Crushed by Margaret Cabourn-Smith

Aka, Mr Margaret Cabourn-Smith. And Happy Birthday Crushed - it's a whole year since we released the first episode. It's a special birthday episode, with Margaret put on the spot by her husband, and guest, Dan Tetsell.  Dan is a writer and actor who you may have seen in everything from puppet-actor-fest Mongrels to hot-actor-fest Hollyoaks (and most recently Eastenders).  He's also Margaret's husband - and the man who has to live with her crushes on a day to day basis.  Is that hard?  He'll let us know. They talk about his crushes - from school to screen, and the Christmas Crushed Calendar he makes Margaret every year, featuring her latest pashes.  Which frankly should be merch (note to self, ask Dan how many can he make...) It's hard to believe it's been a whole year of Crushed. Thank YOU so much for listening, for supporting it, and to everyone who has left kind words on Twitter, reviews on podcasting apps or followed us on Instagram or subscribed to our bloody Substack - thank you, thank you, thank you.  Honestly - it makes us feel so happy to have you with us. We have lots of plans for the show this year.  Our first live date is on sale now here: https://machcomedyfest.co.uk/show/2023/margaret-cabourn-smith-crushed-by-margaret-cabourn-smith/ More to follow when we can book them in. Margaret's article looking back at the show is here: https://crushedbymcs.substack.com/p/one-year-on (Yes, it's on Substack, we're not obsessed it's just Twitter seems to be on fire at the moment, so we thought we'd better branch out).  We'd love to hear from you.  You can email us: crushedbymcs@gmail.com Or find us on Twitter or Insta @CrushedbyMCS Or sign up for the bloody Substack and then we can send you occasional emails to let you know about things like the live shows.  No pressure.  Til next time, Team Crushed xx

Still Game's Sanjeev Kohli is Margaret's guest this week.  It's a bit of a tearjerker, looking back at Sanjeev's primary school crushes.  As he says - for the first 30 years of his life, all his love was unrequited.  Except for his mum. (Life was tough for a Glaswegian metalhead in the 1980s).  Sanjeev and Margaret talk about first love, 1980s hedge porn, and running into your old flames at a school reunion. Admin klaxon - We have finally sorted out our first live date - head to Substack for details, we'll post a link to tickets.  It's going to be very exciting.  https://crushedbymcs.substack.com/ As always, you can email us at crushedbymcs@gmail.com It's a big one next time - Crushed's first anniversary.  Margaret's husband Dant will be popping in to shed some light on what it's like living with someone who has so many crushes, and sharing some of his own stories from his teenaged years.  Absolutely glorious. Look out for that.  Til then,  Team Crushed x 

The magnificent Rosie Jones drops in this week to talk to Margaret about her crushes.  And it's a doozy.  Or should that be doozie?  Please advise. Rosie is so prone to crushes that she likes to think of them like a trifle - layers of custard, cream, jam and strawberries.  But no sponge fingers.  We always knew she was a maverick. It's a wide-ranging episode from the deep to the dippy, with Rosie talking about having to overcome internalised homophobia and ableism to feel worth of love, and why she just can't resist a very good British actress.  Who can? We had an email from Susie who heard Alison Spittle's story in episode 24 about "winning" a sweat drenched t-shirt Morrissey threw into the crowd by holding on to it with her teeth and thinks she can top it.   She says - "In the late 90s I was a huge Robbie Williams fan, and kept a bottle of water from a Take That gig because it had been in the same room as him, and might have had his breath in it".  If you can beat that for either optimism (surely this is not scientifically possible?!) or devotion, let us know. As ever you can email us on: crushedbymcs@gmail.com or find our Substack at: https://crushedbymcs.substack.com/ Rosie's website is here, if you want to find out more about her, or join her mailing list. https://rosiejonescomedy.com/ Transcript here: https://www.mightybunny.co.uk/crushed-transcripts Til next time, Team Crushed x 

In this episode, Margaret Cabourn-Smith interviews comedian, and little legend Alison Spittle about her crushes and unrequited loves.  We don't want to say she picks badly, but Morrisey and Kanye West both get a mention. Listeners of a sensitive nature may like to know that there are frankly filthy discussions about Bob Hoskins's hairy back.  Listener discretion is advised. Find us on substack or email us: crushedbyMCS@gmail.com Check out Alison's tour dates here: https://linktr.ee/alisonspittle And her podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wheel-of-misfortune/id1525520717 And we'll leave you with some more hot Bob Hoskins action - here's that clip Margaret and Alison were talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTgqHsJ4410&themeRefresh=1 see you next time! Team Crushed x

