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Live at the Edinburgh Festivals: Matt Forde and Abby Cook

Political comedian Matt Forde and Blue Peter鈥檚 Abby Cook join Emma in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh鈥檚 world famous arts festival is in full swing with Emma Tracey in the Scottish capital to put on a show at Dynamic Earth in front of an audience.

Comedian and host of The Political Party podcast, Matt Forde, reflects on joining the disability club just 12 months ago after receiving life-changing news at last year鈥檚 Fringe. He also throws in a few impressions of politicians you鈥檒l be very familiar with鈥�

And Blue Peter鈥檚 42nd presenter, Abby Cook, gives us the lowdown on life as the first physically disabled presenter and the terrifying challenge she had to complete to get her badge...

Recorded by, and with thanks to the 91福利社 Edinburgh Festivals team.
Mixed by Dave O鈥橬eill
Produced by Claire Bates and Alex Collins
The Editors were Beth Rose and Ben Mundy

Email: Accessall@bbc.co.uk and Google us for the latest transcript. Find us on 91福利社 Sounds and smart speakers and follow us on X and Instagram - @bbcaccessall .

Release date:

Available now

28 minutes

TRANSCRIPT


13th August 2024

bbc.co.uk/accessall

Access All 鈥� episode 117

Presented by Emma Tracey



EMMA- [Cheers and applause] Hello! Hello, hello and welcome to the Access All podcast at the Edinburgh Festival. Yes! [Cheers and applause] Thank you for being with me. We are the 91福利社鈥檚 podcast about disability and mental health. And we鈥檙e recording from Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh to a live audience.聽

AUDIENCE- Yay!

EMMA- Yes, I need as many cheers as possible. Brilliant. Now, for people listening at home you can contact us on email accessall@bbc.co.uk, and were are on social media, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, @91福利社AccessAll. Now, on stage with me today are two fabulous guests who are hugely popular and adored by two I鈥檓 going to say very different audiences, because we have Blue Peter鈥檚 Abby Cook, and we have political comedian Matt Forde [cheers and applause]. Thank you for coming. You鈥檙e so welcome.聽

MATT- Pleasure, thank you.

ABBY- Thank you.

EMMA- Thank you for coming to Access All. This is really, really exciting and wild for me to be honest. Abby, you鈥檙e in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is not known for its wheelchair accessibility, particularly with all the cobbles and the hills. How has the festival been treating you?聽

ABBY- It鈥檚 definitely not the most wheelchair friendly, but I grew up very close to Edinburgh, so up until basically last year I lived about half an hour away so I was always in Edinburgh. And I honestly think I attribute that and staying so close to it to my very good upper body strength.聽

EMMA- [Laughs]

ABBY- Going up and down, especially Cockburn Street [cheers in the audience] 鈥� yeah, yeah, right there, that one 鈥� actually I love a shop halfway up, and I will say that I love that shop, I don鈥檛 really; I just go into it because it gives me a break halfway up the path. But I now have a lovely power attachment that goes on the front of my chair that I attach on and it turns it into basically a motorbike, so I can go round at, like, 18 miles an hour. It鈥檚 quite scary, but it means that I can get up and down the hills really easily.

EMMA- And what about you, Matt? This is your first Festival using a walking stick and having a different way of walking and doing things, how has the Festival been treating you?

MATT- It鈥檚 been great so far. You know, I鈥檝e been coming here a long time. I鈥檇 need walking sticks following surgery, and I also have a stoma and have to self-catheterise. I鈥檓 meant to wear my sunflower lanyard, which you鈥檙e meant to wear to show that you鈥檝e got hidden disabilities.

EMMA- And do you wear it? Do you have one and do you wear it?聽

MATT- I do have one, yeah. I鈥檝e forgotten to wear it today.聽

EMMA- Oh, don鈥檛 worry, you鈥檙e amongst friends today.聽

MATT- Thank you very much [laughs].聽

EMMA- You鈥檙e fine, fine.聽

MATT- But I鈥檓 finding it fine. People are lovely and people are very helpful.

EMMA- You鈥檝e only been disabled for a year. How do you find out about all this stuff you can get and help?

