NearlyParents – "Proudlock on Parenthood...and the Paranormal?!"

Podcast: NearlyParents
Episode Title: Proudlock on Parenthood...and the Paranormal?!
Hosts: Jamie Laing (with Sophie absent), special guest Oliver Proudlock
Date: October 27, 2025
Producer: JamPot Productions

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jamie Laing is joined by his close friend Oliver Proudlock for a special Halloween and birthday episode. With Sophie away due to advanced pregnancy, the two dive into honest, hilarious – and at times heartfelt – conversations about the challenges of parenthood, friendship, emotional growth, spooky stories, and birthday reflections. Expect real talk about navigating early fatherhood, Jamie’s looming entry into parenthood, the power of patience, emotional vulnerability (and a few tears), plus some ghost stories that are as playful as they are spine-tingling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sophie's Absence & Oliver's Guest Appearance

• [03:04] Sophie is "extremely pregnant" and too tired to join the episode, so Jamie brings in Oliver, hilariously introducing him:

  "I phoned up someone who is loyal... He's never let me down, ever. He's a person I can rely on every single day of my life. He's a fricking gangster with the coolest get up. Sometimes wears a hat..." – Jamie

• Oliver plays along, poking fun at Jamie for the intro:

  "This started well and then turned into the worst intro ever. Hey, start that bit again." – Oliver ([03:54])

2. The Realities of Parenting: From One to Two Kids

• [04:47] Jamie asks for real advice on transitioning from having one to two kids:

  "Weekends with kids are pretty full on... I always thought that one kid – which you're about to embark on – was gonna be intense. But two is just a different ballgame." – Oliver

  • The chaos multiplies unexpectedly; “Two feels like three, maybe even four.” ([05:19])

• Key challenge: No downtime when you have two, especially if one parent is sick.

  "If one of you needs to go off...you can tag team it. With two, there's no downtime." – Oliver ([06:06])

• Sweetness of early parenthood:

  "Dude, those first few months are just like, the coziest." – Oliver ([06:35])

3. Parenting Styles, Patience, and Mind Games

• [07:57] Oliver describes his 5am mornings: his daughter Bon wakes up, calls for “Papa” over the baby monitor, and insists on changing outfits multiple times before breakfast.

  "She wants to get changed probably three or four times. She's big on that... Likes to change her outfit." – Oliver ([08:36])

• Discussion about children exerting control and being “sneaky”:

  "Kids, they like to feel like they have a bit of control. So if they can have control over what clothes they wear..." – Oliver ([09:45])
  "Oh, dude, they're so clever. Like the mind games. Dude, they're so sneaky. 100%." – Oliver ([09:54])

  • Anecdote about Bon asking for yogurt with "crunchies," then refusing it after Oliver makes it.

    "You kind of forget everything... Back downstairs again for another bowl." – Oliver ([10:27-11:02])

• Jamie jokes about being a “weak father” and the two role-play a grumpy breakfast – emphasizing the need for patience, but also poking fun at one another.

  "You're a weak, weak, weak dad." – Jamie ([11:09])

• The key to parenting: patience, especially when exhausted.

  "The patience is, that's where... you sometimes may slip, is when you're exhausted." – Oliver ([12:23])

4. Emotional Growth, Crying, and the Love of Parenting

• [15:43] Jamie presses Oliver on what makes him tear up:

  "My kids straight up for sure. Obviously. Em's..." – Oliver ([15:49])

• The indescribable love for your child:

  "When you have your baby, the love that you have for that tiny human dude...it's impossible to explain... It is the most beautiful thing in the world. Like, nothing comes near." – Oliver ([16:18])

• Jamie, anticipating fatherhood, shares how he’s already written a dedication to his baby in his book, showing his own emotional shift.

5. Hospital Bag Prep & The Big Day

• [20:55] Jamie: "Give me the lowdown, what do I need to do? What do I need to pack? What do I need to be ready for?"

• Oliver tells Jamie not to bother with games or wine in the hospital bag:

  "Do not pack any of those... Actually, do you know what I would pack? A very small bottle of champagne just to cheers." – Oliver ([22:16])

• On birth and emotion:

  "The most beautiful moment is when your baby goes over to the mama... That first time, them two together... that set me off. I mean, I was just, like, bawling my eyes out." – Oliver ([22:54])

• The true life change of becoming a parent, memory fades of pre-parent life:

  "My life before... I almost can't remember it." – Oliver ([23:51])

6. Friendship, Nostalgia & Pre-Dad Life

• Oliver brings in old photos of them together from before either became parents, marveling at how much life has changed.

