Janette Manrara: The Banana

Dilly Carter is joined by Janette Manrara, who brings three surprising items from her home: a banana, a pair of sparkly dance shoes and a treasured pendant from her great-grandmother.

Dilly can’t help but be bemused as Janette explains her love of adding bananas to everything – even spaghetti bolognese. The dance shoes twirl the conversation into her Cuban roots, her leap from a finance career into the world of dance and the joys of following your passion. Finally, the pendant uncovers tender family memories and practical tips for caring for cherished jewellery. Full of humour, heart, and handy tips, Janette proves that even ordinary items can hold extraordinary stories.

Sort Your Life Out Unpacked is a new podcast hosted by tidying expert Dilly Carter. In each episode, Dilly chats to a celebrity guest and unboxes three mystery objects from their home that reveal what is really important to them. At the end, Dilly asks her guest whether they are going to keep, donate or recycle any of the items and, along the way, we learn how to organise and sort our own lives out.

Presented by Dilly Carter
Editing: Daniel King
Line Producer: Philippa Pettett
Production Co-ordinator: Berniee Ekomisa
Assistant Producer: Emily D'Souza
Executive Producer for Optomen: Charlotte Brookes
Assistant Commissioner: Chris Bartlett
Commissioning Editors: Rhian Roberts and Beejal-Maya Patel
Produced by Holly Newson
Hair & Make Up: Sarah Burrows
Art Director: River Gibbs
Production Runner: Molly Morgan

An Optomen production for iPlayer and BBC Sounds.