Back from an enforced holiday break, the island’s longest, continually running podcast* (sorry Harriet), presents to you our 41st episode from our combined 2 series across 21 months, being broadcast come hell or high water.

We bring to you a follow-up from our outside broadcast for our 40th episode and related important sporting fixtures that draw threads together from as far afield as north east Hampshire and the south east of the Isle of Wight.  Listen to find out how these threads weave their way into our topical chat.

Sport, holidays, petting cafes and island hotspots share the billing with a very special guest, and friend of the podcast making a cameo appearance, telling tales of a short-lived career in the Forbes publishing empire.  No, not this one … that one!.

We gently meander through diverse subjects drawing from common themes, often celebrating our island’s rich and diverse culinary attractions.  The whiff of fete, hangs heavy over some, but we are able to showcase a number of exciting experiences that will leave you wanting to come back for more.  It’s just like listening to a popular podcast.  We ain’t no Mortimer and Woodhouse, nor Campbell and Stewart but we are Dedman and Forbes and we do gentle man talking.

Thanks for listening, we hope you are enjoying our musings and please do tell your friends not to miss out on the island’s longest continually running podcast*..

Tim and Rory

* This may or may not be true.

With the football (soccer) season well underway and with diary challenges perplexing your podcast planners, we found ourselves together instead, not in a cosy studio, but in Beatrice Avenue, East Cowes, one balmy, summer’s Wednesday evening, for an Isle of Wight cup and local derby clash.

Friendly rivals, Newport Isle of Wight FC , found themselves drawn against East Cowes Victoria Athletic A.F.C. with a crowd of 447 turning out for this Wessex League Cup clash. Fellow travellers in the Wessex League Division 1 they will meet again on Boxing Day in what is likely to be an epic, top of the table clash at Christmas.

We’ve wanted to take the podcast out on the road for some time, so this was an opportunity not to be missed, to test out our gear and our ability to hold a conversation whilst surrounded by crowd distractions and noise.

Tim managed to collar John Davies (we don’t know who John Hughes is), the Chairman of Newport, the “home” side for the evening clash between these 2 ground-sharing clubs.  An insider’s view as to how grassroots football operates was delivered in Tim’s half-time interview with John.

If you want to know the result, you’ll have to listen right to the end of this shorter-than-normal edition of the podcast.

We think it worked out quite well so stay tuned to your podcast provider, and our Instagram account for details of further QWightLike on the road trips in the near future.

Thanks for listening, folks.

Tim (manager) and Rory (kit man)

A torrent of topical tales tumble into your shell like, as Tim and Rory wax the surfboard of chat and get to grips with stories from across the island and mainland, mixed with serious reflection on mother nature sliding into our mentions with interventions re-shaping the world around us.

Who else weaves the Tufty Club into Darth Vadar and the Green Cross Code man whilst promoting music festivals and chinese chip shops alongside the delights of island favourites such as The Garlic Farm for brunch and the Spyglass Inn for celebration meals.

As the general election looms larger then smaller again in the rear view mirror of the news cycle, and podcasts are recorded too early to capture the news from the day after the night before we tee up our plans to document the next electoral exercise right here on the podcast.  Our plan is to radicalise our listeners to see them agitate for the rights of all to enjoy a full cooked breakfast, English or otherwise.

Join us as we generate renewable energy in the form of an hour of chat on subjects medically reported to induce relaxation and/or angst in equal measure.  As the podcast bursts into meteorological spring we hear of opportunities to plan days out, get out of the house and into the shops, pubs, restaurants and visitor attractions all over the land.  We qwightlike that.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

Join Tim and Rory, for a jaunt around the island and many vaguely related subjects linked together by our shared ability to wax lyrical on almost anything and everything. We've been out, visiting beaches and "beverage opportunities", getting rained on and can be found in this podcast riffing, in the best tradition of the latest online influencer ... the Dadcaster, on all manner of subjects, educational and otherwise.

From smashed avocado breakfasts and millennial lattes to retired radio contributors (retiring just as demand for radio presenters on the island is set to increase), there's something in here for at least a few of you. We revisit a favourite haunt for traditional cooked breakfasts, for the Dadcasters, complemented by fruit-based offerings for their female companions and Tim introduces us to one of the latest exciting coffee stops overlooking Freshwater Bay, the Bike Box Cafe. Worth a visit whilst cruising the Military Road, whilst its still open to us.

Wrapping up with our periodic homage to the NHS and with a much more serious note, we acknowledge the role the medical profession continues to offer when we find ourselves in urgent need of intervention and support, despite the media's attempts to paint the NHS as in crisis. True or not, they always seem to be there when they need them.

News of New Year resolution progress allows us to bow out with a successful set of statistics and progress reports, albeit a horrendously exaggerated claim of rowing distance achieved. When Rory says kilometres, think metres. A tall tale in the making.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

A Valentine’s Day massacre (of Rory’s new roving microphone and headset) was narrowly averted by Tim’s free wheeling interview with the long-time Green party candidate for the Isle of Wight, VIx Lowthion.  As we continue our conversations with island politicians in the run up to the General Election, Tim manages to host a chat with Vix that ranges from her vision for the island as an active politician and councillor right through to her thespian activities with the Apollo Theatre in Newport and her geology walks.

Tim and Rory bookend this fascinating insight into the motives and activities of yet another candidate, this time for the new East Wight with chat explaining why we both abandoned our wives on Valentines Day evening to discuss politics and proportional representation.

Plenty to enjoy in this episode and a unique set of insights from an experienced local and nationally active politician, so sit back and enjoy another hour of topical chat in the company of Tim and Rory.

Thanks for listening.

