Tim Minchin loves Matilda’s connection with its neurodivergent fans

Please welcome to Outsiding our first Aussie guest… Tim Minchin! And in true Australian fashion, the autumnal temperatures of the UK were far too chilly for Tim. Thankfully, Caitlin had an array of coats for him to choose from in her own wardrobe. Yes, he went with the faux fur. While Tim didn’t come armed with a jacket, he did bring a whole load of animal anecdotes. From wombats determined to ruin his fire pit to a 7ft carpet python that took up residence in his house, it’s textbook Australian madness from the get-go. Tim is also the proud owner of some bush (translated for non-Aussies: rainforest), which he does his best to keep free of pesky weeds and maintain as the perfect habitat for lyrebirds, whipbirds and, less ideally, leeches. He’s currently celebrating 15 years of Matilda the Musical in the West End, a show that holds a very special place in many of our hearts. Tim opens up about the importance of children and parents alike having the opportunity to see a show that celebrates being your authentic self and owning it. Oh, and we have a first for Bird of the Week... we've gone Jurassic! Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too. You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube. Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production. 00:00 Welcome back & catch up 02:54 Today’s guest is Tim Minchin 04:14 Listener questions 07:10 Tim’s relationship to London 12:00 Growing up in Australia 15:38 Connections with the ocean 21:44 Tim’s garden 24:51 Custodianship and land acknowledgement 27:33 Scary Australian animals 31:48 Matilda and the show’s lasting impact 42:28 BOTW 45:11 Adam’s gift for Tim 47:04 Goodbye! 47:20 Join our community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices