I really feel like I met my twin in today's episode. Lucia Keskin (aka, @ChiwithaC wherever you find your social medias) of the brilliant sitcom Things You Should Have Done, chats with me about her formative crushes, including Roni Mitchell and Kristin Chenowith. And who doesn't love a Broadway chanteuse-y.

As always, if you want to find the show online, it is crushedbymcs.substack.com - you can sign up there for an ad free version of the show if that's your thing, or just come and hang out, and revel in my occasional wittering.

And if you're going to be in Machynlleth for the Comedy Festival in May, get your tickets for our live show with Henry Paker. I literally can't wait. It's so soon!

thanks for listening.

Love ya!

Margaret xxx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I get to interview someone I have been a fan of for years and years today - the brilliant and iconic Helen Lederer (Ledgenderer more like. It's going to catch on).

I found the clip of her on Wogan that I mention in the intro. To make it even more enthralling, it's a real pleasure to see how confused Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan are by the whole thing. Forgot they were on the sofa too! Watch that here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIvbOA8XLgw

We talk about trying to phone Mickey Dolenz from the payphone at school; crushing on George Harrison; and dating artists. We also talk about Helen's new book "Not That I'm Bitter", which lifts the lid behind the scenes of the comedy world of the 1980s and 90s. It's been described as frank and funny and a bit mad - which I'm pleased to say was exactly how she was in person too.

Have I said that I'm interviewing Three Bean Salad's own Henry Paker for the live show at Mach? If I haven't, I'm saying it now. I think there are a couple of tickets still left, so if you'll be at Mach, please come and join us. And come and say hi!

https://machcomedyfest.co.uk/show/2024/margaret-cabourn-smith-crushed/

I think that's all the admin for this week.

You can find Crushed at Substack, and if you want to follow us there we'd love to have you. You can also sign up for an ad free version of the show if that's your bag.

Til next time,

Margaret xx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A brilliant episode this week with the hilarious BAFTA-winning actress Kimberley Nixon (Fresh Meat, Cranford, Agatha Christie's Marple)

The automatically AI-generated show notes for this ep included the phrase '(Kim) discusses her rich fantasy life and how she can play out multiple scenarios in her head', but let's be honest: that barely scratches the surface here. From her suave encounter with J Smith Cameron, to sliding in to Megan Ganz's DMs, to her lifelong crush on her husband (d'aww..), you're in for a real treat.

As always, if you want to come and hang out at crushedbymcs.substack.com then please do - you can sign up there for an ad free version of the show if that's your bag or just show your love by subscribing for free. A few tickets are still available for our upcoming live show at Machynlleth Comedy Festival with the brilliant HENRY PAKER

Love you lots,

MCS xxx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's guest is the amazing Elizabeth Day (How To Fail podcast and author of Friendaholic) who joins me in poring over her many and varied crushes - from a teenage Peter Phillips to Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables - as well as the time she brought a dead bat into school. It was such a funny chat - I loved spending an hour in her company and know that you will too!

As always, if you want to find out more, we are crushedbymcs.substack.com – you can join as a member for an ad free version of the show if that’s your bag, or, just come and hang out.

thanks for listening!

MCS xx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a glorious one this week from Cuddle Club's own Lou Sanders! Pin back your ears for tales of chasing boys down in parks, hosting parties to impress boys, and why she'd give it all up for the romantic allure of a cosy retirement with Keanu Reeves. 

One. Not. To. Miss. 

As always, if you want to find us, we are crushedbymcs.substack.com - you can sign up there for an ad free version of the show if that's your thing, or just come and hang out. 

And if you're going to be in Machynlleth for the Comedy Festival in May, get your tickets for our live show. I literally can't wait. 

thanks for listening.

Love ya!

Margaret xxx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now, I'm not a fan of the most romantic day of the year TM. In fact I like it so little that I banned celebrating it when I got together with my now husband and 21 years later, we have yet to eat an overpriced meal in mid-February.

So, for a treat this week Isy Suttie and I sat down to discuss V-Day - the highs, the lows, and why it might have been most enjoyable in our primary school years.

Hope you like it, whether you listen today with a rose and a glass of fizz, or at your leisure (have the fizz anyway - why not!?)

love

Margaret xx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I think you are going to enjoy this episode. My guest is the wonderful Sarah Hadland (who you'll probably know from Miranda, and The Job Lot and Quantum of Solace). She is wonderfully indiscreet about her early crushes/kidnapping attempts (depending on what side of the curtain you were on); and about briefly meeting some of her more famous crushes through work. Her Brandon Flowers story really tickled me.

