The 90-year-old St Annes podcaster with a global audience
- Published
Doreen Connolly uses a tablet to responds to questions from her son-in-law
A podcast by a 90-year-old woman is reaching listeners in 27 countries, despite originally only being meant for her family.
Great-grandmother Doreen Connolly has more than 7,000 subscribers for her series called Mondays with Milly.
Doreen, from St Annes in Lancashire, uses a tablet to respond to questions from son-in-law Phill Cristofaro, who records them at home in Australia.
Mr Christofaro said the podcast only started as a Covid lockdown project.
He said the recent 66th episode was their "last planned one but we may do one-off episodes".
Mrs Connolly said she had been "amazed" by the reaction to the podcast.
"It was only meant for my family, sometimes I think I have been a little indiscreet," she said.
"Sometimes my family tell me 'you are not allowed to say that'.
"It really has been very good for me and has triggered many memories.
"My two sons have said 'Mum you never told me about some of these things'."
The podcast has subscribers in 27 countries
In the first episode Mrs Connolly, who is originally from Manchester, recounted how her staunchly Conservative parents used their home in Moss Side as a campaign base for the area's Tory MP.
"My first memory is our front parlour filled with straw hats worn by his supporters," she said.
Her life stories take in growing up in the 1930s, World War Two and even running a pub in Wigan.
Mr Christofaro said: "For many years she has been telling these wonderful stories - being one step removed and not a blood relative I was enraptured by what she said and I think the lockdown gave us time to do something.
"With her failing eyesight we will never get time to write a book but these days you can do anything with a computer and a microphone.
"She has the sharpest memory and this gift for storytelling but not everybody has that."
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