Standard Issue Podcast

Hannah and Mick are ingesting and spitting out the news this week, and you’ll perhaps be unsurprised to hear that Trump needs to do better, the BBC needs to do better, the Church of England needs to do better, and Justin Baldoni needs to do better. Still, there’s always the prospect of mice paramedics to bring some cheer. And, for our £5+ patrons, extra rodent content courtesy of Sarah Millican’s...

Bryan Forbes’ 1975 satirical horror, based on the 1972 novel by Ira Levin, is so well known it's entered the lexicon. Is it a dystopian nightmare or does it have something to say about life right now? Why were some feminist groups against it? And if a woman had made it, how might it be different? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eowyn Ivey, the million copy-selling author of The Snow Child, has been wanting to tell the story of her childhood her whole adult life. In her new novel, Black Woods, Blue Sky, she draws upon her experiences of violence growing up, as well as classic fairy tales, such as Beauty And The Beast to do just that. Jen chats to Eowyn about the book, the duality of humans, becoming the literary toast of...

‘Seasoned feminist hag’ Victoria Smith is sick to the back teeth of women being told to ‘just be kind’. This was catnip to our Mickey, who you’ll already have heard wanging on about Victoria’s 2023 book, Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women, which asks why middle-aged women are treated with such active disdain and traces the hatred and fear of them back through history. To be clear, Victori...

Comedian, podcaster, novelist and mum-of-three, Sophie McCartney initially found fame with her hilarious online content, which she started posting when the Covid lockdown put her fledgling stand-up career on hold. Since then, she hasn’t looked back, publishing her Sunday Times-bestselling debut Mother Hens in 2023. And now she's about to embark on her biggest tour to date, One Foot in the Rave. Je...

Mickey doesn't like jazz, Jen doesn't like long films and Hannah doesn't like Jude Law's face. So how is The Talented Mr Ripley going to go down in this week's Rated or Dated? Only one way to find out... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t Make Me Laugh is telly writer and broadcaster Julia Raeside’s debut novel. Set in the world of UK standup, Julia’s using pure fiction (honest guv!) and dark humour to look at the men lurking in the big, murky, grey area between ‘bad, wrong and damaging’ behaviour and the kind of actual crimes punishable by law. She chats to our Mick about the many blokes hiding in those shadows, the women wo...

Ever got drunk and started a punk band? Playwright Laura Horton has and, in today's podcast, she's chatting to Hannah about Lynn Faces, her play about the impact of coercive control and starting a punk band, all inspired by her own experiences. They also talk about the arts in the South West and the many other interesting women in Laura's family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

Mercy, it's cold out. So if your plan is to spend the weekend inside, under a blanket, here's this month's telly round-up to help you make some smart viewing choices. We're talking about Severance, Am I Being Unreasonable?, Apple Cider Vinegar, Boyzone: No Matter What, Brian and Maggie, Unforgotten and Minx. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Still reeling from the prospect of being dissed by a man in bootcut jeans, it's Hannah and Jen on Bush Telegraph duties. They’re looking at how Chelsea forward and Australia captain Sam Kerr found herself on the right side of the law and wondering why it was ever in question. Meanwhile, scrutiny of Kim Leadbeater’s Assisted Dying Bill has revealed it's starting to look like it isn't what MPs signe...

Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and a very young Lukas Haas star in Peter Weir’s understated action movie, in which a young Amish boy witnesses the murder of a police officer and only one man can solve the crime. Ford, it’s Harrison Ford.  But what do Jen and Mick make of a less swaggering hero? Should Kelly McGillis have got her tits out? What does the film (maybe) say about gun control? And why ca...

Currently taking telly by (gentle) storm, Miss Austen is screenwriter Andrea Gibb’s beautiful four-part adaptation of Gill Hornby’s historical fiction for the BBC. Mick caught up with Andrea to talk sisterly love, having one of our most revered writers in your hands, the question of legacy, the bitter joy of Mary Bunbury, and, actually, having a soft spot for Brontë. Miss Austen is available on th...

