Shouldn't Laugh But...Laura Smyth & Carmen Butcher

This week, Laura and Carmen chat Kanye West, the Wireless backlash, festival cancellations, Chappell Roan, and why some celebrities always seem to escape criticism. They also dive into the wild world of Coachella, including $90 phone chargers, Paris Hilton floating through the desert like a billionaire woodland fairy, and Justin Trudeau eating noodles in a backwards cap with Katy Perry. Not to men...

Laura and Carmen dive into a full episode of glorious listener stories and they do not disappoint! From an all-inclusive Tenerife holiday that took a turn, to an anonymous dog walking story involving a tampon and a very awkward poo. Plus the girls swap their own scam stories, from dodgy booking links to beachside hustlers, and all the holiday chaos that comes with being caught off guard in the sun...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are getting into why Easter is actually the superior bank holiday: less pressure than Christmas, more freedom, hot cross buns, slow-roasted lamb, fish on Good Friday and (usually) just enough sunshine to make everyone feel vaguely alive again. They also chat Easter traditions, from Hungarian Easter gifts and over-the-top egg hunts to little presen...

Happy Good Friday, Buttheads! Laura and Carmen get into the Good Friday spirit with a surprisingly intense debate about the correct way to eat a Cadbury’s Creme Egg. From shrinkflation and sugary highs to the discovery that Creme Eggs are a weirdly sexual topic, things descend quickly. They dive into one of Laura’s favourite corners of the internet: mattress unboxing fails, where unsuspecting peop...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen kick things off with Ryan Gosling attempting to speak fluent Gen Z, which naturally leads to a full dissection of slang, ageing, and the brutal truth that the second a grown adult says “rizz” with confidence, it’s already over. They also chat about his marriage to Eva Mendes, the discovery that he apparently lives in Hampstead, his wholesome decis...

Laura and Carmen kick things off with the Chappell Roan fan drama, after Jude Law's 11-year-old daughter was reportedly told off by security for innocently walking past her idol at breakfast. From diva behaviour to disappointing your youngest fans, the girls get into where the line is between protecting your space and just being plain mean. The conversation then turns to Meghan Markle, as they unp...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But , Laura and Carmen are attempting the impossible… not laughing. Inspired by Last One Laughing , they kick things off with a moment of silence for Chuck Norris (which lasts approximately three seconds), before spiralling into iconic Norris memes, Jessica Simpson eyebrow-taping and whether the world feels slightly less safe now he’s gone. Saturday Night Live UK has o...

We’re just weeks away from Easter, so this is a public service episode as Laura and Carmen taste the wackiest, most wonderful hot cross buns and Easter egg creations so you don’t have to. From elite flavour combos to slightly unhinged chocolate inventions, they sort the must-buys from the absolute monstrosities (and settle a very heated debate about raisins along the way). But just as things are f...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are diving headfirst into the chaos of Inside the Manosphere. From TikTok “alpha males” and seven-hour livestreams, to dodgy money schemes and wildly confident nonsense about women, they try to make sense of a world that is equal parts terrifying and… deeply embarrassing. They also get into why Louis Theroux remains the undisputed king of awkward,...

Timothée Shalama-lama-ding-dong (Chalamet) is under fire after sharing his thoughts on opera and ballet and sparking a full blown internet pile on. Laura and Carmen unpack the backlash, the memes, and why the internet loves nothing more than uniting against a rogue celebrity opinion. Plus, The Beckham family saga rumbles on! Laura and Carmen get stuck into the latest birthday post controversy and...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen dive straight into the chaos that is Britney Spears. From the head shaving era to the conservatorship and the recent internet debate of “maybe we shouldn’t have freed Britney”, they try to answer the impossible question: what does actual support for a mega famous pop star even look like? They also get into Harry Styles’ mysterious ever-changing ac...

This week, Laura and Carmen spiral from ski slopes to strip clubs after a listener confession about a half-dressed skiing disaster that ends with an injured stranger… and a three hour plane journey of silent guilt. Then there’s the viral chair throwing incident that backfires spectacularly, starting beef with monkeys in Malaysia, rogue sheep standoffs in Wales and the internet’s newest side hustle...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, one of us is living her best ski life in Canada while the other is glue gunning her way through World Book Day and awaiting secondary school news like it is the Hunger Games. There are rogue ski puns, Winter Olympics overshares and listener stories bringing peak slope humiliation: teenage wipeouts, French ski school casualties, dads shouting “get a room” and an ap...

This week, Laura and Carmen spiral from blizzards to baked beans as Margot Robbie’s rogue nacho confession sends them into a full blown food combo frenzy. Tuna and cottage cheese. Marmite and tomatoes. Milky Ribena. We are unwell. But the real villain of the episode? The Finger Princess. The group chat menace who asks for details that are literally three messages up. The Facebook poster who could...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But , Laura and Carmen spiral gently from wholesome half term fun into full blown cost of living chaos. There’s caravan nostalgia, Center Parcs outrage and the gradual realisation that a two bed in Battersea Power Station now costs about the same as long term peace of mind. We get gig life glamour in Manchester, early circuit flashbacks, Frog and Bucket lore, and the p...

Laura and Carmen dive straight into the chaos after, former Prince, Andrew’s birthday arrest, the unforgettable car photo, and a PR machine working overtime. From London Fashion Week to carefully timed royal appearances, nothing escapes scrutiny. Plus David Beckham’s birthday tribute to Cruz raises eyebrows with one pointed phrase (we’re assuming towards Brooklyn Beckham), and suddenly we are knee...

It’s Carmen’s first Friday as a forty year old and the birthday debrief is still in full swing. From candle blowing sabotage and middle child gift politics to traumatic mascot memories and the cultural dominance of Mr Blobby, Laura and Carmen unpack the chaos that seems to follow any celebration. Plus, a listener’s thirtieth spirals from classy Turkish dinner to violent taxi sickness and a missed...

This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including sexual assault, that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to. This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But , it’s the aftermath of Carmen’s 40th and the debrief is as chaotic as the dancefloor. There are hotel lobby rolly-polies, luxury Four Seasons cake carnage, fi...

From tooth fairy trauma and Friday the 13th paranoia to valentines gone wrong, Laura and Carmen are riding a romantic rollercoaster with zero brakes. There’s boiling water mishaps, forgotten fairy duties, and a heartfelt email that proves sometimes you just know when you’ve found a good egg. But don’t worry, it’s not all hearts and flowers. We’ve got a Valentine’s bouquet of listener chaos: a flor...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But , Laura and Carmen lean fully into Valentine’s Week! There’s birthday chat galore as Carmen gears up for her 40th, conspiracy theories, rage baiting and the creeping realisation that no one seems to be in charge of anything anymore… Valentine’s chat obviously divulges into full celebrity chaos, from blood vial jewellery and aquarium dates, to Kenny G logistics, oil...

An innocent debate about wiping technique spirals into apologies, trauma, and one unforgettable Spanish water park incident. Laura and Carmen dive headfirst into listener embarrassment, public toilet shame, tits out disasters, and the real reason you should never trust an enclosed flume. There’s owl impressions, Valentine’s chat, co-sleeping confessions, and proof that once you’ve shit yourself in...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But... there’s a heartfelt goodbye to comedy royalty, a brief moment of wet eye, and then straight into celebrity dating discourse as Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton go public and somehow just make sense. Laura and Carmen do a deep dive into the Take That documentary, from boyband hysteria and Gary Barlow redemption to nineties nostalgia and MTV memories. Elsewhere,...

This episode of Shouldn’t Laugh But is a full body immersion into the chaos of leisure centres, from flumes that should absolutely be age restricted to the deeply cursed realisation that Leisure World is one of those places that hits very differently as an adult. Laura and Carmen unpack childhood water park joy, vending machine culture, plasters in the pool, and the horror of realising you are now...

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But , Laura and Carmen are riding high after accidentally making the Daily Mail, spiralling into full hun culture chaos and asking the only question that matters: is Nigella Lawson about to make Bake Off unbearably sexy? From Spice Girls reunion delusions and Traitors obsessing to soggy bottoms, flirt offs and why Paul Hollywood will simply not survive the Nigella era,...

This episode of Shouldn’t Laugh But tackles the question no parent is ever prepared for: when your kid asks what 69 is . From kitchen chats about consent to likening the act to the Bermuda Triangle, Laura and Carmen unpack why 69ing is far more admin heavy and far less glamorous than the films ever suggested. Meanwhile, Heated Rivalry has Carmen mentally rehearsing what she’s absolutely going to s...