Over My Dead Poddy

Live West End vocals. Socks with meaning. Detroit Lions pride. Christmas carols. Ginger Shots. This wasn’t a typical funeral… this was Dan's funeral.                                                                                                                                                                                           In this heartfelt episode, Kay Jones joins us to share the story behind a farewell that refused to follow the rules and instead captured a life exactly as it was lived. From the pressure of suddenly having to plan everything, to the fierce determination to get every detail right, this is an honest, moving and  powerful conversation about love, loss and what it really means to say goodbye properly. It’s about the small things that turn out not to be small at all. The moments that matter. And the courage it takes to trust your instincts when it matters most. It’s a longer listen… but it’s worth every minute. 🎧 Download now and hear what’s possible when a goodbye is built with love.

🎙💀🤘🏻 The Resurrection Episode - Dead Air Is Over Back with Bruises And Scars 🎙️💀🤘🏻 We’re back. Season 3, Episode 1 is live now with the usual host line up of Nichola and Carl and no, we haven’t been quietly behaving ourselves. In Episode 1 we’re honest about why we’ve been off air, Nichola fully admits to taking an unexpected tumble, and Carl unveils a flashy new purchase that absolutely no one asked for but everyone will have opinions on. Same dark humour. Same myth-busting. Same honest conversations about death that somehow still make you laugh in the wrong places. You’ve had a few quiet weeks to recover from season 2... that’s over! Come and join our growing community of 1500 followers on Facebook and see what it's all about. Download the new episode now wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️💀🤘🏻  

  In this wrap-up episode, we’re diving into your questions from the last few weeks. The curious ones, the heartfelt ones, the “is it normal if…” ones, and the ones that made us go… right, grab a beer, let’s talk about that. We also take a wander down memory lane for our favourite Season 2 moments. The laughs, the lump-in-the-throat bits, and the moments where we remembered exactly why we started this poddy in the first place. And yes… Nichola gets a bit Ranty Pants™ about faffers at funerals. Not malicious. Not disrespectful. Just… the gentle chaos of people who don’t mean to be chaotic. If you know, you know. (And if you are a faffer… we still love you. )   It’s a sad one, because it’s the end of the series. But it’s also a proper community episode. Honest, warm, a little bit ridiculous, and full of gratitude. And don't worry, we'll be back with Season 3 really soon ....just give us chance to catch our breaths for a moment!    🎧 Hit play, bring a brew, and come say goodbye to Series 2 with us...    

💀🎙️🤘🏻 Series 2: Episode 9 - Talking Before It's Too Late: How  Palliative Care Is There To Help''    🤘🏻🎙️💀   This one’s gentle, honest, and as always, vitally important. In this episode we’re talking end of life choices and the support available if you or someone you love needs palliative care. What it actually is (and what it isn’t), where to find help, how it can support families, and how to start the conversations most people avoid until it’s too late. More than anything, it’s a reminder: you’re not alone, and there is support for the hard moments and the hard words. We’re joined by palliative care specialists Hayley and Claire, helping us cut through the fear and the myths, with warmth, clarity and real-world truth. 🎧 Download the latest episode now wherever you usually find your Podcasts.  Disclaimer: all views shared are those of our guests and are not representative of any organisation or Trust they are associated with.

🎙️💀🤘🏻Series 2: Episode 8: Tiny Life, Massive Love: Bex and Evelyn's Story🤘🏻🎙️💀 This one is tender, raw, and deeply real. We sit down with our gorgeous former Co-host Bex,  as she shares Evelyn’s story, losing her baby just hours after she was born. We talk honestly about those first unbearable moments, and how being a Funeral Director helped Bex find her footing, and later helped her support other families walking the same road. It’s a longer listen, because some stories deserve time and space. We couldn’t cut it short, and we wouldn’t want to. If you’re carrying your own grief, go gently with this one. And if you don’t know what to say to someone who is, this episode might help. Download the latest episode now wherever you get your Podcasts

🤘🏻💀🎙️ Season 2 Episode 7 🤘🏻💀🎙️ This week we’re getting uncomfortably practical about death. Wills, Probate and Power of Attorney. Whether you’ve got a record collection and a cat or a million-pound mansion, someone’s dealing with it one day, and you need to deal with it now! We’re joined by the brilliant Danielle Sutcliffe to make sense of it all and inspire you to set up your own Death File! No doom. No jargon. Just dead good advice and a few laughs along the way.                                                                  Download the latest episode now, from wherever you usually get your Poddys and check out Danelle's services at www.DSWills.uk 

🎙️💀🤘🏻WE’RE BACK. with Hosts Nichola Reeder and Cllr Carl Tate SERIES 2 EPISODE 6 🎙️💀🤘🏻                                                                             After a short hiatus where life (and yes… death) did what it does best and got in the way, Over My Dead Poddy is back on the airwaves. And we're so excited!    In this latest episode, we’re catching up on what’s really going on in the funeral world right now and the stuff families are quietly dealing with.    We're talking:    ⚖️ Why is it taking so long in some areas to register a death? 💷 What is the real cost of a funeral, and why does it vary so wildly? 🖤 Why Carl's got his ranty-pants on?   It’s honest, it’s unfiltered, and it’s very much us.   👀 And… stay with us right to the end, where we're calling on you, our trusty listeners, for a little help.   Same poddy. Same honest truth. Just back where we belong.   🎧 Listen now wherever your download your Podcasts. or via this link:     #OverMyDeadPoddy #FuneralTalk #DeathChat #RebelHeart #BackOnAir #TheFuneralWorld #funerals #funeraldirector #celebrant Association of Independent Celebrants

Ever wondered what really happens inside a crematorium? This week we’re joined by Simon Routledge from the Crematoria & Memorial Group — a man who has seen everything… including the day the Teletubbies hijacked a funeral. Yes, really. We’re pulling back the metaphorical (and very literal) curtain to talk about the unseen world of crematoria: the care, the precision, the surprises, the humanity, the technology… and why getting to know your local crem team before you need them,  might be one of the smartest, most empowering things you do. It’s candid. It’s eye-opening. It’s surprisingly uplifting. And it’s full of the usual chat that reminds you that funerals are far more human — and far less gloomy — than people assume. And we'll also be sharing the plans for a special Christmas Remembrance Episode we'll be releasing next week.

This week we’re talking legacies — the real kind, not the dry legal sort. We’re joined by Katie from Dead Good Legacies, who’s flipping the script on death education and showing why your impact doesn’t end when the funeral does. We dig into how personal a goodbye can be, what losing someone taught her about living, and why getting comfy with your own mortality might just be the most life-affirming thing you do. Dead honest, dead good, and absolutely not dead boring.

This week, we invite fellow Funeral Director David Knowles into the studio to do two things: 1)  fact-check a few of Carl’s Series 1 bombshells, and 2) bring the kind of experience that makes Carl and Nichola look like interns!  We get into the wildest logistical ask of David’s career (yes, it involved hiring a private jet), the invisible work that makes difficult days smoother, and why he believes more regulation isn’t red tape—it’s real protection that leads to better outcomes for families. (Spoiler alert: we agree.) Expect honesty,  and the usual OMDP mischief...especially from the lunatic lurcher Cisco who makes a guest appearance right at the very end of the show! Hit play, make a brew, and let’s get myth-busting. 💀🎧