MATT- I had a fantastic and still have a fantastic, because I have a stoma I鈥檝e got a really good nurse called Briegh who just told me about all of this stuff. She told me about the sunflower lanyard and the no-wait card that you can use in toilets and things like that to let other people know. So, from day one really, even before, day minus one, before I had my surgery I was told about a lot of this stuff. So, luckily I鈥檝e got a very good nurse who鈥檚 kept me abreast of it.聽

EMMA- Brilliant Briegh, absolutely. Now, Abby, let鈥檚 come back to you because you鈥檝e just done one year as Blue Peter鈥檚 42nd presenter. And as far as we know the first disabled presenter? That sounds鈥�

ABBY- Yes, the first presenter that has a visible disability. We鈥檒l probably never know.聽

EMMA- Okay. I think that deserves a cheer though: a year as a Blue Peter presenter [cheers and applause].

ABBY- Thank you very much. It feels like an entire lifetime. It鈥檚 been a year but I think I鈥檝e aged five.

EMMA- [Laughs]and how has it been?聽

ABBY- Fantastic. It is by far the best job you can ever have. I know that a lot of people say that no two days are the same in their jobs, but with Blue Peter it really isn鈥檛. Like, one day you鈥檒l be training a dog; the next day you鈥檒l be abseiling; the day after that you鈥檒l be meeting Their Majesties King and Queen at Eurovision and giving them a gold badge. Hello.聽

EMMA- Oh.

ABBY- It鈥檚 a lot, and no two days truly are the same.聽

EMMA- And what were your highlights? I mean, you just said one there, that has to be a highlight meeting the King and Queen. But what would your other highlights be?

ABBY- Going behind the scenes at Doctor Who.聽

EMMA- Really?

ABBY- I鈥檓 such a Doctor Who fan. It鈥檚 fantastic, I went in the Tardis.聽

EMMA- What?!

ABBY- It really is bigger on the inside [laughter]. I loved it so much, especially with all of the things they鈥檙e doing right now to make it a bit more accessible and a lot more inclusive. I think it鈥檚 great. And going behind the scenes of that and just meeting the most fantastic actors.

EMMA- And what do you think is the scariest thing you鈥檝e had to do so far? Because we鈥檝e all watched Blue Peter growing up, we鈥檝e all seen Blue Peter presenters doing extraordinary things, which when you鈥檙e a kid seems cool and when you鈥檙e an adult it鈥檚 like, why have you signed yourself up for this? What鈥檚 the scariest thing you鈥檝e done?聽

ABBY- I mean, throughout Blue Peter鈥檚 history you鈥檝e had John Noakes climbing Nelson鈥檚 Column; you鈥檝e had Peter Duncan going up the face of Big Ben; you鈥檝e had Helen Skelton going over Battersea Power Station on a tightrope. Basically they will ask you, 鈥榃hat are you most scared of?鈥� and that is the show next week [laughter]. If you鈥檙e scared of spiders they鈥檙e going to get about a million tarantulas on the show.

EMMA- Because they want you screaming?聽

ABBY- Yes, exactly. They love terror.聽

EMMA- Kids love terror. We all love terror probably.聽

ABBY- Yeah, it鈥檚 about being brave and actually doing it, because it鈥檚 nice actually watching someone be actually genuinely terrified and then not doing it. But I am terrified of heights, so my first ever challenge was abseiling, which was scary. But actually the scariest thing was a year later they revisited the heights challenge, and I went up an over 30m tree in the middle of Kew Gardens.聽

EMMA- How did you get up a tree, Abby?

ABBY- They just winched me up. They just pulled up.

EMMA- I thought you鈥檇 climbed it with that upper body strength of yours?

ABBY- No, I didn鈥檛 use the upper body strength just to cling onto the tree the full time. I kept shouting at the man who was an arborist 鈥� I don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e called.聽

EMMA- Yeah, I think that鈥檚 right. To be honest I think by saying who your Blue Peter presenters were when you were a kid it massively ages you, I reckon. So, mine were probably when I was a small child Anthea Turner and Caron Keating. Matt, do you know who yours were?聽

MATT- I think it was Richard Bacon, before he got into trouble.聽

EMMA- A role model for us all [laughter].聽

ABBY- Pre-1998.

MATT- Yes.

