WEBVTT - Emma Watkins on work, Wiggles & alter egos 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.039 Hello, and welcome to Something to Talk About, the Stella Podcast. 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:15.200 I'm Sarah Lamarquin, to your host, and every week I 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:17.560 sit down with some of the biggest names in the country, 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.000 because when Australia's celebrities are ready to talk, they come 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:24.400 to Something to Talk about. It's been three years since 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:28.160 Emma Watkins left the Wiggles, an announcement that left children 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:32.879 everywhere and their parents heartbroken, given Emma had made history 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:35.920 in becoming the first female Wiggle back in twenty thirteen. 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:40.000 But during her time touring the world as the Yellow Wiggle, 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:44.640 Emma was also completing a PhD exploring creative ways of 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:48.920 using sign language in children's dance and film. An idea 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:52.440 was brewing, and even though she was worried about disappointing 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:55.640 her young fans, she knew she had to back herself, 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:59.560 and back herself she did. She's gone on to create 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.440 a huge, hugually popular alter ego Emma and Memma. She's 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:07.080 running a business alongside her husband of two years, Oliver, 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.960 and she's the new host of a primetime television series 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:14.919 soon to be seen on the ABC. And Emma joins 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:18.920 me in the studio today to talk about well all 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:22.600 of it. Emma Watkins, welcome to Stella and something. 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:24.600 To talk about. Thank you so much for having me. 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:25.679 It's nice to see you. 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:28.480 It's loved to see you again. You have featured in 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:32.160 Stella many times over the years. You said to Stella 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:35.480 back in twenty nineteen, so five years ago, oh wow, 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:38.440 I didn't think there would be such a phenomenon about 0:01:38.480 --> 0:01:41.360 being a girl Wiggle. I had a lot of backlash 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:43.880 from original fans and teenagers who didn't want to let 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:45.800 go of the fact that the Wiggles were all boys, 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:48.360 and I knew where they were coming from. But for 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:50.800 the children coming through now, this was obviously when you 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:54.200 were still in the Wiggles, where the original Wiggles. I 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.000 really wanted to ask you, Emma, about the first I 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.760 know you've spoken about this before, of course, at the 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:03.520 time when you became the first this quote Instella, when 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:06.080 you were in the middle of it, when you decided 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:08.680 to leave the Wiggles, and then of course speaking now, 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:12.000 you know a few years later, where you're very much 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:16.480 in a whole new chapter of your career. There wouldn't 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:20.440 have been a Caterina, there wouldn't be a s High 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:25.880 and Evie a la Chia without Emma Wiggle. Apparently half 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:30.799 of the Wiggles now female, which is a huge change 0:02:31.000 --> 0:02:35.120 in the course of a decade. Tell me how that 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:38.840 sits if you being the first, I just think it's wonderful. 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:41.000 And I would have loved to have had the Spice 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.480 Girls with me when I was there when I started. 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:44.440 I know, I know. 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:48.040 So I think it's actually lovely that people are embracing 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:52.040 that change. And again now we can see that children 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:56.200 enjoy their own version of The Wiggles and any show 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:59.080 for that matter, and I guess it's a testament to 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:03.120 the Wiggles story and legacy and music that keeps driving 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:07.000 that for generations to come. So I feel very privileged 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:09.919 to have been part of it. And again, I still 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:13.400 I have to step back because I still don't know 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:16.440 how it happened to me, because it wasn't something that 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:19.880 I auditioned for. So I was picked because I was 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:23.560 there already dancing for the group. And so I still 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:24.480 feel very lucky. 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:29.800 But well, I was about to say, but you weren't 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:33.040 just lucky. I might refer to We had a recent 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:35.640 episode with Tim mentioned where we spoke with Tim a 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:38.360 lot about luck because he is like, you know that 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:44.720 whole lucky's a big factor. So it is, and it's 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:47.480 really important to acknowledge that luck in the good things 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:49.520 and the bad things. So now I'm going to break 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.360 my own rule and not contradict what I said, but 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:55.960 I just think I wanted to say, without sounding like 0:03:56.040 --> 0:04:01.400 a cheerleader, that I would argue, as an observer of 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:05.640 that cultural moment, that it happened and you became the 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:10.000 first wiggle. But then the reaction to that was so 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:15.080 overwhelmingly obvious that the fans were so ready for that 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:18.280 moment that that's what set the way. 