Standard Issue Podcast

In Girl On Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, Pulitzer-nominated journalist Sophie Gilbert underlines how popular culture isn’t an innocuous force. She chats to our Mick about how focusing on how women and girls have been presented in pop culture from the late 1990s through the first two decades of this century revealed modern misogyny has been shaped by a mass culture attuned to male desire and all-pervasive pornography.  Girl on Girl is published by John Murray on May 1, but available for pre-order now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2025

Once cool, now ick. That could describe so many things from 1995, but in this instance it's Luc Besson's thriller about a prepubescent girl and her assassin neighbour. But could it all have been so different?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2025

Two young women walk into a theatre in China in 1935 and so begins a relationship that spans a turbulent period of history and ends with the death of one of them. Hannah chats to playwright and historian Amy Ng about her latest play, Shanghai Dolls, about finding the women behind the legends of Sun Weishi and Madame Mao, and about how we could all probably do with brushing up on our Chinese history. More information and tickets here: https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/shanghai-dolls/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2025

Books are a bit like buses for author Abigail Johnson, who signed a two-book deal after taking a punt on a creative writing course during the pandemic. Fast forward a few years, and Abigail's debut novel The Secret Collector is out now. Jen catches up with Abigail to talk about loneliness, learning from our elders (and indeed youngers), and the best bug that never happened. The Secret Collector is available now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

There's a long weekend ahead and if you want to spend it watching telly, then you do you. Have some help choosing in the form of our monthly chat about TV, in which we're talking about The White Lotus, The Last of Us, After the Party, Dying for Sex, Black Mirror, Black Snow and Black Doves. Yeah, we saw the pattern there too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2025

Things are looking very worrying over in America, so of course we're talking about that. But we manage to get in a lot of other stuff too, including workers' rights, good news about bad games, rich women in space, mean girls in tennis and some more dreadful French pronunciations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

Comedy? Horror? Satire? A full-length Huey Lewis and the News music video? There’s a lot going on in Mary Harron’s big screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial 1991 bestseller. Will Christian Bale’s much-lauded turn as Patrick Bateman blow Mick, Hannah and Jen away or turn their stomachs? What does a female director’s perspective bring to the exaggerated misogyny? Is any of it actually real? Do you like Phil Collins?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 April 2025

Alice Vincent was a music journalist for many years, which had already started to shift how she listened, but then pregnancy and a deep trauma when her baby was very small led to her relationship with sound fracturing. In her new book, Hark: How Women Listen, she explores how she rebuilt that relationship, and also talks to other women about their experiences with sound and listening.   Our Mick got on the Zoom to talk about the different way sounds land in female bodies, and how we could all be listening more mindfully. Hark: How Women Listen is available for pre-order now and out on May 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

Elsa James’s new exhibition, It Should Not Be Forgotten, explores themes of chattel enslavement and its impact on contemporary Black British life. Confronting Britain’s national amnesia around its role in the transatlantic slave trade, Elsa’s work seeks to bring an alternative perspective on how we engage with the past. Jen chats to Elsa about the exhibition’s themes, sharing history, and facing its discomfort. It Should Not Be Forgotten is at Firstsite Colchester until July 6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2025

Actor Honeysuckle Weeks has been onstage and screen for more than 30 years and can currently be found touring as Marmee in a new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott classic, Little Women. Jen chats to Honeysuckle about how relatable the 1868 novel remains to young women, the tragedy of Jo, and loving Leslie Manville. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 April 2025

There’s a whole lot of manosphere in this week’s Bush Telegraph, helmed by Hannah and Mick, but maybe, just maybe, there’s a side of justice to boot. Thank Christ? Turns out a lot more Gen Z-ers have turned to God than we thought, so perhaps. Thank dire wolves? Well, now you’re just being silly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

John Waters’ follow-up to smash hit Hairspray saw the so-called “Pope of Trash” enjoy the first-ever bidding war for his work. But does 1990’s cult classic Cry-Baby live up to the hype? Is it the lol-a-thon Jen remembers? And can Mick and Hannah still bear to look at Johnny Depp’s face?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2025

Writer, actor and top woman Brona C Titley was keener than mustard when she was asked to adapt Brian Helgeland’s 2001 medieval action comedy for the stage. A Knight’s Tale the Musical opens at Manchester Opera House this Friday, so Mick got Brona on the Zoom to chat the whys, the hows, and the horses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2025

Namulanta Kombo pitched an idea for a podcast to the BBC World Service and the result - Dear Daughter - has become a worldwide success story, garnering a devoted listenership and a bunch of awards. She joins Hannah from Nairobi, to talk about advice, good and bad, and the importance of passing on life lessons.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

Directed by Nora Fingscheidt and adapted from Amy Liptrot’s prizewining 2017 addiction memoir of the same name, The Outrun follows the recovery of young alcoholic Rona, and offers emotional turmoil in dramatic places. How will Mick, Yosra and Hannah cope with that? And it stars Saoirse Ronan. How will Hannah cope with that? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 April 2025

