I was there when Robbie Williams recorded his biggest hit - the moment then-girlfriend Anna Friel left the studio, it flooded with beer and 'derailed very quickly'

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By JOSEPH LUKE PALMER

Published: 07:00 BST, 13 May 2026 | Updated: 07:06 BST, 13 May 2026

On the latest episode of the Daily Mail's Tales From The Celebrity Trenches podcast, host Jamie East is joined by comedian Alice Brine to dig into the biggest showbusiness stories of the week.

During the podcast, which covers Jamie’s night at Sunday's BAFTAs to speculation over who could be the next host of Strictly Come Dancing, the pair share tales of their strangest celebrity encounters.

Jamie, who ran celebrity gossip website Holy Moly from 2002 to 2012, revealed an encounter with Robbie Williams, Britain's best-selling solo artist, that became something of a personal claim to fame.

'I was in the room when Robbie Williams recorded Angels,' he recalled.

On the Daily Mail's Tales From The Celebrity Trenches podcast, host Jamie East is joined by comedian Alice Brine to dig into the biggest showbusiness stories of the week

Jamie, who ran celebrity gossip website Holy Moly from 2002 to 2012, revealed an encounter with Robbie Williams, that became something of a personal claim to fame

‘It was 1996, there used to be a studio in Fulham, which isn’t there anymore, called Maison Rouge. My band was recording our first album there at the same time Robbie was recording Life Through A Lens.

'I was in the studio pretty star-struck. Robbie was mega famous at the time. Anna Friel walked in, she was dating him back then. She told him she was going to work and left the room.

'Robbie waits all of five seconds, then goes through the back door and walks in all of his mates carrying loads of beer, alongside a bevvy of beauties.

'It derailed very, very quickly. Then he wrote Angels and Let Me Entertain You. What a time to be alive.'

Before finding success in podcasting, Jamie sought musical fame with his band The Beekeepers, a rock group from Derby who released just one studio album.

'That's like something out of Mad Men,' Alice joked.

Elsewhere in the podcast, Jamie offered his 'dark horse' pick for who could replace Tess Daly on Strictly Come Dancing.

Daly hosted the nation's favourite celebrity dance competition for 21 years. In October, the 57-year-old announced alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman that she would be stepping down at the end of the 2025 series.

Rumours of who is in the frame to replace her for the 2026 season have included presenters Rylan Clark, Holly Willoughby, Alan Carr and Zoe Ball. Jamie put forward one name he believes is missing from that shortlist.

Elsewhere in the podcast, Jamie offered his 'dark horse' pick for who could replace Tess Daly on Strictly Come Dancing

In October, the 57-year-old announced alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman that she would be stepping down at the end of the 2025 series

'I think Angela Scanlon,' he said.

'Angela's been in Strictly. They like people to already be part of the family, people who can talk with some authority about what it's like. She's the one name I think is missing.'

Scanlon, 41, is an Irish television presenter best known for her work on BBC's The One Show and for competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.

Listen to the full episode of Celebrity Trenches: The Weekly Dispatch, wherever you get your podcasts - or on YouTube.

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