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:22.039 I appreciate it, And it is something that you're right. 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.760 I mean, obviously there was a part of it that 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:27.040 was being in the right place at the right time 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.599 and a beautiful group of people, and we just all 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:32.520 happened to be there on the tour and working together, 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.720 and so it obviously made sense. But certainly to get 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:37.760 through those early years, you know, there's a lot of 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:41.599 hard work and deep reflection on what the perception was 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:44.360 for the group, and I think being able to reflect 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:46.880 and step out and look and yeah, now when I 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:49.440 look back, you think about all the choices that you 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:52.039 made and what you thought was right at the time, 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:54.480 and you know, it's just incredible to actually be able 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.640 to look back on that now fifteen years ago. 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:02.320 And what was so great was at the positive, overwhelming 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:07.200 reaction from the audience globally, of course, because we all 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:12.800 know that this entertainment in Australia, in children's entertainment, I mean, 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:17.200 it's a massive global export, so it's not only domestic audiences. 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.200 But as you were alluding to Istella, there was that 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:24.360 little backlash at the start, because any first does also 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.080 bring with it well why or you know, now we 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.479 would say, oh, it's all gone woke. I mean, I 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:31.640 don't think that we were using the word woke when 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.040 you became the first Wiggle in twenty thirteen, but whatever 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:37.479 the equivalent was back then, so obviously it did have 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:40.120 to also deal with a little bit of naysayism pressure. 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:42.720 How did you cope with that at the time and 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:45.560 what are your memories of that when you look back. 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:50.560 Oh, that's a good question too. I feel that mostly 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.880 I just didn't want to disappoint people, and we were 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:57.440 very clear in our intention. We knew and you know, 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:00.440 even from the Wiggles as a whole, as a company 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:02.520 as a business. You know, it was important that we 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:05.280 weren't going to be karaoke wiggles. You know, we weren't 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:07.360 just going to step in place of you know, the 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:10.880 ones before us, and you know those legends. Why would 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:13.400 we even try and attempt to copy that. And so 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.599 when you're paving your own way and you know you're 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:19.080 doing things because of your experience and you're bringing your 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:22.320 skills and your passion, that really then changed everything. And 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:24.640 then I think people started to relax. They knew that 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.640 we weren't going to take over their childhood memory. 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:33.000 So true, then, of course you left in twenty twenty one, 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:35.600 big decision. You just said then, Emmy, you didn't want 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:38.560 to let anyone down. You didn't want to disappoint anyone. 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:42.560 You were not only grappling with a huge decision there 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:45.400 in terms of what it would mean for you in 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:50.760 your career, your identity, your income. You were also i know, 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:54.240 really conscious of the impact that it would have on 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:59.200 your fans because of the importance that you know that 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:01.880 of being a role model and being a presence in 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:05.159 their life. That's a lot to take on. Tell me 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.400 about what you learn about yourself backing yourself in that 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:12.680 decision and coming out the other side of it, I. 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:17.840 Feel that I now believe that I must have been 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:25.040 fairly brave. But I don't know where that point was 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.040 when I was ready to take that step, but I 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:32.120 guess again, the intention was that through the last couple 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:37.080 of years, I was parallel studying my PhD. So during 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:40.040 that research it kind of opened my mind up to 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.680 so many other things that I'd love to try. And 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:46.520 potentially I'm well placed to be able to do this 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:49.400 kind of work because of my love of dance and 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:52.680 sign language, and that's essentially what my PhD was about, 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.640 and I thought this is probably the time to do it. 0:07:55.880 --> 0:07:59.960 And in the pandemic, we weren't touring, and I just 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.840 thought that maybe I wouldn't disappoint as many children. Even 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:08.040 though I had left during that time, I still disappointed children. 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.480 So I am sorry to all the children at the time. 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:17.280 And it is amazing though now when I meet families 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.160 and they might be especially with the children that might 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.080 be a little bit older five or six, the parents 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:26.800 will most likely say, we actually had a ticket to 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:29.920 come and watch you in twenty one, and the pandemic happened, 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:32.320 and so we were refunded, and then we were booked 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:34.040 to see the next one, and then you weren't there. 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:36.400 So now we're coming to watch you because this is 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.360 our first time that we've been able to see you live. 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:41.400 And that's a beautiful story too, and that story is 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:42.240 still playing out. 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:44.840 I mean, it is a beautiful story. And I'm sure 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:46.880 a lot of people listening to you speak would have 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:49.600 a lot of thoughts, myself included, which is, first of all, 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:53.240 you think, oh, but you can't take all of that 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:56.240 off you, oh you you, well, you can't go. But 0:08:56.320 --> 0:09:00.880 also for you making that decision you have to. But 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:06.479 also it's that bravery is also role modeling something really powerful, 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:10.120 even if people don't realize it at the time, because 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:13.080 they're also seeing that you can go on and do 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.320 other things which I want to ask you about and 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.680 you have, and isn't that an amazing lesson to learn? 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.160 Even if you are four or five and you don't 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:25.440 quite understand that's what you're seeing, they will then look 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:28.160 back and go wow, like that's and of course the 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.040 same for the parents. So I do think bravery is 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:34.000 the word, and I think that's also a really important 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:35.760 thing to model. 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:38.560 Well, I hope so I mean I wouldn't have thought 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:41.000 it at the time, as in I didn't feel confident 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:44.160 or brave at the time, but I knew that there 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:48.200 was something inside and I really wanted to finish the research, 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:51.240 and because we weren't touring, I had more time to 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.240 do the research. So it was kind of coming to 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:57.600 a point where, chatting with my supervisor, we felt that 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:01.120 the research was important because then it would pave the 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:06.000 way for new processes and pathways for children's entertainment from 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:10.319 this point on. And so that's kind of where I thought, Okay, 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:14.240 I probably need to make that decision now, and that's 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:15.120 when I did. 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:18.040 And so it might not have even happened without the pandemic, 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:22.040 I know, strange sliding doors moment exactly. 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:24.400 And I mean for me, you know, lots of people 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.960 ask me, well, why sign language and why were you 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:27.880 interested in? Why? 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:28.120 Why? 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:30.600 Why? And you know, I grew up with deaf friends, 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.240 so sign language was always a part of my network. 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:38.880 And unfortunately, because I was so busy during my time touring, 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.920 I never got to do my Osland certificates because I 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:47.040 wasn't present in class. But during the pandemic they changed 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.040 the course to be online, So that also changed the 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:53.160 trajectory of my study, and so I ended up doing 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:57.600 my Osland certificates during COVID when we're at home, you know, 0:10:57.880 --> 0:10:59.560 trying to keep up with all of the things that 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:01.400 we needed to you with the Wiggles, but also learning 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:04.400 OSLENE on the side, and yeah, that journey has taken 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:06.560 a whole pathway in itself. 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.520 I wanted to ask you a little bit about the PhD. 