Dirty Mother Pukka: Mary Portas joins Anna Whitehouse for episode four

17 March 2022, 15:03 | Updated: 5 April 2022, 11:31

By Polly Foreman

Episode four of Dirty Mother Pukka is available to watch on Global Player now.

Dirty Mother Pukka is back for episode four, and Anna Whitehouse is joined this week by TV's queen of shops Mary Portas.

Listen to Dirty Mother Pukka on Global Player

Mary, who has written books including Work Like A Woman and Rebuild: how to thrive in the New Kindness Economy, discussed flexible working and the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking about her experience of lockdown, she said: "The gift that is gave us was to question everything. And I think it was a really painful gift on so many levels, but out of pain is the only way we awaken."

Anna agreed, adding: "We became more human.

"We saw into people's homes, We zoomed into people's homes.

"A mask has been removed by all of us in lockdown".

Mary, who was previously known for her orange bob, decided to change her hair back to a more natural style during the pandemic.

She said: "I felt I shifted into a whole new place of my being.

"My persona was this businesswoman with an orange bob who'd been in fashion. I remember filming and thinking 'I've got to wear those shoes, I've got to wear those rings'."

Mary revealed that her attitude changed when she was at home during lockdown.

"Covid hit, my roots started to grow out, I wore no make-up, I was in the country, I had all my kids by me. It was in many ways extraordinarily beautiful, but at times I couldn't see through the pain of that," she said. "And I remember the BBC wanted me to do a news interview, and I was like 'what am I going to do with my hair? How do I get this look back?', and my daughter said: 'why do you want to do that, mama? You look great.' And it was just that little touch with her and me together, and I just thought 'this is me now'."

You can listen to Dirty Mother Pukka episode four on Global Player now.