skills and financial acumen make her an outstanding Creative Producer.
Karen is CEO and lead producer of production company, Hidden Door Productions, established in 2015.
Her debut feature film, Just Charlie, has achieved critical acclaim around the world and won many awards including the prestigious Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Grand Prix in the Ecran Juniors in Cannes 2019. It has been sold to many territories internationally (theatrical and otherwise) including Amazon in the USA and most recently to SKY cinema in the UK.
Karen has produced a number of privately financed short films including "Lady M" starring Samantha Bond (Tomorrow Never Dies, the World is not Enough) and Eleanor Bron (A Little Princess, Black Beauty) "Bertie" starring Alison Steadman (Life is Sweet, Gavin and Stacey) and Arthur Darvill (Dr Who, Broadchurch) and "Down" starring Amanda Donohoe (LA Law, Emmerdale) and Paul Barber (Only Fools and Horses, The Full Monty) These films have done extremely well at festivals, been BAFTA long listed and have secured distribution deals.
Karen is president of the Timothy Welling Bursary, an award and mentoring scheme set up with E15 Drama School designed to support and nurture a student in their final year of training.
Karen is also the Producer of the wonderful (Love Without Walls) directed by Jane Gull (My Feral Heart) which premiers at the Manchester Film Festival and is coming to cinema summer 2023!
Sue's had an amazing life and career. Born in Manchester, her early family life was not always easy. Once Sue realised she had a voice there was no stopping her. Appearing in countless musicals including Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago and Wicked as well as TV and film roles in Mike Basset Manager, Doctor Who and Red Dwarf and many more.We chat about some of the challenges of being a Jewish actor, her love of music and her belief that theatre should be something that people can relate too.
JACK SPRING became the UK's youngest feature film director after directing comedy DESTINATION: DEWSBURY. The film enjoyed a 6 week theatrical run in the UK and was acquired by Amazon Prime, Sky and Virgin. The film lead to a BAFTA 'BREAKTHROUGH BRIT' nomination.
Jack's new film THREE DAY MILLIONAIRE is a wonderfully funny and engaging look at the life of the Grimsby fishing community.
For such a young man Jack's is mature and grounded way beyond the 26 years he has lived so far. He now has two feature films under is belt and for him the sky is the limit.
Thomas Kelly is a man of many talents. Performing artist and writer Thomas creates meaning and laughter on stage and for the page. A queer artist and long time spoken word poet, indie author, comedian, outrageous Drag Queen, singer and lyricist. We talk about how he first got interest in performing and the drag scene. How he would like to take his art form to the next level and some advice for anyone looking to get into drag world.
https://linktr.ee/thomaswkelly
https://www.thomaswkelly.com
https://fb.watch/g8kCFrQc38/
Like many people of Kate and my generation the idea of going into the arts as a career was never given as an option. So she became a secretary, then a speech therapist before finally find the career she now loves as a make up artist. We chat about her early life and about putting in the free hours to build a portfolio in the make up world. She also tells us about working with Hugh Jackman and her dream of getting a job in Barbados.
The list of Robert Jones' film credits are very impressive including Vera Drake, Dirty Pretty Things, Hard Eight, Gosford Park and one of my all time favourites the Usual Suspect but it was never his plan to be a Producer.
We chat about his childhood and how he went from being a musician to one of the Britains most successful film producers and let's not forget blowing up the West Ham stadium!
Sofia didn't have the easiest start to life with her mum dying soon after she was born. She spent her first two years in an orphanage in Lisbon Portugal. At the age of two she was adopted my an English family. Sofia says "My parents told me that the orphanage had told them that I was ‘lively’ and ‘had a mind of my own’. I came to my new family and moved to the UK when I was 6 years old. Faced with their own challenges, I watched my parents work incredibly hard to make a new life for my adopted brother and I. They were a real inspiration to me, and on reflection they had already inspired one of my life goals – to build a secure family home."
Sofia tells me about her early years in the UK having to deal with bullying, having a son at 16 and going on the create a successful finance company in the form of Penny House.
Francis Urias Peters: Grenadian born playwright and Cultural Ambassador. He is the co-founder and Cultural consultant of the LaBoucan Creative Centre (established in 2014). Peters has written several plays for the stage and radio. His works have influenced new legislation on Incest in Grenada. He has won the best entry on two occasions at the PAHO /WHO Caribbean Media Awards for Excellence in Health Journalism with radio drama series on Child Abuse, HIV&AIDS and Gender Issues. Peters continues to use his plays and the Arts as a vehicle to address social, health, environmental, historical and educational themes.
Bobby Steele is a force of nature. I call him a Guru in the title because one of meanings is "An influential teacher or popular expert" and he is certainly that. He has worked in the hospitality and entertainment industry in the Caribbean since he was a 15 year old organising parties. Bobby has a real passion for the industry and a dynamic business brain as well as a great heart. He was the man behind Grenada's most successful club ever - Bananas and is looking forward to it’s exciting relaunch later this year.
We chat about his early life and where he sees Grenada heading in the future. He gives us an exclusive insight into an aspect of his life. The man is a master storyteller and very funny, so sit back and enjoy!
Part 2 of this fascinating and inspiring interview with Gordon Micic Stand up, business woman, Dancer and much more!
PLUS BONUS of the History of Grenada from 2 MILLION B.C to Today. (In 10 minute)
For sponsorship inquiries please email andrewstclairjames@gmail.com
Gordana Micic, aka Gordi, is a force of nature and a wonderful human being to boot. She is also a comedian, dancer, producer, writer, actor, scientist, engineer, pilot, managing consultant, mother and… a very bad cook! We had a really lovely conversation which you can hear now and Part Two next week.
She talks about her early life, smuggling people out of Serbia to safety (putting her own life at risk) and being a business woman in a male donated world.
Jason Dean is a man of many talents. As a 16 year old he had trials for a number of top clubs and was about to sign for Aston Villa when there was a complete change in management. This left him feeling rejected and heading down a darker pathway before find a job in design which lead him to his real love - FASHION.
Check out some of the amazing gear from Endless Fugitive! http://www.endlessfugitive.co.uk
If you would like to sponsor my triathlon for the Victims of the volcanic disaster in
St Vincent.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andyjamesstvincent?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=andyjamesstvincent&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=0674e70738a54c30afd4acdf7362396f
Anthony Warren is a British actor who has been in The Knock, Grange Hill, Murphy's Law, Casualty, Backup, City Centra and The Bill, He played Henry Toussaint in the Trust three part series, Milton Wreaks in the Britanniamania four part series and Issac Collins in 2005.
He has worked extensively in theatre throughout his career. He has now turned his hand to Stand Up comedy and promoting and is very excited about his up coming projects.
If you would like to sponsor my triathlon to help the people of St Vincent after the terrible volcanic eruptions took many of there homes last year see below.
JustGiving page by clicking here:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andyjamesstvincent?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=andyjamesstvincent&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=8ac3f442fc5f44cead25e03be7861d5c
The Now are a four piece band from South Wales who, although only started playing together in 2018. They have started making an impact on the music scene with their big, highly infectious, guitar heavy tracks.
The Now consists of: Shane Callaghan on Rhythm Guitar & Lead Vocals, Will Scott on Drums, Callum Bromage on Guitar & Vocals and Jay Evans on Bass and Vocals.
The Now are determined to stand alone with a unique sound. They have music and lyrics that need to be heard and it’s the band’s mission to make sure they’re heard by as many people as possible.
The Now have already worked with legendary producers like grammy award winning producer Jason Perry (Mcfly, Busted, Don Broco, The Blackout), Adam Noble (Coldplay, Biffy Clyro, Liam Gallagher) and Richard Jackson (The Automatic, Super Furry Animals and Duffy).
The boys single Dr Jones has managed to start their rise to success with it featuring on BBC Radio 2 - The Rock show "Johnnie Walker" and also a numerous amount of plays on Planet Rock with Wyatt featuring the track on his show "The New Rock Show". Not long after the release of Friendly fire, they got contacted by BBC introducing Wales presenter "Adam Walton" to air Friendly Fire on the station.
The Now signed their first independent record deal in September 2021 with Golden Robot Records; given The Now something they were missing to take them to the top.
Tour
In it together Festival supporting Noel Gallagher June 03/05/2022.
Plus More dates to be confirmed (I'll keep you posted!)
DON'T MISS
The NEW Single Holy out on 22/02/22.
This week we have a very special kids World What’s Up for Christmas. Out tomorrow morning! I will be giving some great recommendations on the best children shows to see over Christmas.
Then I have a lovely chat with the very busy, one and only Santa Claus! So tell your friends and please share!
Jason talks about his goal of developing more senior opportunities and positions for the bame community in large corporations. We chat about how he deals with being a black man in a predominately white environment at the highest level. (He said It can be a very lonely space.) Dealing with the shock on some faces when he entered a meeting room and turning up and people thinking he was the Uber driver. He explains what steps we have to take as a community to move forward and how in the future we can get more of our young people engaged at an earlier age.
At the age of 42, in the midst of a successful and lucrative career as the owner of an international retail consultancy, Andrew Thornton realised he had nothing more to give to his business. He quit the agency in 2006 and used his buy-out money as a down-payment for two Budgens supermarkets in north London.
Through investing in his people with specialised coaching, Andrew had won not just their dedication, engagement and commitment, but their whole hearts and minds. By purposely trying to weave authenticity, cohesion, empathy, self-leadership, enquiry and creativity into every fibre of the business, Andrew not only raised levels of engagement - and profit as a result - but ignited the spirits of all who worked for him.
Andrew was also years ahead of his time in making supermarkets more environmentally friendly.
David Tims is a very talented young musician and Philanthropist. David is versatile and can play any style of music. He has composed for theatre and has a great new podcast which he co-hosts with the very funny comedian Phil Nichols. They are also taking their hilarious show to the Comedy Store every second Tuesday of the month. David has also helped to bring music to some of the poorest communities in South Africa.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/songs-in-the-key-of-laugh/id1587973137
https://london.thecomedystore.co.uk/event/cray-cray-cabaret/
If you haven't had a chance yet to listen to season one of World What's Up or you only managed to hear one or two episodes you are in luck. I have put together a compilation of some of the very best bits of season one. ( I'm no tech so it was a mission to put together so the least you can do is have a listen! Joking aside there are some really informative, funny and inspiring interview. Have a little taste then if you like it go for the full meal. You won't be disappointed.
TIMES
Intro 00.16
Artist Director Park Theatre Jez Bond 1.06,
Producer/Actor Donna Taylor 2.10
Bussiness Coach Teju Chosen 3.11
Film Director Jane Gull 4.17
Urban film Exhibitor Marlon Palmer 5.20
Emotional Health Practitioner Jo Morton Bbrown 6.23
Film director/Producer Mark Brown/ Laura Rees 7.26
Kundalini Yoga Teacher Siri Sadhana Kaur 8.32
Parish priest Father Ben Kerridge 9.08
Actor Ronny Jhutti 9.40
Actor/ Folk singer Niall Mc Namee 10.43
Producer/Choreographer Anthony W Johnson 11.48
Actor Chris Reilly 12.52
Restaurant Owner/ Activist Nigeal Andall 13.26
Actor/Podcaster/Standup Andy James 14.36
Actor Akie Kotabe 15.42
Mayor/ Local councillor Adam Jogee 1646
Musician/ Composer Simon Turner 17.19
Simon Turner is a very talented musician and composer. He has produced some fantastic music for television, theatre and film. Even though he can't notate himself due to having note blindness this hasn't stopped him doing what he loves and creating great music. We talk about growing up, where he got his love for music and how important music is in creating a vibrant feel for any project. He also tells us about some of the weird and wonderful things he's been asked to come up with musically over the years.
Adam Jogee became one of the youngest ever Haringey counsellors at the tender age of 22. He has just started his second term as mayor at the age of 29. He is a North London boy who grew up in Hornsey and knows the area well. We talks about his life and being a young black man in politics today.
Akie Kotabe is an American actor and voice artist. His credits include playing Ben Nakamura in The Man in the High Castle, Dead Man in Everly with Selma Hayek,[1][2] Meyers in The November Man,[3] Eric in The Assets,[4] Akira Takahashi in Mad Men, and Shingo in The Achievers.[5][6] Kotabe also provides the voice of Kyan in the CBeebies animated series Go Jetters, as well as the title character Boyster in the Disney XD animated series Boyster. In April 2019, he completed principal photography on his first lead feature role in the neo-noir film, Clay's Redemption.
This week I ask myself the questions that people often ask me about myself. (If that makes any sense. I talk about my childhood, What I wanted to be when I grew up. The pain of losing my mum and business in the same years and my hope for the future.
Nigeal Andall is the owner of the community run Caribbean restaurant Allotmentz in Friern Barnet. The food is excellent but that is only a part of it. Nigeal employs 30+ young people to come and work in the restaurant. He has also feed 20,000 people in need in the area during lockdown. He tells us about his amazing life which has had so many ups and downs from losing everything he had work so hard for after a terrible tragedy and having to start again from rock bottom. He talks about being a black man in the police and the institutional racism he encountered in the force. We also chat about how many councillors and MP are all about lip service and very little action. I really enjoyed what he had to say and I found him amazingly honest and truly inspirational.
Check out Allotmentz website
http://www.allotmentn11.com/
Chris Reilly was the only actor on Game of Thrones to play two different characters. He has just finished working on Wrath of Man with Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham and is now working on a new series with Gary Oldman. We chat about his early life, Nearly losing his family jewels to the sword of Gwendoline Christie and learning to fly solo.
A fascinating interview with the very charismatic producer, actor, choreographer and writer Anthony W Johnson. We talk about his traumatic childhood and youth and how he has been able to not let it hold him back but instead use it to motivate himself to create wonderful work in so many different fields. We also chat about his feature film directorial debut ‘Alexis Colette’ which will be an amazing spectacle of music. magic, dance and misery.
I really enjoyed this conversation with this engaging, talented and very funny young proud Irishman. We talked about his wonderful sounding folk music and how he has a massive fan base without having released anything until now. We also chat about life and his staring role in the up and coming feature film Love Without Walls.
You can also hear his new song Step by Step at the end of the interview.
https://www.facebook.com/NiallMcNameeMusic/
https://twitter.com/NiallMcNamee?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
In this week’s World What’s Up! I’ll be chatting with the actor Ronny Jhutti. At the tender age of 14 Ronny got his big break in EastEnders and has never look back. He his starred in many TV, theatre and film roles including Redcap, Cutting edge, Doctor Who, Shameless, Ripper Street and Holby and many many more. He Recently starred in this years ITV blockbuster Unforgotten. Ronny talks to me about his Eastenders days and about how he balances the two careers that he loves.
Lovely conversation with Father Ben Kerridge the priest at Holy Innocents Parish Church, Hornsey, London. We talk about his time as a teacher in Italy and when he first got the idea that he might want to become a priest in the church of England. This chat gives us a little insight into what it's like to be a parish priest in London and about how priest are just like us with the same worries, thoughts and feelings. Father Ben is a genuinely nice man who cares about people and his Community so check it out!
The Parish of the Holy Innocents
134 Tottenham Lane
London
N8 7ELhttps://www.holy-innocents.org.uk/contact-us/
Sponsors.
To check the great clothing lines at Endless Fugitives go to https://www.endlessfugitive.co.uk/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Finally if you are looking for a voice artist please listen to the voice reels at the end of this episode and email andrewstclairjames@gmail.com
Siri Sadhana Kaur is a leading Kundalini yoga Teacher trainer, a touring UK mantra recording artist and dancer who loves embodying the sacred through movement, melody and rythym. As a musician she has recorded an ecclectic mix of 8 music mantra albums. Siri shares her time between her music and the timeless teachings of Kundalini yoga + indigenous technology. Her wish is to encourage others to dance, sing and reach the joyful depths of the soul. In her wonderful new album she has mixed her mantra music with what I would call a Café del Mar style vibe which works beautifully. You can hear a track at the end of this episode.
WEBSITE
http://sirisadhana.com/?fbclid=IwAR2SeONRc1SEQa7i1-eA4hp2yOlyXx_C1a0sSsLZYYYwPC41Tn5RrAPcsDc
https://www.instagram.com/sirisadhana/?hl=en
http://sirisadhana.com/?fbclid=IwAR2SeONRc1SEQa7i1-eA4hp2yOlyXx_C1a0sSsLZYYYwPC41Tn5RrAPcsDc
SPOTIFY
https://open.spotify.com/user/1144952686?si=6CNoeMX5QQGE-ZUtdUVyHg&nd=1
YOU TUBE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErZnKmHthdb_Gu1DFESkoQ/videos?app=desktop
https://www.facebook.com/sirisadhanakaurlondon/
This week we are in luck! We get two great interviews in one episode. I chat to writer and director Mark A C Brown about how he has gone from making short films to having his feature film Guardians playing on sky. Along with Laura Rees his producer they tell us about their exciting new project the feature film Dead on the vine and where they both got their love for films. They also tell us about the most important things they have learned along the way.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stvincent-disaster-triathlon?utm_term=z8MG88GB9
Really wonderful, informative and fascinating conversation with Jo Morton-Brown, Emotional Health Practitioner. Jo also tells us about what differences she has noticed in our children's emotional health pre and post lockdown and what teachers and parents can do to help support them. She explains how much she has learnt herself from working with young people and using the Flourish Project. She has also started a fantastic youtube channel to support children on a number of different subjects.
If you would like to make a donation for my triathlon for the victims of the volcano in St Vincent see below.https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stvincent-disaster-triathlon?utm_term=z8MG88GB9 Jo’s YouTube channel ishttps://youtube.com/c/Flourishwithus
Great conversation with Marlon Palmer of Kush Films and productions. Marlon is known as the UK's leading exhibitor and distributor of urban films. He has over 23 years experience. He tells us how he got started and the pitfalls he has encountered over the years. He explains how his positive attitude has helped open many doors and kept him going though the hard times. We also talk about the film industry and it's short comings in regards to Urban films.
If you would like to help the people of St Vincent dealing with the loss of their homes due to the in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption. See Below
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stvincent-disaster-triathlon
Really lovely chat with director Jane Gull. She tell us how she started her career as a dancer and actor. Then found a love for directing and writing. Jane has the amazing talent of making actors feel relaxed and comfortable on site. Jane’s award winning film My Feral Heart is a beautiful film about Luke, a young man with Down syndrome who loses him mum and is forced to move into a care home. After sneaking out of the house to explore the countryside, he Discovers something in the woods that gives his life hope and purpose.
Jane also tells us why it has take 6 years for her to get another film project underway and what she is looking forward to in the future.
This week my guest is Teju Chosen successful business women and coach, Amazon best selling author, Poem and comedy performer and much more! We talk about her shrewd business brain and her book "How to get paid more then your boss"
I will also be chatting about the wonderful film "The United States vs Billie Holiday." and a bit about Billie's life as her birthday falls on 7th April.
This week I talk to Donna Taylor. Writer, Film Producer and Actor. She tells us about how she use to make up her own shows for the family from the time she was little. How she didn't enjoy drama school and how she got to live out her passion of making films with a strong message.
Jez Bond Interview
Jez Bond is the Artistic Director of the wonderful Park Theatre London. The Park is well know for amazing new work. Jez will talk about where he got his love for theatre, How they have managed in these Covid times and where does he think theatre is heading in the future.
This is episode 0.0, the trailer for World What's Up! My weekly podcast where I chat to people I think are really interesting and hope you do too. My first guest is Jez Bond the artistic director of the wonderful Park Theatre London.