Rory and Tim.

A wintry week with colds galore led us not down the garden path but rather along our much loved international tourist magnet here on the island being the Military Road.  This oft deified drivers’ paradise is facing its own challenges from the onward march of the sea and the elements as the tarmacadam sits perilously waiting to be consumed by nature.  If we don’t save it what damage will be down to our landscape, to our tourism, to our very identity as islanders? What will we leave Alan Titchmarsh to wax lyrically about as high definition drones dive bomb unsuspecting motorists to grab more stock footage of this national landscape?

The MP and a variety of citizen led social media campaigns have sprung into action to do what they can.  Spurred on by this show of community dedication we discuss whip rounds for post offices, village halls and once much-loved newspapers.Off-island adventures introduce one half of the presenter team to the delights of air fryers.  There’s much talk of triple fried chips and Sodastream powered Betamax video recorders and other flash in the pans.  Stay to the end to find out whose bed the Milk Tray man’s calling card may have made an appearance in much to the surprise of the other host.Covering all the bases, another episode packed to the rafters with topical chat.

Thanks for listening

Rory and Tim

As we career through the early weeks of 2024, evaluating early 20th century London postal delivery frequencies compared with the capital’s 21st century refuse collection cadence (yes really), sit with us as we review the early progress of  our New Year resolutions.  Listeners … we’re on it.  There’s no rowing back from us on these commitments and when they make the movie of this podcast they’ll see we had a plan, and we saw it through.

We consider the great philosophical questions of our time including whether printed books are preferential to digital copies, whilsht teaching you how to shpeak like Sean Connery.

In our second half we replace wide-ranging discussions on matters of existential significance (!) to compile a shortlist of our favourite island coffee spots, pubs and visitor attractions.  The very best of the Isle of Wight, places we QWightLike.  Listen to find out our personal favourites.  Lets us know if you agree.  If you don’t know the island, come and visit us, try our recommendations and let us know if you agree.

Thanks for listening.  Stay warm.

Tim and Rory

Happy New Year to all our listeners as we all welcome 2024 into our lives along with a new series of QWightLike A Podcast. In this new episode 1, Rory and Tim review their Christmas and New Year celebrations telling tales of their family gatherings and reviewing favourite festive flicks. Who had the most embarrassing gift unwrapping moment? Who received the gift of a terrible viral load to be laid low for the second part of the holiday period? Listen to find out.

With travel being such an important part of our island lifestyle, we were delighted when Tim was able to come alongside Bronwyn Hamilton-Brown, for a chat about the Wightlink User Group (https://www.wug.org.uk/) she founded in November 2022 and which now boasts over 5,000 members. If you need to get on and off our island this is a must-listen.

We round off our first foray of 2024, with a discussion on our New Year resolutions, leading to one or two interesting revelations, that you won't want to miss out on. You'll have to subscribe to the podcast to follow our progress throughout the year to find out if we miss out on our resolutions, despite them all being SMART goals. Google that if its a new term for you.

Thanks for sticking with us throughout 2023 and we hope we can encourage you to remain ahered to our output in 2024, both here and on Vectis Radio.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

So as our first season draws to a close, we have an opportunity to look back over the last 12 months, 24 episodes (not including this one) and the evolution of our little idea to share our chats. We also take the seasonal route to discuss memories of Christmas as young children, and how much-loved family traditions survive the dilutive effects of marriage and aging.

Fuelled by mulled wine and mince pies we reminisce on our favourite TV adverts, favourite food and how we'll be celebrating this holiday season with our families.

Thanks for listening throughout 2023. We've learned a lot from our early tentative steps back in January through to our more polished recent output, and we know we can only continue to improve. Our collaboration with the team at Vectis Radio was an unexpected development and we are using that experience to make sure we manage time and quality even better, without losing the essence of two blokes chatting over a beer, cup of coffee or a cooked breakfast.

As we introduced our interview slots back in the summer, we added a new dimension to the podcast. We intend to provide new content whilst keeping the very best of QWightLike to bring you throughout 2024.

Thanks for listening.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Tim and Rory

With Christmas approaching we turn our attention to festive fare, topical tipple and the all important links from our island to the mainland that bring families together, facilitate economic activity and deliver entertainment to our audiences.

A wide ranging chat on Christmas meals at popular island eateries wraps a warm pair of arms around a fireside chat between Tim and Bob Simpson, the managing director of our major island brewer, Goddards. An honest conversation about the brewery being up for sale, hopes for the future ownership and potential for future growth in the offer is had and, nothing is off limits. Bob is refreshingly, just like his beer, frank.

The inaugural 2023 Goddard's Firkin Deck restaurant Christmas Meal, Garlic Farm lunches continue the festive feel until we find ourselves discussing football memories of FA Cup feats, first jobs (in football) and photo restoration antics to raise a smile as Rory launches a challenge to the 'artificial' intelligence industry.

For a double dose of your dynamic duo, tune in to Vectis Radio (104.6FM on the island) or available online and on smart speakers, at 3pm on Saturday 9th December for our launch episode bringing QWightLike to a wider than Wight audience.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

Deaths of the great and the good, but entirely coincidentally, are traditionally announced in threes, so the old adage goes, so, as we put episode 23 together we learned of the passing of Henry Kissinger, Alistair Darling and Shane MacGowan. In their own different ways they have touched the lives of millions and Tim has some very personal reflections on his first encounters with Shane and his band, The Pogues, just before they become famous. Rory continues to bemoan that he is being made to throw stuff out (Ed . you mean recycle) that he has carefully curated for much of his adult life. As his talking therapy continues, he and Tim, look back on the changing face of the tools and devices we used to carry around compared with the modern smartphones in our pockets and bags that many of us have come to rely on these days. Woven amongst all of this are tall tales of winter wonders with shivering snow memories from childhood and North American travels. There's no interview this week as we've been planning the launch of our chat show on the Isle of Wight's multi-award-winning community radio station, Vectis Radio. Our first show goes out at 3pm on Saturday 9th December, and we're excited to be part of this amazing team. Find out more here. Thanks for listening. Tim and Rory

Episode 22 blows in with the, seasonally adjusted, cooler winds from the north to guide you through the chilly weekend ahead with cosy chat and insulating insights from Tim, Rory, and their guest this week, Dr Malcolm Schofield from the University of Derby.