ABBY- Okay, so mid-鈥�90s, and that would probably be, like, late 鈥�80s as well. I have a weird party trick where I can usually tell people鈥檚 age by the presenters that they had, or around about the year that they were born.聽

EMMA- Oh, I鈥檝e just ruined it. Let鈥檚 get someone in the audience then. Let鈥檚 get someone in the front row to shout their Blue Peter presenters. This is not right, I shouldn鈥檛 be doing this.聽

MALE- Mark Curry.聽

EMMA- Mark Curry?

ABBY- Oh, that was early 鈥�80s you were probably watching that. So, you were probably born, usually the average age for someone watching Blue Peter is around about eight, so if that was鈥�

FEMALE- Valerie Singleton.聽

ABBY- That鈥檚 a long鈥eah. I鈥檇 say you were probably born, like, mid-鈥�70s or early 鈥�70s.

FEMALE- No, much earlier.聽

ABBY- Fairly close. Then Valerie Singleton was one of the first presenters that did it.聽

EMMA- Amazing lady. Has anyone in the audience got a Blue Peter badge? No. I hope you haven鈥檛 got your hands up because I can鈥檛 see you having your hands up.

MATT- Oh, someone has.

EMMA- You need to actually shout if you have.

FEMALE- Yes, I鈥檝e got one.聽

EMMA- Have you? Oh, have we got a roving mic yet? We鈥檝e got a mic.聽

FEMALE- Yes, I have one.聽

EMMA- How did you get it?聽

FEMALE- I鈥檝e got a green Blue Peter badge. Part of my school we made a green magazine and sold it to the pupils at school. So, we sent away a copy to Blue Peter and they sent us all a green Blue Peter badge.聽

EMMA- Brilliant.聽

ABBY- That鈥檚 very cool. I love the green Blue Peter badge. It was released in 1988, so it was one of the first Blue Peter badges that were sent out.聽

EMMA- You are like a Blue Peter walking information book.聽

ABBY- Yes, I think it鈥檚 a problem [laughter].聽

EMMA- Did you have one before you did Blue Peter?聽

ABBY- I actually didn鈥檛, no.聽

EMMA- Ah.

ABBY- I earned my first Blue Peter badge by abseiling down off the viaduct. It was dangling off the viaduct, so I had to grab it and stick it to myself halfway down, while crying [laughter], shocks from the back of my head.聽

EMMA- I feel like we need to mention that Blue Peter badge and Blue parking badge sound remarkably similar. And I also think that disabled people to be honest we should just get a Blue Peter badge just by default. What do you reckon, can we have that?聽

ABBY- Well, yeah.

EMMA- Anything else you can offer us?

ABBY- Yeah. I feel we should design one specifically for that. We鈥檝e got, like, nine badges now. What鈥檚 another one?聽

EMMA- Well, if we have time later I鈥檒l ask you to name all the badges [laughter]. Anyway, being the first disabled, obviously physically disabled presenter 鈥� we need loads of caveats there 鈥� it must have been a learning curve for you doing the job and a learning curve for everybody working there. What did you need that was different to other presenters? Was it ready for you and how did it go?

ABBY- That鈥檚 actually a really interesting question because when I came on the podcast a year ago when I鈥檇 just started they were just figuring out what I would actually need to be able to work effectively. So, at that time they鈥檇 built a ramp, because we had a roster where they sit on a lovely couch, so we usually start and end the show there. And they had two steps up to it, so during my screen test I couldn鈥檛 sit on the couch with everybody else. So, by the time I actually started, quite a few months later, they鈥檇 built a lovely ramp. That was pretty much the only physical adaptation really that they had to make for me.聽

EMMA- It would be easy for us to say that we would love this, but wasn鈥檛 there something about naps, you need some rest time due to your disability?聽

ABBY- Yes.

EMMA- How does that work out? When can you say, 鈥業鈥檓 off for a kip鈥�?

ABBY- A lot of times when we鈥檙e in the studio it can be really long days because we tend to pre-record the show in the morning, and then record a live one at night on a Friday, so it can be quite intense. So, I have a longer lunch break usually than my co-presenters. So, I have a room that I can go to; which is so helpful that I can dip off whenever I need to and just have a rest. It's not always that I can sleep, because you鈥檙e so adrenalined up. Children鈥檚 TV you鈥檝e got to be hyped.聽

EMMA- I bet.

