Off Air with Jane & Fi

Welcome! On the agenda today is being a maverick in the bedroom - no, not like that - we're talking bed sheets, as well as having more loo roll than you let on, the definition of camp, teaching nose-blowing, and style mistakes that are 'making you look older'. Plus, Fi chats to Peter Hammond and Ash Smith, the real campaigners portrayed in Channel 4's Dirty Business. There's no podcast on Monday a...

Happy Hump Day! Jane and Fi have some parental advice to impart that they personally have never - and will never - take. Ears pricked, please! They also cover the Golden Hinde, elongated family stays, solace in the laundry room, and the state of women's healthcare. Plus, journalist Eric Schlosser discusses the 25th anniversary of his exposé ‘Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal...

Jane and Fi have gone beyond broadcasters - they’re now influencers. They have a new air about them… (and that air is green tea and bergamot-scented). They also chat steamed glasses, soirée small talk, giving up smoking, Punch the monkey - and we probably owe a bit of an apology to The Observer... Plus, BBC Europe editor Katya Adler discusses her new documentary Europe on the Edge. Check out our Y...

It's our first official visualised podcast episode, so if you're listening to this, why not head over to our YouTube channel and watch it too? Jane and Fi are filled with excitement — the joys of spring and... snot. (It's all glamour over here!) In between the nose-blowing, they ask: Do people still care about VPLs? What is Victor's secret? Is Frank the cat really a cat? Plus, there are apologies...

Welcome to a Friday special! This week's bonus episode features an interview with Helen Rumbelow, a features writer for The Times . She spoke to Jane about her fantastic, if unsettling, piece from last week regarding the links between the worlds of Jeffrey Epstein, Gisèle Pelicot, and pornography. You can read Helen’s full article, "Epstein, Pelicot and the toxic culture of 'teen' porn," here: htt...

Fi joins Jane from a top-secret bunker today, with a surprise appearance from Nancy (the greyhound). They contemplate exactly what they would ask the "Great Orange Blimp" if given the chance. Plus, Fi speaks to BAFTA-winning filmmaker Georgie Wileman about her powerful short film, This is Endometriosis. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is cal...

King and Queen Tut return today to discuss the big philosophical questions: banning flavoured hot cross buns, diplomatic slappers, and misleadingly dirty lyrics. Plus, Jane speaks to Labour MP Naz Shah about her memoir, Honoured . Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is called 'The Later Years' by Peter Thornton. You can listen to our 'I'm in the...

A miscommunication in today's episode results in a gassy greyhound being confused for one of the nation's bestselling authors. Meanwhile, Jane and Fi brainstorm their own future chart-topper... a manual dedicated entirely to decision making. Plus, Fi speaks to author and Bake Off winner, Nancy Birtwhistle, about her new book 'Clean Magic'. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Sh...

Jane and Fi offer some relief from the nerve shredding news agenda with Jane's shameful anecdotes of horse radish, a deep dive into Harry Styles’ high-waisted trousers, and the latest on Fi’s ever-changing "Free the Nipple" manifesto. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is called 'The Later Years' by Peter Thornton. You can listen to our 'I'm in...

Welcome to a Friday special! This week's bonus episode features an interview with Rina Oh, an artist, a mother, and an Epstein survivor. She became involved with Epstein at age 21 when he offered to pay for her art tuition. Her story is complicated - like so many young women who were in his orbit - and she shares it with Fi… If you were affected by any of the issues discussed please email feedback...

It’s Thursday - the day before a very special day involving a Colin. Need we say more? Before we get to Colin, Jane and Fi cover cheerful train drivers, dobbing in your neighbours, disposing of deceased pets, and the fickle nature of muslin. There are also a few parish notices, including mention of a new playlist… Plus, Ian Russell, father of Molly Russell, discusses the upcoming documentary Molly...

Welcome to this episode of intergenerational strife - Fi's off for the day, so Eve props Jane up. They chat pureed food, search history, the out-of-shape Olympics, children in restaurants and the fading art of the Tannoy. Plus, best selling novelist Elly Griffiths discusses her latest book ‘The Killing Time’. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book...

