Actor Stephen Mangan and his little sister - the illustrator Anita Mangan - had an Irish upbringing in London, with Uncle Paddy and the cousins always just around the corner. Along with their other sister, Lisa, the trio navigated separation and - later in life - the grief of losing both of their parents. They remained a close knit gang who love and support one another still. We talk about: the smell of cow pats, nicknames, inappropriate 70s song lyrics and what it meant to be the only boy in a family of girls. Stephen and Anita Mangan work together as adults, writing books for children.. So we talk about Escape the Rooms and The Fart that Changed the World and their new book, The Unlikely Rise of Harry Sponge. The episode ends with burping and ceremonial beaver hats, which is exactly as it should be.

This is a one-off bank holiday special edition of Relatively. We hope you enjoy it! We hope to be back later in 2023 with a new series.

In the meantime, Catherine's new podcast Where Are You Going? has launched. Is a bite-size and original storytelling podcast, in which she talks to strangers and asks them that one simple question. The trailer for the podcast is at the end of this episode. Please do subscribe, rate and review if you like the sound of it.

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Tatty and India Macleod are two of four sisters. Standup comedian Tatty describes their happy childhood as like " little women with emotional volatility and periods." Their mother moved them to rural Brittany when Tatty was 4 and India was 12. Big disruption for big sister India, while Tatty couldn't really remember England at all. "It all began in France." 'Les Anglaises' as the Macleod sisters were known always felt a little bit separate from the secluded community around them and as such, their time in France was a bit intense. The experience has provided rich material for Tatty's career. The pair ended up living together during lockdown, after Tatty had a break-up but the experience brought made them very close. Tatty and India talk about that, about growing up in an all female household, craving English food and Family Hold Back.

Relatively is brought to you in partnership with leading family history website, Findmypast. With family records you won’t find anywhere else and easy-to-use tools to help your family tree bloom, Findmypast is the perfect place to explore your ancestors’ amazing stories. Start building your family tree for free at Findmypast today.

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JJ Chalmers is a former Royal Marine who was profoundly wounded by and IED during a tour of Afghanistan in 2011. His older sister Ruth is a nurse and knew too much when he was flown back to start his gruelling recovery which would take years. Now registered disabled, JJ works as a TV presenter and has won medals in cycling and sprinting at the Invictus Games. It's a crazy whirlwind of an existence and one Ruth and JJ could not have dreamed of when JJ was in hospital being treated for his many, many injuries. In this episode we talk about how their relationship was tested by the effects of that bomb - as well as what it's like when your brother is mates with Prince Harry, growing up as vicar's children and the need the siblings share for everything to be very, very organised.

Relatively is brought to you in partnership with leading family history website, Findmypast. With family records you won’t find anywhere else and easy-to-use tools to help your family tree bloom, Findmypast is the perfect place to explore your ancestors’ amazing stories. Start building your family tree for free at Findmypast today.

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