John Robins (Part One)

This week Emily and Ray head to the Buckinghamshire countryside for a walk with comedian, podcaster and writer John Robins . John is best known for his award-winning stand-up and his long-running partnership with fellow comedian Elis James , as well as his brilliantly competitive turn on Taskmaster . On the walk, he chats to Emily about his childhood growing up near Bristol, his time at Oxford where he briefly considered becoming a poet, and his early days in comedy, including sharing a flat with Jon Richardson and Russell Howard . They also talk about John’s powerful and deeply personal new memoir Thirst: 12 Drinks That Changed My Life , which explores his relationship with alcohol and his journey into recovery and sobriety. It’s a beautifully written, funny and moving read, and is out on May 7th, available to pre-order now. It’s a thoughtful, honest and very funny conversation, with John bravely navigating both the countryside and the realities of dog ownership, while Ray does his best to win him over. Follow Emily: Instagram X Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols Music: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice Ludlam Photography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to John Robins (Part One) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

John Robins (Part One) is an episode from Walking The Dog with Emily Dean.

This episode is 49:54 long.

This episode was published on Apr 21, 2026.

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