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.800 First of all, from a time management perspective. I mean, 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:17.160 you started this while you were touring with the Wiggles 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:21.240 and that's a crazy schedule. And then a PhD is 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:26.160 a massive undertaking. And congratulations because so you officially now 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.840 doctor m Watkins. I've been a bit casual with you. 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:35.520 I'm saying, am I doctors congratulation? What an achievement. 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:39.880 Thank you. And I think again, I think the PhD 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:42.920 is a is a it's a big undertaking, but it 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:46.640 is also once you've reached that point, you're like, Okay, 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:48.880 that's now a milestone for then what we can do 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:51.640 beyond this and how does that inform what we make 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:55.440 from this point on? And again I think everything feeds 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:58.800 into each other. But being able to perform and being 0:11:58.840 --> 0:12:01.400 able to be through the pain endemic and learning Osland 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:05.319 then led us to be able to in this particular 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.920 series in Teenage Boss, actually take on a family that 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:12.560 us Osland as their primary language, and we were able 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:16.319 to do that whole episode in Osland as in myself 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:21.960 conversing directly with the teen and their family members in 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:25.840 their primary language, which meant that it just felt more 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:30.160 connected and that I could have that conversation myself instead 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:32.839 of through somebody else. Yes, and let's talk about your 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:37.120 new TV show on the ABC. It's called Teenage Boss 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:42.000 Next Level and it's teaching teenagers about money. We're obviously 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:45.440 in a cost of living crisis in Australia right now, 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:49.480 so probably even more appropriate time than ever for something 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.480 like this. Actually, when the show came about, I did 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.920 actually think, in the context of the world, this is fantastic, 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:59.840 not just for teenagers but for everyone. And filming across 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:03.599 many months and actually meeting ten different families in Adelaide, 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:07.439 so much of what we were sharing together I was 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:10.800 actually learning for myself and for the parents within that 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.920 family network. So I feel like this show is really 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:17.520 going to reach so many people on so many different levels. 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:20.840 Because the premise of the show is that a teenager 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:25.080 assumes responsibility for their family's budget for an entire month. 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.800 So it's a pretty big ask. So a little further 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.880 to what you just said that it's a learning experience 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:34.800 for everyone, for the teenagers, for their parents, maybe older 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.760 siblings if there's older siblings in their twenties living at home, 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.160 for you as the host, and then of course for 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:42.760 us at home as the audience. I'd like to unpack 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.280 that a little bit. I imagine there would be a 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.000 little bit of a generational trope for some people that 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:54.520 teenagers aren't necessarily going to have the understanding of how 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:58.160 to budget. They are yet to understand the value of money, 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.040 unlike their parents or a lot of adults that haven't 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:04.280 necessarily had to work really hard to earn a living. 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:06.800 We might think that they're a little more susceptible to 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:10.720 impulse buying. I've got to say, I'm a few decades 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:12.920 on from being a teenager, and I could learn a 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.960 lot from teenagers. What about you, what did you think 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:18.079 about that generational breakdown? 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:21.360 Well, I've never seen parents look so scared, and there 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:24.000 was a lot of anxiety about the parents handing over 0:14:24.000 --> 0:14:27.960 that responsibility. Yeah, and I think actually that tension between 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:31.760 the parents and the teenagers was quite interesting because either 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:34.840 the parents then relaxed because they knew that the teenager 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:39.280 had it all under their control, or that tension continued 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:43.080 out to play through the month. But really most of 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.680 the teenagers hadn't taken on any of that kind of responsibility. 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.440 Some of the teens had extra part time jobs, but 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:52.840 some of that responsibility of having a job and actually 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:55.880 earning money to bring into the budget was something that 0:14:55.960 --> 0:15:00.400 became quite high stakes. Then they needed to have that 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.760 extra revenue to be able to survive for that month. 