Our resident music guru Liz Buckley is back – and she’s brought some pop legends with her. Since their genesis on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, the late Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh have become proper chart botherers, world record setters and terrible ghosthunters. Liz is IN. Can she convince Mickey to get onboard the Girls Aloud tour bus, or is it a (sexy) no, no, no from Noonan? Liz talks about The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, which you’ll find...
Nov 26, 2024•22 min
Anyone could write a book for kids, right? Well, that does seem to be the prevailing view, so Hannah's been on the Zoom with Emma Reeves, writer and Chair of The Writers Guild of Great Britain, to find out why and how she writes for children, and why it's nowhere near as easy as everyone thinks. * Emma's new play for kids, The Glass Slippers, is at The Lighthuse in Poole from December 7 until Christmas Eve. Find our more here: https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/the-glass-slippers/ Learn mor...
Nov 25, 2024•17 min
New BBC sitcom Only Child is about a man realising his dad isn't coping on his own, but at the same time, doesn't really want to be helped. Highly relatable content, right? Hannah chats to one of its stars, Greg McHugh, about that whole "circle of life" thing that comes with ageing parents, and working with one of his comedy idols, Gregor Fisher. They're also talking about Fresh Meat, Marvellous and Gary: Tank Commander. Because of course they are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
Nov 22, 2024•21 min
Are monkeys about to rise up and rule over us? Hannah hopes so, but probably not. Which is a shame, because humans are doing an appalling job of it. This week we're talking about Marine Le Pen vs Paris prosecutors, Rachel Reeves vs Farmers and the Onion vs Infowars. And in Sexism of The Week, Mickey's asking what's gone wrong with Ask For Angela. You can hear Hannah's interview with Elizabeth Williamson about Sandy Hook and Alex Jones on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6e684K7XvKM...
Nov 21, 2024•27 min
A stellar line-up of top women has drawn Jen to pick late-80s weepy Steel Magnolias. But will this film know what to do with its cast, or indeed know anything at all about women and their friendships? And is anyone prettier than Grandpappy’s duck on a Tuesday? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 20, 2024•30 min
What Nick Miller doesn’t know about football ain’t worth knowing. INTERNATIONAL MAN, football writer, author and – full disclosure – one of Mick’s all-time favourite humans, chats about his new book, Who Owns Football?, why the answer to that question increasingly matters to all of us, what Jilly Cooper's got right about the beautiful game, and how the women’s game is nailing it in all sorts of ways. Who Owns Football? The Changing Face of Club Ownership is published by Bloomsbury and out now. L...
Nov 19, 2024•27 min
The Dad Shift hit the headlines recently after a brilliant stunt, in which the campaign group attached dolls to statues of famous men across London. Why? To draw attention to the issue of men’s statutory paternity leave entitlement in the UK, which – spoiler alert! – is not good. In fact, it’s the worst in Europe, something the campaign group hopes to change. Jen caught up with Alex Lloyd-Hunter, one of the group’s founders, to talk about why the system as it stands is hurting everyone, percepti...