Malcolm is a lecturer in psychology with research interests in paranormal belief, religious belief and spirituality. Malcolm has had wide-ranging media coverage including an appearance on BBC3's new series 'Paranormal: The Girl, the Ghost and the Gravestone'.

Tim’s off-island adventures and Rory’s lifetime of collected memories choking his living space are the appetisers to the main event being our first joint, co-host interview with a podcast guest.  Malcolm keeps the fun going by providing us with our first listener q&a section.  He provides the ‘q’s and Tim and Rory attempt to provide the ‘a’s.

A more manageable 68 minutes marks a return to disciplined episode management, which will become more evident as we embark upon our radio career with our friends at Vectis Radio, launching next week.

As always, thanks for listening.

Rory and Tim

The boys are back in town after a short, medically-induced, break from the studios.  Nothing, it seems, can keep our dedicated duo from fulfilling our services to podcastery.  Cries of relief are heard all across the land, after all, where else can you eavesdrop on a conversation between 2 ageing men covering subjects as diverse as obscure Olympic sports, Liz Truss and the wonders of authentic Scottish confectionary, almost within the same breath?

The answer, of course, is right here on QWightLike A Podcast.  Listen in as Rory and Tim procrastinate on the best coffee, humourless politicians and the postural advantages of England’s finest sportsmen and women, whilst celebrating places to visit to quench thirst and sate hunger on the Isle of Wight, Alan Titchmarsh’s lugubriously described ‘Diamond Isle’.

As always, thanks for listening.

Until next time … stay tuned

Tim and Rory

Another packed episode full of topical chat and a fascinating q&a between Tim and Rory, aims to entertain whilst sharing another wet weekend with you all.

Our special guest is Richard Quigley, the Labour parliamentary candidate at the next General Election for the new West Wight constituency. Richard is a lively and fascinating character so listen in to him and Tim talk about motivation for seeking elected office and in particular, the burning issues of the day for an Isle of Wight politician. Meeting in Newport's Caffe Isola the guys enjoy a convivial chat in very pleasant surroundings and set about putting the world to rights. Richard is a multi-dimensional guest, and not your typical politician, so find about what makes him tick and look forward

to future political slots from other prominent island politicians that we are lining up to share with you ahead of the likely imminent next General Election.

The q&a slot gives us the opportunity to probe our co-hosts psyche and raise a few giggles along the way.

Let us know if you're enjoying what you hear, and also, let us know what you'd like less of. As we grapple with our time management demons, this episode at 90 minutes is a game of 4 halves, so settle down, grab a hot or cold brew and listen in to Rory and Tim dissect some of the news and then each other.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

As we lurch daily towards the Christmas festivities we turn our heads to enjoy the fireworks displays laid on locally, plus start planning our podcast Christmas lunch. Find out if we're premature or super-organised as always when it comes to planning ... in Tim we trust.

Part 2 of Tim's chat with Graham Biss of Gift to Nature concludes and Rory is road-tested meeting up with one of our loyal, podcast superfans, Polly from Oxford (via Aldershot), to discuss the draw of the island and what can be considered to improve the visitor experience and how our podcast encouraged her to book her trip.

With a hectic winter schedule of conversations lined up for the coming weeks, we'll be busy assembling interesting chat to be interspersed with topical takes on news and experiences from the island and beyond.

Thanks for listening.

Rory & Tim

Episode n-n-n-nineteen floods into your podcast queue with a promise to keep you company whilst your wellies dry out ready for the next Atlantic-born deluge to make landfall. Our topical chat ebbs and flows through a smorgasbord of subjects carefully curated to inspire, to entertain and to inform.

With so much to squeeze in, settle down and enjoy part 1 of a 2-part conversation TIm has with Graham Biss, Chief Executive of Gift to Nature https://www.gifttonature.org.uk/. Graham should be known as Mr Benn as he wears so many hats in different roles supporting the rural economy and natural heritage of the Isle of Wight. There's loads to learn so come back for second helpings in episode 20 to find out more of what Graham has been getting up to in, on and around the island.

We finish with a request for you to supply us with interesting questions to ask of us, your co-hosts, to foment yet further frolicking flights of fancy and fun. The innocence of a favourite beach or the ominous finality of a final death row meal can all be covered in our q&a spot. If you don't ask us, how will you ever know!?

We announce our trial move to a weekly publishing schedule, by popular demand so you'll have a dose of QWightLike to accompany you through each and every weekend going forward. At least until you tell us to stop!

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

Tim and Rory offer carve out another hour of spooky tales and harvest yet more topical talk to deliver a hollowed out husk of a podcast stuff full of hallowed subjects. From Penny's Poundland coronation frock to Rory's flirting at the coffee shop, via Tim's missing MP. Where is Doctor Bob and will Scoop Dedman get his man this side of an election?

Enjoy another wide-ranging chat as our intrepid duo battle variously with brambles, bindweed (convolvulus) and ivy and dream of bus-based-beer-bonanzas whilst reporting on terrific tea shop stops.

Sit with us, walk with us, run with us, cycle with us, shop with us, drive with us, cook with us, clean with us, but please don't drift off and sleep with us (pardon? Ed.) as you'll miss all our best bits.

No interview to share this time, just Rory and Tim, chewing the island cud, but stay tuned for news of many more scheduled interviews to come in the weeks ahead as QWightLike collaborates with Vectis Radio to bring you inspiring islanders with great island tales.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy your own version of Halloween however, you acknowledge it.

Behind you ...

Tim and Rory

Tim and Rory get back in the hot seat after the holiday special of episode 16 and get right into interview mode this time in the guest seats having been invited to chat with Ian Mac (Macca) of Vectis Radio on his mid-morning show. We really enjoyed meeting Macca and radio certainly thrilled these podcast "stars". We bring you the whole interview in this episode with plenty of chat about how we plan to collaborate in the future bringing great stories and interviews from across the island to both sets of listeners, on radio and podcast.
Coffee highlights and event reviews rub shoulders with a list of what's on, on the island, in the coming weeks and months. Plenty to listen to, and plenty more to look forward to as we step up our interview schedules to bring more stories about our beautiful island home.
Thanks for listening
Rory and Tim

Our holiday special edition is here without delay, or diversion, and only one natural disaster to interfere with our perfectly laid plans. We pre-recorded the bulk of this episode so we could simply get it stitched together with some small additions post-holiday and all went to plan bar the content from Rory's break in Crete. Tim provides some enjoyable commentary on his break with wife Ella to the Belgian North Sea coast and entices the rest of us to visit with tales of culture, food and innovative transportation. Rory's Sea of Crete would have raised the temperature a few degrees, but now we'll never know ... until next year maybe.

We'd additionally saved up a special politics chat for this holiday special, which covers recent electoral events and the impact on upcoming tests for Governments and Oppositions alike.

We also introduce a short interview Tim had with Ian Mac, or Macca, the Station Manager at Vectis Radio, the multi-award winning community radio station here on the Isle of Wight. Straight after we were back from our respective holidays, Macca had us both in for a lunchtime chat, live on Vectis Radio. Listen to the chat here, and stay tuned for future potential collaborations between QWightLike and Vectis Radio, but rest assured we'll still be publishing our podcast here on Spotify and they'll continue to be available wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening.

Rory and Tim

Join Tim and Rory for another meander around all things Wight, with an added dash of worldly observations and heaps of holiday helpings to come. Our special guest this week, is Tony Trowbridge, renowned Sandown-based street and pop artist, who is most definitely not dead yet. Tim takes time to trawl through Tony's fascinating life in an interview well worth a listen if you love popular art and/or the island.

The regular podcast chummy chat bookends the Tony interview and covers festivals, lighthouse photography, exercise for healthy recovery and quality of life and the occasional mention of an occasional cooked breakfast.

We announce our plans for a holiday special as we follow Harriet's lead and pause our busy production schedule to take respective time off with our other halves to visit foreign shores, with obscure sounding place names that Tim and Rory, may or may not have made up. Tune in to find out what's going on, and what's going out from the QWightLike studio over the coming weeks.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay safe.

Tim and Rory

Another very special guest graces the virtual QWightLike A Podcast studio as Tim spends time chatting with Victoria White, head of the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service. Tim recently experienced their professionalism, dedication and daily heroism, for himself (see our episode 11) and wanted to have the opportunity to find out first hand what makes the organisation function so well and where is Victoria seeking improvements for an ever more complex and demanding future. We bookend Tim's interview with our usual mix of topical chat and island highlights, that we both, well qwight like!!!

From apple scrumping on healthy bike rides to "geriatric P.E." and from exquisite coffee shops to island photography as art, Tim and Rory wax, almost lyrically, about the wonderful experiences to be enjoyed on the island.

Stay tuned for future episodes and specials where we turn our attention to local, national and international politics alongside arts, crafts, hobbies and pastimes that keep us throwing back our duvets each morning to embrace the day ahead.

Thanks for listening. Please enjoy and tell all your friends.

Tim and Rory

Lucky episode 13 is now available, and QWightLike A Podcast is now cemented in the podcasting fixture list for as long as we have something to say and someone to talk to. As is the case with this exciting instalment where we have secured one of the first interviews, if not THE first interview for island podcast royalty, Harriet Hadfield, to put herself in front of the microphone for a compelling conversation with our very own Tim Dedman. Harriet presents Island Stories revealing the characters and personalities, who live or who’ve settled on the Isle of Wight, in a popular podcast now well into its second series, but on a short summer break.

Harriet graciously agreed to give us inexperienced podcasters some of her valuable time as she explained to Tim her own island story and her journey here. She met up with us at her new art gallery and wine store in Seaview called The Halland, and covered her early years of island holidays, university and competitive sailing before diving into her career in television news to brings us right up to date with details of the gallery and her unsuccessful (this time, and only just) attempt to be selected as prospective Conservative Party parliamentary candidate for the new East Wight constituency at the next General Election.

Harriet’s involvement in politics was a green light for Tim and Rory who, at the drop of a hat, will wax lyrical about politics, policies, politicians, posts and polls, to open the episode with views on the current crop of policy announcements. This showcases that, although, our political policies and philosophies diverge from Harriet's, our shared belief in politics as a power for good in the world converges and our usual topical chat is only enhanced for this exclusive interview.

Stay tuned for further episodes of QWightLike. A Podcast in the coming weeks. There’s so much more to come as we explore the island, its people, food, attractions and qwight often, subjects from farther afield too.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Harriet for giving up some of her time for our chat.