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:07.440 And when the responsibility was for them to be in 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:10.560 charge of the whole family instead of just themselves or 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:12.920 just their own pocket money, then that meant that the 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:16.280 responsibility did fall on them to take care of their family, 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:20.120 including their siblings, which ended up mostly being younger siblings. 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:25.280 Raising the age that's a teenager, well, the budget becomes high. 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:28.400 You have to raise more revenue, and you can work 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.320 as well because they're old enough to be getting jobs. 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.120 But the stakes are potentially a little bit higher. I 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.200 don't know if you agree this obviously in my opinion, 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:40.520 but there can be a little bit of acute factor 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.400 to the experiment when it's a younger child, because it's 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:46.320 a bit more of a learning experience, which of course 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:49.040 this is, but this is a bit more real world 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:53.120 And I think, going back to the generational trope, teenagers 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.960 tend to get a bit of a hard rap always have, 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:57.120 I think, don't they? 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.440 And I think actually meeting the ten teenage you know 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:03.320 and their siblings, I was quite taken aback by their 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:08.160 confidence and independence, not just with the challenge but in 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:11.120 their own lives. I mean, most of them actually felt 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:14.200 that they were confident to do the challenge, which was great. 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:16.960 It's nice to see that they felt that they could 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.480 approach this challenge in a way that they could be 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:22.320 responsible for. But I was quite impressed. 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:26.880 Do you think that there would be quite tangible takeaways 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:30.880 that adults, whether it's the parents, quite literally, whose budget 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:32.800 is at stake? Are we going to make the mortgage 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:34.360 this week? Are we're going to be able to pay 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:36.960 the rent? From someone watching at home that you might 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:41.040 think I've seen how to manage budget, how to tackle 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:44.560 finances through the lens of somebody coming at it with 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:45.840 a whole new perspective. 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.880 I think the great template of the show to actually 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:52.160 provided the teenagers with a really easy spreadsheet, and I 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.480 think being able to have a look at the spreadsheet 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.480 as an overview for the month was particularly helpful for 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:01.560 the teenos and myself and saying myself as in I 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:04.520 felt like I was a viewer as well. I felt 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:07.760 like I was part of the audience watching the teenagers 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:10.920 over the period of the month actually facing the challenge. 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:15.480 But I think interestingly, when they get the challenge, the teenagers, 0:17:15.760 --> 0:17:19.080 they instantly worry about things like the mortgage. But the 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:22.320 great part of the show is that it's divided into 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:27.520 fixed costs and then variable costs. So actually talking through 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.040 the fixed costs which they don't even get to touch, 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:34.800 like mortgage, school fees, that actually also alleviated tension for 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:38.040 the teens. Yes, so they actually don't need to focus 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:41.120 on those ones. But what they can do, and then 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.960 what gives them a sense of independence is knowing what 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:50.120 are the variable costs like gas, water, leisure, entertainment, food, groceries. 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:52.399 When they realized that they were in control of that, 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:57.080 you could see their perception switch and almost a bit 0:17:57.080 --> 0:17:59.760 of their character started to change because they realized that 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:02.520 they were genuinely the boss Emma. 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:05.520 For you, what is your relationship with money? You know, 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:10.040 financial advisors as opposed to financial planners and people that 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:13.880 more work as financial counselors and help people assess their 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:16.879 relationship with money beyond the dollars and cents and the 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:19.719 bank balance. But actually how we all think about it? 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:24.680 They say everyone's got a money story. Is it something 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:29.359 that you are interested in yourself? Have you been sensible 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.600 with money or is it something that you have re 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:36.440 evaluated your own relationship with it as you've progressed throughout 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:38.240 your career and your life. 