The Wonderful Hour 12th September 2025

Written by Jason Of Shrine

Category: The Wonderful Hour

Escape, Cheese, and Curry Confessions: Inside the Wonderful World of Tommy Boyd's Podcast

What makes life truly wonderful is rarely the grand gestures. It is the slice of cheese wrapped in foil that reminds you of childhood, the stolen moment of quiet in the bath, the early morning raid on the fridge to finish last night's curry. Tommy Boyd has always had a knack for pulling these everyday quirks into sharp focus and holding them up as small miracles.

Tommy's voice has been part of British life for decades, from the children's television of Magpie and the Wide Awake Club, through to the late night radio that defined so many people's teenage years. In 2025 he returned with The Wonderful Hour, a podcast dedicated to celebrating those moments we might otherwise overlook. It is witty, it is thoughtful, and it is often surprisingly moving.

This week's show flows from reflections on cheese and childhood sandwiches, to conversations about ageing, spiders that build webs in car wing mirrors, neighbours helping each other through grief, and the guilty pleasure of curry for breakfast. It is Tommy at his best, weaving his own stories with those of his listeners, always nudging us to notice that the smallest things are often the most extraordinary.

The Cheese Reflection

Tommy begins by evoking the kind of food memory that clings to us for life. For him, it is cheese. Not just any cheese, but the crumbly cheddar and slices wrapped in foil that feel like opening treasure. He recalls his father's habit of layering cheese and Branston pickle on Jacob's cream crackers and presenting them as if they were jewels.

Cheese becomes more than food in this telling, it becomes a symbol of care, of being looked after, of the love tucked away in a kitchen. It is why, decades later, the very smell of it can bring him back to those evenings at the table, a reminder that what is simple can also be profound.

Escaping the Everyday

One of the show's most powerful threads is the theme of escape. A listener named Andrew wrote in about the relief he feels on holiday when time loosens and demands melt away. Tommy responds with honesty about his own small escapes: slipping into the bath, shutting himself in the loo, even enjoying a cigarette in the shower.

These are not grand journeys to the mountains or the sea, they are tiny retreats carved into ordinary days. They remind us that to escape does not always mean to run, it can also mean to pause, to take a breath, to claim a few minutes where the world cannot intrude.

Life's Third Quarter

Tommy moves into a reflective mood when he talks with his wife about being in what he calls the third quarter of life. Childhood is behind, careers and raising families are largely done, and what remains is time that is sharper for being finite.

Rather than being a shadow, he presents it as an opportunity. Mortality is not something to fear, it is the reason to savour. A cup of tea tastes richer, an evening with family more precious, precisely because we know they will not stretch on forever. The third quarter, Tommy suggests, may be the most wonderful of all.

Spider Mysteries

The conversation shifts to a detail so small most of us would never notice it. Tommy describes the webs that spiders spin in the wing mirrors of his car. Every morning they are rebuilt, intricate and determined, even though a journey will destroy them again.

It is a moment of quiet awe. Spiders are creatures most people brush away without thought, yet here they reveal something profound about persistence, creativity, and the beauty that can be found in the most unglamorous places. The next time you glance at your car mirror, you may find yourself looking closer.

Harry's Story

Family life surfaces in a more serious way when Tommy shares the story of his son Harry suffering a herniated disc. It is a painful reminder that health can falter without warning, and that resilience is not a luxury but a necessity.

He speaks of Harry with love and pride, noting how hardship can deepen the bonds between people. Even in illness there is a thread of wonder: the strength to endure, the care that flows between father and son, the reminder that we are not alone in our struggles.

Neighbours and Loss

Perhaps the most moving passage of the entire podcast comes when Tommy speaks about his neighbour who had lost a son. His voice cracks as he reads, and you can almost hear the silence around him. There are no easy words in such moments, no clever phrases to ease the weight of grief. Yet simply being there, as Tommy was, became an act of quiet grace.

He describes walking next door, not knowing what to say, but knowing he had to go. The neighbour's face said everything: the devastation, the absence, the enormity of what had happened. What followed was not a conversation in the usual sense, but the kind of exchange that is measured in presence rather than sentences. Just sitting, just listening, just showing up.

Tommy reflects that these moments test us as human beings. Do we step forward, or do we step back out of fear of saying the wrong thing? His honesty about the discomfort makes it all the more powerful. In a society that often hides grief away, here is a reminder that connection matters most when life is at its hardest.

It is in those raw moments that the idea of 'wonder' reveals its deepest truth. Not the light, easy kind of wonder that comes with sunsets or laughter, but the profound kind that grows from solidarity, compassion, and simply standing with someone in their darkest hour. This section alone is enough to leave a listener breathless, and it is why The Wonderful Hour carries such weight.

The Kindness of Strangers

Tommy also recalls a day in the supermarket when he found himself short at the till. An elderly woman behind him stepped forward and quietly paid the difference. It was not the money that mattered but the generosity.

Such encounters are easy to forget, yet they are precisely the kind that make the world feel softer. It is proof that wonder does not only live in the familiar but also in the unexpected grace of strangers.

Curry for Breakfast

Few joys are as guilty as heating up the remains of last night's curry with a morning cup of tea. Tommy confesses to sneaking this ritual, knowing it is indulgent but revelling in it all the same.

It is the perfect close to the show. Not everything that is wonderful has to be noble. Sometimes it is the spice of cold curry on a fork at seven in the morning that makes the day feel alive.

Why Listen to The Wonderful Hour?

In a world that moves too fast, The Wonderful Hour slows things down. It blends humour with nostalgia, reflection with laughter, and invites listeners to share the spotlight with Tommy. It is not a monologue but a conversation, one that stretches across kitchens, cars, and commutes, linking together people who might never meet but who all recognise the joy in small things.

For anyone seeking a podcast that feels like sitting down with a trusted friend, this is it. It is funny, it is moving, and it proves that life is richer when we celebrate the overlooked.

How to Get Involved and Listen

The Wonderful Hour thrives on contributions. Tommy invites you to share your own wonderful moment: a quirky habit, a heartfelt memory, a story that made you smile. You can submit directly at https://tommyboydshrine.co.uk/wonderful and the best will be read on air.

Listening is easy. Stream directly on Libsyn, or find the podcast on Podbean, Podcast Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms. Search for The Wonderful Hour Tommy Boyd.

Do not just listen, subscribe, leave a review, and share your favourite moments with friends. Spread the wonder on social media with #WonderfulHour and help the community grow.

Conclusion

Tommy Boyd's gift has always been to take the ordinary and reveal its sparkle. From cheese and crackers to spider webs and neighbourly kindness, he reminds us that wonder is not rare, it is everywhere. We only need to notice it.

So listen, share your own story, and join a community that believes anything can be wonderful.

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Created on September 12, 2025