57 – Tina Baker and the Working-Class Chips on Our Shoulders

Talking Scared

Oh eck! This week I get very northern and my working class roots come to the fore.

It’s all my guest’s fault. Tina Baker, the author of Call Me Mummy, is an infectious presence. My typical transatlantic restraint falls away and I follow Tina down endless rabbit-holes – her time as a TV presenter, her childhood mishaps, her cats!

Thankfully, her book is fantastic, and gives us something to focus on at least a little.

Call Me Mummy is a dark psychological tale of stolen children, toxic media, mental illness and class warfare. That’s a lot to fit into one book but, as you’ll hear, I think Tina pulls it off with aplomb, and delightful black humour.

A warning, this episode does feature discussion of infertility and miscarriage. Tina, of course, delivers her own personal experiences with typical good humour, but it is worth mentioning.

We also talk about ideals of parenthood, social media trolls, alcoholism, welsh nuns, babies with horns, and the particular British disdain for the middle class

Enjoy!

Call Me Mummy was published in paperback on 2nd September by Viper

Other books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Last House on Needless Street (2021), by Catriona Ward
• Shuggie Bain (2020), by Douglas Stuart

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