What a day it is! And what a time to be alive in this wonderful city of London! The sun is shining and Jane's tube driver has got us all in the mood. Jane and Fi are back in more familiar surroundings to discuss all the important stuff - matching underwear, habitual idiocies, whether you should lock a bathroom door around loved ones, the power of the wet wipe, and the lacklustre nature of Shreddie...

Jane and Fi are reunited, but they’re in new, cosier surroundings… They cover milk-bottle glasses, moving schools, Wuthering Heights, three-legged cats, children in restaurants, and who sat on the lesbians. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is called 'The Later Years' by Peter Thornton. You can listen to our 'I'm in the cupboard on Christmas'...

It's the last podcast of the week and we're tumbling into Thursday... literally. It's Jane's last day flying semi-solo, holding down the fort, and battening down the hatches - she really does it all! Jane and Eve talk men in power, the best cinemas in the city, bilingualism, and life without a loaf. Plus, television producer and journalist Felicity Spector discusses her book ‘Bread and War’, ahead...

Jane has yet again come to work with a smile on her face (the office heating was on and the canteen was stocked with Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut). Fi’s still off, so Eve props Jane up - they chat Barbara Pym, aliens, bowling with piles, and book translations. Plus, space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock discusses her memoir 'Starchild'. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. O...

Fi’s still off, so Jane is holding down the fort, with some help from Eve ('fresh' from Berlin). There’s more discussion about revision, fear of failure, the eccentricities of Berlin, and Jane’s love of work (and Smash Hits). Plus, Jane speaks to Stéphane Babonneau, the lawyer to Gisèle Pelicot. Gisèle’s book is called 'A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides'. Our next book club pick is 'A Town...

Fi is on half term this week but fear not... school is still in session for Jane, who is joined by Robbie Millen, literary editor of The Times and The Sunday Times. Robbie graces us with his withering verdict on the new Wuthering Heights adaptation, baths in bedrooms and eavesdropping Alexas. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is called 'The La...

Welcome to a Friday special! This week's bonus episode features an interview with Julianne Miles MBE, chartered psychologist and co-founder of Career Returners. Her book 'Return Journey: How to get back to work and thrive after a career break' offers a psychology-led, step-by-step guide for any professional looking to get back to fulfilling work.  If you want to contact the show to ask a ques...

It's Thursday and we're about to break up for half-term... Fi's off next week so Jane will be holding down - with some (minimal) help along the way. Before that happens, they chat about Dick Van Dyke, revision periods, CoolCats in a GoPro, and finding love in Asda. Plus, best-selling author Jennie Godfrey discusses her new novel T'he Barbecue at No. 9'. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alic...

This podcast is the living embodiment of managing your expectations - please keep them low… at all times. In today’s episode, Jane and Fi chat piles, the questionable nature of freestanding baths, the danger of paving stones, the similarities between CoolCat and Kim Jong Un, and estate agent jargon… Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Plus, Zac Goldsmith, sculptor and former Tory minister, discusses his...

We know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats (particularly if you’re anything like Shaun Evans), but fear not, Fi brings you an Anusol update… Plus, there’s discussion about Jane on the drums, lengths of meetings, fat and happy pets, and the diabolical nature of the sheet cake. Also, Lisa McGee, creator and writer of Derry Girls, discusses her new show ‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’. Our...

Fi’s had a bumpy start to the morning in the form of a classic misplaced-phone palaver, but crisis averted… After that, Jane and Fi chat unsubtle Anusol product placement, the glis glis, confused supermarket chocolate, and latex-clad mother-in-laws. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is called 'The Later Years' by Peter Thornton. You can listen...

Welcome to a Friday special! This week's bonus episode features an interview with Vicky Ward, an investigative journalist who has spent decades reporting on Jeffrey Epstein. Vicky wrote a profile of Epstein for Vanity Fair back in 2003. It was due to include allegations of abuse from Maria and Annie Farmer - who filed the earliest known complaints against him - but those allegations were later red...

Jane and Fi's work outside the home is over for the week... They'll now be moving indoors... Before that, they chat nut balls, the downside to en-suites, carrot cake being the armpit of the cake world, and they demand justice for the bean burger. Plus, wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan discusses her upcoming tour 'Not Just A Wild Life'. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Sh...