This week we’re chatting with the brilliant and award-winning Katie Costello — soul midwife, funeral celebrant, death education powerhouse — about why talking about death and dying actually makes life bigger, more peaceful and a whole lot braver. We dig into the real stuff: why we dodge death chat like it’s contagious, how fear and silence hold us back, and why finding the guts to say what you really want (yes, even about your funeral) is one of the most liberating things you can do. It’s fast-paced, fiery and full of those “oh yeah” moments — the kind that make you think differently about living and dying. If you’ve ever wondered where to start with those difficult conversations… or why you keep putting them off… this one is most definitely for you. 💥 Listen. Laugh. Reflect. Be inspired to start one of the most important conversations of your life.   Check Katie out via her website at https://www.katiecsoulmidwife.com/ 

Season 2 kicks off with a big, old catch-up episode, chatting about what we've been up to, what's coming up in the new series, and why Carl's devastated he's had to give up his beloved Pop Tarts!  You can expect more myth busting, more honest truths and some laughs along the way.  We're so excited to back - still curious, still human and still dying to answer all the questions you daren't ask!  So tune in to Episode 1 now, and get reacquainted with your favourite funeral crew! 

🎙️💀🤘🏻 Episode 11: The Live Edit – Season Finale 🎙️💀🤘🏻 Fast. Frantic. Occasionally flying off at a tangent (ok, often flying off at a tangent)… this one’s raw, unfiltered and very much live. We were honoured to crash Stockton Crematorium’s Open Day, where we set up the mics, threw out the rulebook, and invited your burning questions. No edits, no scripts – just us, a curious crowd, and the kind of conversations you don’t normally hear in public. It’s messy, it’s honest, and it’s the perfect send-off for Season One. 🎙🤘🏻💀 Tune in, buckle up… and welcome to The Live Edit.🎙🤘🏻💀  

💀🎙🤘🏻Fast Fire Funeral Qs: Your Burning Questions, Our Blunt Answers 💀🎙🤘🏻 It’s our Fast Fire Funeral Qs special! We blitz through your most-asked questions from the practicalities of how to buy a burial plot, to Carl’s plans for his own send-off, and yes, whether you have to be cremated in your bra. Nothing off-limits, nothing too weird. Honest, human, and a bit edgy—just how you like it. Head over to your favourite podcast platform and download the latest episode now.

 🎙️💀 Eulogies are no longer just life CV's,  told through tears. This week we’re getting dead real about how to write a tribute that truly reflects the colour and depth of yours, or your loved one's, life 🎙️💀 What goes in: the messy truths, the stories you all know and love, the moments that paint the picture of who they were What stays out: clichés, a boring timeline, saint-ification, waffle. Whether you're writing your own—or preparing to help someone else craft it - we’ll give you some of the tips and advice to keep it real, funny, and genuinely memorable.  Download the latest episode now via Podbean or your favourite podcast platform #OverMyDeadPoddy #Eulogy #DeathPositive #Grief #Storytelling #FuneralProfessionals #Celebrant #Podcast

We had a killer chat with Dave Robson on Zetland FM this week which pulled us right back to why we started this podcast in the first place — you, our listeners. We thought it was too important to get lost on our socials so we're releasing it as this week's episode.  You can expect:  🎧 Honest talk about why these conversations matter. 🎧 A bit of myth-busting to cut through the noise. 🎧 Some dead good tunes that kept us grinning all the way through. It’s not our usual format, but sometimes the best episodes are the ones that break the mould.  This one reminded us why you tune in — and why we keep showing up. Oh, and Carl’s guilty music pleasure? It’s in there too… and it might not be quite what you're expecting 💙🤘🏻🎵

In this episode, Carl sits down with Chris Power for a conversation straight from the heart about  her late husband Anthony “Tiny” Power.  Tiny wasn’t just a familiar face around Richmond—he was a legend. Larger than life, loved by all, and impossible to forget - his spirit still lingers in the streets, the pubs, and in the memories of everyone who knew him. Chris opens up about the man behind the myth: the laughs, the love, the funeral, the grief, and the sheer presence that made Tiny unforgettable. From playing Santa to pulling off the best Hagrid you’ll ever see - their chat is equally heartbreaking and beautiful—a celebration of a local hero, whose legacy for goodness means he'll never  stop being part of Richmond’s story.

Funerals: where grief meets grudges and the family WhatsApp explodes. We’re talking bust-ups over hymns, side-eye at the service, and who really gets the last word. This week we’re lifting the lid on: ⚡ The stuff families really fight about ⚡ How we try to keep the peace (without a referee’s whistle) ⚡ How you can help yourself when the sparks fly ⚡ And that juicy myth about recycled coffins It’s messy, it’s maddening, it’s mortally entertaining. And—keep your ears peeled —we’ll be sharing when and where we’ll be recording our live season finale....and revealing how  you could join us in the audience! Happy Listening! 💀🎙💀

In this episode, Nichola sits down with Michael McWilliams for a raw and moving conversation that began in heartbreak. In 2022, Nichola led the funeral for Michael’s son Harvey — just 18 years old when he took his own life. Together, they reflect on how Harvey’s funeral became something different: deeply personal, fiercely individual, and a true celebration of who he was. Out of tragedy, Harvey’s family have created something extraordinary — The Harvey McWilliams Foundation — a boot and kit library ensuring that local young people can play football, no matter their circumstances. A charity rooted in kindness, built in Harvey’s name, and carrying forward the encouragement he always offered to others. This is a conversation about loss, about love, and about the power of kindness. It’s emotional, honest, and sometimes hard to hear — but above all, it’s real. Because if grief teaches us anything, it’s that even in the darkest times, we can still choose to create good.            

No doubt you’ve seen those endless TV ads for “no fuss” funerals —  the promises to save you time, money, and stress. Sounds perfect, right? Here’s the twist… it’s not actually a funeral. It’s just a cremation. We’re not here to tell you what’s right for you or your loved one. But we are here to cut through the smoke, bust the myths, and clear up the confusion.  And here's the surprising truth? Your local funeral director has been offering direct cremations for years — they just didn’t plaster it across prime-time TV. In this episode, we rip the satin cover off the biggest trend to hit the funeral world in decades. We’ll tell you what direct cremations really are, when they may or may not be the right option for you, and the key questions you need to ask before you sign on anyone's dotted line. Plus, how to join us and break into the funeral industry… and the story of one ceremony where Nichola’s Rebel Heart was warmed courtesy of a bottle of red! 

So you’ve got the bones of the ceremony … now what? In this episode, we’re getting into the good stuff — the personal touches that turn a standard service into something unforgettable. From picking the perfect song (no, it doesn’t have to be Eva Cassidy and yes it can be Ring of Fire) to wrangling family tributes that actually hit the mark, we’re talking about how to shape a ceremony that truly tells your person’s story. And is it ever acceptable to drop the F-bomb at a service... and we don't mean the word funeral!  Tune into episode 3 for all the answers!

Co-Hosts Carl and Nichola were invited for chat on the BBC Radio Tees Breakfast Show. They explained their thoughts behind the concept, why they wanted people to understand that they have choices when their loved ones pass and why they felt that funeral myths needed to be busted!

Your loved one has passed.... Who do call, what should you be asking and why you don't need to be scared...

Following a stuttering start the guys have their relaunch episode for you to start delving into the realms of the UK Funeral Industry. Co-Hosts Nichola Reeder, an Independent Celebrant and Carl Tate, a long standing and respected Funeral Director have teamed up to try and open up the inner workings of the funeral industry to try and Demystify and Debunk Urban Myths for anyone interested in knowing what happens and what choices families have when their loved ones pass. We will have hints and tips alongside guest speakers along the way associated with the industry.  This is all done around a kitchen table with a few beers so there's a lot of humanity, some light hearted relief and the odd interruption from the family lurcher or myself trying to keep them on track and sounding great... a hard task! We hope this is illuminating, informative and enjoyable for you and please do spread to word and remember to subscribe! Thanks Steve Reeder - AKA Producer Steve!