This week Emily and Ray take a rainy West London stroll with the brilliant Shaparak Khorsandi, joined by her two beautiful dogs, Taylor the retriever and Jamie the Maltese. A gloomy day was instantly lifted by what can only be described as an iconic trio bounding into the park.

Emily chats to Shaparak about her extraordinary life story, from leaving Iran with her family after the revolution, to growing up in London and the huge effort she made to fit in, including changing her name to Shappi. They talk about her journey into comedy, her adult diagnosis of ADHD and how that helped her make sense of her childhood, and a brief but memorable stint working in a charity call centre where she once hired a very confident young man called Alan Carr.

Shaparak has also written the brilliant book Scatterbrain, an honest, funny and insightful exploration of her ADHD diagnosis. Due to popular demand, her Scatterbrain tour has been extended with dates now running until March. Tickets and information are available at https://shappi.co.uk/

It’s a warm, funny and deeply engaging walk with someone Emily and Ray absolutely adored, and a woman with truly excellent dogs.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the wonderful Vittorio Angelone, the conversation continues with more laughs, stories and reflections from one of the most exciting voices in stand-up right now.

If you haven’t already, make sure to catch part one. And do try to see Vittorio live on his current tour You Can’t Say Nothing Anymore, which is touring this year. Tickets and dates are available at https://vittorioangelone.com.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray head out for a snowy North London stroll with the brilliantly funny Vittorio Angelone. Vittorio was more than happy to brave the weather. Ray, less so, and insisted on being carried throughout.

Emily has been a fan of Vittorio for a long time, ever since watching his stand-up special Who Do You Think You Are? I Am on YouTube, and the two quickly fell into an easy, very funny chat chat. During the walk, Vittorio talks about his Italian-Irish heritage, growing up in Belfast, training as a classical percussionist, and the moment he made the leap into stand-up comedy. A very good decision, as it turns out.

His comedy has since racked up millions of views online, led to two sell-out world tours, and seen him supporting the likes of Jason Manford and Russell Howard. You can catch Vittorio live this year on his tour You Can’t Say Nothing Anymore. Tickets and dates are available at https://vittorioangelone.com.

It’s a warm, funny and genuinely joyful walk with someone who feels like an old friend within minutes, and Emily and Ray absolutely loved every second.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the wonderful Josh Jones, the conversation continues with more stories, laughs and joyful dog chat.

If you haven’t already, make sure to catch part one, and don’t miss Josh on tour with his brilliantly titled show I Haven’t Won the Lottery, So Here’s Another Tour Show, running until April. Tickets and dates are at https://joshjonescomedy.com.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a London stroll with the brilliantly funny Josh Jones.

Josh has become one of the most exciting names in stand-up, with appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You?, and The Jonathan Ross Show. He chats to Emily about his life, comedy, and the very happy news that he and his partner have just officially adopted their rescue dog, Ellie, back home in Manchester. Safe to say, Josh is completely besotted and rightly so.

They also talk about Josh’s current live tour I Haven’t Won the Lottery, So Here’s Another Tour Show, which is visiting venues across the UK until April. Tickets are available at https://joshjonescomedy.com.

It’s a joyful, laugh-out-loud episode with someone who has genuine funny bones and an infectious warmth that wins people over instantly. Ray adored him, and so did Emily, the perfect way to start the new year.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second Best of 2025 special, Emily and Ray dive back into some of their favourite moments from the year.

This episode features brilliant highlights from conversations with Suzi Ruffell, Naga Munchetty, Adam Buxton, Jedward, and the endlessly lovely Sam Ryder.

It’s another joyful chance to revisit some of the funniest, warmest and most uplifting chats of the year, and a reminder of just how many wonderful guests (and dogs) have joined Emily and Ray on their walks.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray share a special treat as they look back at some of their favourite walks from the past year.

It’s a joyful highlights episode featuring brilliant moments from conversations with Ferne McCann, Shona McGarty, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Katherine Ryan and her husband Bobby Kootstra, and the wonderful Nick Mohammed.

Emily reflects on an incredible year of walks, laughter, dogs and unexpected stories, and takes a moment to thank the listeners who join them every week and make the podcast such a joy to create. There will be more highlights later this week, and plenty of exciting new guests coming in 2026.

Settle in and enjoy some of the very best bits from the year, starting with the amazing Nick Mohammed.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s festive walk with the wonderful Helen George, joined by her rescue dog Charlie, the conversation continues with more warmth, laughter and Christmas cheer.

If you haven’t already, do catch up on part one. And don't miss the Call the Midwife Christmas specials on BBC One, with part one airing on Christmas Day and part two on Boxing Day.

Helen is also currently appearing as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at the Richmond Theatre until January 4th, with tickets available at https://www.atgtickets.com.

It’s a joyful, festive walk with a much-loved face from British television, and the perfect episode to see the year out.

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.