Russell Watson and Gary Barlow have something in common – they both started their careers in Workingmen’s clubs across northern England, playing to audiences that were very hard to win over. They other quality they share is grit and determination, and so fast forward to today, and Russell is selling out concerts globally, he has performed for the Queen, the Pope and US presidents, topped the charts in the UK and US for months at a time, and sang at major football and rugby finals all over the world. He has also been a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! UK in 2020.In this episode Russell tells me so many great stories about the tough crowds he’s played to, the celebs he has met and performed with, and the secret to his ‘overnight success’ (“that was a very long night!!”)Russell will be in Ireland very soon for some shows in Wexford, Limerick and Dublin – check out russellwatson.com for all the details.Lots of news around this week but one of the stories that have cause a bit of a stir is the news that RTE boss Kevin Bakhurst is getting a €20k pay rise. We got exclusive access to his voicemails – press play to hear them!Produced by Patrick Haughey, AudioBrand

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.