From unknown train fan to viral trainspotting sensation, Francis Bourgeois has changed the face of what it is to be a trainspotter. His heartwarming and contagious videos of his euphoric reaction to spotting trains have made millions of people happy. He is now the world's most famous trainspotter with over 2.8 million followers on Tik Tok, more than 60 million likes and 1.6 million followers on instagram. Many celebs are fans too, with Joe Jonas and Thierry Henry joining Francis trainspotting and brands like Gucci collaborating with him. He has written a book The Trainspotter's Notebook, and currently hosts the series Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois for Channel 4 with guests like AJ Tracey and Aisling Bea. 

Francis’ real name is Luke Nicolson and despite his huge success, after some old school photos appeared of him looking very different to the Francis we know, many people questioned his authenticity. He discusses how this made him feel here and the changes he made at school to fit in. You may even shed a tear listening to Francis speak about his life. He’s an inspiration to so many children and adults. One thing is for sure, there is no denying his impact and the joy he brings. The world needs more Francis.

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

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This week we bring you a conversation that has been on the cards for a long time! A TV and radio presenter turned businesswoman with her ever expanding brand of Happy Place, Fearne Cotton has both experienced and enabled big change in her life. One significant change for Fearne was making the decision to leave her job presenting one of the biggest shows on BBC Radio 1 after 10 years. Fearne and Annie were colleagues, and as part of this episode, they finally get a chance to revisit their time at the station together and explore their  respective decisions to leave.

Curating her own world with Happy Place, Fearne is now an award winning podcaster, has a Happy Place festival, a publishing imprint and an app, all of which advocate for a wider conversation around mental health, self-care and helping people live happier lives. She’s also an author with multiple Sunday Times Best Sellers including her latest and most personal book, ‘Bigger Than Us’.

In this episode, as well as discussing Radio 1 days, Annie and Fearne discuss Fearne being CEO of her business, being women in the entertainment industry, bulimia, step parenting and much more. 

You can get tickets to the Happy Place Festival and find out more about all things Happy Place here:

https://www.happyplaceofficial.co.uk/events/

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

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

This Easter Monday we give you comedian Joe Lycett and producer Mark Ronson. 

Joe Lycett has got a reputation for cleverly using comedy to bring our attention to issues he believes need addressing. He calls out people who exploit or capitalise off marginalised people and, in the process, makes us question things. His show ‘More, More, More, How Do you Lycett? How Do you Lycett?’ brilliantly highlighted LGBTQ issues. It’s a masterpiece. In this revisited episode Annie asks Joe when he realised that he could enact change through being a comedian. You can now see Joe every Friday evening at 10pm on Channel 4 with his new show Late Night Lycett, a live show from Birmingham.

Seven-time grammy winning producer Mark Ronson has just become a father. He himself was born in London but raised in New York City from the age of 7 after his parents divorced. In this episode from last year, we jump in when he talks about his transition from being a DJ to a producer and finding where he belongs and feels most creatively happy.

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This week we are revisiting Irish comedian Joanne McNally and Lottery winner Susan Herdman. One of the most popular guests ever on Changes, Joanne McNally is currently touring her acclaimed show The Prosecco Express. She is also the co-host of the hugely successful podcast ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ with her friend Vogue Williams. Here, we revisit her talking about the end of her struggles with bulimia and move into comedy in her 30s.  

Susan Herdman’s life changed when she won almost £1.2 million on the lottery. Prior to that she was a hairdresser and sometimes worried about turning on the heating. Here, we return to the night she realised that she had won. 

Listen back to the full episodes here:

Joanne McNally 

https://podfollow.com/changeswithanniemacmanus/episode/81b0a8bdf7a14c9c2e6b7fd9336a6a46247d2146/view

Susan Herdman

https://podfollow.com/changeswithanniemacmanus/episode/88b5162ac5cc7268eb87c5e15cb3d6f0bcf569ff/view

Content warning: bulimia / eating disorders

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Norman Cook has been a fixture as superstar DJ Fat Boy Slim since the 90s. He started his musical career as part of the band the Housemartins but it was Fat Boy Slim that changed his life. In 1998, his second album "You've Come Along Way Baby" went to number 1, featuring the now classic dance tracks "Praise You”, "Right Here Right Now” and “Rockafeller Skank”. His legendary party Big Beach Boutique II, took place on Brighton beach 20 years ago and made the history books as the biggest outdoor party to have ever taken place in the UK. Sky recently released a documentary about it called “Right Here, Right Now”. 

Here, Norman talks about that day, his journey to success, family, getting sober and life now. Norman has two children with his ex wife, radio presenter Zoe Ball and still lives in Brighton, where he even served coffee during the pandemic. All hail, Norman Cook.

Find out about gigs here: https://www.fatboyslim.net/

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

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

This is a story about intense love, immeasurable loss and incredible strength. Behind the happy positive personality that is Sarah Gwonyoma, founder of @WhatSarahReadNext (a platform that she uses to review books and interview authors), is a woman who has been through unbelievable changes. After meeting Tim, Sarah moved to the other side of the world to be with him. It’s a beautiful film-like story but sadly, in 2017, Sarah’s world was turned upside down when both her brother and husband died unexpectedly. 