When journalist Nicola Slawson took the active choice to stay single after some bad relationship experiences, she noticed not many people were talking about the experiences of those who choose to fly solo. Cue her hugely popular newsletter, The Single Supplement, in which she presents a different perspective on being single. And now there's a book, Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms....

Pitch black comedy, warped fairy tale or comedy drama? Whatever it is, Sean Baker’s story of a young sex worker from Brooklyn, who gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch, is bothering the hell out of the Oscars. Will Yosra, Hannah and Mick fall in love with Mikey Madison’s Ani? Does Yura Borisov’s Igor deserve his Academy nod? How hard should we be...

It's very much full steam ahead on the batshittery in America and Hannah is struggling to keep up. Mickey has news about the state (and we do mean state) of women's prisons in England, and we ask ourselves, do the French still hurt over Agincourt? There are two Sexisms of the Week, with some ageism to boot. And for our Patreon supporters, there's bonus joy courtesy of Sarah Millican's Light Relief...

Eighties smash Beverly Hills Cop is absolutely steeped in nostalgia for Jen, Hannah and Mick alike. But, despite its banging soundtrack, charismatic leading man, and textbook English baddie, can it be anything but dated? Are our childhoods about to be ruined? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Playwright Diane Samuels has been working in theatre for more than 30 years, and her back catalogue includes 1993’s Kindertransport, winner of the Verity Bargate and Meyer-Whitworth awards. She’s back with new play As Long As We Are Breathing, which tells the real-life story of Miriam Friedman who, as a child in Slovakia during World War II, hid from the Nazis to survive the Holocaust. Jen chatted...

Actor, writer and former worrier queen Philippa Dunne is back on our screens this week as reliable Anne in Motherland spin-off Amandaland. She's chatting to Hannah about the highs and lows of being Amanda's friend, Mayo weather and learning to worry less. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second series of the CBC/BBC podcast The Con focuses on Kaitlyn Braun, who hoodwinked many doulas into believing she was pregnant. Hannah's talking to the writer, producer and host of Kaitlyn's Baby, Sarah Treleaven, about the hows and why of this extraordinary case, the harm it's done, and why it's often harder to persuade people they've been conned than it is to con them. You can listen to K...

Suella Braverman’s glitching like Liz Truss, millions of kids in poverty, no new label for extreme misogyny, and ‘sexism is bad, pals’: there’s a lot to unpack in this week’s Bush Telegraph, brought to you by Mick and Jen. There’s good news, too, of course, including some of the yoot’s favourite words, brought to you by Jen, and a surprise book recommendation, brought to you by Mick. And if you’ve...

There are lies, affairs, copious pot-smoking, stolen memorabilia, Michael Douglas in a dressing gown, and a dead dog this week, as we watch Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys. But what do Mickey, Hannah and Jen make of it, 25 years on?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rough Patch is the name of award-winning food writer, author and veg grower Kathy Slack’s new book (out on February 6, but available for pre-order now), and it’s a warm mix of memoir, a love letter to growing your own, and recipes. It covers a year in Kathy’s life in which a brutal depression meant she left her high-flying city job and, eventually, found solace and purpose growing her own vegetabl...

Panathlon Challenge is a charity aimed at giving young people with disabilities and special educational needs the opportunity to take part in competitive sport, and is chaired by Paralympic gold medalist, Liz Johnson. Jen chats to Liz about the charity, what skills kids can take from competitive sports into their adult lives, and the barriers young people with disabilities and special educational...

In her early 20s, Dawn Adams was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and told she probably wouldn't live long enough to worry about any impact the menopause might have on her condition. And so, when Dawn started perimenopause and noticed changes in her condition, she began to question what exactly medical professionals and researchers do know about it? As ever when it comes to women’s health, the answe...

Trump's back in the White House, so what better time for a big quiz about what's real news and what Hannah has just made up? Good luck, Jen. Also, there's more on the Online Safety Act, the ceasefire in Gaza and women's prizes in sport. And in Jenny Off The Blocks, we're talking tennis, cricket and what's in that little jar they win in The Ashes. Plus, if you're a Standard Issue supporter, it's ti...