Richard talks to Anthony Miller
It’s not everyday that you get to interview one of your best friends for your podcast, but having Anthony Miller on the show was actually a little nerve racking because he’s been in the media for way longer than I have, having been a model and worked on TV shows before we even met. But it was actually a real joy to interview someone that, if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be doing this podcast. We chatted about our old days as the TV duo Ant & Dick, as well as discovering what he’s been up to since we stopped working together.
Here’s a little taste of what we talked about:
Richard Jones: It’s a joy to have you on my special thanksgiving episode, how are you?
Anthony Miller: I have to tell you it’s really weird being interviewed by my former on screen husband, bearing in mind I know all your bad habits! You’ve gotta make sure this is a good interview and you are nice to me ok?!
RJ: Ha! Well I did the research and checked in with you about what I’m not allowed to talk about, it’s not my goal to set you up!
AM: I know where the bodies are buried!
RJ: I can’t believe how time has flown! We have both been doing so many crazy things and you have gone off on a tangent that I think no one would have predicted. As somebody over 30 at the time, you went back to study law and you’re now just finishing that. Thats quite an impressive career change for anybody I think.
AM: It certainly wasn’t in my foreseeable future! I left school at 15 with a modelling contract ready to take over the world… goodbye education, goodbye institutions. I certainly had no desire to return to those school corridors at that stage! As you get older, you start to appreciate other things and one of my regrets then was that I hadn’t finished my education. I have always had an active interest in law, as you know we worked with the Civil Partnerships Bill and we worked with different business elements, and the law side of it always “turned me on”. Surprisingly, having a media background, working as a tv & radio presenter and writing for magazines, gave me the sort of research foundations that have set me up to then go on and get the legal qualification. I am just about to be called to the Bar of England and Wales, I don’t think you have barristers in America?
RJ: No, when I mention that I know someone who’s a Barrister I’m sure people think it’s somebody who works in a coffee shop! No shade to anyone who does work in a coffee shop, because I love my coffee, but for those that don’t know what is a Barrister?
AM: So, within Law, we have a two-pronged profession… we have solicitors and we have barristers. It’s been likened to General Practioners (GP’s) and consultants or surgeons. So a Barrister will usually be an expert in one or a restricted amount of fields, they remain very up to date in those areas and they then have higher speaking rights, similar to USA trial lawyers in the higher courts. A solicitor is front line, they deal with everything as it comes in and they deal with all the paperwork and litigation prep perhaps, and then we work together. The solicitor also instructs the barrister pre trial.
Anthony went on to explain why barristers where the black cloaks and the grey powdered wigs in British court rooms. I then asked him perhaps the big question… why law?
AM: What interested me in being a barrister is that I am a natural performer! I like the excitement of a trial, I wanted to be in the court room, I wanted the Jury audience. I’m also used to being an expert. I’m used to being self employed, in control of my own destiny and the go-to guy. So it ticked all those boxes. But what brought me into the profession in general is, as you know, that my nephew died at 4 years old of cancer and whenever things like that happen, it causes you to start to look at all areas of your life and you start to think “have I done everything that i want to do?” Law always had a fascination for me, I’ve always had a deep interest in it, so I thought I better give this a go! I was out for the day at the coast with a friend, we had deep conversations and the next thing I know I’m signing up for a law degree.
For more information on Anthony Miller, head to his website here: www.anthonymiller.co.uk and his Instagram is @antmiller101
Listen to the full Queer Forty Podcast interview with Anthony Miller below to learn about his passion for social mobility, why he is full of gratitude, and his plans for his future as a Barrister.
You can also listen to the Queer Forty Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don’t forget to subscribe!
