Mondays with Milly
Mondays with Milly
Phill Cristofaro
Mondays with Milly is a podcast about the past as told by someone who was there. Through a series of interviews, "Milly" - AKA Doreen from Manchester - talks about her life from the Great Depression era and World War 2 to the present day. Now in her nineties, Milly is a natural story-teller with a razor-sharp memory. Her recount of a life spanning some of history's defining moments provides a unique insight into how people lived, coped, survived and endured times of great adversity. Recorded during the Covid19 era, these online interviews have relevance during uncertain times.
S10 Ep17: The Greats: Milly & Amy
In this special episode, Phill visits Milly in the UK and invites Milly’s great-granddaughter, Amy, to have a chat about the family connection to the RAF and the building of the Titanic. On one of sixteen year-old Amy’s weekly visits to her “GG” (Great Grandma) the was fascinated to discover some family photos and documents relating to the family tree and some important historical events.
Oct 14, 2025
47 min
S10 Ep16: Happy 94th Birthday Milly (and 125K listens!)
Milly turned another year over this month and to celebrate I gave her a call and we caught up. And with perfect timing, MwM clocked up 125,000 listens on her actual birthday. Happy 94th birthday, Milly.
Feb 23, 2025
21 min
S10 Ep15: Discussing D-Day - the day that changed the world
June 6th, 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion: the largest amphibious assault in history. Milly and I discuss the day itself and what it means; Milly shares her insights and recollections of the event which changed the world and cost so much.
Jun 6, 2024
39 min
S10 Ep14: From Geneva with Love
Greetings loyal listeners! It's been a while since our last episode but here is our catch-up from Kirsten's recent visit home via Geneva for a flying visit to the World Health Organisation. Niamh performs a beautiful rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" (requested by a few of you via the MwM Facebook page). Thanks go to "Piano Matt" Heinrich for his work on the keys. Enjoy!
Aug 17, 2023
31 min
S10 Ep13: Coronation #3: Milly's Third
How does the coronation of King Charles III compare with those of Elizabeth in 1953 and George in 1937? What better way to find out than ask someone who was there for all three, right? In this episode, Milly gives us a great insight into coronation ceremonies past and present and speaks passionately about royalty, family and legacy.
May 12, 2023
42 min
S10 Ep12: Celebrating 100,000+ Listens of MwM
It's been a while between episodes but Milly is back and this week we're celebrating the milestone of passing the 100,000 listens mark of MwM. We get Milly's reaction to your thoughts and messages of support, as well as discuss the upcoming coronation of King Charles. Milly is excited about witnessing her second coronation ceremony and has some interesting insights. Thanks to Niamh's year 12 music teacher, Ash Griffin, who provided the beautiful guitar accompaniment for "Bedouin Song" (originally by Lior).
Apr 21, 2023
49 min
S10 Ep11: Happy 92nd Birthday Milly!
Happy 92nd birthday, Milly! After a long and frustrating illness, Milly is back doing what Milly does best. This week we cover quite a list of topics: the loss of Sam (aged 102), Kirstens visit from late last year, Christmas, cruises and the thing that Milly loves more than anything - the arrival of family. This year Milly will be hosting a visit from Niamh and after more than three years I’ll be seeing her in August. And I can’t wait!
Feb 2, 2023
41 min
S10 Ep10: Irene
Welcome to this week's episode of the MwM podcast. Today we reflect on the life and loss of Milly's beautiful sister-in-law, Irene, with whom she shared a special bond.  Join us on the MwM Facebook page for extra content. 
Oct 11, 2022
26 min
S10 Ep9: QE2
Today we reflect... Queen Elizabeth II's death marks a significant in history so in this episode we spend some time reflecting on the way the country said its goodbyes. Milly has had an eventful stint in hospital and tells us what that was like. This week Niamh sings Renee Geyer's, "Heading in the Right Direction". Shout-out to her music exam accompanyist, Mitch, who joins us on piano. 
Sep 26, 2022
31 min
S10 Ep8: Random Acts of Kindness (and some Hair Raising Adventures)
In this episode of MwM, I catch up with Milly and her eldest son, Paul, who's visiting from Scotland. The love, warmth and natural humour between mother and son shines through in this light-hearted conversation. We talk about Milly's latest digital project, kindness and some hair-raising driving adventures.  And thanks to Piano Matt for yet another beautiful piece for us to collaborate on. 
Aug 21, 2022
54 min
Load more