Hello lovely listeners.

Pottering with me, Tom Allen, is taking a short intermission. Yes, I’m stepping away from the garden for a few weeks, swapping my much loved Crocs for something altogether more seaworthy as I step aboard the West End stage in Titanique!

But fear not. We shall return, and when we do there are plenty more delightful guests lined up, which I am very much looking forward to. With any luck we may even be greeted by a little Spring sunshine. Now, wouldn’t that be nice?

In the meantime, do pop back next week for some of my favourite moments from the podcast so far, some Clippings if you will. And you can always head over to my YouTube for a nosey at my giant urn and to watch our wonderful guests in full.

What a treat it was to welcome the glorious Sam Battersea and Charlie Baker into the garden for this week’s episode. An entertainment power couple and long time friends of mine, we share our gardening secrets, chat the world of TV acting, and get a glimpse into Charlie's superb showbiz knowledge, covering everything from Pat St Clement to Lionel Bart!

Arriving laden with gifts for the garden, Sam’s acting career has taken her from the corridors of The Mill Health Centre (Doctors) to the grand ballrooms of the ton (Bridgerton). She can currently be seen in the BBC sitcom Can You Keep a Secret?, so please do take a look! Charlie will be familiar to many from TalkSport and Virgin Radio, his roles in EastEnders and Doctor Who, or his excellent stand up comedy, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on that very soon!

Now, please do dust off that shovel, pop on your top hat and tails, and join us in the garden for a spot of Pottering.

Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.

This week, founder of Hunsnet and meme extraordinaire Gareth Howells joins me in the garden for a delightfully fun, and occasionally naughty, chat I am very much looking forward to taking Benidorm by storm with our Pitbull / Steve McFadden tribute act. Watch this space.

Warning. There is some choice language in this episode, so perhaps best saved for the greenhouse, away from younger listeners.

We chat nightlife nostalgia, the Bromley gay scene (my mum’s friends), and the rights and wrongs of the jukebox musical. I also ask Gareth about his gardening obsessions and we explore the garden accessories of a Hun. Clue, it may involve a Lazy Spa.

So slip into your Anne Summers bodice, pop on a felt cowboy hat, and let’s go Pottering with Tom Allen.

Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.

And please do like and subscribe (is that what I'm meant to say?)

Joining me this week among the perennials is the fabulous Amy Gledhill! An Edinburgh Award winning stand up, actor and writer, Amy recently appeared in Netflix hit Run Away, and is very soon to be the star of Last One Laughing UK and Taskmaster! Yes, she is very busy, which makes me even more grateful she popped by for a chat.

Melancholically meandering from Dungeness to dungeons, we chat the terror associated with Aled Jones, the infectious nature of the rumba, and fancy funeral plans!

So pause that episode of The Demon Headmaster, reach for the boot polish, and join me for another episode of Pottering.

Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.

And please do like and subscribe (is that what I'm meant to say?)

Oh it was truly a delight to have the wonderful Giovanna Fletcher join me in the garden. Actress, author, podcaster and gardening enthusiast, Giovanna is an absolute joy and it was a real pleasure chatting about mulch, motherhood, and most things in between.

We discuss the correct way to deal with slugs, late night compost purchases, and the anomaly of audiobook accents. Once again the gazebo made an appearance, but spirits most definitely were not dampened. Please do seek out Giovanna’s brilliant books, her podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby, and the incredible work she does as a patron of CoppaFeel!

Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.

So pick up your umbrella, get your hands on a bowl of cucamelons, and come Pottering with me.

The brilliantly talented and very funny Phil Dunning joins me this week for a drink and a chat in the rain. A wonderful friend, superb stand up, and creator and star of BBC hit sitcom Smoggie Queens (series 2 on the way very soon), Phil is a complete delight. It was an absolute joy chatting with him, as always, even if we were both slowly soaking through.

Listen in as Phil gives us the recipe for the iconic Chicken Parmo, reveals all about working in London's glittering West End, and yes, we do eventually touch on gardening. Phil also very kindly helped me plant some bulbs, although it was dark and raining, so we await the results on those, watch this space!

Now, don your head torches, grab a handful of posh crisps, and join us for another episode of Pottering.

Did you know you can also watch the podcast on Youtube? Just search for @tomallen.

And please do like and subscribe (is that what I'm meant to say?)

Another week, another fabulous guest to get us through these winter months! ☃️ This time it was the turn of the ever-so delightful James Gill to join me in the garden. Superb comic, podcast host and founder of the unbelievably brilliant Always Be Comedy, as I say in the episode, they're truly the best comedy nights in London so do check them out!

Our conversation takes us down memory lane, via Hollywood and Penge, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I hope you will too. Filmed a little while ago, James kindly helped me with my wisteria whippy bits, we chat surprise Santas, mowing 'me-time' and of course indulge in some baldness banter.

Don't forget, you can also watch the podcast on Youtube - just search for @tomallen.

So grab your toupee, wrap up warm and come Pottering with me.

Welcome back to the garden, where we are kicking off 2026 properly with the gloriously funny Gabby Best. A brilliantly talented actor and a very good friend of mine, you may know Gabby as Alan Carr’s neighbour in the wonderfully funny Changing Ends. Series 2 is available now on ITV and ITVX so do please take a look.

We chat holiday tomatoes, norovirus with Noel Edmonds, and the audience crossover between air fryers and mindfulness. Gabby even treats us to a cheeky bounce on the trampoline and kindly helps me pull up some potatoes!

Don't forget, you can also watch the podcast on Youtube - just search for @tomallen.

So, pop on that tanning oil, grab the gardening gloves and please join us for another episode of Pottering. Now, if you will excuse me, I am off for a small lie down in the wardrobe.