The Fringe of It

How did The Fringe of It podcast come about? What was the idea behind it?

[Liv:] I was doing a YouTube series along the lines of Inside the Wardrobe and I asked you [Charlotte] to feature on it. They were just meant to be about 10-15 minutes, and I think we ended up chatting for about 40 minutes. In the end were just like, this is good… we could do this every week!

[Charlotte:] Are you saying we found ourselves extremely funny?

[Liv:] Yeah [laughs]. We were like, wow, we need more of this! I remember we were thinking about name ideas, and at the time, we both had fringes. I mean, the imagination that went into it was unparalleled. It was kind of inspired by, The Thick of It, the show that neither of us know…

[Charlotte:] It definitely wasn't inspired by it… it was The Fringe of It, because we're
often out of touch… We're on the fringes of society, as in we’re a bit late to the party with
TV shows and anything that was happening like culturally and fun. So, The Fringe of It
felt right, for the people on the outskirts that don't always know what's going on.

Can you describe The Fringe Of It in 3 words?

[Charlotte:] I would describe our podcast as a cozy, comfort, listen.

[Liv:] I would say a little bit daft. But daft. That's it. Just a little bit.

[Charlotte:] Yes. Just a lot of fun.

What do you love most about the podcast and how do you find inspiration for
each episode?

[Charlotte:] So the podcast has a set format and we have different sections. We've got ‘Telly Talk’ where we talk about TV, film and theatre sometimes. Then we have a section where we talk about food, called ‘The Fridge of It’, which has actually changed names about five times because every episode we forget the name of it…so, it just it rotates between ‘Fridge Fancies’, ‘The Fridge of It’, ‘Have I Got Food for You?’. It's got three working names on rotation because we are very slick [laughs]. It's a very slick operation the podcast, isn't it?

But I think the one thing about the podcast recording each week is that we get to spend
dedicated time together as friends, and that's the main reason that we keep recording,
because I just like chatting to you [Liv].

[Liv:] It's just to catch up at this point. I think that's one thing people say, which is really
nice, it feels like a catch up with a friend over the phone and I'm like, oh, that's because
it is. It's very much like we're kind of checking in with each other. We're finding out what
the other person's been doing. I mean, I feel like all my friendship calls need to have,
this format. I want to know what you're eating, what you're watching, and have a good
week.

[Charlotte:] We actually make sure we don't talk before we record the podcast, because we used to spend an hour catching up, and then we'd get to the podcast and realize that's the bit that we should have recorded. So now that is the bit, and that’s what makes the podcast special.

What’s been your favourite episode so far and why?

[Liv:] In some of the earlier episodes, we did interviews of people and I think they were
really lovely. I always think back fondly to our first episode because we were so naive to
everything. We just did it because we just loved it. We spoke about friendships; about
the things we did… I also love it when we get a lovely listener email us, and we now have a feature that we've recently introduced called ‘It's Not for Us To Say’. And people might ask us a question and we try and answer it as best we can, but it's Not for Us To Say, and I really like it when we can really sit down and have a chat about something that makes
us think. I like it when we get letters or emails. It's really special because it just makes
the world feel a bit smaller as well. I feel like you're chatting with a friend, like you're
talking about things very specific to the two of you. It's just the loveliest way to grow your pen-pal network.

Do you have any pre-show rituals? Do you do anything in particular before
you sit down to record?

[Liv:] Do you want the truth?

[Charlotte:] We want to be exposed… [laughs]. Yeah, there is absolutely no podcast rituals.

[Liv:] No, nothing. I just like to make sure I've got some show notes.

[Charlotte:] Show notes, and I always have to have my pyjamas on… I'm not recording
the podcast in my civilian clothes. My outdoor clothes. It has to be a pyjama or a nightie,
I've got to feel like I'm ready for bed. You know, the makeup's off, the contacts are out.
I'm ready to record.

Have you recently had any game changing conversations on the podcast?

[Liv:] We have, we did a really lovely episode at the end of the last series with Gemma
Styles. We spoke about ADHD and that was really great.

How has radio been influential in your lives and what are your earliest
memories if it?

[Charlotte:] I want to credit myself for introducing you [Liv] to your favourite radio
station. Do you remember, before, when you didn't listen to Gold?

[Liv:] Oh my God! I actually remember the moment. I remember the actual moment I
came to your house in Margate, and June was just born, your first daughter, and she
must have been about three months old, and you had a radio station on and I was like,
“what is this?”, because it was playing banger after banger after banger. You had The
Beatles, you had T.Rex, and it was just on loop. And I was just like, “what is this?”. “Is
this a playlist?”, and you said, “this is Gold Radio!”. It was like my life changed in that
moment. I went home and I had it on in the kitchen, and since then, the radio has held
my hand in a way that has been deeply profound. I actually could get really deep about
my love of the radio here… Do you want to go? [laughs] Because I feel like, once I’m going, I'm not going to stop.

[Charlotte:] We both love the radio. I'm a constant Radio 1 kind of person and I cruise
between different channels at different times. I've got my set times for different shows,
but I think we both just love having that. It's company, isn't it? The radio is company.

[Liv:] I think that's kind of where our podcast varies a bit because we want it to feel like
good company. To me, listening to a podcast, like listening to the radio, should feel like
being in good company.
 

In moments of loneliness too, having the radio on is just the best company and feeling
as well, when you know that other people are doing that too. There's this sense of
connection. When I might have been cooking dinner and someone phones Sarah Cox [BBC Radio 2] and says, “we're driving our daughter back to uni”, and you kind of feel like you're there
with them because you're hearing these people talk about their experiences at that
moment, and you're living a different existence, but there's just this closeness that you
feel and it's a really, really special thing.

And then they might play a song that you've been obsessed with, or you might discover
something new, and I know, talking about the radio with such praise feels a bit like ‘oh,
well done, she's discovered the radio in 2025’, but I think having a radio on consistently is just something seriously special. I've grown up with it. Going to my nan's house
sounded like Radio 4, being in the car with my dad in the morning sounded like Virgin or
Radio X, and it's like being able to signpost and bookmark those moments and
memories without even realising, and it’s just really beautiful. I think with the radio, it just offers so much. Whether you want a kitchen disco, whether you're cooking dinner, whether you want a radio drama, there are just so many things you can get from it. I don't think it's as simple as just playing the radio. I feel like it can just offer so much more. And I genuinely believe that, it’s actually embarrassing. I talk about the radio like I have invented it! [Laughs]

[Charlotte:] I think the radio is a fantastic digital detox. I think because we're all yearning
for connection and that's maybe why we reach for social media and why we reach for
our phones. But I think that connection, like you were talking about earlier, can actually
be deeper with the radio. Like you said, everyone driving back on a Friday night, and
they're all phoning into the radio. I actually think that’s what gives you a deeper social
connection.

What’s up next for the Fringe Of It?

[Charlotte:] We've just finished recording a series and we're taking a few weeks break,
and then we'll be back to accompany everyone through the cozy autumn months all the
way till Christmas, which I'm quite excited about, especially for ‘Have I Got Food for
you’. Marks and Spencer’s and Waitrose’s Christmas selection. Give it to me.

What are you listening to right now?

[Charlotte:] I'm actually listening to some new music, which is quite rare for me. As
somebody who's very committed to 50s, 60s and 70s, occasionally 80s music, I've got
some new artists. I have been listening to Laufey and Jalen Ngonda.

[Liv:] So I have been listening to the new CMAT record and the new Wolf Alice record.
The rise and fall of Indie Sleaze hosted by Kate Nash as well. It's good stuff.