Standard Issue Podcast

England's witch trials remain a fascinating and relevant subject. They're the foundation of AK Blakemore's 2021 historical novel The Manningtree Witches, which has now been adapted for the stage and premieres later this month at Colchester's Mercury Theatre – a stone’s throw from the town where infamous Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins persecuted, tortured and executed local women. Jen got on the Zoom with AK and the Mercury's artistic director Natasha Rickman to talk about the importance of theatre, consistent public interest in the 17th century witch trials, and making Matthew Hopkins look a right wally. Become a Standard Issue supporter here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine Dyson's latest play, The Last Picture, focuses on an emotional support dog, Sam, who is taking a group of school children on a trip around an exhibit focusing on Europe in 1939. She chats to Hannah about empathy, dogs, antisemitism, audiobooks and the National Theatre. You can see The Last Picture in Manchester, Bristol and Guildford. More details and tickets here: https://ett.org.uk/our-work/the-last-picture/ Become a Standard Issue supporter here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does a “streamlined” UK border look like? And if you vote for the MP of one party, should they be allowed to defect to another? These are just two questions Jen and Mick pose as they rootle around this week's news. What did they find? Well, there's a new immigration policy bothering British dual-citizens and, upsettingly as ever, more from the man who’d like to bother many more besides: Nigel *groans forever* Farage. There’s better news from the EU about companies discarding textiles, as well as a sexism Olympics alongside a JOTB report on the regular one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Miller, Huston, Monroe, Gable, Ritter, Clift and Wallach - what could possibly go wrong? Well, during filming, a lot. And while seemingly nobody was happy with the end result, The Misfits is now regarded as one of the best films of the 1960s. Will Mickey and Hannah agree? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As well as being a freelance cultural strategy and communications consultant*, Meg Molloy is the founder of the Working Arts Club, a brilliant network supporting arts professionals from working-class backgrounds. She’s chatting to Mick about the lay of the land for working-class kids wanting to access the arts, why it’s important they can do so, what the Working Arts Club is helping to make happen, and why Madge maybe needs to calm down about Margate a bit. *Find out more about what that means with Mick’s first question Find out more about Working Arts Club here. And more about Meg's exciting IWD auction project for AOAP here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news: a constant source of anxiety, rage and misery in our lives. It’s probably no coincidence then, says psychiatrist, and psychotherapist Dr Joanna Cheek, that rates of mental health problems are skyrocketing. Jen chats to Joanna about her new book, It’s Not You, It’s The World: A Mental Health Survival Guide for Us All, why “triggers” are actually useful, the perils of living in a world we weren’t really designed for, and whether or not the younger generation really are just less hardy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Epic in scope and length, deliberately problematic characters, a very distinct aesthetic and a Jonny Greenwood score to give you the jitters: Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2025 award-bothering opus is Yosra’s pick for this month’s Flicking. But do Yosra, Hannah and Mick think Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Teyana Taylor deserve the plaudits being heaped upon them? And how much white male gaze is too much white male gaze when it comes to the hyper-sexualisation of a Black female character?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The only living neurotic in New York? Woody Allen certainly seems to think himself so as the writer/director/star of this much-lauded comedy drama. Its Chekhovian title suggests this is a film about women, but IS IT THOUGH ask Mick, Hannah and Jen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Guardian Investigates podcast The Birth Keepers, about controversial group The Free Birth Society, is the product of a year-long investigation by award-winning journalist Sirin Kale and reporting partner Lucy Osborne. The two journalists explore links between The Free Birth Society and baby deaths around the world, and look at the role of influencers and the dangers of misinformation. Jen chats to Sirin about the podcast, birth choices, and why the state of maternity services in the US and UK is turning more and more women off medicalised birth settings. You can support us by becoming a Standard Issue patron here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born during the one-child rule, Eva Brookes knows almost nothing about her life before she was adopted by a British couple and raised in Essex. Hannah chats to Eva about her new BBC Sounds podcast Made in China, identity, Britishness and how it feels to discuss it, privately and publicly. * You can support us by becoming a Standard Issue patron here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices