Are You Michelle from Skins?

A little different format this week! Jamie and I answer your questions and let you know what's happening next. We actually had mega amounts of fun recording this is I hope you like it too! Thank you so, so much for listening to series 2, we can’t wait to have you back for series 3. All my love, April x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week my guest is the beautiful Molly Rainford! Molly was thrust into the spotlight at the age of 11 when she got to the final of Britains got Talent. I was so interested to speak to someone that experienced that overnight fame at such a young age, and how one grapples with the industry thereafter. Did she have a support network? Who was making the decisions for her? And how to you live you forge a career in the public eye when you’re still at school and have your education to finish? We speak about all this, and about how Molly is now turning her hand to acting in the brilliant CBBC series Nova Jones. We also ask YOU for your contributions to the final episode…can’t wait! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we welcome my on screen mummy; Arabella Weir! I’m not sure if Arabella had quite any idea how much of an impact she had on an impressionable young 17 year old trying to find her feet and place in the industry, but I hope by the end of this chat she did. I remember so clearly how much I was in awe of Arabella on set, sure of herself, asking for what she needed and also looking out for the younger women on set, I really learnt so much from her about how to advocate for myself. This episode also gets juicy.. we share some behind the scenes Skins stories from filming, and Arabella reveals just who turned up to set with a "Groucho cold” and halted filming. But this is also such an important listen for those advocating for female rights, and those who might want to learn little more about how to help. Safe to say I am still in awe of this wonderful woman.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Owen-Jones is here… insiiiiiide your mind…! Little Phantom of the Opera reference there for you theatre heads who might already know that John Owen-Jones was the longest running Phantom on London's West End and has also played Jean Valjean in Les Misérables just shy of 2000 times! I therefore think he is the perfect guest to explore just what embodying a character for so many years feels like for the man behind the mask. We speak about the time we were both in Les Misérables together (when I was just 10!), John’s move into music and podcasting, and he also turns the tables and questions me about the time I was fired on the spot for not breaking a nudity clause in my contract. At the end of the day you’re another day older!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nikki Blonsky are you Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray?! I couldn’t believe it when Nikki said yes to this interview; not only was she so iconic in this role, and played it so brilliantly, but the similarities to my experience are remarkable. We were both 17 when we got our first big role and were suddenly thrust into the spotlight and we talk about how we’ve found matching that role since. However we also spoke about the differences; Tracy Turnblad was so well received and held in such high esteem as an inspirational character, whereas Michelle saw at least 10 years of viewers despising the character. We discuss how this has affected the both of us, how Nikki sees herself now, and just how much John Travolta means to her.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is classic Skins alumni from series 1 - Siwan Morris! Siwan played Angie the teacher who had an affair with one of the students. It was so interesting catching up with Siwan, not least because I hadn’t heard her lovely voice in over 15 years, but to hear her experiences of being a 32 year old woman filming the same risqué scenes we as 17 year olds had to. And in her case - full frontal nudity. Did she feel empowered? Did she a feel a little unsafe like we did? Or did she feel old enough and equipped to deal with with the filming process and what followed thereafter? It was fascinating chatting to Siwan being the same age as she was when she filmed Skins. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed the nostalgia factor of it!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is Jade Ewen; you might know her best as the sixth member of Sugababes, but she has many guises and is also known as one of the UK’s most successful Eurovision contestants, Princess Jasmine on the West End and most recently none other than Mariah Carey in Netflix’s Luis Miguel. We chat about her many breaks and unknowns including being flown out to LA without being told she was about to join the Sugababes, and starting filming Luis Miguel without being told she was playing Mariah Carey(!) But what resonated most from her tales of a life in showbiz is just what a lovely person Jade clearly is. Acting as caregiver to her registered blind parents from a child, her warmth, positive outlook and openness really made this one of the most lovely conversations I’ve had. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE’RE BACK!! And with an episode that shows EXACTLY why I created this podcast. I was thrilled when Shenae agreed to speak to me (having been the biggest 90210 fan) and even more so when her kind words about Are You Michelle from Skins? helped me understand the reason why I’m doing this, and made me cry. So many of Shenae’s experiences during, and after 90210 resonated hard with me and we both feel so thankful to have since created our own spaces to share our actual lived experience. Shenae speaks about difficult relations on set, getting chased in her car at 18, and how her trauma of those times are playing out now. I’m so blown away by Shenae’s story and so thankful to her for sharing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to THE SECOND SERIES of Are you Michelle from Skins? with me, April Pearson. And yes, I played Michelle in E4’s iconic teen drama, Skins. This show is helping me work through the highs and lows of being associated with something so memorable by talking to other creatives who are also known for that one seminal moment in their career. I'm speaking to boyband members, soap stars, and other Skins cast members about how that one iconic role has impacted their life and career going forwards. Ever wondered what it’s like being that person from…..? Well sit back, and let’s find out together.