Marvyn Harrison Meets Poppy Jay: Diagnosed With ADHD 24 Hours Before This Interview

About this episode

<p>Poppy Jay arrives with no prep. What follows is one of the rawest conversations on this channel.</p><p>Director, writer, comedian, and co-host of the cult podcast Brown Girls Do It Too, Poppy walks me through ten photos from her life, and each one opens a door she wasn't planning to open.</p><br><p>We talk about the forced marriage she gave in to as the eldest of six daughters in a strict Bengali Muslim household. The father who once ruled the home and now sends her photos of the prawns he cooks. The nickname "Pitbull Poppy" she earned on set, and the uniform she wears so men stop scrutinising her. The year 2025, when she didn't work for twelve months despite being on billboards and buses, and ended up frying chips at her brother-in-law's Philly cheesesteak shop on the way to award ceremonies she'd been nominated for.</p><br><p>She got her ADHD diagnosis 24 hours before we recorded. She tells me why the NHS questionnaire didn't account for immigrant kids who weren't allowed to be disruptive. We get into the Bangladeshi heroin epidemic of the 1990s nobody covered. The grooming gangs conversation she's been afraid to have on camera. The night in a Leicester Square pub where a friendly white stranger turned the moment she used the word "racist." And the operating theatre where she looked around at every single non-white staff member keeping the NHS alive — and realised she might never support England again.</p><br><p>Honest, funny, sometimes uncomfortable.</p><p>YouTube:&nbsp;<a href="https://youtube.com/@MarvynHarrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/@MarvynHarrison</a></p><p>Instagram (podcast):&nbsp;<a href="https://instagram.com/marvynharrisonpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/marvynharrisonpodcast</a></p><p>TikTok:&nbsp;<a href="https://tiktok.com/@marvyn_harrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://tiktok.com/@marvyn_harrison</a></p><p>LinkedIn:&nbsp;<a href="https://linkedin.com/in/marvynharrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://linkedin.com/in/marvynharrison</a></p><p>Welcome to <strong>The Marvyn Harrison Podcast</strong> — a story-driven conversation exploring identity, fatherhood, masculinity, relationships, culture, politics, sport, and modern life.</p><p>In each episode, Marvyn Harrison sits down with leading thinkers, creatives, athletes, policymakers, and cultural voices to unpack the defining moments that shaped them. Through image prompts, structured storytelling, and revealing game segments, guests explore pivotal memories, career turning points, personal struggles, and the beliefs that guide their decisions today.</p><p>Expect honest discussions on mental health, family dynamics, leadership, equity, ambition, resilience, and the realities of navigating success in Britain and beyond.</p><p>This is a podcast about clarity, where lived experience meets sharp cultural insight.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>