Actress, singer, comedian, Twitter star and all round good egg Sooz Kempner is Margaret's guest this week, with crushes that manage to encompass Top Cat and Bruce Forsyth.  I'd like to see that Venn diagram. Note to keen listeners - the science this week is... inaccurate, due to Margaret not counting the Vs correctly in this weeks Maths. For those of a more precise nature (as fans of Sooz's big Crush might be), the correct score is 84%, and not, as stated in the show, a measly 17%.  Congratulations Sooz! Admin Klaxon We've started a Substack for the show, as a way of sharing fun bits, and a place to build a leaderboard showing which guest is scientifically most compatible with their Crush.  For posterity.  You can find it here: crushedbymcs.substack.com  We're planning some live shows later in the year - if that sounds like the sort of thing you'd like, come and follow us on Substack as we'll announce them there first.  More info will follow soon.  It's free to sign up - do come and say hi!  See you in two weeks!  Team Crushed xx

Comedian, musician and improviser Rachel Parris talks to Margaret about Leonardo di Caprio, Spike from Buffy and fills in the gaps on how she got together with last week's guest; crush-turned-husband Marcus Brigstocke.

Margaret talks to comedian Marcus Brigstocke about his plethora of crushes ranging from Robert Smith from The Cure all the way through to Susan Kennedy from Neighbours (with a sprinkling of Morten Harket along the way).

Margaret talks to writer, podcaster and producer of this podcast Sophie Black about John Lennon, being attracted to a cartoon wolf, and writing to Just Seventeen to get a photo of a bloke in The Bill.

Writer-performer Abigail Burdess talks to Margaret about falling in love on a family holiday and a boy with 'the voice of an angel' at whose house she caused a massive security breach.   Abigail's novel Mother's Day is out in March 2023.

Writer Daisy Buchanan talks to Margaret about her love of Kermit the Frog, Declan Donnelly and being confident enough to say she loves Mariah Carey (let alone PJ and Duncan).

Relationship expert and comic Rosie Wilby talks to Margaret about a university crush that had her crouching behind the bins and 'the only man for her' George Michael.

Margaret talks to stand up and self-proclaimed 'snog monster' Jenny Eclair about the allure of Rod Stewart, Peter Noone and the-actor-who-is-about-to-play-Elvis-in-an-upcoming-biopic.

Actress Mina Anwar talks to Margaret about her Geography teacher Mr Simkins who not only inspired her to sing but also looked uncannily like a ginger Magnum PI.

Writer, podcaster and downright comedy legend Richard Herring talks to Margaret about how, as a teenager, being both square and smelly cost him huge.  He goes on to talk about how he went out with someone he had made a shrine to on national television and the importance of dealing with his own fans' crushes sensitively. 

Aussie stand up Heidi Regan remembers loving Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher from afar and harbouring a beautifully life-changing crush on Andrea Corr.

Actor and writer Katy Wix talks to Margaret about her most memorable crushes - from Heathcliff to a boy in the canteen to King Kong.

Podcaster and journalist Julia Raeside remembers her most formative crushes from Michael Praed in Robin of Sherwood to Mark Rylance and maybe even Hamlet.

Award winning writer and stand-up Sarah Kendall looks back on the crushes from her youth - from Alan Alda to Dustin Hoffman via a boy called Piccolo. She also talks about the challenges of coming out in her 40s and the deeper understanding she has gained of herself.

Writer, actor and executive director of Wrexham AFC, Humphrey Ker, talks to Margaret about his most ardent of crushes - from Sgt Callahan in Police Academy to Jennifer Aniston.

Comedian Shaparak Khorsandi talks to Margaret about all her crushes; from the boy she knew as a teenager to the newsreader Jon Snow.

No-one knows more about the power of the crush than comic, writer and actor Sara Pascoe who literally wouldn't exist without it - her mum camped out on her Dad's lawn until they got together. Sara also talks about her own crushes from boys at school to Robbie Williams.

Writer performer Chris Neill talks about growing up gay in the 1980s; the lure of accountants, oboeists and pen and ink drawings.

Comic, writer and actor Isy Suttie talks about writing songs for her crushes at school and the art of the double crush; lusting after twins with her best friend.

Comedian Lucy Porter talks about crushing on indie bands and comedians as a teenager and her first crush of all time - a potentially surprising choice - Spike from Hi-Di-Hi.

Comedian Jess Fostekew talks about her first uber crush, her English teacher Mr. Ray. She did what all right minded teenagers would do - write ‘I love him’ about 100 times on her hand and waft it in his face as she left the room.

Writer and podcaster Deborah Frances White talks to Margaret about how she ignored the hottest guy in her class to gaze at her music teacher Mr Gilmour espousing the merits of Bach's rules of harmony.

Margaret talks to writer and podcaster Dolly Alderton who admits she would find it difficult to deny some of her most outrageous lovesick behaviour as Margaret has witnessed most of it. Dolly talks about DMing her favourite celebrity crushes and remembers falling for her dance partner in a school production of West Side Story