Mick and Jen are steeling themselves for the seven bill (sort of) increases rolling out across the country this week, as they chat budget bloopers and a 45p consolation prize. Meanwhile, it’s bleak news indeed as in the UK further crimes are alleged against serial rapist Zhenhao Zou, and across the pond, women in the US are up against infringements on democracy via the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. Still, thank God for that new UTI drug, eh? In Jenny Off The Blocks there’s tennis, rugby, an April Fool's and Cilla Black. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

Join us as we get into the groove of a "feminist cult classic". Is that jacket lush? Is Madonna playing Madonna? Is Desperately Seeking Susan a feminist film at all? All the debate is raging here. And Jen's in fancy dress. You're welcome. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2025

Historian Hallie Rubenhold's non-fiction book The Five found the stories of the victims of Jack the Ripper underneath a whole pile of misogyny and myth-making. She's about to do the same for the women at the centre of the Crippen murder, with her book Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen. Hallie chats to Hannah about the wrongs done to Belle Elmore, by both her husband and history, and why most true crime sucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2025

At various points in her life, writer and walking enthusiast Annabel Streets has felt a pull towards certain landscapes and wondered if there was a reason for that. In her new book, The Walking Cure: Harness the Life-changing Power of Landscape to Heal, Energise and Inspire, she explores the restorative and healing powers of walking. Jen catches up with Annabel to talk about why we should all be getting outside, the mindblowing new findings about the different benefits of different landscapes, and the many things to love about wandering around a cemetery. The Walking Cure is published by Tonic and is available now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2025

Fiddler on the Roof could win big at this year's Oliviers, with 13 nods, including one for Best Actress for Lara Pulver. She's also about to hit our screens in Paramount's new drama MobLand. Lara chats to Hannah about all this, plus working with Helen Mirren, the cancellation of Maternal and how what the childminder walked in on really wasn't what it looked. * You can listen to Jen's interview with Jackie Honess-Martin about Maternal here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr5qeoaEwC8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 March 2025

There's fuckwittery, and there's whatever the hell is going on at the highest levels of government in America right now. In this week's BT, Hannah and Jen look at that whole horror show, the chances of another pandemic, a new GCSE, and the dearth of women in brewing. Plus there's rugby and tennis in Jenny Off The Blocks. And, perhaps most importantly, updates from Newport Pagnell's Facebook group.  The Atlantic mentioned is here: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie head up James Mangold’s biographical drama, based on Susanna Kaysen’s 1993 memoir about her time in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s. It was a big deal on its release, so Mick, Hannah and Jen give it a watch to discover whether it’s an astute look at female mental health in a time when women’s rights and standards were very different or, to put it bluntly, dogshit, uninterrupted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2025

The Women’s Six Nations got underway on Saturday, with England eyeing a whopping 29th title in the tournament. And so, Jen jumped on the Zoom to chat to the Red Roses’ top scorer of all time: Emily Scarratt. They're talking about how women’s rugby is doing in the UK and on a global stage, the forthcoming World Cup, and how to take the lows, as well as the highs, when you're a professional athlete. Tickets for the Women's Six Nations are available online now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2025

What a month, indeed what a few days, of TV. Hannah's got some high praise for Severance, The White Lotus, Toxic Town and Adolescence, while Jen's been keeping it real with some ITV dramas. And a few BBC ones to boot. Tuck in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 March 2025

It’s a full basket of news from Hannah and Mick this week: oven-ready gammon joints, Streep-Short joy, a pre-tribunal win for some of the BBC’s female presenters, the Met Police covering itself in glory again, and – all together now! – relugolix/estradiol/norethisterone acetate for the endo win. Plus, extra sunshine for our £5+ patrons with Sarah Millican’s Light Relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

Garry Marshall’s much beloved romcom made a leading lady of Julia Roberts, and an absolute shedload of cash at the box office. But how romantic and/or funny is sex work, drug addiction and controlling relationships? And would either Hannah or Jen be up for being kept as Richard Gere’s pet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2025

Investigative journalist and head of narrative at Stak, Nicky Anderson has been a ballet nut since she was a kid. And the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine? For many, it’s ballet at its pinnacle. But at what cost?  In her new seven-part podcast series, Dancing With Shadows, Nicky explores the history of the New York City Ballet and its influence, with a focus on the dark side of the company and the culture and legacy created and left by Balanchine.  Mick got her on the Zoom to talk about this deep dive into a sport-slash-art form renowned for demanding absolute sacrifice from its young, predominantly female, dancers and for being a very closed institution, how it shines a light on abuse sort of becoming par for the course, and the perils of genius. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2025

How do you solve a problem like two people who don't like musicals having to watch one of the world's best-loved musicals? Was it like brown paper packages tied up with string or just Do Re Mi Fa Soooo fucking long? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2025

Roisin O’Donnell’s striking debut novel, Nesting, tackles some big issues: domestic abuse, coercive control and the housing crisis in Ireland. We follow protagonist Ciara’s spur of the moment decision to take her two young girls and flee her abusive husband – and the challenges she faces staying away. Roisín chats to our Mick about coercive control, strong women in impossible situations, and sparks of hope. If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, the freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. You are not alone.  Nesting is published by Scribner and out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

Jemima Rooper has been on our screens since the mid ‘90s, featuring in shows such as As If, Hex, and more recently The Split and Geek Girl. Now she’s at London's Park Theatre as Suzanne in one of France's favourite plays, Farewell Mr Haffman. Jen catches up with Jemima to talk about playing a Nazi, life as an actor from a young age, and being that tricky not young/not yet old age of our mid-40s. Farewell Mr Haffmann is at Park Theatre, London, until April 12 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2025

Hannah, Yosra and Mick are all big fans of Alice Lowe. But will that translate into loving Timestalker, which she wrote, directed and stars in? Does an excellent supporting cast (Tanya Reynolds, Jacob Anderson, Nick Frost and Aneurin Barnard) get enough to do? And will the fast cuts and repetition leave them confused or swooning? Find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

There has been some good news this week, if you squinted right. So we're saying "no thank you" to the White House bullies and "yes please" to big legal developments, potty training, the pursuit of happiness and teaching boys about positive masculinity. Plus, there's boxing news in Jenny Off The Blocks. You're welcome. You can find out more about the Big Toile Project here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

Margaret Atwood via Harold Pinter? Volker Schlöndorff’s 1990 adaptation of what’s become a feminist classic promises “a haunting tale of sexuality in a country gone wrong”. So there’s that for starters. Will Mick, Hannah and Jen get onboard with Schlöndorff’s vision of Gilead and what happens to the women living in it, or will they, like Pinter, find it all very tiring? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

Imagine losing it in public, a video going viral and the whole world calling you a bad mother. That's what happens in playwright and actor Anna Morris's new play Son of A Bitch, now at Southwark Playhouse. Anna chats to Hannah about raging in public, viral videos, empathy, and the pressure on women to be mothers. Good mothers. Excellent mothers. You can book tickets for Son of A Bitch here: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/son-of-a-bitch/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025

Like many new parents, Emily Callaci - writer and professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison - was amazed by the amount of housework that came with looking after small children. Her new book, Wages for Housework, is a history of the fascinating movement of the same name and explores how feminists before her have approached the dilemma of under-valued and unpaid work. Jen caught up with Emily to talk about the movement, why we could do with it making a comeback, and how different the world might look if essential work was valued differently. Wages for Housework is available now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2025

The women tricked into relationships with undercover police officers have spent a lot of years investigating and campaigning, largely unnoticed. Might a new ITV documentary about their stories finally get them the widespread support they deserve? Hannah chats to one of those women, Alison, and to Lucy Wilcox, the director of The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed to find out more. * Hannah has previously interviewed Alison about her experiences of discovering her partner of eight years was a police spy. You can hear that interview, which also features Helen Steel, on Itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sim-ep-744-chops-255-groomed-gaslighted-ghosted/id1080808404?i=1000568597088 * The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed starts on ITV and ITVX on Thursday 6 March. * You can find out more about the Police Spies Out Of Lives campaign here: https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2025

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 Light Relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2025

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 the town, and Alaska’s main character energy. Black Woods, Blue Sky is available now and you can watch an online event with Eowyn and Rachel Joyce online here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

‘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, Victoria's latest book, Unkind: How ‘Be Kind’ Entrenches Sexism, has no beef with actual kindness – in fact, she’s a big fan – but instead looks at how three little words – “just be kind” – can cost women way too much. And how a baked potato brought perspective. Both of Victoria’s books are available now, and you’ll find her on X and Bluesky @glosswitch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2025

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. Jen catches up with Sophie to talk about the ageing process, “having it all”, and why becoming a mum doesn’t have to mean the end of your ambitions. Tickets for One Foot in the Rave are on sale now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2025

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 working to out them, and the importance of shining a light on these pricks via conversation.  Don’t Make Me Laugh is published by Bedford Square and out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 February 2025

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.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 14 February 2025

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 signed up for. Also featuring: Terminator roads, exceptional mumming and unexceptional headline-writing, and a spot of tennis. You can watch Sophy Ridge’s piece on changes to the Assisted Dying Bill here, and find out more about Not Dead Yet here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

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 can’t Jen recognise people in films? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 February 2025

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 the iPlayer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2025

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. She chats to Jen about stigma, choice, and why the work you do on you should be for you. Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms is available for pre-order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2025

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 laughing? And would Hannah make a good henchman? There’s so much to talk about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2025