ABBY- You鈥檝e got to have a lot of energy!

EMMA- Yeah, and you sound so energetic every time I hear you on the show.聽

ABBY- Yeah, it鈥檚 a lot. But it鈥檚 nice to be able to actually have a bit of distance to say, 鈥業 need to go and have a bit of rest time鈥�. Because it鈥檚 not just that I have an energy-limiting condition, it鈥檚 the fact that also I have chronic pain. And anyone who experiences chronic pain will know that a lot of time that you have a lot of brain fog associated with that, and your brain space is a lot less and the amount that you can almost cope with. And so it鈥檚 quite a lot nicer to have the space where you can decompress for a little bit, and then be able to manage your pain and come back to it, so that鈥檚 helped.聽

EMMA- That鈥檚 amazing. Matt, that sounds like something that you鈥檝e probably had to learn pretty quickly?聽

MATT- Yes. I mean, I feel like a bit of a fraud really.聽

EMMA- No.

MATT- I have hidden disabilities, the stoma and the need to self-catheterise, so I need to use accessible toilets and facilities. I have walking sticks at the moment; I may not need them forever. And these are all because I got cancer last year and I needed, the cancer was at the base of my spine鈥�

EMMA- I鈥檓 definitely, definitely going to ask you all about that.

MATT- Okay, yeah.聽

EMMA- Don鈥檛 worry.聽

MATT- I just thought I needed to explain.聽

EMMA- Yeah, you鈥檙e totally right.聽

MATT- I feel like I鈥檓 a sort of [laughs]鈥�

EMMA- I feel like I should have asked you those questions earlier now, but it鈥檚 definitely on the cards 鈥� literally on the cards [laughter]. So, you don鈥檛 feel there鈥檚 no energy, like, less energy than before? Or even using the stick you're working harder.聽

MATT- Yeah, I definitely need to rest more than I used to. And as a result of the surgery that I had I still get lingering neuropathic pain in my feet and legs, so I have to sit on soft things. I can鈥檛 sit on hard benches because that would then trigger nerve pain that鈥檚 very unpleasant. It just means that at home I just have more cushions. And I鈥檝e got into things like dressing gowns and slippers [laughter]; it鈥檚 just being comfortable is something I should have always been into really.聽

EMMA- So, it鈥檚 a new element.聽

MATT- Yeah.

EMMA- Well, Matt you are a political comedian, but you do so much stuff: you have a political party podcast; you present the podcast British Scandal with Alice Levine; you鈥檝e got the rock and roll football show on Absolute Radio; you鈥檝e been on Spitting Image doing impressions of politicians. And really if you ever want to get into character at any point of any politician we鈥檙e here for it, for sure. I鈥檓 sure Trump would have some interesting things to say about disability.聽

MATT- [Trump impression] well, it鈥檚 totally made up, by the way. Disability is not a scientific thing [laughter]. And I want to tell you, part of the fake news media here today, Emma I think what you鈥檙e doing is so sad [laughter] [cheers and applause]

EMMA- Your show at Edinburgh is called End of an Era, which fair play getting in before Taylor Swift on that title. What is she going to do when she gets to the end of her eras? Honestly. But it鈥檚 pretty impressive seeing as a year ago we probably wouldn鈥檛 have even let you on Access All, probably wouldn鈥檛 have even invited you on. It was at the Edinburgh Festival last year, wasn鈥檛 it, that everything just turned upside down, didn鈥檛 it?聽

MATT- Yeah, I had really bad nerve pain in my leg during the Festival last year, and got an MRI scan because the doctor thought it was caused by a slipped disc. And then two days after the Edinburgh Festival I was diagnosed with cancer; it was a tumour on the base of the spine. And at that point you don鈥檛 know how long you鈥檙e going to be given to live. You rapidly have to confront your own mortality while they biopsy it and figure out what it is. And it was a rare form of cancer called chordoma, which only one in a million people get. There鈥檚 not a lot of research about it, so it was surgery for me. And in October I was carved open, they removed the base of my spine. And part of the reason I need the walking sticks is the final part of the surgery was to cover the gap where the base of the spine was they created a muscle flap by pulling muscles up from my buttocks and across to create this hard bit of muscle. So, I basically got a free bum lift [laughter] on the NHS. It鈥檚 just about teaching my legs to move in a way that鈥ecause my anatomy has been rearranged, and it鈥檚 teaching them to move differently.聽