Nov 18, 2024•29 min
A feel-good romantic comedy that doesn’t make women feel like shit? Say whaaaaaat? Yosra’s picked Raine Allen Miller’s playful feature directorial debut following a day (mostly) in the life of two twenty-somethings both reeling from bad break-ups and forging a connection. Is it the mind-changing rom-com Hannah’s been waiting for? Has it got Mick pining for Peckham? And is it possible for anyone to convincingly sing along with Terence Trent D’arby? Find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
Nov 15, 2024•30 min
It’s a mixed bag of news this week, as Mick and Jen take in: the results of the largest ever survey of rape and sexual assault survivors; the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury following the Church of England’s cover up of child abuse; Iraq slashing the age of consent to nine years old, and Yale’s new college course of Queen Bey. And in Jenny Off the Blocks, there’s good news, bad news, same-as-it-ever-was news, and big MOTD news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
Nov 14, 2024•36 min
What is the message of Fight Club? Is all of it in Mickey's head? Might it be accidentally feminist? The answers to these unlikely questions (and many more) lie within... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 13, 2024•30 min
In new BBC drama series The Listeners*, a woman starts hearing a noise that seemingly no-one else can hear. Which was catnip to Hannah, who got on Zoom with its director, Janicza Bravo, and star, Rebecca Hall, to find out more. * The Listeners starts on BBC1 on November 19 and is also available to watch on the iPlayer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 12, 2024•20 min
Women’s ice hockey is on the rise in the UK, and new team on the (ice) block, the Haringey Greyhounds are already intent on promotion at the end of the season. Jen caught up with assistant captain Yami Manchanda to talk about the UK’s ice hockey scene, access to the sport, and the joy of just giving something a go. The Haringey Greyhounds are next in action at Alexandra Palace on November 25. Tickets available here or on the door (subject to availability). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Nov 11, 2024•25 min
Rivals! Rivals! Rivals! Mickey's certainly excited about the small screen adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel, but will Hannah and Jen agree? Find out in this month's Outside The Box, when we're also talking about Mr Loverman, Alma's Not Normal, Showtrial, Territory and Sweetpea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 08, 2024•41 min
Donald Trump becomes the first convicted felon to win the Presidential race and will reenter the White House – again. URGH. Not least for women. Hannah and Mick’s yearned for monkey overlords remain frustratingly absent, but at least Gary Barlow’s massive son and the backpack-wearing rats are here. And there’s some extra light relief courtesy of Sarah Millican for our £5+ patrons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 07, 2024•19 min
One of the “cool” movies of the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece* is a carnival of violence and humour set to a banging soundtrack. It made stars of Samuel L Jackson and Uma Thurman, revitalised the careers of John Travolta and Bruce Willis, and basically gave Tarantino a blank cheque going forward. But did it tickle the pickle of Mick, Hannah and Jen? Or is it all Dick Dale and no trousers? *Discuss. That’s why we’re here, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...
Nov 06, 2024•32 min
Writer and theatre-maker Rae Mainwaring was in her early 20s when she was diagnosed with Mutiple Sclerosis – MS as it's commonly known. All she knew of the autoimmune condition at the time was that every single representation she’d seen of it on TV was one of abject misery, which, ultimately, was not her experience of MS. Some years later, she wrote about her experiences in Bright Places, her Peggy Ramsay award-winning play and a deeply personal and authentic exploration of the condition. Jen ca...
Nov 04, 2024•25 min
There used to be a time when it was said you were better to seek medical treatment from your wife or your mother than from a doctor, because at least your wife or mother wouldn't kill you. And then it all changed. Hannah chats to Professor Karen Bloom Gevirtz about her book, The Apothecary's Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity, to find out more. The Apothecary's Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity is out to buy on November 7, 2024 Lea...
Nov 01, 2024•24 min
Big news in the world of "how can that STILL be going on?" as both the Tory leadership election and the US Election enter their final days. Who will lose? Maybe all of us. Meanwhile, bus fares are going up and so is minimum wage but won't these just cancel each other out? In Sexism of the Week, we continue to let the side down by not having enough babies. And speaking of the next generation, in that she's young enough to be your daughter, Jen's got words for a basketball legend in Jenny Off The ...
Oct 31, 2024•31 min
Wondering what medieval women did for us anyway? Or how we even know what they did, given back then only the monks could write? Then get yourself to the British Library's new exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. Jen caught up with the exhibition’s curator Ellie Jackson to find out how much we have in common with our medieval ancestors, and why they remain relevant to our lives today. Medieval Women: In Their Own Words is showing at the British Library until March 2, 2025. Learn more a...