Tim and Rory

A quick episode to get back on schedule, following the technical challenges we overcame in episode 11, subsequently turned into our longest offering yet. Judicious post-production editing removed a few seconds of grunts and scrapes but left in all the topical chat, news views and this episode's special guest is Andrew Todd, of Drews Brews to be found regularly (Wednesday to Sunday) at Firestone Copse and often at other events around the island, serving the finest coffee and home made cakes. Tim finds out what makes Drew's business successful in no small part due to his past hospitality experience, giving customers what they want and it helps that more and more people qwight like a coffee.

Rory and Tim spend time discussing the coming summer on and off the island, pull on some interesting social media threads (do you see what we did there!?) and chat about the world we've been living in since our special episode 11 was released just 1 week ago.

We successfully deployed new tech for this week's remotely recorded episode giving us more flexibility for the future. With episode 13 all but complete, we will reach our magic milestone, our well-earned watershed and, according to students of podcasting, become a permanent presence in your podcast queues for the foreseeable future. We qwight like the idea of keeping you up to date with news, views and insights into what's happening on and off the island.

A full English breakfast (other nations' variants remain available) is never far away from our thoughts, and whilst promoting a heart-healthy diet for most of the time, we introduce an invitation only Facebook Group dedicated to rating submitted Full English Breakfasts from around the world.

We also introduce the next rund of our Pop Meister feature. Listen to Tim's beverage barking banter to see if you can identify (or guess) this week's popular pop. Winning brings lifelong fame and honour to you and your family. Submit your entries on our Instagram page or by emailing us at info@qwightlike.com with your answers.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

The freshest QWightLike A Podcast episode yet appears before you on your podcast shelves as these collected bits and bytes form eloquent gyrations seeking to entertain and inform.  Unlike this week’s King’s Speech which seeks to legislate, this podcast seeks to elaborate on all manner of topical chat.

We range from polite politics through to dogs on beaches via the perennial debate as to whether to scrunch or fold.  Listen in to find out the context of that one.  

Visitors to our island and agricultural shows compete for a slice of your ear’s capacity alongside plans for next year’s Isle of Wight Festival which are already brewing despite no lineup.  Football is fast becoming a distant memory except for the pre-season friendlies already in full swing as England’s sad demise in yet another final or semi-final haunts the podcast studio.

Until next time, no, the podcast, not the football.

Thanks for listening

Tim and Rory

Tim and Rory have prepared a special episode of the podcast for those who love a good story, topical chat and the Isle of Wight. On 22nd June Tim suffered a heart attack and this podcast covers the experience, reflections and resolutions.

As Tim is under strict instructions to limit activity, the podcast studio went on the road to Tim's man cave in Rookley, only for the audio to be plagued by electrical interference only discovered when Rory ("the engineer") returned home to start post-production.

A frantic period ensued attemptin audio repairs until Rory determined the best technique for hiding the imperfections in the audio. Accordingly, for one episode only, we are supported by a series of non-invasive backing tracks to hide the pops and clicks from the freezer, the smart meter and possibly the howling sou-westerley's that battered the man cave during recording.

Your enjoyment has been assured and this podcast focusses on Tim's experiences from first inclinations something was not quite right, to the call to his own emergency physician (aka his wife, Ella), the ambulance, the hovercraft ride, the procedure to rectify the problem in his heart and to his recovery.

Interesting insights from Tim's entire experience are topped off with topical tales of recovery, well-being commitments and the discussion of poignant but important life affirming questions.

We thought it was good to share these experiences to both celebrate our emergency services and healthcare providers but also to provide first hand insight of this all too common experience.

Normal technical competence will be resumed for the next episode, but in the meantime, please enjoy this episode for its revealing take on luck, life and the many perils for men in middle-age.

Tim and his family wish to express their thanks to all at the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, St Mary's Hospital in Newport, the Hovertravel team, Queen Alexandra's Hospital in Portsmouth and to all the friends and family who have sent best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Thanks for listening

Tim and Rory

As we roll effortlessly into double digit number of episodes, Tim and Rory, your very own museum pieces, tackle heatwave hysteria, festival frolics, breakfast banter and engage brains for a cost of living discussion that evaluates a new economic theory, donut economics, that does not involve Homer Simpson's bakery item of choice.

Tactics for surviving the Council's designer dumps are discussed alongside a breakdown of our island MP's unfortunate brush with moving pictures that can be played back at you live on air to challenge your poor recollection of what you did or didn't say on the great issue of the last fortnight, in Westminster politics anyway.

Tim continues his interview series with a beachside chat with an old friend of ours, Sophie Blake, for many, the face of the famous Blakes Longshoremen dynasty that has been a fixture on the Ventnor seafront for almost 2 centuries. Don't miss this chat for key insights into life on the beach and how Sophie's very own "Night in the Museum" kicked off a captivating story at the heart of her community.

Our breakfast staple raises its head with a dissection of 2 more breakfast experiences at Goddard's new brewery visitor centre in Arreton and the ever popular Blueberrys Cafe on the cliff top in Shanklin.

Breakfasts with views and podcast hosts with opinions! What better way to start your weekend than in the company of Rory and Tim, helping you plan your next trip out for one of the island's splendid cooked breakfasts or brushing up on sustainable economic models to prepare you for the working week ahead? QWightLike. A Podcast preparing you for work, rest and play.

Thanks for tuning in. We appreciate your support.

Tim and Rory

A further week away from the podcast studio brings tales from Tim's travels tinged with telling toilet tales and topical tittle tattle.

Travel advice is offered from the pocket pat down to how to be chatted up by French museum ticket sales staff. This official QWightLike travel advice notice explains what not to have in your suitcase to avoid a strip search by US Border Force staff.