EMMA- Yeah, so without that bit at the bottom basically.聽

MATT- Exactly, yeah.聽

EMMA- And you鈥檝e mentioned briefly a couple of times that you鈥檙e self-catheterised and you鈥檝e got the stoma. So, tell me a bit about that and how you鈥檝e managed that over the year? So, self-catheterising means you have to help yourself to pee because the nerves are not there?聽

MATT- That鈥檚 right, yeah. So, with the stoma at first I was slightly heartbroken. Obviously the main priority was getting the cancer out, but you realised that you鈥檙e going to emerge from big surgery and your body is going to have changed, and you think well, that鈥檚 going to鈥� You know, you just feel more vulnerable and you think God, what鈥檚 that going to be like when I鈥檓 older, and things like that. And then actually you start to see the benefits of not pooing the old way. I鈥檝e got way more free time now [laughter], literally hours back in the day. Although I am reading less [laughter].聽

Cathetering, my god, you know, when they first tell you that you鈥檙e going to have to regularly stick a tube down that part of the body you can鈥檛 believe it will ever not be a problem. But I just got used it very quickly. I remember my surgeon saying to me, 鈥榃e talk to people who鈥檝e had your surgery, and in a year鈥檚 time they never mention the stoma or the self-cathetering鈥� and I just thought they were words he was giving me to comfort me, but it really is true. It doesn鈥檛 bother me at all either one. With the stoma I have to be more aware of what I鈥檓 eating; I鈥檓 not going to have five whiskeys and a prawn vindaloo just before going to bed [laughter], so I鈥檝e had to make that change as well. But yes, as long as you鈥檙e sensible really. It鈥檚 really made me realise how adaptable we are as people, so it鈥檚 really not been a problem at all.聽

EMMA- And is there anything else that鈥檚 different since your surgery?聽

MATT- Well, because the nerves have been cut to that part of the body, erectile dysfunction. I mean, they told me that last.聽

EMMA- Really?聽

MATT- Yeah. they were like, 鈥極h yeah, and then this other thing鈥� and you have to pretend to be cool with it. You鈥檙e like, nah, I didn鈥檛 need it anyway. But not getting an erection is quite a big deal, especially for me: I work from home [laughter]. It鈥檚 a big change. But actually there is stuff they can do. What鈥檚 incredible is with tablets and things actually I just think it鈥檚 miraculous what they can do for you. So, actually there is stuff they can do; you do get that back as well. I won鈥檛 go into too much detail but things have been okay. You just get used to it. Obviously these things are really quite heartbreaking things to be told, and then with help day by day it just gets a little bit easier, a little easier, and then you鈥檙e just thinking about these things less and it鈥檚 just the way that you do things. I went to Glastonbury a few weeks ago on walking sticks with a bagful of nappies and catheters and鈥�

EMMA- I was going to say, your bags must be bigger now and heavier.聽

MATT- They are, yeah [laughs].聽

EMMA- Did you go to the special bit of Glastonbury, the disability campsite, or did you just wing it?

MATT- I glamped, which I realise made things a bit easier. But I did have access to some of the accessible services which was great, it made it a lot easier. I mean, the viewing platforms they鈥檙e basically VIP areas; it鈥檚 the best view in the house.聽

EMMA- Really?

MATT- It鈥檚 great, yeah. I saw Dua Lipa from, like, a raised platform, it was phenomenal.聽

EMMA- Abby, next year?聽

ABBY- Yeah, camping ain鈥檛 my style [laughter]. Even glamping no. I love a shower.聽

EMMA- Me too, and a hot cup of tea for sure. Matt, you鈥檙e a politics fanatic, am I fair to say that?

