Having been an influencer for years as a TV producer and executive producer, writing and producing Grumpy Old Women,Judith Holdernow presents her own humorous podcast about ageing, Older and Wider, with her good friend and comedian Jenny Eclair.Ian Chaddocktalks to Judith about her incredible career
How did working in TV shape the way you grew as a person?My job has always defined me. It was so much more than a job. Working in TV is a huge privilege and responsibility as well as a buzz. I worked for eight years on talk shows—all the Hollywood A-listers and Z-listers, three of the four Beatles, all the way down to Frank Carson, Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog.
I became so much more confident, but with the self-knowledge that comedy was something I had a bit of an eye for. My personal life suffered—I remember going to Hollywood for a meeting when my eldest was 11 months old and taking her vest with me on the plane because it smelled of her. I literally went to do the meeting and turned round and came home again. I made so many friends though—Dale Winton, Victoria Wood (close chum) and many more. And, of course, Jenny Eclair!
What are your proudest memories of working on Grumpy Old Women?I think I was so proud that we made it a little bit cool to be a woman of a certain age. It was a gang that no one had created at that time, and women laughing at menopause symptoms, knicker sizes and not being embarrassed about what people think of them was great.
You teamed up with your friend Jenny Eclair for your podcast Older and Wider. How was it to enter the podcast world? We had written four stage shows and two books together and were great friends, and truthfully it was the only way to get anything commissioned. No one wanted us to make any more TV, because of the wretched commissioning editors’ attitudes, so with podcasts you can just get on and do it!
Avalon backed us and launched us with a producer and off we went. We had no idea it would take off the way it has. We have listeners all over the world. About 1.5 million downloads at the last count.
Has the success of your podcast shown that a lot of older women feel ignored by society? Yes, we are ignored, but also so
