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Strangers on a Bench

EPISODE 85: Where All The Trouble Lies

27 Apr 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What unique approach does Tom Rosenthal take in this podcast?

4.182 - 48.933 Tom Rosenthal

hello sorry to bother you um can i ask you a slightly odd question um i'm making a podcast um called strangers on a bench where essentially i talk to people i don't know on benches for 10 or 15 minutes um are you up for that do you want to give it a go Do you have a favourite day of the week?

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51.917 - 59.065 Unknown

Can't say I do really. They're all pretty much the same. Sometimes I wonder which day it is, you know.

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59.145 - 60.047 Tom Rosenthal

Do you know what day it is today?

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60.087 - 62.89 Unknown

I was going to say Sunday, but it's Monday.

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62.99 - 67.095 Tom Rosenthal

There we go. Can you remember the best Monday of your life?

69.32 - 71.162 Unknown

No.

Chapter 2: How does the conversation about favorite days of the week unfold?

71.182 - 73.966 Tom Rosenthal

Can you remember a time in your life when you enjoyed Mondays the most?

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75.247 - 78.591 Unknown

I've had a few jobs where I couldn't wait to get back on a Monday, yeah.

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79.012 - 83.717 Tom Rosenthal

What were those jobs? If you could think of one particular job where you were most excited to get back?

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83.777 - 96.913 Unknown

The one that comes to mind straight away is I worked in an ice cream factory. Wahey! And it was all bright and sunny in there and everyone was sort of happy. It was ridiculous.

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97.45 - 98.391 Tom Rosenthal

Why was it ridiculous?

98.531 - 104.939 Unknown

Well, it's like a scene from a carry-on film, you know. All enjoying yourself and, yeah.

105.34 - 107.763 Tom Rosenthal

So what was your role in the ice cream factory?

108.284 - 117.815 Unknown

Just chucking all the ingredients together in a big vat and... Hope for the best. Turn the switch and stir it all up. Clean up afterwards.

118.316 - 120.058 Tom Rosenthal

Did it change your relationship with ice cream?

Chapter 3: What memorable experiences does the guest share about working in an ice cream factory?

135.392 - 137.855 Tom Rosenthal

Yeah, yeah. Did you manage to get through these four tubs?

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138.296 - 142.662 Unknown

No, that's why we bought the freezer.

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142.861 - 144.984 Tom Rosenthal

You just left with endless tubs of ice cream.

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145.004 - 168.035 Unknown

To put it all in, yeah. I got stopped by the police when I went home one lunchtime with the ice cream. I had to cross this little park and he was chasing after me. Stop, stop. Anyway, I wanted to see what I'd got in my little package, you know. And I said, well, it's ice cream. What do you expect to find? And he's going, well, it could be diamonds. It could be any.

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168.556 - 169.758 Unknown

Well, that's fucking ridiculous.

169.778 - 172.143 Tom Rosenthal

It could be diamonds in the ice cream, I suppose.

172.163 - 172.944 Unknown

Yeah, exactly.

173.025 - 188.367 Tom Rosenthal

Maybe that's a place to hide them. Oh, bugger. Talk about police, is that the only time a policeman has stopped you?

188.407 - 189.067 Unknown

No, no, God no.

Chapter 4: What shocking incident does the guest recount involving a knife?

189.208 - 190.389 Tom Rosenthal

Oh, you've had a few?

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190.629 - 191.771 Unknown

Yeah, I've had a few, yeah.

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191.791 - 198.859 Tom Rosenthal

Oh, exciting. I mean, any particular notable ones? The most thrilling one?

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199.48 - 203.605 Unknown

Thrilling one was when I got stabbed, I guess.

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204.386 - 207.39 Tom Rosenthal

Okay, right. Okay, can you tell me about that?

207.971 - 220.43 Unknown

I was working in a flat decorating. I'd just finished packing all my tools up and that. The flat was empty, it was dead quiet. And I heard this little rattle on the letterbox.

221.03 - 222.032 Tom Rosenthal

A rattle on the letterbox?

222.052 - 243.379 Unknown

Like someone looking through the flat, you know? So I thought, I'll go and have a look at this. And I could see no one through the glass. I opened the door and there's a fucking geezer with a knife, a big carving knife, and lunged at me. He stabbed me in the leg and the buttock. In the buttock. In my right buttock, yeah, a couple of times.

244.16 - 261.394 Unknown

And slashed me across the arm, like a defence wound, I guess. Anyway, I managed to kick him off, bent the knife in half. And while he was trying to straighten the blade, that's how I took my chance, I could run out. And so, getting back to the police, yeah.

Chapter 5: How does the guest describe their feelings after a traumatic experience?

284.763 - 297.523 Unknown

I remember sort of going down this hill there. I sort of took off. Through the lights. This is great. And the cop was holding my arm up there.