For the less squeamish we have another fascinating interview from our roving reporter, Tim who spent time with Kerry from The Seapot at Wheeler's Bay, between Ventnor and Bonchurch. Interesting insights from a hospitality business that has been successful for the last 10 years and has navigated pandemics, cost-of-living crisis and now a major blow to footfall with seawall repairs blocking much of their passing trade. We QWightLike The Seapot so please listen and then visit.

This episode reports on French experiences and island music with a little bit of gardening and discussion around the weather.

Tune in to find out more about all the above.

Thanks for listening.

Rory & Tim

Another topical chat-filled extravaganza steers towards your favourite podcast port of call with a cargo of our usual island views, foodie findings and with a special buzz emanating from the podcast studio (no not interference!), as our second outside broadcast interview with Ventnor’s formidable Paul Berry takes to the air waves.

Paul is one third of the island crew preparing to take on the World’s Toughest Row, The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge starting on the 12th December 2023 as part of the Mermaid Atlantic 2023 team rowing from the Canary Isles to the Caribbean. Our intrepid, roving reporter, Tim Dedman, meets Paul on the deck of his family tea hut on the beach at Ventnor seafront to learn all about the training, motivation and challenges that face the hardy trio. https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/

Find out all you need to know about this daring challenge and, if that’s not enough compelling content, stay tuned to listen to Tim and Rory celebrate the not-so-humble Isle of Wight tomato, drifting between the island history of Garibaldi and his biscuits alongside the perils of toasted sourdough.

With protest placards firmly hidden from view we, on behalf of regular podcast listeners, launch campaigns for restaurant and cafe menus to provide more information regarding salad garnish and balsamic glaze - to dress or not to dress, that is the question.

With much, much more including, mild-mannered musings, and murmurs from museums, make sure you subscribe to the podcast to ensure you never miss out on the content that makes us the podcast of the people, by the people, for the people … of the Isle of Wight and beyond.

Enjoy!

Rory and Tim

Tim and Rory wax lyrically on steam powered real ale where the porters are fruit-based and the plum festival ale is … well … listen to find out. We veer from brief encounters to national news bulletins and get out of our studio to meet interesting new people and learn what makes them tick and let them talk about their projects, passions and plans. First up, and our crowning glory this week, is Kirsty from Ventnor’s Better Days Cafe, holding an inspiring conversation with our roving reporter, Tim, in our inaugural feature interview. Kirsty and her team are doing stellar work with local people in Ventnor so listen in to her talk about how the cafe emerged from an abandoned pub to once again beat as the heart of the community. Learn more here.

Before all that we learn about new fitness kicks and marvel at a delicious segue from cooked breakfasts to e-bikes, that you’ll only find on QWightLike. A Podcast. Choose your co-hosts’ super hero whilst picking over the crumbs of our very own quichegate!

Tim and Rory resume normal service following an extra week of enforced banishment from the QWightLike A Podcast studio.  What have we been up to?  Tune in to find out.  Spoiler: we find ourselves discussing performances ranging from primary school drama forays, hormone-fuelled teenage dance dreams and we end up waxing lyrical about the many stages, natural and thespian, offered by the Isle of Wight.  From tributes to our musical heroes, to a botanical paradise, and further breakfast bliss, we pull back the curtain on experiences we have enjoyed, treading boards and beach bars to bring you entertainment, thirst-quenching topics and taste-bud tickling treats.

All of that, some of the usual, and especially listen out for an exciting announcement about future content being planned right now to expand the style and reach of our podcast to add more voices.  We qwight like what we have planned ahead and we’re sure you will too.

Get in touch to tell us what you like and what you want more of. info@qwightlike.com Instagram: @QWightLike

We present, episode 5 of our growing podcast, following an extra week off air, and we jump straight to the medium of television to discuss the recent swamping of our screens with Isle of Wight focussed programming. We cover Channel 5's Isle of Wight: Jewel of the South, a homage to the people and places of the island, as well as BBC2’s The Cockfields, a sitcom set on the Isle of Wight and making use of beautiful locations and laugh-out-loud family situations that we can all relate to, served up by a familiar, but still stellar, cast.

With our hunger for island content provoked, we pore over recent culinary experiences and start to ponder what satisfies our lust to be entertained and compare the different value options from books to burgers and football to music gigs.

We correct our maths homework handed in on episode 4 and try our hand at interpreting statistics in the news this week. Pop of the week (from Ep 4) rolls over for another episode and we commit to communicating more often on observations and experiences that catch our eye using our new Instagram account QWightLike

There’s something for everyone in this podcast as we gently meander down the leafy lanes and twinkling bays of our island whilst steeling ourselves for the always welcome influx of visitors marking the start of another summer on the Isle of Wight.

What’s an episode for?  Listening to and being challenged by the views of others, maybe educated a little, and, of course, to enjoy the silky smooth musings and island-linked distractions of a couple of old blokes.  So, please enjoy our very own episode four (do you see what we did there?) of the latest podcast brought to you from the glistening shores of the Isle of Wight.  

Rory and Tim celebrate International Womens’ Day #IWD, not to be confused with Isle of Wight Day #IWD, whilst reviewing listener statistics for our first 3 episodes and make a bid for a more diverse audience by discussing beer and steam trains.  We demonstrate how maths should always be a priority in education as 100-93 doesn’t make 17!  Tune in to find out if this sums up the rest of the show.

We introduce a perfect day out on and near the island as described by our 2 preserved old relics including many of the museums on our doorsteps and gangways whilst rattling through stories of other preserved old relics, railways, roads, radio and real ale retreats.  Butcher's breakfasts and Navy larks snuggle up to chess clubs and dashing dogs, and remember, we quite like the Isle of Wight and our neighbouring attractions and all they have to offer.

Find out more about our intrepid hosts with a quickfire Q&A segment designed to reveal our innermost selves.  We’re sure it will explain everything.  We may ask you a few questions whilst you listen (on Spotify only if we've read the manual right)

Before you cast aside all inhibition and dive headlong into our fortnightly pod, we profusely apologise as owing to an editorial/production miscommunication, you’ll be left asking where’s “Where’s Bob”?  We did make sure to pop in “Pop of the Week” to our running order as we had thirsts to quench (which may explain the omission) and thus you’ll find out the almost winner of our first aural, gluggable, guessing game. Tune in to learn which pop pipped others and to whom the first auspicious prize was awarded and listen very carefully to see if you can identify this week's popcast.  Will Tim suppress his cough?  Has Rory stopped laughing. Answers to us using email at rory@qwightlike.com, please.

Peg back your ears to hear our first “guest” make a brief, unplanned intervention.  Thunderbirds are go … m’lady!

Enjoy,

Rory and Tim

Sit back, relax and unwind as Rory and Tim ease you through a fact-filled pod, casting our net never too far from the Isle of Wight which, remember, we quite like, without contriving a dubious Wight link (!) to bring us all back to our island home.  

Find out what connects Glasgow's Nicola Sturgeon (c.2023) to Carisbrooke's Isabella de Fortibus (c.1293) and discover if Tim can get hold of all the ingredients he needs for this week's soup.  Is our topical chat a recipe to have rotten tomatoes hurled at us (if they stay on the shelves long enough to rot) or an opportunity to listen to one of the two old guys confuse his Brits with his Baftas?

From soup to Steinbeck and from royalty to greatest hits radio, we bump our gums, through brothers, burgers, Barnett formulas and funding for island and highland budgets as we contrast what £50million buys you compared with £15,500.  Clue - one of them affects the healthcare of 140,000 islanders but which one.  We swing from waterfront eateries on the East Wight to the West Wight as easily as you can say "sea-wall erosion".

Listen out for the moment when this week's "Pop of the Week" goes ... ahem ... cough ... pop! Literally!

We wind things up with an introduction of some of our favourite listenings and readings and a guest spot as we reveal our island MP's response to Tim's correspondence in our "Where's Bob!?" feature.

Be sure to catch all our episodes and don't forget to gird your loins to enter our no-holds barred "Pop of the Week" competition if you think you can guess the answer.  Send your guesses in on an email to rory@qwightlike.com and we'll read out our favourite submissions and any correct ones.

Well, we made it to a second episode ... and it says here ... back by popular demand.

In our eagerly anticipated follow-up episode, Tim and Rory talk about off-island trips and returning ferry travails interspersed with the glamour of Los Angeles mingling with the blood, sweat and tears, for some, of Twickenham.  Tune in to catch up on English Heritage ketchup, the mystery pop opening and for updates on the great cooked breakfast with Ventnor and London twists.

We celebrate our favourite Isle of Wight podcasts from Harriet Hadfield and Benjamin Hope (links below) and provide and find out why this week's soup has a topical flavour.

We recommend the following podcasts as well as our own.  All available on Spotify or from wherever you grab your podcasts.

Adventures of Wight by Benjamin Hope 

Island Stories by Harriet Hadfield

Don't forget to support the Better Days Caffe in Ventnor run by Kirsty and her team with the support of many volunteers. Find out more here https://thebetterdayscafe.co.uk/

Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts, so you don't miss out on future fun and fact-filled episodes.  

For any questions don't hesitate to get in touch by email on rory@qwightlike.com 

Until next time, thanks for listening.

Rory and Tim

Our marathon UK Westminster general election coverage is spread across 2 sessions, 24 hours apart.  The first on polling day itself as the close of poll drew inexorably nearer, Tim’s and Rory’s political junkie credentials come to the fore as they look forward to the night ahead.  Predictions, Portillo moments and election snacks are covered as we prepare for the results that may just have a momentous impact on all our lives.

Fast forward 24 hours to the post-results, after-party come down to find out if our intrepid duo are motivated by the outcome and what highlights do we pick out from the many that graced our screens and radio dials for the last 18-20 hours.

With the new Prime Minister firmly installed in Downing Street, find out what Rory and Tim think of the results and the prospects for what happens next.  Certainly there will be more episodes of the Wight’s favourite, regular podcast, that has hardly skipped a beat in over 18 months of pod and radio broadcasting.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

We quite like a podcast and we quite like the Isle of Wight, where we live.  

So please say hello to QWightLike. A Podcast, and enjoy the pilot episode of our new, soon to be regular, riff on a range of subjects that resonate on and from the island including food, drink, music, art, culture, news, politics, life the universe and everything in between.  

For this first episode we introduce ourselves as your co-hosts, Rory Forbes and Tim Dedman, both long time Wightphiles and now permanent residents.  We cover our personal journeys to, and occasionally from, the island, discuss the full English (!) cooked breakfast and where to get a good one on the Wight and then warm down with discussions on exciting and important local initiatives in Ventnor, developments in Totland Bay before wrapping up with some political observations of both national and international topicality.  

As a bonus "feature" we discuss the naming options for this podcast that we have ruled out ... for now.  

We hope you QWight Like listening to QWightLike. A Podcast and that you find it QWight Interesting.

Let us know if you enjoy this first episode and tell us what you'd like us to cover in future.  

We'll be covering more places to get a cracking cooked breakfast and despite our focus in episode 1, no sponsorship has yet been taken in the making of this podcast. 