Here, she shares her story, which includes her struggles with fertility and becoming a single mum overnight. Through it all, what’s clear is Sarah’s immense strength, courage and radiant positivity. She has since used her experiences for good and as a tool to heal, deciding to change careers and turn her passion for books into a job.

Sarah’s story will both astound and inspire you.  

Follow Sarah here: @whatsarahreadnext

Find out more here: https://linktr.ee/what_sarah_read_next

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

Content warning: detail around fertility issues including operations, miscarriages and IVF. 

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

Jake Shears is the opposite of a fun sponge, he’s the life and soul of every party, a positive force. Jake is the frontman of Scissor Sisters, a band which made a huge impression on pop and club culture; their debut album was the biggest album in the UK in 2004. Jake and Scissor Sisters came up in the gay scene of New York and with their fun loving, extravagant performances, the band were instrumental in paving the way for other mainstream queer artists. Now a solo artist, Jake has written for and toured with Kylie, duetted with Cher, starred in Kinky Boots on Broadway and recently wrote the lyrics for the sold-out 'Tammy Faye' musical alongside good friend Elton John, who wrote the music. He has just released a new single ‘Too Much Music’ ahead of the release of his life affirming new album ‘Last Man Dancing’ - a big love letter to club culture and pop music. 

In this conversation he discusses growing up in different places in America, coming out, starting out in New York as a Go-Go Dancer before Scissor Sisters exploded, struggles with his identity when the band finished and the changes he has experienced himself and in his relationships.

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

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

Jen Brister calls herself the ‘other mother’, the non-biological one, a gay comedian raising twin boys with her partner Chloe. She draws on this in her comedy with millions of views on instagram of her hilarious observations about mothers and their relationships with their children. Jen is currently touring her show The Optimist described by the Guardian as “expertly calibrated crabbiness”, “no one rages against the world better”. 

Jen is a regular on UK TV having performed on Live at the Apollo, Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, Mock the Week, QI, Hypothetical and Sara Pascoe’s comedy Lectures on Dave. Her sell out show ‘Meaningless’ can be streamed on Amazon Prime. She has also written a book called ‘The Other Mother’ and has a brilliant weekly podcast called Women Talking Bollocks with her two comedian friends, Maureen Younger and Allyson June Smith. 

Here she talks to Annie about her defining changes, parenting, porn and children, grief, success in your 40s (if you need inspiration for persevering with your dreams, Jen is perfect) and much more.

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

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

At the age of 18, just about to start her adult life, Sophie Morgan was in a car crash which instantly paralysed her from the chest down. She was told she would never walk again. Since that day, rather than let her disability defeat her, Sophie has used it as nothing but motivation and is now one of the first, and only, female disabled television hosts in the world as well as an award-winning disability advocate.

Sophie has presented at the Paralympics in London, Rio and Tokyo, led ground-breaking documentaries such as Dispatches and Unreported World, is a regular Loose Women panellist and is now hosting her own Channel 4 series ‘Living Wild: How to Change your Life.’ She has also written a memoir called Driving Forwards. 

In this conversation she tells Annie about the day everything changed and takes us through her life and experiences before and after the crash. Sophie is an incredibly positive, determined person, an unstoppable force who will make you want to take on the world.

You can watch Sophie's Channel 4 series, buy her memoir and find out more here: https://www.sophiemorgan.com/

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

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

This week we welcome double Oscar nominated, golden globe and BAFTA winning actor Samantha Morton. She is one of the finest actors of her generation, acting since the early 90s, in Hollywood, independent movies and TV. You may know Samantha from the films Emma and Jane Eyre, Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report with Tom Cruise, Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, Elizabeth the Golden Age and the TV series Harlots and The Walking Dead. This year, she stars in The Whale alongside Brendan Fraser, who is nominated for an academy award and The Serpent Queen, in which she stars as Catherine DeMedici, has a second series. 

Samantha was born in Nottingham and taken into care as a baby, being moved around foster homes and children's homes until she was 16, with a spell of being homeless in her early teens. She suffered abuse, both sexual and physical and was in trouble with the police. As a successful actor, she is passionate about working to highlight the issues within the care system in the UK. Her directorial debut, The Unloved was inspired by her story and the stories of other girls she met in care. It won a BAFTA for Best Single Drama and even led to her working with the labour government around child care at the time. 

Last year, Samantha starred in the film She Said as an ex assistant to Harvey Weinstein about the New York journalists who broke the story on Weinstein being a sexual predator. It’s a full circle role given that Samantha was one of the few young actors to publicly speak up about Weinstein’s bullying behaviour way before the Me Too movement began. She speaks here about some of the behaviour she experienced as a young actor. But what are the changes that Samantha feels have defined her own life? Annie finds out.

Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes

Warning: contains descriptions of physical and sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual misconduct on film sets.

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