335: Dame Mama G on panto, BGT and Bungle from Rainbow
The Scummy Mummies Podcast
Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn
4.7 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
She's Britain's favourite pantomime dame (oh no she isn't, etc) - it's Mama G! Join us for a hilarious chat covering everything from panto and children's books to lesbian grandmas and Irene from Home and Away.
We delve deep into Mama G's origin story, and find out how she got started in the panto game. What was it like to play Bungle in the Rainbow stage show, and what happened when she met the one from the telly? And is Zippy a dick in real life?
We also talk about Mama G's experience of leading a team of dames to the semi-final on Britain's Got Talent. What's Simon Cowell like when the cameras are off? And what's her one regret about appearing on the show?
For more from Mama G, follow her on Instagram @mamagstories. Her latest book, The Proudest Bird in the World, is out in July, but you can preorder now. And you can see her brilliant show at the Edinburgh Fringe this August.
We are on tour! See you soon, Stratford and South Norwood! Then we're visiting all sorts of venues all over the country right up till 2027. Yes, INCLUDING MANCHESTER AND NORWICH! Visit scummymummies.com for dates and tickets.
WE HAVE A SHOP! Visit scummymummies.com for our ace t-shirts, mugs, and sweatshirts. FREE UK DELIVERY!
We're on Instagram and Facebook @scummymummies. If you like the podcast, please rate, review and subscribe.
Thank you for listening!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, scumbags, this is the scummy mummies podcast, with your hosts, Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorne. |
| 0:16.3 | Hello and welcome to the scummy mummies podcast. It's me, Ellie Gibson. |
| 0:57.4 | And that's me, Helen Thorne. My voice is breaking. You did sound like a pubescent 14-year-old boy. It's because, well, I'm aiming to play Dick Whittington in the cat for Panto next year. So that's absolutely, that's what we're going for. Now, speaking of which, who is our guest today? Ellie, I'm delighted, for we have a dame in our presence. We do. Not Judy Dench. No. As if anyone was expecting that. All Kelly Holmes. Those are the two dames that we know. Yes. Is that definitely all the dames? I can't think of any others. Yes. No. No. All right. So, who is our guest today? It's Dame Mammaji. Hello. Hello. Yes. Do you like to go by Mammaji? Would |
| 1:04.8 | you prefer that we use your, your name? Mammaji is fine. Because no one knows that there's an |
| 1:09.7 | alternative version, an alternative universe of me. Oh, you know. I know and you know. Yes. Some of the lucky few now that know the truth. I mean, why don't you introduce yourself for the listener? For the listener. Well, I'm not Judy Dench. I'm not Helen Mirren. I'm not Maggie Smith. Helen Mirren. That's a good one, I can't believe you forgot Helen Mirren. I'm not even Christopher Biggins. Now, I'm Mamagie. I'm a storytelling pantomime dame. I tell stories about being who you want and loving who you are to children and their families and anyone who'll listen all over the country. Like a Martin Luther King of Panto. |
| 1:46.0 | Absolutely. |
| 1:47.1 | I shall be putting that on my Edinburgh Post of this year. |
| 1:50.0 | Just to cause a bit of controversy more than anything. |
| 1:52.8 | Oh no, but most importantly, I play the Dame two days a year at the church up the road from where you both live. And that's why I'm here. That is all that qualifies you to be on this podcast. It's really that. The problem is is that Judy Dedge is overqualified, isn't she? She wants to be on this podcast so badly, but you're like, no. No. She keeps emailing and I just go, I don't know, what are you going to come and talk about fucking Shakespeare? |
| 2:19.7 | Fuck off. |
| 2:20.3 | How boring. |
| 2:21.4 | And she's old enough to have done that. |
| 2:22.8 | I was in James Bond, blah, blah, blah. |
| 2:25.7 | Bless her. |
| 2:27.3 | All right, but you're not coming on the show. |
| 2:29.2 | No. |
| 2:29.8 | So we love the church pantow. |
| 2:33.0 | The Amazing Rose, the Hammer Hammock, who is of course our set designer |
| 2:36.3 | and Rodey and close personal friend. She does the sets for it and you and yes, you are absolutely |
| 2:42.0 | amazing in it. Thank you. My dad is, you make my dad unwell. In a good way. He just thinks, he laughs a lot harder at you in the Panto than he does at our show. Yes, I've never seen him laugh that much. No, really? Okay, that's what your real laughter is. Oh, well, I'm sorry, but maybe you should try putting on dresses and wicks. I mean, I don't have to. Is that virtually what you do do. No, so it's pirate panto, is that right? |
| 3:10.3 | Yes, so it's run by Gabrielle and Olli, who live in East Dulwich. |
| 3:14.0 | I'm just going to GDPR out the window, all of this. |
... |
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