Experience is Everything

Saga Group

Some moments change you. Some experiences turn you into a smarter, or more thoughtful, or tougher person. They build your resilience, your sense of humour and your empathy too. In Experience is Everything, the nation's favourite lexicographer and media personality Susie Dent talks to household names to find out what they’ve learned over their extraordinary lifetimes. In enthralling conversations with actors, comedians, athletes, musicians and celebrities we’ll discover the most surprising, comical and moving moments that made them who they are today… because there’s no substitute for experience.

  1. Dame Dr Maggie Aderin on resilience, reflection and reaching for the stars

    9 Jun

    Dame Dr Maggie Aderin on resilience, reflection and reaching for the stars

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning presenter and Countdown lexicographer Susie Dent discovers life lessons from living legends.  Dame Dr Maggie Aderin is one of the leading space scientists in the UK. She has worked on some of the world’s biggest space projects, such as the James Webb telescope and the Gemini Observatory in Chile, and has presented the BBC’s astronomy show The Sky At Night for more than 12 years. She is Chancellor of the University of Leicester and is the first black woman to win a  gold medal in the Physics News Award. She also previously served as President of the British Science Association. But as the dyslexic daughter of Nigerian immigrants, her journey hasn’t been the easiest and she is committed to breaking down barriers relating to race, class and gender.  In this episode of Experience is Everything, Maggie talks to Susie about advocating for diversity in science; her worry that we will ruin space; and where she plans to retire! Saga Insurance exclusively designed for people over 50. When experience matters, choose Saga. Search Saga Insurance today. www.saga.co.uk/insurance   Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  YouTube: @EIEpod Facebook: Experience is Everything  Instagram: Eiepod TikTok: Eiepod Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    48 min
  2. Angela Rippon on leaving the BBC and saying yes to Strictly!

    26 May

    Angela Rippon on leaving the BBC and saying yes to Strictly!

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning presenter and Countdown lexicographer Susie Dent discovers life lessons from living legends.   Angela Rippon is a trailblazer. One of the most consequential figures in British broadcasting, her remarkable career spans 60 years. A journalist, director and producer, she was the first long-serving female presenter of the BBC National News, and has presented entertainment shows such as Eurovision, Top Gear, Come Dancing, Antiques Roadshow, and Rip-Off Britain. She has an OBE and a CBE, and her incredible high leg kick on the Morecambe and Wise show has gone down in TV history.   In this episode of Experience is Everything, Angela tells Susie about broadcasting from the Queen’s funeral, how she stays friends with her ex-husband and doing the splits at the age of 81.   Saga Boutique River Cruises. With so much included in the price, from a nationwide shared chauffeur service to all-inclusive drinks, an included excursion in every port, Wi-Fi and gratuities – it’s all included when you sail away with Saga. Search “Saga River Cruises.” 2027 season on sale now. T&Cs apply. saga.co.uk/rivers-2027   Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform. YouTube Facebook Instagram TikTok  Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min
  3. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on River Cottage, getting fired and letting go in the kitchen

    12 May

    Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on River Cottage, getting fired and letting go in the kitchen

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning presenter and Countdown lexicographer Susie Dent discovers life lessons from living legends.  Chef, writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is passionate about food – good, ethically sourced, sustainable food. Famous for creating the River Cottage brand, Hugh has written more than 25 cookbooks and is a staunch campaigner on issues such as food waste, unsustainable fishing, and poor animal welfare. In this episode of Experience is Everything, Hugh tells Susie about how moving out of London changed his life; the moment he got fired from world famous restaurant River Cafe; and why his children have told him to butt out of the kitchen. If you’re dreaming of a safari in South Africa, an immersive experience in India, or exploring the Galapagos Islands, an escorted tour with Saga, may be just what you’re dreaming of. Every unforgettable tour has been created exclusively for people over 50 by our team, and their 2027 escorted tours are on sale now. Search “Saga escorted tours” today. ATOL protected. Saga.co.uk/tours  Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  YouTube: @EIEpod Facebook Instagram: eiepod TikTok: eiepod Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    40 min
  4. Johnny Ball’s greatest stories – From Ringo Starr to Queen Elizabeth II

    28 Apr

    Johnny Ball’s greatest stories – From Ringo Starr to Queen Elizabeth II

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning presenter and Countdown lexicographer Susie Dent discovers life lessons from living legends.  Johnny Ball has been in the entertainment industry for more than 60 years, from his days as a Butlins Redcoat to becoming one of the UK’s most beloved children’s TV presenters. He single-handedly made maths and science exciting for so many, turning educational television into an absolute must-watch. In this episode of Experience is Everything, Johnny talks to Susie about how he got the gig presenting hit children’s TV show Play School; what happened when he told the Duke of Edinburgh he had a crush on Queen Elizabeth IIl; and how he told The Beatles ‘there’s no money in n roll’. Saga Insurance exclusively designed for people over 50. When experience matters, choose Saga. Search Saga Insurance today. www.saga.co.uk/insurance  Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  YouTube: @EIEpod Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584091016049# Instagram: eiepod TikTok: eiepod Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    46 min

  5. 14 Apr

    Jane Horrocks on Absolutely Fabulous and finding a purpose in life

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning Radio 4 broadcaster and Daily Mail columnist Jenni Murray discovers life lessons from living legends.  Jane Horrocks has one of the most recognisable voices in entertainment. Known for her strong Lancashire accent, she became a household name after being offered the role of the quirky Bubble in Absolutely Fabulous, and amazed us all with her ability to impersonate the greatest singers in the world in Little Voice. In this episode of Experience is Everything, Jane talks to Jenni about the moment she fell in love with acting; the support she has received from acting legends such as Alan Rickman; how her distinctive voice has become part of her personality; and how to find a purpose in life once your children have left home. • This podcast is brought to you by Saga Money - the personal finance experts for people over 50. Whether you want to save invest, review your will, release equity or get a mortgage, just go to⁠ Saga Money⁠: https://www.saga.co.uk/money Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  YouTube: @EIEpod https://www.youtube.com/@eiepod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584091016049# Instagram: eiepod https://www.instagram.com/eiepod TikTok: eiepod https://www.tiktok.com/@eiepod Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min

  6. 31 Mar

    Paul Lewis – “My cautiousness cost me money!”

    The whole Saga team and family is deeply saddened by the passing of Dame Jenni Murray, who had been the wonderful host of this podcast. This episode is one of two last interviews she had recorded with us, and with the permission of her family we are releasing them – as we believe Jenni would’ve wanted both to be seen and enjoyed by the public.  In the first of these, Jenni spoke with award-winning financial journalist and Saga columnist Paul Lewis, who has been advising us on what to do with our money for more than 40 years. He’s hosted Radio 4’s Moneybox programme since 2000 and is the author of six books. In this episode, Paul told Jenni that having a career as a financial journalist was not on the cards; the greatest lessons he has learnt about money; why we need to start spending our money; and the weirdest place he has been recognised. It’s a fascinating episode, and Jenni brings out insights throughout with her signature warmth and curiousness.  • Presented to you by Saga Boutique River Cruises. Sail away with so much included in the price. 2026 season on sale now, browse the full collection here. Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  YouTube Facebook Instagram TikTok Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    42 min

  7. 10 Mar

    Prue Leith – On leaving Bake Off and finding love again at 70

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning Radio 4 broadcaster and Daily Mail columnist Jenni Murray discovers life lessons from living legends.  Dame Prue Leith has lived an eventful life. She blagged her way into cookery school, built a Michelin-starred restaurant from scratch, wrote sixteen cookery books and eight novels, and spent nearly a decade of British summers in a marquee judging cakes on The Great British Bake Off. Along the way she turned herself into one of the most recognisable and outspoken figures in the country. In this episode of Experience is Everything, Prue sits down with Jenni to talk about why she walked away from one of the best jobs on television, the complicated love story that began when she fell for her mother’s best friend’s husband, and why she has become one of the most passionate advocates for legalising assisted dying. She also reflects on the unexpected joys of later life, and why falling in love in your seventies can feel surprisingly like being a teenager again. • Saga Insurance exclusively designed for people over 50. When experience matters, choose Saga. Search Saga Insurance today. www.saga.co.uk/insurance  Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  YouTube: ⁠⁠@EIEpod⁠⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠Experience Is Everything with Saga⁠⁠  Instagram: @⁠⁠eiepod⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@eiepod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠saga.co.uk⁠⁠ ⁠⁠podmasters.co.uk Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. saga.co.uk podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    36 min

  8. 24 Feb

    Adjoa Andoh – On Bridgerton, punk music and growing up in the Cotswolds

    NEW SERIES: Award-winning Radio 4 broadcaster and Daily Mail columnist Jenni Murray discovers life lessons from living legends.  Actor Adjoa Andoh has done it all from theatre to TV, film, radio and audiobooks. Directing and starring in Shakespeare plays, gracing our television screens on shows such as Casualty and Doctor Who, and working on films like Invictus alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Adjoa talks to Jenni about what it was like growing up in The Cotswolds in a mixed race family; accepting her first acting job at the same time she found out she was pregnant; how she has found juggling her work with motherhood; and whether she’ll be returning to Bridgerton as the sharp-witted Lady Danbury in series five! Find Experience is Everything every two weeks on your favourite podcast platform.  This podcast is bought to you by Saga Money - the personal finance experts for people over 50. Whether you want to save invest, review your will, release equity or get a mortgage, just go to⁠ Saga Money⁠: https://www.saga.co.uk/money YouTube: ⁠@EIEpod⁠  Facebook: ⁠Experience Is Everything with Saga⁠  Instagram: @⁠eiepod⁠ TikTok: ⁠@eiepod⁠ Experience is Everything is a Podmasters production for Saga. ⁠saga.co.uk⁠ ⁠podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    42 min
See All (15)

Trailer

4.7
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

Some moments change you. Some experiences turn you into a smarter, or more thoughtful, or tougher person. They build your resilience, your sense of humour and your empathy too. In Experience is Everything, the nation's favourite lexicographer and media personality Susie Dent talks to household names to find out what they’ve learned over their extraordinary lifetimes. In enthralling conversations with actors, comedians, athletes, musicians and celebrities we’ll discover the most surprising, comical and moving moments that made them who they are today… because there’s no substitute for experience.

Information

  • Creator
    Saga Group
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Saga Group Ltd / Podmasters 2026
  • Show Website
    Experience is Everything

You Might Also Like