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:40.800 I think that's a great question, and I think for me, 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:46.040 my dad was a chartered accountant, So I think doing 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.560 this show actually made me reflect on my relationship with 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.159 my dad and thinking, wow, he put up with so 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:55.720 much and I couldn't imagine my parents allowing me to 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:57.840 do this challenge because I don't know if I would 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.399 have been that responsible as a teenager. But I feel that, 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:04.399 you know, through Dad, I've learned so much, but I 0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:08.480 still don't have that expertise in financial advising, and so 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:11.359 my role in this show was definitely to be a 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.440 support for the teen and actually be with them more 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:18.000 at their level and actually work through some of the 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:22.440 challenges that weren't always necessarily financial, but it might have 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:27.119 been emotional or psychological pressures that if they took that 0:19:27.200 --> 0:19:29.880 money away from this person, or that pocket money from 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:34.720 their sibling, what would that affect? And that was I 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:38.520 think that stemmed really beautiful conversations about how they cared 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:39.200 for their family. 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:42.879 Absolutely, I wanted to ask Emma a little bit about 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:47.440 working with the teenagers in the series, going back here 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:52.280 to your profile, of course, you have first joined the 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.280 Wiggles as a backup dancer and understudy in twenty ten, 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:59.360 then you became a full time Wiggle in twenty thirteen. Obviously, 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:00.960 want to ask a lit bit more about that in 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:05.480 a moment, but just in terms of your timeline concurrent 0:20:05.560 --> 0:20:09.080 with the teenagers in the show, they would have been 0:20:09.320 --> 0:20:13.600 in the absolute heart of the demographic, you know, in 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:17.400 those years when they would have been according to my calculations, 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:19.520 I'm a journalist, so mass is not my strong point, 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:24.160 but roughly between four and six, which is obviously very 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:28.840 much in the core of part of the core Wiggle's demographic. 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:32.399 How was it when they first met you? How many 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:37.159 starstruck teenagers did you meet and how did your relationship 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:40.760 evolve with them? From that initial oh my gosh, it's 0:20:40.760 --> 0:20:45.760 Emma mat it's Emma Wiggle through to Emma Watkins, the 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:49.280 person that is alongside them for this experiment. 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:51.920 I think that's probably one of the most interesting parts 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:53.600 of the show, and I'm waiting to see what that 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.119 looks like when it's edited, But certainly for myself, I 0:20:57.280 --> 0:21:00.800 found a lot of hilarious and shocked responses at the 0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:04.000 front door, not just from the teenagers, but definitely from 0:21:04.000 --> 0:21:07.320 the siblings and one of the families. One of the 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:10.200 siblings she was very young, she was about five or six, 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:12.760 and so she was very much into Emma Memma, So 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:14.800 when I came to the door, she was like, where's 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:18.920 your costume? Why is the show not starting right now? 0:21:19.119 --> 0:21:23.240 That definitely the nostalgic effect, I guess of me rocking 0:21:23.320 --> 0:21:26.000 up to the front door of these teenagers house was 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:28.879 not just funny for them, but it was funny for 0:21:28.920 --> 0:21:33.200 me to see their reaction. And yes, our relationship did 0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:37.040 change over the month, because then even though I was 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:39.240 trying to be supportive, we still had to be firm 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:42.600 so that they understood the responsibility of the challenge, and 0:21:43.800 --> 0:21:46.600 I guess in a way some of the teenagers didn't 0:21:46.600 --> 0:21:49.960 want to disappoint me, and I really wanted them to succeed. 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:54.560 So it was a fine balancing act of trying to 0:21:54.560 --> 0:21:58.520 be positive about their choices, but also trying to remind 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:02.960 them of what that might mean for their family, and. 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:05.680 Coming up what married life is like for Emma and 0:22:05.720 --> 0:22:15.200 her husband Oliver. Two years on, the character of Emma 0:22:15.200 --> 0:22:19.240 and Memma is very much incorporates these things that we've 0:22:19.240 --> 0:22:22.680 just spoken about Emma. I mean, it's a character that's 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:28.000 very much dedicated to promoting inclusive entertainment for children and 0:22:28.320 --> 0:22:32.280 by extension, their families and the wider community. And of 0:22:32.320 --> 0:22:37.159 course Emma loves to dance, and you, yourself, Emma Watkins, 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:40.840 are classically trained dancing. You've studied ballet, of course, which 0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:44.000 is a huge component of Emma Memma contemporary hip hop, 0:22:44.040 --> 0:22:47.680 Irish dancing. When did this character and what you might 0:22:47.840 --> 0:22:50.160