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300.355 - 311.292 Tom Rosenthal

Amazing. By the sounds of it, it sounds like it would have been quite a traumatic event, but you remember also the joy and the fun bit. Yeah, that knocked it off, you know. Yeah. Do we know why this particular person attacked you?

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311.713 - 314.037 Unknown

Thought I was having it off with his old missus.

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314.257 - 319.545 Tom Rosenthal

Oh, I see. That was the reason. Yeah. Okay. And were you? No. No, okay.

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319.565 - 321.108 Unknown

No.

321.128 - 323.692 Tom Rosenthal

No. But why did he think it was you?

324.353 - 325.755 Unknown

Because...

326.545 - 328.436 Tom Rosenthal

which you'd do with another decorator.

329.422 - 338.923 Unknown

I wouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't be surprised. She wanted to get away from him anyway. That was the nuts and bolts of it all.

Chapter 6: What insights does the guest offer about their relationships and regrets?

346.933 - 358.067 Unknown

There's not a stick of furniture or nothing to defend myself with. And he's got this fucking great long knife slashing and stabbing at me like a maniac. Crikey.

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358.468 - 365.824 Tom Rosenthal

Yeah, I thought this is it. Up until that point, was that the most in danger you felt? You know, is that a new thing to go through for you?

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365.844 - 374.272 Unknown

Well, a new thing, no. I've been in that situation a couple of times. Oh, well, okay. He was just like... He was just slashing.

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374.292 - 379.817 Tom Rosenthal

Yeah. He didn't care what... Which made it a bit easier to defend yourself or not? Well, yeah, it was frantic.

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379.897 - 383.481 Unknown

Yeah. I did think I'd had it because he was not stopping.

383.741 - 385.903 Tom Rosenthal

Yeah. Was your life different after that event?

385.963 - 390.367 Unknown

I mean, did that... Oh, yeah, it changed everything. Yeah, I had to give the job up, obviously.

390.628 - 392.732 Tom Rosenthal

Yeah. You weren't going to go in the next day after that.

392.752 - 407.43 Unknown

No, he could track me down. For a long time after that, I was paranoid. Looking over my shoulder and any sort of noise. It was mad. Because he'd waited nine months since...

Chapter 7: How does the guest reflect on their past and the choices they've made?

456.294 - 488.007 Unknown

It's just situations you find yourself in, yeah. I was in a laundrette once because it was pouring with rain outside. So we took shelter in this laundrette. And... This woman was in there, obviously, doing her washing, and she had like two or three, maybe four kids with her, little kids all running around. We had this flash kit in our little gang, and thought he was the bee's knees.

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488.027 - 524.183 Unknown

He's a very smart dresser. And he objected to all these kids running around his new overcoat, whatever it was. Yeah. Anyway, the mum said say it. They said say it back and then it was . And she left, you know, really obviously. We left and we were settled in this cafe. And next thing, there's two blokes coming. And he went, was you having a go at my missus? Blah, blah, blah.

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525.044 - 556.884 Unknown

And the Murphy one, he was sat in a corner, me and a couple of blokes up at the bar. And he's saying, come outside for a fight. Come outside. And he wouldn't go. He was going, nah, nah. Because he's a big bloke. Yeah. Anyway, the next thing, a knife slips down his sleeve. Big fucking hunting knife. And he just goes, cut him right open. Oh, Christ. And we're all sat there fucking horrified.

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556.944 - 559.348 Unknown

Who can it be? Yeah.

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Chapter 8: What are the guest's thoughts on life and their future aspirations?

559.368 - 580.077 Unknown

Who's next, you know? Oh, God. And he come to me. He was right up close. And then he went, I know you. You're so-and-so's brother, ain't you? Now I'm thinking, do I say yes? Does he like my brother?

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580.097 - 584.002 Tom Rosenthal

What was going through your mind at that point then? Yeah. You're thinking, do people generally like your brother?

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584.303 - 623.247 Unknown

Well, he was a villain, you know. A bank robber, actually. Of course they had enemies. There was gangs, you know. I didn't know what to do. I thought, fuck it. I went, yeah, that's right. Yeah, I know you won't say nothing. And off he trotted. And I'd be excited. Let's get out of here. Hello, doggie. Well, you're nice and soft.

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623.627 - 625.489 Tom Rosenthal

So your brother was a back robber.

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625.81 - 626.11 Unknown

Yeah.

626.13 - 627.632 Tom Rosenthal

Did you ever want to join in?

628.132 - 638.001 Unknown

No, no, I was too young. I saw that. They weren't successful. That's always getting nicked. Fuck that.

639.923 - 643.967 Tom Rosenthal

Wow, so a lot of quite dramatic events, and this is all around the same time of your life?

644.367 - 661.163 Unknown

I know, when I think about it, it just all came, you know, seemed natural to me. Do people go through life just going to the library and back and work and home and telly?

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