Like most women, Angela Scanlon is a great multi-tasker. Not only does the 36-year-old television presenter expertly hop between filming for the hugely popular BBC series, Your Home Made Perfect, and hosting duties on The One Show, she also has her own Sunday morning programme on Radio 2, and anchors a podcast filled with celebrity interviews.
And if her busy work schedule wasn’t enough, she also regularly travels back and forth between home in London and her native Ireland, all while running around after her two-year-old daughter, Ruby. So, how does she manage to essentially “have it all”?
“Honestly, it depends on the week,” she tells me over the phone while, in true form, also pottering about the kitchen making dinner ahead of her call time for that evening’s The One Show.
“It’s certainly more of a consideration now that Ruby’s a little older and she’s going to nursery – logistically, there’s a lot to manage, and I’m not really great at that kind of thing. But my husband, thankfully, is very hands-on so that helps.
“But in terms of juggling, it’s constant, it’s hard, and it’s exhausting at times. But I also feel wildly fortunate that I’m able to continue working and doing a job that I love when so many people are under pressure.”
She added with a laugh: “I try to balance those feelings of being a bit overwhelmed and knackered with saying to myself, ‘OK, have a chat with yourself, love’”.
Although lockdown proved a challenge for Angela and her husband, Roy Horgan, a tech entrepreneur, she admits the country-wide slowdown brought them all closer, and provided some much-needed family time.
Angela continued: “Roy is usually up and about and gone early in the morning, but hasn’t been over the course of lockdown. So, we’ve been having breakfast together as a family, which is something we would never have had in normal times or normal life.
© SYSTEM“Prior to lockdown, the only time the three of us were together for any extended period of time, 24/7 was when we were on holiday for a week.
“Usually I’m out and about and travelling a lot, so even though work didn’t stop completely, it was definitely slower and more gentle. I was obviously at home more, and there was certainly a period where life felt wildly different from what I’m used to.
“I actually really enjoyed the quiet after a manic front end of the year. I had regrets around never taking a proper – whatever that means – maternity leave after I had my daughter, so instead of driving myself mad, I worked really hard on focusing on the upsides.
“I turned lockdown into a kind of forced maternity leave that I attempted to view as a gift I never gave myself. It was tricky at times, but it was also quite special – a mixed bag, which I think most people can relate to!”
With such a sunny and positive outlook on life, it should come as no surprise that Angela’s podcast, Thanks A Million, focuses on the theme of gratitude.
Described as “the show that thinks about thanks, with the good, the great and the grateful”, the third series arrives to streaming services later this month, and will feature chats with a host of celebrity pals.
Previous guests include Marian Keyes, Stacey Dooley, and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, and Angela says focusing on self-care and being thankful has never been more relevant – especially for women, who often sacrifice their own needs and wants for the sake of others.
© BBC/Mentorn Media Scotland/Alan“The podcast is all around gratitude and, previously, that kind of felt like something that was maybe a little bit fluffy – just something that I really loved and really believed in,” explained Angela. “But actually, during lockdown, it became this thing that was like a lifeline for people.
“I had so many messages from people, and the series just felt really pertinent, really necessary, and just timely in a way that maybe it hadn’t before. It’s about having the ability to just shift your mindset from feeling lonely or tired or isolated, and say to yourself, ‘OK, I’m grateful I have a job, my family are well, and I’ve just had eggs for breakfast’ – whatever three things it might be.
“I call it ‘mindfulness for cynics’ – my dad, for example, isn’t going to take up yoga or meditate any time soon, but he could definitely, in a silent moment before bed, think about three things he’s grateful for. Making that a practice can be really helpful.”
She added: “We forget sometimes that we’re all looking for the same thing – to be connected on some level. In a way, the lack of control and the uncertainty and helplessness of this year has connected people, which has been a positive thing.”
Having started her career as a stylist, Angela initially made the jump to television with presenting gigs on Irish television, namely for RTÉ, before going on to co-host Robot Wars with Dara Ó Briain in 2016. Since then, her career has gone from strength to strength, and although projects have included everything from home improvement shows to documentaries, there’s been one recurring theme – making joyful television that raises a smile.
Her latest show, The Noughties, on BBC2, certainly fits the bill, with the 10-part series taking a nostalgic look at the highlights of the past decade, including Susan Boyle winning Britain’s Got Talent, the first episode of Strictly Come Dancing, and Obama being sworn in as president to name but a few.
Joined by comedians and other familiar famous faces, Angela says the light-hearted panel show provides the perfect escape from reality, just when we need it most.
She said: “We filmed straight off the back of lockdown, after we had all been hauled up for months, so there’s a slightly wild energy to it.
“When I heard we were going to look at the noughties I was like, ‘Oh come on, it’s hardly a throwback’ – but it’s been 20 years! I graduated from school in 2000, so the idea that 20 years has passed is painful. It feels like just yesterday.
“Some of my favourite moments to look back on? David Blaine suspended in a glass box above The Thames for no reason – other than, well, being David Blaine – and Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake wearing matching full denim on the red carpet.
“What else? Oh my god, there are so many things. The show is just pure escapism.”
So, having just looked back to the early 2000s, where does Angela see herself in the next five years and beyond?
“It’s important to leave a bit of room to just see what happens – I believe in the universe and all that malarkey, even though I can hear people’s eyes rolling while reading that,” she laughed.
“The first thing I did in telly was documentaries, and my dream would be to do a Ruby Wax-type series where I meet lots of different people. I would love to do more of that, but also just more of what I’m already doing. I feel very lucky to have a really nice mix.
“I love live telly, like The One Show, because it’s somewhere I’m comfortable but also terrified, which is a good zone for me. Anything that keeps me busy, you know? That’s the key.”
Watch The Noughties on BBC Two every Wednesday at 10pm and catch up on BBC iPlayer. Series three of Thanks A Million is coming to all podcast providers later this month
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