Excuse Me, Sophie Tea

Excuse Me, Ricky Wilson

In this episode of Excuse Me, Erin-Atlanta Argun is joined by Ricky Wilson: frontman of the Kaiser Chiefs, former coach on The Voice UK, and this season’s celebrity artist on the BBC’s Extraordinary Portraits. Best known to many as one of the defining voices of British indie rock, Ricky has spent the last two decades on stage and on our screens. But behind his music career is a much longer relationship with art. Before the Kaiser Chiefs took off, Ricky studied art and design, completed two degrees in the subject, and went on to teach at Leeds College of Art. The visual arts shape how he sees the world, and it comes through clearly as Ricky delves into the works of art he’d most love to own. Together, Erin and Ricky talk about the strange milestone of 20 years since the Kaiser Chiefs’ debut album Employment, the creative life he might have had if the band had never broken through, and why teaching and making space for creativity in younger people still matters to him. They also discuss his long-standing interest in visual culture, from his CBBC art programmes to his recent appearance on Extraordinary Portraits, where he created a portrait of wildlife sanctuary owner Lindsay. Along the way, Ricky reflects on what art means to him personally and why certain images stay with us for life. Extraordinary Portraits is available now on iPlayer, and all six original artworks from the series will be on display at a free exhibition at The Loading Bay, Bradford, from 1 May.

Excuse Me, Sophie Tea

In this episode of The Excuse Me Podcast, Erin-Atlanta Argun is joined by Sophie Tea, a contemporary artist, community builder, master-marketer, and expert charity shop rummager. Since 2014, Sophie has been on a mission to celebrate diverse female bodies and make women feel just a little bit nicer about themselves. Entering the art world without a degree or contacts, she faced rejection from every gallery she applied to, and responded by building a cult social media following that has since taken her from going viral at a festival in 2017 to opening her own galleries in London and Sydney. Sophie and Erin explore building an art business on your own terms, the power of inclusive community, and why doing things differently might just be the smartest strategy of all. Season 2, Episode 4

Excuse Me, Tabish Khan, London Art Critic

In this episode of The Excuse Me Podcast, Erin-Atlanta Argun is joined by Tabish Khan, widely known as London Art Critic. Making art accessible is at the heart of Tabish’s work as a critic, writer, curator, speaker, and fellow podcaster. Writing regularly for Londonist and FAD, he visits and reviews hundreds of exhibitions every year, spanning major institutional shows and London’s emerging art scene alike. Alongside Anna Gammans, Tabish also co-hosts The Good The Bad And The Arty, a podcast dedicated to making art feel more open and egaging. He is also a trustee of the City & Guilds London Art School and Discerning Eye, an honorary trustee of ArtCan, and a familiar voice across talks, panels, and prizes in the London art world. In this episode, Tabish and Erin explore accessibility in the art world, what it means to be a critic, and how we can create space for more people to engage with art. And, of course, Tabish answers the Excuse Me question by sharing his five dream artworks to own and the varied stories behind them… Season 2, Episode 3

Excuse Me, Richard Williamson

Erin-Atlanta Argun is joined by artist, art advisor, and social media sensation Richard Williamson, known to his online following as McKay Williamson. Richard has been sharing his perspective on art via Instagram and TikTok since 2022, building an audience of over 380,000 people drawn to his ability to make the art world feel accessible and alive. His recurring series "Is this art?" has become a fan favourite, using his framework of three Ns (Novelty, Nuance, and Narrative) to interrogate whether a given work truly earns that title.Beyond his platforms, Richard is the founder of McKay Williamson, a London-based art gallery and creative advisory. He is also a practising artist himself, making work rooted in the deeply personal, guided by a belief that the stories behind art are what make people truly cherish it, and that art is absolutely vital to human joy.Erin first encountered Richard at London Art Fair, where she popped the Excuse Me question, and his answer in that moment was a signed Banksy, Love Is In The Air.Across the conversation, Erin and Richard explore what it means to connect with art on a personal level, the role of storytelling in how we value and collect, and the works that have left a lasting mark on Richard himself. And of course, he shares his five dream artworks and the stories behind each one, which you'll discover in this episode.Season 2, Episode 2 of the Excuse Me podcast by MyArtBroker.

Excuse Me, Katy Hessel

In the first episode of Season 2, Erin-Atlanta Argun is joined by art historian and author Katy Hessel, who has made it her life’s work to champion women artists. Many listeners will know Katy from her Instagram account and podcast, The Great Women Artists, which she launched in 2015 after visiting an art fair in London and realising that not a single woman artist was being exhibited Since then, she has transformed that frustration with the male-centric infrastructure of the art world into a daily practice of storytelling – foregrounding the artists too often omitted from the canon. Katy’s first book, The Story of Art Without Men, became a defining entrypoint for readers looking for a fuller, fairer history of art. She has now released an adaptation of this book, The Story of Art Without Men: An Illustrated Guide to Amazing Women, which is out now. Designed for younger readers, teachers, and anyone building confidence in how to look at and engage with art. Across the conversation, Erin and Katy talk about what it means to “own” art. Katy reflects on taking children through museums and classrooms to understand what holds their attention, and how visual culture shapes the way we come to understand the world. And, of course, she answers the Excuse Me question, sharing her five dream artworks and the stories behind them… which you’ll uncover in this episode. Season 2, Episode 1 of the Excuse Me podcast by MyArtBroker.