Standard Issue Podcast

2020 has been wild/weird/traumatic/a relentless knobhead (delete where applicable) so for our review of the year we've brought in the big guns: Ayesha Hazarika and Helen Lewis. We talk about how the Government has coped with the pandemic and how the public has coped with the lockdown, as well as cancel culture, woke capitalism, Biden's victory and zombie minks. Tuck in!* This podcast was recorded on December 16, 2020* The tale of the exploding whale is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPuaSY0cMK8Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christmas probably hasn't been what you planned this year, but we can at least help keep you entertained for the rest of December. In this month's Outside The Box, we talk about the Ghosts Christmas special, Ridley Scott's HBO sci-fi Raised By Wolves and the upcoming Beeb mini-series Black Narcissus. And we're doing a TV review of the year and chatting about some of our faves of 2020, including I May Destroy You, I Hate Suzie, Crip Camp, The Plot Against America, The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, Mike Judge's Tales From The Tour Bus, Home, What We Do In The Shadows, Bojack Horseman and In My Skin.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Christmas interview special has light, shade, laughs and a slice of Hope. Ellie Gibson – games journalist, co-host of the Extra Life podcast, and "the common one " (her words) from the Scummy Mummies – is here to tell you all about the joys of gaming. She chats to our Mick about navigating the uber-male world of gaming, letting your kids loose online, and the strangely therapeutic powers of virtual farming. Meanwhile, our Jen chats to Liz Scowcroft, head of research and evaluation at Samaritans, about loneliness at Christmas and what can be done to keep an eye on those that might be struggling, and she also catches up with mental health campaigner and writer Hope Virgo, about something to look forward to in January – finally! – with the charity's Brew Monday, and new book How To Listen. You'll also hear our Hannah with a reminder that anyone feeling lonely on Christmas Day should definitely check out the boss's excellent Twitter love-in #JoinIn, which will be bringing people together online for the tenth year running. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can all agree there has been too much news this year, right? So, our final Chops of 2020 is all about froth, as Hannah chats to screenwriter Sian Harries, co-host (with her husband Rhod Gilbert) of the podcast, The Froth. They talk about the joys of figuratively chatting shit, why this so often turns into literally chatting shit, why Four Seasons Total Landscaping is 2020's funniest joke, how Wales has fared during the pandemic and who - WHO? - is missing their signed photo of Judi Dench. Tuck in!This podcast was recorded in mid-NovemberSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should there be a disclaimer on The Crown that it’s a drama not straight history? It’s just one of the questions about television’s depictions of history that Hannah puts to historian and author Hallie Rubenhold, as they chat accuracy in period dramas. Hazel Davis and Jenny Landreth share their love of amateur dramatics, wonder why some people *cough* are a bit sniffy about it, and talk Break A Leg, Jenny’s book extolling the joys of community theatre. In Jenny Off The Blocks, Tom Allen’s been trying his hand at commentating and Jen’s all for it. She’s also chatting Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign, netball outfits and voting for Hollie Doyle in this year’s SPOTY. There’s a lot to love (life-size Jesus doll on a cross) despite a bad taste in the mouth (dated language and some punching down) as the team watch 1999’s Drop Dead Gorgeous. But will they be able to agree if it’s Rated or Dated? Plus there’s gunships, extra cash, elf-wear, and snack revelations in the Bush Telegraph.Lob us a party egg, we’re proper giddy!The audio of Tom Allen and Mark McAdam is from Sky Sports News' Gillette Soccer Saturday Live Scores from Saturday 12 December.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Depression is, to put it bluntly, a big bag of dicks. And it’s equally a bag of dicks for those watching someone they love go through it; something which international bestselling author Amanda Prowse knows all too well, having watched her son Josh suffer from such severe depression that he planned to take his own life. We're often told it's good to talk and it's okay to not be okay – both cracking bits of advice – but it’s not always that easy in practice. And so Amanda and Josh found a new way to communicate, which not only helped them to help Josh and keep going through the most heartbreaking situations, but also got them thinking about how sharing their experience could help others. Cue The Boy Between: A Mother and Son's Journey From a World Gone Grey, a book co-authored by Amanda and Josh, detailing their experiences of Josh’s depression and how it affects the lives of those who dearly love him. In this Chops, Amanda tells our Mickey all about the book, how it came about and where she and Josh are at now.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the year we've all just had, staying hopeful is hard, but Mick's been to an expert - bona fide entertainment legend Ruby Wax - for some tips. Lucy Nichol is back with us, chatting to positive psychology coach Ruth Cooper-Dickson about coaching and supporting volunteers working with refugees, and how to handle our own expectations regarding post-traumatic growth in the pandemic. In Jenny Off The Blocks, Jen's looking at the return of the crowd to sports events and in the Bush Telegraph we're talking Brexit, boo, The Green Nobels, hooray, and the collapse of the High Street, boo. And in Rated or Dated, we watch Home Alone to see how it looks at 30 and ponder what we'd do if we were ever trapped in a house on our tod. Oh hang on... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Been cooking more in lockdown? Or less? Either way, you're going to like what we're serving in this Chops as Hannah chats to chef, TV presenter and all-round gem Nadiya Hussain about her new series for the BBC, Nadiya's American Adventure. They talk about what food can teach us about immigration, how it connects people to the past and how it brings cultures together. Tuck in!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grab your favourite jumper, wrap it around your head and safety pin your backless swimming costume together, as this month's Flicking sees Mick and our resident film buff Yosra Osman visit the iconic Grey Gardens at Hannah's behest. The Maysles brothers' cult 1975 documentary throws up a lot of questions: What will they make of Big and Little Edie Beale? What does it tell us about mums, daughters, mums and daughters, and women in general? How did it change documentary making? And just how many raccoons is too many raccoons? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meghan Markle has put the little-talked-about subject of miscarriages on the front page, so Hannah chats to director Frances Loy about Swings and Roundabouts, her debut short film about grief after a miscarriage. Journalist and author Tina Jackson tells Mickey about her book The Beloved Children, a razzle-dazzle slice of magic realism set in wartime London and inhabited by gloriously defiant women.Jen’s back and so is Jenny Off The Blocks, in which she’s tackling the ever-thorny issue of BBC Sports Personality Of The Year. And there’s also a sneak preview of this week's Chops in which Hannah catches up with the excellent Nadiya Hussain about her new series for the BBC.There’s fighting, flying and more fighting as the team revisits 2000’s martial arts opus Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in Rated or Dated. Plus, get a load of sensible celebs, horrific stats and some joyous(?) jingle-jangling from Hannah in the Bush Telegraph.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices