List Envy

We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants. And there are no more impressive shoulders to stand on than the great physicists of the 19th and 20th centuries. This week, Mark is in conversation with author and teacher Katherine Benfante, to determine who wins physics. (00:00) - We need physics! (00:32) - Introduction (02:37) - Katherine’s pick: Sir Isaac Newton (05:01) - Mark’s pick: Joseph Swan...

Hands up who overthinks stuff? Did you really put your hand up? Is anyone else putting theirs up? Did you put yours up too quickly? Maybe you were too slow? And what is a hand meant to do once it’s up in the air, anyway? I mean, we’re always being told to wave them like we just don’t care… how does a person do that? And breathe. Kim Witten helps people turn their overthinking into expert thinking,...

Staple a jelly doughnut to your ear, set your spleen to channel 27 and ask your favourite albino squirrel to a dance. Lex Friedman joins Mark to discuss their top-5 songs by “Weird” Al Yankovic that aren’t parodies. Lex is, among many things (musician, improviser, podcaster, game developer and consultant), a turbo Yankovic fan, and it’s quite possible that even Al himself might struggle to come up...

Rhythm is a dancer. The rhythm is gonna get ya. And you must not, under any circumstances, stop the beat. This week, Stephanie Fuccio joins Mark to pick their top 5 songs that drag them to the dance floor. At the end of this, you’ll either leave with an earworm or the need to jump on a mini-trampoline for a bit. (00:00) - We have to dance (00:17) - Introduction (00:58) - When do you dance? (05:41)...

Whether they go “pew pew”, “what is this thing called ‘love’?” or “Give me your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle”, androids have, it turns out, been a staple of sci-fi films for a century. This week, Ayesha Khan joins Mark to rank androids from sci-fi films. (00:00) - Cold open (00:19) - Introduction (02:00) - What is an android? (03:38) - Ayesha’s pick: The Terminator, from Terminator 2:...

Whether you like to bash away at them or tickle them gently, you can get a lot of beautiful noise out of 88 keys. Jon Hickman rejoins Mark to discuss their top-5 piano pop ac. (00:00) - Cold open (00:26) - Introduction (00:47) - Jon’s pick: Billy Joel (03:21) - Mark’s pick: Ben Folds (Five) (15:28) - Jon’s pick: Regina Spektor (19:12) - Mark’s pick: Elton John (24:20) - Jon’s pick: Sean Smith (31:...

Nothing is ever quite as it seems in the world of spies. A watch isn’t just a watch – it’s a deadly weapon. That phonebooth? Also a weapon. Bag pipes? Weapon. This sandwich though, that’s just Q’s lunch. Don’t touch it. Valerie Paris rejoins Mark to discuss their top-5 Bond gadgets. Like Valerie’s previous appearance , it’s funny and charming. Unlike Mark’s previous Bond episode , it’s accurate an...

The world faces a host of very real and serious dangers. But if you believe there’s nothing little ol’ us can do, it’s probably because that’s what certain people want you to think. No, this isn’t a conspiracy episode – just a collation of ways you can actually make a difference in your home, your street, your local area, and maybe a little further afield. Rebecca Bratspies, environment expert and...

What should you do, eat, drink, look for or avoid while traveling alone to a new city? Arielle Nissenblatt, podcast maven and former List Envy guest, returns to decide on the top five ways to explore a new city while travelling solo. (00:00) - Sometimes it's better solo (00:33) - Introduction (01:03) - Guatemala was too hot (02:50) - Arielle’s pick: Join a free walking tour (07:35) - Mark’s pick:...

What do mechanical limbs, credit cards, and the atomic bomb have in common? They all had their roots in science fiction. Ashley Hamer joins Mark to rank real-world inventions inspired by sci-fi, and Mark reveals that he apparently went to school in a gadget factory. (00:00) - Cold open (00:11) - Introduction (00:41) - Guest (03:44) - Ashley’s pick: Autonomous cars (07:21) - Mark’s pick: World Wide...

Just like every brand has a visual logo, every accomplished brand has an audio – or sonic – logo too. Everything from the Netflix “tudum” to the noise your computer makes when it starts up… even the cap on the bottle of soda; it’s all been designed to be memorable. Professional voice actor Jodi Krangle joins Mark to discuss all things sonic branding, and to pick their combined top 5 list of sonic...

Where can you go to get a goodnight kiss, see a big wienie, and drink your way around the world? Why, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom of course! This week, Mark is joined by Disney turbo-enthusiast James Smith, to create the definitive list of things you can do in the happiest place on earth. (00:00) - Cold open (00:14) - Introduction (01:42) - The changing parks (03:16) - James’s pick: The Haun...

If they don’t leave you humming to yourself during your midnight pee, then they don’t qualify. Standup comic Luke Gallacher joins Mark to discuss films that give them the absolute ick, and put them in the correct order. (00:00) - We don’t want famous people in our horrors (00:12) - It begins (01:26) - In this house we do horror (02:46) - Luke’s pick: Nightmare on Elm Street (05:18) - Mark’s pick:...

“Let’s get away to this old European castle”, he said. “It’ll be romantic”, he said. Then you find your husband’s EVP meter in your carry-on luggage and you remember you married a writer of real-life ghost stories. John Olson, author of the Stranger Bridgerland book series joins Mark to discuss places that will creep you the hell out. (00:00) - The Stair Monster (00:07) - Introduction (00:53) - Th...

We’ve got some half-priced cracked ice, codpieces, yellow coats and goldfish shoals nibbling at toes. That can mean only one thing – your podcast app is on the blink again. Jon Bounds rejoins Mark to discuss their top-5 80s sitcoms from the UK. There is a very long long-list. (00:00) - Jon moved Dead Elvis (00:07) - Introduction (00:53) - What makes a sitcom? (02:27) - Jon’s pick: Only Fools and H...

Sequins, ethnic-sounding instruments, scantily-clad androgynous gimps, wolves in tailored suits. It’s here. It’s Eurovision. Get used to it. Cat Turner joins Mark to sift through all 37 Eurovision 2024 semifinalists to discover which are objectively the best 5. (00:00) - Who chooses hockey over Eurovision? (00:08) - Introduction (02:00) - Memories of Eurovision past (04:28) - How Mark got Eurovisi...

Those “You had to be there” moments; the jokes that made you cry but you can no longer remember; the savage putdown of the ambitious heckler. These are the moments that distinguish live comedy from what you can get on Netflix. This week, new standup Dave Bond joins Mark to discuss their top-5 British standups you can currently see live… and simply must! (00:00) - A first (00:08) - Introduction (00...

Everyone’s pretty, everyone eventually gets down to it, no-one throws up, and occasionally steam comes out of someone’s ears. Is there more to cute Korean dramas than this? Turns out yes, yes there is, as positive psychologist and K-drama stan Anya Pearse explains. (00:00) - A lot of thought wente into this (00:11) - Introduction (00:57) - What makes K-dramas different? (04:39) - Anya’s pick: Extr...

Stuart Moore joins Mark to discuss their top-5 characters from America’s longest-running animated show. Snowball II, Groundskeeper Willy, Frank Grimes. These are just some of the characters that get absolutely no mention in this week’s episode. (00:00) - Do the Bartman (00:25) - Introduction (01:22) - Changing voices of the Simpsons (04:40) - Stuart's pick: Homer Simpson (10:17) - Mark's pick: Ral...

Whether you’re 🤩, 😡, or 🫤 about them, emoji are a useful way to express in one tiny image what would take reams of text to express. So today, George Chachanidze rejoins Mark to pick their top 5 emoji reactions, and create a definitive list. (00:00) - 👋 (00:17) - Introduction (01:08) - History of the emoji (05:14) - George’s pick: 😂 (08:16) - Mark’s pick: 🤗 (10:16) - George’s pick: 🤔 (12:11)...

List Envy is returning, with a brand new set of comedians, writers, performers, and layabouts. Join Mark and his guests every week as they continue to rank things in order from 1 to 5, so you don't have to.

Indie music blogger Kamala Adams joins Mark to discuss all things modern indie, and to define what “modern” means. (00:00) - Introduction (05:22) - Kamala's pick: Porridge Radio (07:40) - Mark's pick: The Corteeners (10:28) - Kamala's pick: Wolf Alice (13:42) - Mark's pick: Maxïmo Park (16:28) - Kamala's pick: Blaenavon (19:04) - Mark's pick: Gerry Cinnamon (22:22) - Kamala's pick: The Vaccines (2...

Mark talks vinyl and hunts down new music to enjoy, with music podcaster Elliott Farrar. (00:00) - Introduction (09:26) - Elliott's pick: Weird!, by Yungblud (13:04) - Mark's pick: RTJ4, by Run the Jewels (16:06) - Elliott's pick: Girlfriends, by Girlfriends (20:00) - Mark's pick: Women in Music Pt III, by Haim (21:24) - Elliott's pick: Grime MC, by Jme (32:50) - Mark's pick: Letter to You, by Bru...

Mark is joined by super-talented singer-songwriter Bryony Williams. Bryony realised she could sing in her early teens, and spent most of her mid-to-late teens honing her craft. At nineteen she was in the electro-pop duo Field Harmonics, and has been recording solo since 2018. (00:00) - Introduction (05:50) - Bryony's pick: Cleaning (08:02) - Mark's pick: Over-planning the task (13:28) - Bryony's p...

Mark kicks off a music mini-season with artist manager Ella Gregg, who’s been supporting emerging music artists since she was a teenager. Tech has always been an important aspect of Ella’s work, including her early days helping artists get their work played in films or adverts. (00:00) - Introduction (07:20) - Ella's pick: Livestreaming (13:04) - Mark's pick: Loop pedal (18:22) - Ella's pick: Mult...