Gardening

Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows.

She has no down time, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits) and her idea of relaxation is to sit on her sofa playing Assassin's Creed, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky high blood pressure.

Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday, and she's been told by the same long-suffering wife that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable.

Susan decided her best bet was to try to immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity.

In her first series, she attempted to find the new Susan Calm, by watching Cricket; going Hillwalking; visiting an Art Gallery and being spontaneous.

She enjoyed these pursuits, but all too soon found herself slipping back into her old ways. So she's trying again.

For starters, she’s taking a trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to learn about Gardening with Val McDermid, in the hope of one day being able to tell her Euphorbia from Euphoria.

In this audience stand up show, Susan reveals how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts.

Written by Susan Calman and Jon Hunter.

Producer: Lyndsay Fenner

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2017.