  "The point is, when you have your baby...you embark on this next chapter and everything before you'll have little pockets of memories, but it's like everything starts [over]." – Oliver ([25:24])

7. Halloween Special: Do You Believe in Ghosts?

• [25:40] Jamie: "Do you believe in ghosts?"

• Oliver shares a "haunted house" anecdote from their days as roommates, and tells a friend's ghostly story:

  “She wakes up in the middle of the night...she doesn’t want to look but she knows someone’s sitting in the chair.” ([26:15-27:23])

• Jamie teases Oliver for the anticlimactic ending:

  "That's the shit. The shittest story I've ever heard." – Jamie ([27:38])

8. Listener Spooky Stories Segment

Joanne’s Haunted Bedroom Story

• [32:26 - 34:08] Joanne’s brother saw shadowy figures at the end of the bed as a child. Years later, his niece also has a chilling experience involving a door mysteriously closing and claims, “I didn’t do it. The people did it.”

  "After that, we realized that perhaps the people that visited this room were indeed real...to this day, we are convinced that room was haunted." – Jamie (reading Joanne’s message, [34:06])

  • Both Jamie and Oliver agree it’s a properly haunting story.

    "That is a good story." – Jamie ([34:09])
    "She got little like goosebump on that." – Oliver ([34:11])

More Near-Miss & Hauntings

• Listeners share further stories of potential hauntings or break-ins, with Jamie and Oliver debating whether it’s more frightening to encounter ghosts or real intruders.

  "That's why that story is fucking scary, man. Because it was obviously a real guy." – Oliver ([27:59])

9. Parenting, Birthdays, and Reflections on Friendship

• The episode closes with discussions of birthdays and how they now wish for experiences or simply quality time with partners, rather than gifts.

  “All I said to Em, I said I just want to have just us time. Because it’s hard when you’ve got two kids and we don’t have any family here in the UK...So we’re gonna just have a full day together. Just like, just be cozy.” – Oliver ([42:02])

• Jamie’s birthday wish:

  "I want a healthy, happy baby. That’s the greatest birthday present could ever ask for." – Jamie ([43:56])
  “It’s pretty insane to think that this is your last birthday before being a dad.” – Oliver ([45:54])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the birthday cake surprise:

  "We just got him a cake. That was the scariest thing about the whole episode. Scared the hell out of me, that did." – Jamie ([42:47])

• On lifelong friendship:

  "You are most loyal, most loving, most talented, most entertaining, best person anyone could ask for. And as much as we joke around with each other, I love you to bits." – Jamie ([47:00])

• On emotions and the transition to parenthood:

  "Let your emotions out, all right? Don’t hold back, buddy. If I see you there holding your emotions, let it out." – Oliver ([23:12])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Oliver’s entrance — [03:04]
• Parenting with one vs. two kids — [04:51]
• Morning routines & children’s quirks — [07:57]
• Patience, mind games, parenting strategies — [09:54]
• Emotional vulnerability & love for children — [15:43]
• Hospital bag and birth day tips — [20:55]
• Looking back: old photos & memories — [23:51]
• Halloween/ghost story exchanges — [25:40]
• Listener spooky stories and discussion — [32:26]
• Birthday celebrations & life priorities — [41:03]
• The meaning of friendship — [47:00]

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is amiably chaotic, balancing deep, emotional reflections with irreverent humor and playful banter. There's a sense of camaraderie and honesty, alongside supportive but occasionally brutal honesty between friends (“You’re a weak, weak, weak dad!” / “You’re going to be the best dad ever!”). Parent anxieties and joys are aired without filters, and the podcast maintains its tradition of mixing overshares with warmth.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

Expect an unfiltered deep dive into both the comedy and potential chaos of parenthood, guided by two long-time friends navigating new chapters in their lives. There’s practical advice, reassurance that mistakes (and spooky stories) are universal, and plenty of reminders to embrace the emotion, even when it means a few happy tears.

Connect:

• Instagram: @NearlyParentsPodcast
• Email: nearlyparents@jampotproductions.co.uk

Next Episode: Sophie returns to the mic, and more listener stories are encouraged!