Unlikely Friends

Global Originals
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Welcome to Unlikely Friends, A brand new podcast from BAFTA winning comedian Leigh Francis, Spice Girl turned radio host Emma Bunton, Damage frontman Jade Jones, and Jill Francis - where anything can (and probably will) happen! Each week, they’ll be taking questions, topics and conundrums from listeners, diving headfirst into whatever you want to hear about. Nothing is off limits. From parenthood and fame to 90s fashion and cold wedding buffets, the conversation is driven solely by you brilliant lot! Unlikely Friends is all about laid-back chats that are funny, honest, insightful, and sometimes surprisingly deep - with a few shocking revelations and celebrity guests along the way. You can watch or listen to full episodes of Unlikely Friends on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts every Monday & Thursday. 💌 Get in touch at unlikelyfriends@global.com 📱 Follow on socials: @unlikelypodfriends For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells Executive Producer: Adem Waterman Senior Producer: Ben Tulloh Creative Video Content Producer: Samson Falodun

  1. A Kylie to Marvel at

    29/12/2025

    A Kylie to Marvel at

    This week on Unlikely Friends, we’re celebrating that magical in-between time after Christmas and before New Year with a brilliant festive special — and a very special celebrity guest. The wonderful Simon Rimmer joins us with a handful of questions designed to spark stories, laughter and a little friendly debate. He asks which part of the Christmas dinner you would happily “can” (as in get rid of forever), and invites everyone to share their favourite songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s. What follows is a joyful mix of festive food opinions, musical nostalgia and unexpected memories, as we travel from classic Christmas plates to timeless tracks across three iconic decades.

    21 min
  2. UNLIKELY FRIENDS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

    24/12/2025

    UNLIKELY FRIENDS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and Unlikely Friends is getting fully festive 🎄 Welcome to the Unlikely Friends Christmas Special, packed with chaos, crackers and Christmas nonsense. There’s a Secret Santa exchange that genuinely does not disappoint, Leigh turns up with some top-tier merch, and Jade and Emma somehow convince Jill to voluntarily have fake poo lobbed at her head (yes, really). The Christmas crackers are stuffed with your festive topics and suggestions, along with some truly awful Christmas cracker jokes — expertly (and painfully) delivered by Emma. As ever, the chat wanders merrily off course, with detours into favourite meats, first Christmas memories, and a little forward planning for Emma’s 50th next year. It’s festive, it’s ridiculous, and it’s exactly the kind of Christmas catch-up you’d expect from four friends who can’t stay on topic for more than 30 seconds. Pop the kettle on, grab a mince pie, and enjoy. 🎁✨

    44 min

  3. 22/12/2025

    SANTA CLAUS COMES TO VISIT

    It’s the ultimate festive interruption 🎄 On this Christmas week special of Unlikely Friends, the gang sit down to answer questions sent in by the brilliant Judy Love – starting with a big one: what were the standout moments of 2025? But before they can even get through the first answer, everything goes completely off the rails when Santa Claus himself crashes the episode. What follows is pure Christmas chaos, featuring unexpected singing, surprise presents, and some genuinely mind-blowing revelations – including where Leigh and Emma might be landing on the naughty list. A festive special that’s best experienced rather than explained. Just press play and enjoy. 🎅✨

    14 min
  4. The Pineapple Goes Through Our Phone

    18/12/2025

    The Pineapple Goes Through Our Phone

    Leigh, Emma, Jill and Jade are back to get well and truly into the festive spirit — with tangents, showbiz stories and a healthy dose of chaos along the way. The gang kick things off with Christmas tree chat, comparing notes on when (and how seriously) everyone decorates. Jade and Emma reveal they made a wholesome trip to a Christmas tree farm to choose the perfect tree — now proudly up and looking sensational, with thanks to Goose Hill Farm. From trees to trimmings, conversation quickly turns to Bunton’s baubles — and Emma’s ever-growing collection of quirky, slightly questionable Christmas decorations, many of which her mum definitely does not approve of. Naturally, things then spiral into a nostalgic detour via the MTV Awards, before Jill shares stories from her time working at Selfridges. Leigh rounds things off with a classic showbiz anecdote involving Dermot O’Leary and Johnny Vaughan. But peace doesn’t last long… The Pineapple is awakened 🍍 — and it demands chaos. The gang are forced into a deeply questionable game that sees them opening their phones and reading out their texts and notes, revealing things that absolutely should have stayed private. Festive, funny, and wildly oversharing — just how we like it. 🎅🍍

    34 min

  5. 15/12/2025

    Bimini asks which SPICE GIRL would you be?

