Simon Minty's recent thoughts and more

The third Phil and Simon Show is out now - and it's a corker. We chat about going to the Epsom Derby on an open top bus, the EU referendum, people with dementia and mythical creatures. It's fun, it's fast coming in at 32 mins. Click on a link below to listen and I hope you enjoy it. Audioboom iTunes - show date 19th June 2016 Open top bus at the 2016 Epsom Derby

The latest BBC Ouch show is out! It sees the return of the brilliant and un-PC game, Vegetable, Vegetable, Vegetable where co-host Kate Monaghan-Coker,  @katiekatetweets   our guests and I try and guess the callers 'disability' against the clock.  We interview BAFTA nominated actor Ruth Madeley @ruth_madeley from the brilliant BBC television drama  Don’t Take My Baby and classical pianist Nicolas McCarthy  @ NMcCarthyPiano  who has one hand and plays us a tune or two on the grand piano (again, brilliantly) in the studio. Ruth and Nicholas tell us of their made up responses whe n someone asks 'how did you become disabled?' The team from Stay Up Late @stayuplateuk  call in and tell us about their gig buddy project.  You can download, stream or subscribe via iTunes.  BBC Ouch site BBC Ouch iTunes Host Kate watches on as Nichols plays piano in the studio

It seemed inevitable that one day there would be a podcast of Phil Friend and me chatting about all things disability. Phil and I have been having such conversations for nearly twenty years, until now, unrecorded, whilst working, travelling or just hanging out together. We have different backgrounds, we are different generations, have divergent politics and different comfort zones. We both share a commitment and passion for equality, fairness and inclusion of disabled people and have spent many years working to achieve it or at least some progress. The great thing about our discussions are that we know one another so well and respect each other so don't have to pull any punches now. Sometimes we're considered, sometimes we shoot from the hip. We can make each other laugh and still, after all this time, make the others jaw drop with a single comment. There's two shows out already. We'll continue to make a show each month until we run out of things to say. Which mea...

Masterchef might be over but  BBC Ouch  keeps things simmering nicely. It's a noisy, fun show packed with chef tips, buying the best ingredients and smart work arounds if you want to cook but have a disability. Guests are amateur chefs Flash Bristol (holding the eggs), Ian Macrae (intimidatingly with a knife) and professional chef Ronnie Murray (less alarmingly with a pepper mill). Bon appetite! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03t9t57 In the studio, back wrow, L-R Kate Monaghan, Ronnie Murray, Ian Macrae, front row Simon Minty, Flash Bristow.

We recently celebrated the tenth birthday of BBC Ouch's podcast!  The original King and Queen of the show, Liz Carr and Mat Fraser , were reunited to reminisce about the early days and then update us on what they've been up to since leaving - BBC1 Silent Witness and US American Horror Story anyone?  We pose the question, 'Who is the best disabled character on TV?' to former BBC Exec  Tanya Motie  media professional David Hevey and US commentator Lawrence Carter-Long   There's an inappropriate guessing game and we discuss why podcasts are often the authentic voice with podmesiter  Helen Zalzman  Two pics below, one of us in the studio and one of me in #doubledenim which my co-host Kate Monaghan-Cocker took just because I was in denim. I hope to follow Liz's career path and bag myself a detective role on Death in Paradise.  Stream or download http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03pqcjf  Subscribe via iTunes https://itunes.apple....

Not entirely sure how this is happening but I find myself acting as a conduit a lot these days. It might be arranging the line up for comedians with Abnormally Funny People, or getting actors who have disabilities to help make a training video and now, it seems I'm becoming a recruitment agency. Below are some cracking jobs with the BBC, all in the comedy department. At the time of writing the deadlines for two are tight, today and tomorrow. Or you could apply for the bigger role of commissioning editor of comedy and have a little more time and hopefully become a big cheese in the funny world. Good luck if you go for any of them. P.S. I've also added a request from Channel 4, via Disability Rights UK who are looking for people to help promote their Paralympics coverage. Info at the bottom of this and deadline is midnight on 7th April. Rehearsals for Abnormally Funny People Edinburgh show with Laurence Clark, Gareth Berliner and Don Biswas Commissioning Editor, ...

There's a new talkshow out from BBC Ouch and this one is an eclectic mix of subjects. Fortunately the guests were all up for conversation so it happily bounces along. I should warn you, it's got some adult content. There's an exploratory conversation about  devotees (people who find a physical impairment sexy in itself) and we sail close to the wind with that. Another guest suggests capitalism inherently discriminates against disabled people and Marxism might be better and so has written a book about it. We also continue the ever evolving debate over what's the correct terminology when talking about disability and why do some people who have one, (a disability or impairment) still struggle to say the word 'disability'?   Hope you like it. BBC Ouch Talkshow From L to R - Roddy Slorach, Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan-Cocker