Be gentle with us, we're new to this, but enjoyed talking for you.  

Subscribe to QWightLike for more of the same in the very near future.

Rory & Tim

The weather starts so many conversations especially in the long awaited, and oft missed summer season and our podcast continues this tradition with a typically wishful look at the weather past, present and future before straying into the topical minefield of elections and football tournaments.  Who will be the winner, who will score the most own-goals, we bet it won’t be the media.  Off to place a bet on the date of the next episode of QWightLike A Podcast, we meander from national service, along the A34, to holstering IT equipment via a festival of place names you can’t pronounce.

Recognising the anniversary of co-host Tim’s heart attack almost a year ago to the day we celebrate our own experiences of the NHS that have made us the men we are today - part organic and part bionic.  A roundup of Father’s Day gifts from loving offspring trumps stories of Yarmouth fudge and confused Scottish co-hosts make a fist of the First Minister’s surname (Ed. - it’s Swinney, not Sweeney, you swine!).

Rounding up the pod we cast our eyes over Ventnor's ingress and egress challenges for the next 2 weeks, with gentle encouragement to find your way in, by car, bus, bike or en pied, to support the excellent local businesses with your custom.

Thanks for listening.  We’ll be back before you can place a bet on the General Election, probably in time to pore over the actual results.  Will we be celebrating, crying or analysing, or all 3?  Stay tuned.

Tim and Rory

Normal service is being resumed as the QWightLike A Podcast team return from an elongated and unscheduled break following illness, family visits, operations and holidays, to return with our usual conversational interventions to ease you into your weekend and beyond.

A lot has happened and so we slightly run over our allotted studio time to bring you our highlights from the last month or so of enforced pod downtime.  What has happened whilst we were looking the other way?

The aurora, The UK Pink Floyd Experience, surgical waiting list reduction, holiday trips and new eatery experiences here on the island all appear in our canter through our calendars.

We quite like an election, so given our recent lack of productivity we bring you our opinions on the opening salvos fired in the UK General Election campaign announced in late May and remain in active consideration of our “Rest Is …” franchise extension equivalent, with the working title of “QWightLike An Election”.  By the time we make our minds up it is entirely probable that we’ll be well aware of the result and will have a whole new slew of political interviews to line up as the characters move around the chess board.  Where is Bob?

So settle down, on your own, with a brew, something cold and sparkling, with loved one(s), with friends and enjoy the return of our something for the weekend offering.

Thanks for listening

Rory and Tim

Fashion dictates following a crowd, but your heroic dadcasters struggle to present a contemporary image to the outside world relying on personal brand and witty repartee to create any sort of impression.

This episode takes a gentle stroll through island eateries and refreshment stops, discussing ferries and the Anglo-Saxon barbarians who disrupted England’s last pagan kingdom (yes, the Isle of Wight) before an attack of the mangoes brings us back to the modern day and our best recommendations for chilling with a Netflix binge watch.

Visitors, colleagues and political shenanigans all rear their head in this meander through popular news and modern-day existence.  Still we QWightLike chatting about our lives and influences and we QWightLike the Isle of Wight.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory

Welcome to another chat-filled digital space competing for space and time in your eardrums as we continue our gentle lollop towards the heady bright days of Spring and Summer.  The island slowly comes alive at this time of year with plenty for us to experience and share with you.

This episode is largely given over to another scoop interview with one of the many generations of Blakes that have shaped much of the Ventnor experience for visitors and residents alike.  Tim spends time with Ed Blake of the fishing dynasty that continue to ply their trade at sea, from Ventnor Haven and as a new generation, online.  Tim gets the inside track on what’s involved in fishing for crab and the rest of the catch in what is a remarkably large fishing ground.  Remarkable insight is shared into the current status of fishing boats on the island. In the second part of this 2-part chat, Ed explains how he was persuaded to get involved in local politics, his motivations and how, as a business owner, he hopes to help influence the changes he thinks are needed to help the local community.

For the rest of the podcast, Rory and Tim, riff around the edge of subjects as diverse as the recent North American total eclipse of the sun, vehicle number plates, transport, and first cars which leads to a promotion of the Rest is History podcast episode with Tom Hanks as their special guest.  Not to be missed.

Another gentle ramble around the workings of our minds ends with tributes to our favourite tribute musical acts and a birthday tribute to Ella, Tim’s other half.  Happy Birthday, Ella.

Thanks for listening

Tim and Rory

Another fortnight crammed full of travel is tipped out onto the podcast recording console to inform and, hopefully educate.  Rory’s return to Scotland with fanfares at border crossings.  Tim’s rather more sombre trip to Kraków taking in Auschwitz-Birkenau as well as the pleasure of experiencing the city’s cultural, architectural and culinary delights … all after jetting off easily to get there.

Football (soccer) shirt emblems, excessive language dependencies are covered alongside explanations of European nations’ mastery of the English language rendering our preparations for overseas travels to be limited to checking our passport validity and packing.

Back on the island we are steeling ourselves for the invasions of very-welcome tourism as our roads will fill up, our cafes will have less tables free and our ferries will struggle to stay operational.  Easter weekend will bring trade and traffic marking the start of our busy season as spring stretches the days into long summer beach stays started with balmy breakfast brunches and finished with boozy rosé sunset dinners.

Whatever you’re doing this Easter, QWightLike is here to ease you into your break with our chit and chat and musings on all manner of transport, tipples and touring tales.  From fixed links to flexible ferries, we cover the conversation points on the tongues of travelling townies tearing over to temptation on our diamond isle.

Thanks for listening.

Tim and Rory