    Bimini Bon Boulash popped in the pineapple and asked some brilliant questions and as a result we're introduced to the drag personas of the Unlikley Friends. All we'll say is you might want to keep an eye out for Caesar Fairlight at your local disco. Bimini joins us fresh from the Sahara Desert, where they took on a brutal 100km trek for CoppaFeel!, helping raise vital funds and awareness for the breast cancer charity and its life-saving message around early detection.

    22 min
  6. Stranger Things, Spice Girls Tour Stories and Childhood Holidays!

    11/12/2025

    Stranger Things, Spice Girls Tour Stories and Childhood Holidays!

    The Unlikely Friends discuss the phenomenon was Stranger Things with Emma Bunton almost having to lie to Millie Bobby Brown that she had seen it (Awkward!). The pineapple spits out the topic of circuses where the gang reveal their trips to see jugglers and clowns where the conversation moves on to fears and phobias. Leigh Francis and Jill Francis give us their biggest horrors. Plus they recount their childhood holidays and first romantic couples trips aways. AND what really happens on a Spice Girl tour and what's in their ryder? Emma reveals all - including how they get nervous as they walk to stage. Plus Jade reveals the excitement of a Damage tour. Subscribe and follow Unlikely Friends wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen on Global Player, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. 💌 Got a question or topic for the pineapple? Email unlikelyfriends@global.com

    39 min

  7. 08/12/2025

    A&E - Painful stories of trips to the hospital!

    Actress Anna Friel is posing the questions to Leigh Francis, Emma Bunton, Jade Jones and Jill Francis in this episode of Unlikely Friends - and there's some shocking revelations! And they're taking a trip to A&E. How has Emma massively let down her husband after keyhole surgery? Why was Leigh hospitalised at the age of 9 because of poo and Jill discusses dealing with Crohn's disease and how important it is that we speak about it. The gang also get confused about the rise of Matcha tea, whilst they reveal their treat drink. Plus there's lots of belly button chat too. Just like Severance find out who is an innie or and outie. Subscribe and follow Unlikely Friends wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen on Global Player, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. 💌 Got a question or topic for the pineapple? Email unlikelyfriends@global.com

    23 min
  8. Where have all the Girl Bands and Boy Bands gone?

    04/12/2025

    Where have all the Girl Bands and Boy Bands gone?

    This week on Unlikely Friends, we don’t so much ease into the episode as dive head-first into hemorrhoids. Pauline kicks things off with a typically delicate question: “Do you give your dentist a Christmas present or—fuck that?” Naturally, this spirals into Emma suggesting Leigh should be gifting his hemorrhoid doctor, and Jill offering a frankly too-vivid description of the situation. From there, the gang take a scenic tour through arseholes in general (because of course they do). Jade shares the traumatic tale of being stung by a bee — apparently the worst pain he’s ever felt — before the conversation shifts to Christmas, where everyone realises that kids don’t want toys anymore. It’s all iPhones, tablets, and tech… the magic of Action Men and dollhouses is dead. More festive chat follows, including the now-infamous Leigh-Beat-Bunton Christmas ornament. Pauline then drops another cracker of a question: If someone owed you money, which member of the group would you actually ask for it back from? This sparks some eye-opening revelations about everyone’s spending habits — including the fact that Leigh is far more of a tough nut than anyone expected. There’s travel talk, too: how being a celebrity changes the way you move through airports, hotels, and life in general. And finally? A blockbuster discussion: Why don’t we have girl bands and boy bands like the 90s anymore? The friends dive into how music production and financing have changed, and why the era of endless pop groups might truly be over.

    39 min
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About

Welcome to Unlikely Friends, A brand new podcast from BAFTA winning comedian Leigh Francis, Spice Girl turned radio host Emma Bunton, Damage frontman Jade Jones, and Jill Francis - where anything can (and probably will) happen! Each week, they’ll be taking questions, topics and conundrums from listeners, diving headfirst into whatever you want to hear about. Nothing is off limits. From parenthood and fame to 90s fashion and cold wedding buffets, the conversation is driven solely by you brilliant lot! Unlikely Friends is all about laid-back chats that are funny, honest, insightful, and sometimes surprisingly deep - with a few shocking revelations and celebrity guests along the way. You can watch or listen to full episodes of Unlikely Friends on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts every Monday & Thursday. 💌 Get in touch at unlikelyfriends@global.com 📱 Follow on socials: @unlikelypodfriends For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells Executive Producer: Adem Waterman Senior Producer: Ben Tulloh Creative Video Content Producer: Samson Falodun

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