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Martin Deeson UNLOADED · July 2 · 47 min

Maria McErlane: The Fast Show, Eurotrash & Graham Norton

She narrated Eurotrash, starred in The Fast Show, and has spent thirty years sitting at the next table to everyone - Nigella, Graham Norton, Cilla Black, Salman Rushdie. But Maria McErlane didn’t come on to drop celebrity names; she came on to talk about how to actually live, and somehow we ended up discussing the two bottles of morphine in her fridge. Episode Summary: Martin Deeson sits down with Maria McErlane - Fast Show star, the unmistakable voice of Eurotrash, actress, journalist, Agony Aunt, and Graham Norton’s comedy partner on Radio 2, Virgin Radio and their hit podcast Wanging On. What starts as a tour through 90s comedy turns into one of the most quietly profound conversations of the series - on fame, mortality, ageing without bitterness, and finding the joy anyway. Three things you’ll take from it: how to develop a thick skin in an age that’s lost the knack; why “death is not a life ended, it’s a life completed” might be the most useful thing you hear all year; and how the people who treat fame as a licence to be horrible (yes, that story) always end up the loneliest in the room. In this episode: How Maria landed The Fast Show - replacing Caroline Aherne, recruited by Mark Williams “I’m Not Pissed,” “Suits you sir,” and the secret-alcoholic sketch The voice of Eurotrash - 16 seasons of Jean-Paul Gaultier, Antoine de Caunes and refusing to be cruel about Lolo Ferrari Why the women of 90s comedy were genuinely frightened of Loaded and James Brown’s mob Being a woman on the 90s circuit alongside Jenny Eclair, Jo Brand and Hattie Hayridge Her book Bumps in the Road - and why it’s a book of philosophy disguised as a showbiz memoir John Diamond, Nigella Lawson, and the vodka injected straight into the stomach The Salman Rushdie moleskine-pad story - “fuck off, I’ve got cancer” “Death is not a life ended, it’s a life completed” - and where the phrase came from The two bottles of 25-year-old morphine still in her fridge Meeting Graham Norton on Carnal Knowledge, and how he got famous overnight The three types of fame - and why Cilla Black made her call her “Miss Black” The Maureen Lipman “I’m sure you are” takedown Martin’s day from hell with Vinnie Jones, GQ and a helicopter to the dogs Howard Marks, the nicest man at Glastonbury John Cleese’s stem cells, ageing, and doing it all with grace

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She narrated Eurotrash, starred in The Fast Show, and has spent thirty years sitting at the next table to everyone - Nigella, Graham Norton, Cilla Black, Salman Rushdie.


But Maria McErlane didn’t come on to drop celebrity names; she came on to talk about how to actually live, and somehow we ended up discussing the two bottles of morphine in her fridge.


Episode Summary:

Martin Deeson sits down with Maria McErlane - Fast Show star, the unmistakable voice of Eurotrash, actress, journalist, Agony Aunt, and Graham Norton’s comedy partner on Radio 2, Virgin Radio and their hit podcast Wanging On.


What starts as a tour through 90s comedy turns into one of the most quietly profound conversations of the series - on fame, mortality, ageing without bitterness, and finding the joy anyway.


Three things you’ll take from it: how to develop a thick skin in an age that’s lost the knack; why “death is not a life ended, it’s a life completed” might be the most useful thing you hear all year; and how the people who treat fame as a licence to be horrible (yes, that story) always end up the loneliest in the room.


In this episode:

  • How Maria landed The Fast Show - replacing Caroline Aherne, recruited by Mark Williams

  • “I’m Not Pissed,” “Suits you sir,” and the secret-alcoholic sketch

  • The voice of Eurotrash - 16 seasons of Jean-Paul Gaultier, Antoine de Caunes and refusing to be cruel about Lolo Ferrari

  • Why the women of 90s comedy were genuinely frightened of Loaded and James Brown’s mob

  • Being a woman on the 90s circuit alongside Jenny Eclair, Jo Brand and Hattie Hayridge

  • Her book Bumps in the Road - and why it’s a book of philosophy disguised as a showbiz memoir

  • John Diamond, Nigella Lawson, and the vodka injected straight into the stomach

  • The Salman Rushdie moleskine-pad story - “fuck off, I’ve got cancer”

  • “Death is not a life ended, it’s a life completed” - and where the phrase came from

  • The two bottles of 25-year-old morphine still in her fridge

  • Meeting Graham Norton on Carnal Knowledge, and how he got famous overnight

  • The three types of fame - and why Cilla Black made her call her “Miss Black”

  • The Maureen Lipman “I’m sure you are” takedown

  • Martin’s day from hell with Vinnie Jones, GQ and a helicopter to the dogs

  • Howard Marks, the nicest man at Glastonbury

  • John Cleese’s stem cells, ageing, and doing it all with grace

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