July sees Swansea-born actor Jonathan Houlston bring his first full-length play to the Grand Theatre and the former Gorseinon schoolboy joins Jack and Ant in this episode to discuss the production, his upbringing and influences, and his ambitions moving forward.

The play - Physical Education - is set in a comprehensive school changing room and it explores how masculinity and lad culture affect young men in school. Jonathan, 25, plays one of the characters as the issues of power, sexuality and the importance of friendship are dealt with. It's been described as being poignant, funny and at times excruciatingly cruel and caustic.

The play is directed by Richard Mylan (see podcast episode 10 for about Ricard) and its being put on by the city's Grand Ambition group. It runs from 2-11 July and tickets are available from the box office.

On Sunday 7 June 2026, thousands of runners of all abilities will defend upon our great city for the Swansea Half Marathon. The 13.1‑mile challenge - along Swansea's scenic coastal roads - was first run in 2014... and this year our Jack will amongst those lacing up the trainers and treading the tarmac!!

The run is organised by Front Runner Events, and this podcast episode sees Jack and Ant joined by the CEO David Martin-Jewell to talk about it. Together they discuss how the event came about (and the reasons there was resistance to it), the year-round planning and how, one year, the delivery of the iconic medals was so close to the start time that panic set in that runners might be unrewarded!

And, with Jack's own training reaching its peak, and with race day approaching, David shares his nutritional and training tips for the big day.

The event has raised millions for charity and Jack has chosen "Going The Extra Mile For Cancer" (The Swansea Bay Health Charity). To find out more about the charity: https://swanseabayhealthcharity.com/appeals/going-the-extra-mile-for-cancer/

And, should you have a spare pound or two and would like to sponsor Jack, here's how: https://swanseabayhealthcharity.enthuse.com/pf/jack-o-connell

After amazing feedback from episode 11, we've brought back global tour manager Paul ("Welshie") Chapman to update us on his ventures in the music world. The former Bishop Vaughan School pupil has just completed a world tour with Welsh heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine - including several stadium crazy dates in South America - and is planning for a busy 2026 out on the road, and working with, Avitar, Five Finger Death Punch, Live and BFMV.

We suggest you dig out episode episode 11 (Morriston to Megadeth) if you want to know how a boy from Swansea has risen through the ranks to have one of the biggest contact books in rock music - but in this episode you'll get a deeper insight into the work of tour manager on the day of a gig... riding pillion through Bogota to sort the band's visas, striking the meet-and-greet balance between fan interaction and artist preparation, and never being able to relax until back on the tour bus. Oh, and he also explains precisely why show tickets cost what they do!

Since our first podcast with "Welshie" we've been lucky enough to have shared several social occasions and found our way into that contact book (hopefully in the "friends" section) - we hope this podcast allows a wider audience to see what a a top guy he is... and what can be achieved when you follow your dream!