Oct 29, 2024•22 min
Literary critic and feminist historian Joanna Scutts’s latest book, Firebrands, showcases 25 pioneering women writers you should have heard of – but probably haven’t. Why? Well, in this episode, Joanna’s chatting to our Mick about the whys, the whos, the what’s changed, what’s not changed and the trouble that kicks off when women start having ideas. Firebrands: 25 Pioneering Women to Ignite Your Reading Life is published by Duckworth and out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
Oct 28, 2024•23 min
Kate Summerscale’s bestselling narrative nonfiction The Suspicions of Mr Whicher was made into big telly, starring Peter Capaldi and unraveling a murder that took place in the 1860s. Her latest book is much more recent history, however, and in The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place, she revisits the crimes of John Reginald Halliday Christie, one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers, putting flesh on the bones of his female victims and looking at the role played by the sensational...
Oct 25, 2024•23 min
Mick and Jen are on news duty this week, talking cynical steps – or is it honourable intentions? – as social media companies try to get to grips with the Online Safety Act. Elsewhere, there are smiling faces aplenty outside Strangeways, as the Labour Government grapples with its inherited crumbling prison system. Thank the gods of whimsy that Paddington Bear is on hand to cheer us all up. Not Jen, though. He makes her cry. Also, there’s contraceptive chaos in Sexism of the Week, and some bafflin...
Oct 24, 2024•30 min
Is The Last Seduction your average "bitches be crazy" film? Why no more roles for Linda Fiorentino? Can anyone bear that much jazz? The answers to these and many more questions lay within. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 23, 2024•27 min
After the success of last year's Ghost Stories by Candlelight tour, HighTide Theatre is back with a new production – More... Ghost Stories by Candlelight – showcasing four up-and-coming writers, including Eloise Pennycott. Jen chatted with the actor, writer and theatre maker about the production’s tour of the East of England - which is also showing at The Globe, starting on October 30 - as well as sustainable theatre, representation of deaf people in the arts, and why we love being scared. Learn...
Oct 21, 2024•23 min
Life in plastic: is it fantastic… to watch? Greta Gerwig’s star-studded Barbie was one of THE big-hitters in cinema last year and, according to critics across the globe, wasn’t just pink and sparkly and fun, but came with a big ol' side of feminism. But did it, though? Did it? Hmmm. Mick, Hannah and Yosra will be the judge and jury of that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 18, 2024•36 min
Quadrophenia is a tale of young male angst and multiple wing mirrors, and is apparently the reason Jen's brother used to wear a cravat. But is it a case of style over substance? And is a game of "spot the young character actor" enough to keep us interested? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 16, 2024•28 min
How long does it take to sink in that you've won the Edinburgh Comedy Award? That's one of the questions Hannah is putting to comedian Amy Gledhill, who scooped the big prize this year for her show Make Me Look Fit on the Poster. They chat about the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem, local news and a lot more. If you want to see Make Me Look Fit on the Poster, which is touring now, you can get tickets here: https://amygledhill.co.uk/live-dates Or for Amy's 12-day run at London's...
Oct 15, 2024•25 min
Holloway women’s prison closed its doors in 2016, but the legacy left behind looms large for those who spent time there. As part of an exercise in healing, filmmakers Daisy-May Hudson and Sophie Compton took a group of six women who were imprisoned in Holloway back there. Their feature documentary Holloway, an examination of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, is the result. Jen caught up with Daisy-May and Sophie to talk about the ways in which women are failed by the system, and ...
Oct 14, 2024•29 min
If you find yourself with some hours to fill with telly, then let us help you make some good choices. This time, we're talking about Slow Horses, The Perfect Couple, Ludwig, Only Murders In The Building, Joan, Apples Never Fall, Kaos and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 10, 2024•46 min
With MPs set to vote on a bill that puts forward proposals to give terminally ill people the right to end their lives, many of those who are against the bill worry about the lack of nuance put forward in debates. Actress and disability rights activist Liz Carr is one of those people. In this week’s Bush Telegraph, ahead of the bill’s introduction to parliament next week, Hannah chats to Liz about her documentary Better Off Dead?, the arguments against assisted dying, and why we aren’t hearing a ...
Oct 10, 2024•41 min