MATT- Yes.聽

EMMA- And like us on Access All you went hell for leather trying to interview as many politicians as possible in the run-up to the General Election. You managed hundreds; we managed seven [laughter], and that was a marathon for us. But I just wondered, have you thought about politics a bit differently in the past year in terms of being represented and other disabled people being represented by people standing for election and MPs? And also the sort of policies and how they鈥檙e prioritised for disabled people?聽

MATT- Definitely, not just political but in every regard. Just having to use accessible toilets: I think it you鈥檙e not affected by something it鈥檚 very easy to think, well in 2024 there鈥檚 loads of stuff for people. And then you have to use these things yourself and the state of so many accessible toilets in Britain is disgraceful. And just going to pubs where they鈥檙e just used as, like, storerooms. I went into one where they opened the door as I was getting ready. I was like, 鈥榃hat are you doing?鈥� They said, 鈥極h, you can鈥檛 use it鈥�. I said, 鈥業 was here last week and I used it鈥�. And they were lying to me and said the flush doesn鈥檛 work, so I flushed it in front of them, 鈥業t seems like it鈥檚 working to me鈥�.聽

EMMA- So, is that just because they were using it as a storeroom?聽

MATT- They were using it as a storeroom. They said, 鈥極h, well there鈥檚 a gents upstairs鈥�. I said, 鈥榃ell I can probably get up those stairs, but someone in a wheelchair would not be able to do that鈥�. So, now if I go to a venue and it鈥檚 not good enough I email them all the time, and I never go back regardless of what they say. I think it鈥檚 important as well to publicly praise venues that are good: Glastonbury was really good; Wembley Stadium is phenomenal, they really go out of their way to help you there. It鈥檚 been a real education because I was frankly ignorant before all this. And then of course politically you鈥檙e looking for that from your politicians. I hope 鈥� I would say this as someone on the centre left 鈥� that a Labour government would be better for disabled people, but we will have to judge them on their outcomes. But obviously if Keir Starmer was here, [Starmer impersonation] I just want to make it absolutely clear that the British people with a visible or, or unseen disabilities, both are important. He has that way of talking: overly verbose answers. Emma frankly the words will keep coming no matter what you ask me, [laughter] but this question frankly could have finished then, or even now [laughter].聽

But look, you know, I鈥檝e got two sticks that I use. They鈥檙e homemade. I don鈥檛 know if I ever mentioned it but my dad was a toolmaker [laughter].聽

EMMA- That鈥檚 interesting that you mentioned your sticks because I always feel like you鈥檝e got to a certain place in your disability 鈥榡ourney鈥� when you start naming your disability stuff. So, I called my white cane Harry Kane during the Euros just to kind of connect with my young boy children. Abby, have you named your chair? Do you name anything?聽

ABBY- Not so much now. When I was a little bit younger I think I did it a lot more. I have my power attachment; I don鈥檛 actually know what to call it so I just call it the vroom-vroom, because it does just vroom-vroom.聽

EMMA- Yeah, so you鈥檝e not named. I haven鈥檛 been big on it but I just thought it was funny for the kids to go, 鈥楳um!鈥� every time I said, 鈥榃here鈥檚 Harry?鈥� [laughter]. What about you, Matt, have you named anything?聽

MATT- I haven鈥檛, but some patients do name their stomas?聽

EMMA- Oh really?聽

MATT- And I didn鈥檛 name mine, but someone did suggest Sir Keir Stoma [laughter].聽

EMMA- That is a brilliant name for it. I guess your feelings change around it over time, you鈥檝e just not bothered naming it, like me with my cane?

MATT- Yeah. I think when people said, 鈥極h everyone else does it鈥� that made me not want to do it. I thought, I鈥檓 too cool to name my new bum hole [laughter]. I鈥檝e never named other parts of my body before, you know; there might have been a couple ahead in a line. Do you know what I think that by the time people were telling me I could have name it I already was getting over it. And I think that might have helped me earlier.聽

EMMA- Handbrake turn there, Abby. Abby, what are the criteria for getting a Blue Peter badge? I have to say it really slowly because I keep wanting to say Blue Badge.聽

ABBY- Yes, I have actually said Blue Badge a lot and people thought I meant Blue Peter badge as well. There was once, twice actually someone broke into my car and stole my Blue Badge, and I told people on the Blue Peter team, 鈥極h someone broke into my car, stole my Blue Badge鈥� and they went, 鈥楻eally? Are they that valuable?鈥� [laughter] Like, 鈥楾he Blue Peter badge, did you leave one out in your car?鈥� I was like, 鈥楴o, no, no, the disability one鈥� you鈥檝e got to do that. The Blue Peter badge you have to be between the ages of five and 15, and there鈥檚 a load of different Blue Peter badges that you can apply for. Or鈥�

EMMA- I鈥檝e lost you at the age thing though, because I can鈥檛 have one now.聽

ABBY- I think though you can get one as an adult if you appear on the show.聽

EMMA- Ooh!聽

ABBY- So, if you appear on Blue Peter.聽

EMMA- I live in Scotland. Where do you record, again?聽

ABBY- Salford.聽

EMMA- Two trains away, I could do it. It鈥檚 a bit of a trek.聽

ABBY- You could do it, yes.聽

EMMA- Well, I don鈥檛 have any badges to give out at all. If people want to ask some questions you could get the honour, the badge of honour of asking a question on Access All. I think that鈥檚 about as good as we can do. We have our roving mic again, if you want to put up your hand or make a silly noise. Because I don鈥檛 like to feel left out; I like to know where in the audience the question is coming from.聽

FEMALE- Hi there.聽

EMMA- Hello.聽

FEMALE- You might go onto this later, but I鈥檓 just wondering what your favourite experience of Edinburgh has been perhaps over the years or maybe this trip?聽

MATT- There鈥檚 something really special about this city. I doubt this Festival would have endured in any other part of Britain really. So, coming here for the month is just so much fun. When I think of some of the food I鈥檝e had, [laughter] the pie maker that just makes lasagne pies and spaghetti pies. I mean, even the Greggs here sell macaroni cheese pie. It鈥檚 incredible, just the food and drink you鈥檝e got in this city, and stuff opens late. I climbed Arthur鈥檚 Seat once and that was really cool, seeing the city from that perspective. So, I鈥檒l say either that, either the view over the city or the wonderful food that you sell.聽

EMMA- Right okay. Well, listen, because I thought that you had named your stoma, Keir Stoma, I鈥檝e written you a little script. We鈥檝e written you a little script, here鈥檚 one that was made earlier.聽

MATT- Lovely.聽

EMMA- To do our out show, to be the last bit, because we鈥檝e actually run out of time. Have a look at it first in case you don鈥檛 like it, and you can just, the basics are there, just tell people to get in touch and subscribe.聽

MATT- Well, you know what, I shouldn鈥檛 have done Keir Stoma already. I feel like I should pack as many鈥�

EMMA- Okay.聽

MATT- Shall I do it as Boris Johnson?聽

EMMA- Yeah, okay. So, Matt could you do the outro as Boris Johnson?聽

MATT- [Johnson impersonation] well, look, firstly, I want to say what a great, great, yes, honour it has been to be here at the, um, you know, whatever it鈥檚 called [laughter], the wonderful, uh, access, getting access everywhere, you know, I think it鈥檚 something like that. It鈥檚 been a total dream of mine and a long-term, uh, uh, ambition to be here at the Access All live show at the Edinburgh Festival. Thanks to my guests, uh, AbyY Cook and Matt Forde. Uh, and of course the Crasharoonie Snoozefest dullard Sir Keir Stoma, terrible Prime Minister, the worst Prime Minister we鈥檝e had for, for at least three Prime Ministers [laughter]. But look, don鈥檛 forget to post about this on your, yeah, your social media using @91福利社AccessAll, those lefties at the 91福利社 by the way, the libertarian, Liberal wokerati. I see them all here today before me, the tofu chomping wokerati of Holyrood. Anyway, I鈥�

EMMA- Boris, I鈥檒l have to stop you there.聽

MATT- Thank you so much [cheers and applause].聽

EMMA- We鈥檝e run out of time. Apologies. Matt Forde and Abby Cook, woo-hoo. Amazing.聽 [APPLAUSE, THEME MUSIC]

[Trailer for Newscast]

MALE- Newscast is the unscripted chat behind the headlines.聽

FEMALE- It鈥檚 informed but informal.聽

MALE- We pick the day鈥檚 top stories and we find experts who can really dig into them.聽

MALE- We use our colleagues in the newsroom and our contacts.聽

MALE- Some people pick up the phone rather faster than others.聽

CALLER- Hello?

FEMALE- We sometimes literally run around the 91福利社 building to grab the very best guests.聽

MALE- Join us for daily news chat.聽

FEMALE- To get you ready for today鈥檚 conversations.聽

MALE- Newscast, listen on 91福利社 Sounds.







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