Marc Fennell ‘counts his blessings’ when it comes to his mother-in-law

Marc Fennell is a presenter and journalist best known for hosting Stuff the British Stole. Here, the 39-year-old discusses stealing his mum’s engagement ring, his childhood hero Star Trek: Voyager’s Kathryn Janeway and why his world has been painted Barbie pink.

I met my wife, Madeleine Genner, when I finished high school... We started dating when I was around 19.

My maternal grandmother, Latchmi, lived in Singapore – we’d visit every school holidays. She had a mango tree in the backyard of her freestanding house; it’s where she’d squat with a mortar and pestle, grinding spices. She didn’t speak much English and I didn’t speak Indian, so we didn’t communicate much.

Latchmi was a big personality, married to a cop and raised six kids. She survived the Japanese occupation of Singapore during the Second World War. We know now that she saw some horrific things and that some horrific things were done to her, none of which I knew as a teenager.

My paternal grandmother, Mary Catherine, was fun to be around. She was Irish but inherited the British take on class and spoke with a plum voice. She was a large woman who loved food, and I might have inherited all of her dimensions.

We called her “Pat”. This is the most Irish thing ever – my grandfather’s real name is Patrick, but for reasons no one can explain, Nan was called Pat and grandpa was known as Ginger. I have warm memories of my grandparents pottering around their Federation-style house in Sydney.

My mum, Shirley, is Indian-Singaporean. She came to Australia in 1980 and met Dad at university. The story goes that Mum was cooking sausages and wearing a tight T-shirt when they met. I don’t know if I buy that story! Mum had an interesting life and even rode camels in Egypt before she migrated with her family.

When I was in kinder, I stole my mother’s engagement ring and gave it to a girl called Claire. Mum took us to the movies to watch My Girl and Mum realised she had the ring on her finger. I think both parents arranged a return of the ring. From what I understand, someone accidentally flushed it down the toilet years later, so maybe it was safer with Claire after all!

I was raised on Star Trek: Voyager. The fictional character Kathryn Janeway was the captain, a woman in charge of a starship. She was my hero, a brilliant model of female leadership. I feel silly talking about her as a real person, but how she led the crew was collaborative and decisive. For a certain generation of nerd, she was defining.

My high school English teacher, Mrs Lee, changed my life while I was at St George Christian School [in Hurstville, Sydney]. She taught me to follow my passion and I got to invite her to one of my book launches.

My drama teacher, Miss Kimpton, was another pivotal woman. She told me that what I care about matters. I was a grumpy, depressed teenager and these teachers taught me to lean into and unpick my thoughts and ideas. It changed the way I saw my future and what I went on to do next. They were very maternal figures who created a safe environment for me to express my creativity.

I met my wife, Madeleine Genner, when I finished high school. I’d had a handful of relationships, but nothing significant. We met when I was volunteering at [Sydney] community radio station FBI – I was reviewing movies and she was doing arts reviews. We started dating when I was around 19.

Madeleine is a journalist and podcast producer at the ABC. She is not only my wife, but also my best friend, the incredible creative genius I can talk to about work and more. It’s central to our relationship.

We have two children, a son aged 10 and daughter aged eight. It’s a juggle, and my work gets complicated because I have to be away from home to film. The plus is that we both work in the same industry and our passions are shared. She watches cuts of my work and I listen to her work.

My brilliant mother-in-law, Catherine Atkinson, is one of my favourite people. I hear people whinge about their in-laws and count my blessings. She ran a childcare centre and we couldn’t do our lives without the in-laws – they really step up to help.

I grew up in a house of boys [his brother Dean is five years younger]. Raising a daughter has been a huge learning curve. Our world has now been painted Barbie pink and Taylor Swift is a huge part of our lives.

Marc Fennell hosts Stuff the British Stole on ABC TV and iView.

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