Part of the charm, we’ve always thought, of Midnight Chats is that we tend to leave in the stuff that other (slicker?) outfits might cut out of their podcasts. Like the time a bunch of buskers interrupted our conversation with Saul Williams or when a bloke started making a cuppa in the background when Hamilton and Rostam were chatting.

When I met up with Ashley Walters for the latest episode of the podcast the circumstance wasn’t quite what I was expecting. By that I mean he brought his wife, Danielle, two-year-old daughter and new born (literally four days old) son along too. You’ll hear them pop up in the podcast.

Now, Ashley Walters is a man who has had a storied career. Here are some of the big moments:

• Raised in Peckham, as a teenager he acted in TV programmes like Grange Hill and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones
• In his teens he joined So Solid Crew under the name Asher D, had a number one hit with ’21 Seconds’ and won a Brit Award
• Walters went to prison in 2002 for position of a firearm
• Even though he’s still only in his thirties he already boasts a distinguished acting C.V which has seen him appear in Bullet Boy, 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, Hussle, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and perhaps, most notably, Top Boy

He is a man with a lot to say, and made for a fascinating guest. He talked about masculinity, parenthood, prison, mental health, the legacy of his band, the future of the Channel 4 TV series Top Boy (with Drake’s involvement) and Peppa Pig.

The episode was recorded in a room at the Southbank Centre, overlooking the River Thames. At the end of November Ashley is taking part in the Southbank’s Being A Man festival, an event that explores masculinity in the 21st Century.

Midnight Chats is a Loud And Quiet creation – hosted in turn by Stuart Stubbs and Greg Cochrane (Greg does this one). Previous guests on the podcast include Hamilton + Rostam, Anna Meredith, Matt Berry, Jon Hopkins, Bat For Lashes, Metronomy, Shock Machine (James Righton, ex-Klaxons), Kate Jackson (formerly of The Long Blondes), Gold Panda, Cat’s Eyes, Saul Williams, Polica and The Invisible’s Dave Okumu.

Have a listen below and find us on iTunes.