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the final episode of the series I welcome Jessica Sula Skins Gen 3 alumni…and what a finale episode this is. This conversation is exactly why the concept of Are You Michelle from Skins? exists, and I’m so so proud of having created a space to have these frank chats. Jess was so honest, candid, and vulnerable when speaking about her experiences in Skins and thereafter, they echo a lot of my own, and I’m just so so grateful to her for sharing this with me. We speak about life in the Welsh valleys, in the states, her Skins audition, saving the NHS and how Muriel's Wedding got her through her own formative years. Thank you to each and every one who has listened, shared, and commented on this podcast, I am thankful for each and every one of you. April x We are so happy to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I welcome my friend Mickey Sumner onto the podcast. We met when we were both working on the film “Caught” and have remained friends ever since. Mickey has recently published an essay in Romper where she discusses mothering her son with disabilities and her experiences with postpartum anxiety. It's raw, brave and honest and I urge you all go and read it here: https://www.romper.com/parenting/what-i-know. In this episode Mickey speaks about what fame and success mean to her, how that has been shaped by having traditionally ’successful’ parents in Sting and Trudie Styler, and how motherhood has since flipped those notions on their head.  We are so happy to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Antony Costa... who knew the legendary Blue star also moonlights as a therapist? We had SUCH a lovely chat which culminated in the most helpful therapy session for me! Antony shared how his time in naughties pop sensation Blue so precedes him that he often forgets his own surname, which makes him the perfect guest for Are You Michelle from Skins? We also spoke about life since Blue, musical theatre, how important it is to put the hard work in and how ultimately, we all need to be a little more AFB (Antony From Blue). ALL RISE for AFB!  We are so happy to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spoiler alert: IT’S THE CADDY! Dot Cottan himself joins me this week to talk about life after the success of Line of Duty, how despite leaving 6 years ago but it still features heavily in his life with him hosting the official podcast, and how a break in acting jobs post Line of Duty lead him to start his own podcast. Craig is so open and candid about his experience and there are so many parallels to my own, not least because I also featured on his podcast! Give my episode of the Two Shot Podcast a listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/april-pearson/id1251501033?i=1000491529908 We are so happy to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a Skins alumni like me, Laya’s experience of shooting an explicit series at such a young age, has haunting echoes with mine. We talk together about what we went through and about how we are hopeful now that we are all working hard to address these issues in the industry. Yet Laya seems to have remarkable coping mechanisms and a real level head - she shares her mantra for believing in herself, her tales from working behind the bar, how she’s also “that girl from the Barclays advert” and how she sacked it all off to travel the world. I think Laya enjoyed sharing her story with us, and I’m so happy I have this platform to enable these conversations. We are so happy to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fred and George… or Ollie and James? I chat to the twins about not being like their Harry Potter characters, how they’re not actually ginger, and in fact whether they are really twins (as one interviewer asked them). They speak about how the juggernaut that is Harry Potter has been in their lives since 14, what success means to them, Olly recounts how therapy lead them to start their own podcast, and they tell me about one absolutely TERRIFYING incident on a plane.   Jump in the flying Ford Anglia - We’re going to Hogwarts! Or if James is driving - to rescue someone on a mountain (if you’ve listened to the podcast you’ll know..!) We are thrilled to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am thrilled to welcome actual TV legend LES DENNIS to Are You Michelle from Skins? this week! Les has been a TV icon throughout the decades, from Family Fortunes, to the official best episode of Ricky Gervais’ Extras, and THAT iconic appearance in Celebrity Big Brother (listen in to his behind the scenes tales of talking to the chickens). However I know him as the kind and wonderful friend I met when we worked on the film Sideshow together. Les takes everything in his stride with an abundance of good humour - I can’t recommend this man enough. Our survey says…. Listen to Les Dennis on Are You Michelle From Skins? NOW! We are so happy to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, what an iconic guest for the inaugural episode of Are You Michelle From Skins? ! I talk to Aston Merrygold about what it’s actually like being in a boyband; from X factor early days, to touring arenas with JLS and the decision to walk away from the band. We speak about him being a triple threat, from turning his hand to football, acting, and how singing was the back up plan! And of course, we speak about the classic unmasking on this series of the Masked Singer and just where the inspiration for his Robin costume came from (Spoiler: its a tearjerker). Buckle up and backflip in with us - EVERYBODY IN LOVE! GO ON PUT YOUR HANDS UP!  We are thrilled to announce Clairol Natural instincts are sponsoring this series of Are You Michelle From Skins? Natural Instincts is a semi-permanent conditioning colour which gives rich colour, shine and blends aways greys in 20 minutes. Find your perfect shade and more at clairol.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to the trailer for Are you Michelle from Skins? with me, April Pearson. And yes, I played Michelle in E4’s iconic teen drama, Skins. This show is helping me work through the highs and lows of being associated with something so memorable by talking to other creatives who are also known for that one seminal moment in their career. I'm speaking to boyband members, soap stars, and other Skins cast members about how that one iconic role has impacted their life and career going forwards. Ever wondered what it’s like being that person from…..? Well sit back and let’s find out together.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices