BBC Radio 2's Sara Cox reveals why she sometimes "struggles to maintain eye contact" with friends after new podcast

Sara Cox We wanted to create a place where people could go if they needed a bit of escapism from their own domestic situations, for them to see that everybody is pulling their own hair out sometimes. We also really want to make people laugh because we laugh a lot.

Clare Hamilton Sometimes when you have teenagers, it feels like you’re going a bit mad and you take it a bit personally when they’re giving you attitude. We’re here saying you’re not on your own. It’s fine, you’re not going crazy.

How does it differ from your other work?

Sara This is a Sara Cox production and I really enjoyed the production side of it. But I guess the main difference is that, while I’m 100 per cent me on the radio, I’m aware young children or my in-laws could be listening so it has a family feel, while on the pod it’s just me and Clare having a brew – or a margarita – and no subject or topic is off the table. There are no holds barred. Sometimes I do struggle to maintain eye contact with some friends who have listened.

Clare I’ve never done anything like this, but I’m absolutely loving it, being in a room with a microphone.

Sara She’s such a natural that I forget it’s not her actual job. She’s a hairdresser by trade, and she’s not used to being in front of audiences but she’s brilliant.

Clare I’m still doing my day job and it’s bizarre because my clients are finding out quite a bit about me now. I was trying to keep it separate because it’s a little bit rude at times. I’ll be doing a client’s hair and she’s like, “Well, I had a listen…”

There are lots of child-rearing podcasts. What’s your USP?

Sara There are lots of brilliant podcasts about parents and about parenting young children, but there isn’t as much out there about teenagers.

Clare We get a lot of people saying that our friendship shines through, that we’re not an artificial pairing. We bring different dynamics, too, because I’m a single mum. Sara lives in London and I live up north, so I live a very different life, and my teens do as well. So we bring that into it.

Sara It’s not an advice pod. We thoroughly encourage people to do the opposite of what we do with our parenting. People call it more of a parental panic group.

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