Hope you like it!

As always, if you want to find us, we are crushedbymcs.substack.com - you can sign up there for an ad free version of the show if that's your bag, or, just come and hang out. We are hopefully going to announce a new live date soon, and we'll do that there first.

thanks for listening!

Love ya,

Margaret xx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just squeezing in to January, it's our Best Bits 2023. It was such a blast listening back to the interviews we've had over the last year. It honestly made me want to go back and revisit all of these conversations again in full. So, I hope you enjoy this short dip back into the past.

From Alison Spittle, explaining the huge part Morrissey played in her early Crush-life (before he let us all down), to Juliet Cowan sharing my passion for Union Leader Mick Lynch, via Rosie Jones talking about using stand up to help her talk about her sexuality honestly for the first time, and Sali Hughes and Caitlin Moran talking about the love that dare not speak it's name (could you have sexual feelings for a sash window?). And of course my favourite bit from the special anniversary episode with husband of the podcast, Dan Tetsell. A patient, patient, man.

We've got some lovely episodes coming up in 2024 - Lou Sanders, Elizabeth Day and Sarah Hadland in the next few weeks, and a special Valentine's Day episode with Isy Suttie for V-Day itself.

Stay tuned! (Can you tune a podcast?) And come and join the Substack if you haven't. Even just the free bit, as it means we can send you the occasional email when something super exciting happens. You can also join us there for the subscriber-only ad-free version of the show, if ads aren't your thing.

Thanks for listening in 2023. Please keep listening in 2024.

Love you!

Margaret xxx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is the easily embarrassed Athena Kugblenu, talking about her teen crushes. We dredge our memories for long forgotten 90s boy bands, ponder when an older man is too old and decide whether our allegiance was to George Clooney or Goran Višnjić in the great E.R. Crush Wars of 1999.

It's a fantastic episode - not least because Athena seems genuinely embarrassed, and that's always very funny.

You can hear more of her in BBC Sounds' DMs are Open which is out now.

And more of us next week (or dip into the back catalogue if you haven't for a while!?)

As always, you can find us (ad free) on Substack, if that floats your boat. For a little less than $5 a month you can support the show, and stop hearing ads. Or carry on here for a free show, and some ads. It's all good!

If you like the show do rate and review it - it's the cheapest way to show your love ;)

We have more FANTASTIC guests coming up in the next few weeks. Sneaky peek on Substack soon.

Lots of crushy love,

Margaret xxx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy New Year Crushos!

This episode is a great one to kick us off - in fact it might be my favourite ever episode. Is that disloyal to all the other episodes? I don't know. It's how I feel now. It features the glorious Kerry Howard on starting slow, and ending up a female incel - taking in scenic stops at how best an 8 year old can compliment a girl in his class, and when Jimmy Carr lost his virginity.

It's a hoot.

By the way, if you hear what sounds like a lot of heavy breathing, it's not, the producer's husband was using a steam iron in the next room, and we didn't realise it was being picked up. Sorry about that!

Come and say hello on Substack if you haven't already - you can also subscribe there to get the episodes ad free if you prefer no ads. Or stick right here if you love 'em!

https://crushedbymcs.substack.com

lots of Crushy hugs,

Margaret xx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi all,

this week's show features someone I have known for more than 20 years - writer and performer Barunka O'Shaughnessy, as I think you'll be able to tell from the level of giggling. Barunka has a list of credits as long as your arm, including Motherland, Up the Women and Hunderby. But by the end of this episode you'll know her best as a woman with a fine set of childhood crushes - including indie goth legend Robert Smith.

Hope you enjoy it.

We'll be back the other side of Christmas with a chat with Kerry Howard about her crushes. We met up a couple of weeks ago, and it was absolutely bonkers, so I'm looking forward to sharing that!

If you're subscribing on Substack, there will be a festive Christmas Day episode for subscribers in which Julia Raeside and I do the maths for pretty much everyone in Love Actually. I wanted to find a way to say a BIG thank you for supporting the show this year. I really, truly, appreciate it. And you! So, dip in and find that if you're on Substack.

And if not - see you on the other side of the turkey.

Lots of love and Christmas hugs,

Margaret xx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices