Standard Issue Podcast

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The online magazine by women for women takes to the internet airwaves with its much-loved blend of opinion and humour.

Standard Issue


    • May 22, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 42m AVG DURATION
    • 1,350 EPISODES

    4.9 from 100 ratings Listeners of Standard Issue Podcast that love the show mention: women's, feminism, witty, mostly, sports, loving, smart, funny, thought, guests, always, thanks, love, show, like, listening, great, standard issue, sarah millican.


    Ivy Insights

    The Standard Issue Podcast is an incredible listen for anyone who appreciates humor, empowerment, and curiosity. With a women-focused mission, this podcast is not only for women but for anyone interested in hearing diverse perspectives and engaging discussions. The guest lineup is exceptional, featuring a range of terrific individuals who bring their unique insights and experiences to the table. What sets this podcast apart is its ability to remind listeners that they can do anything and that they should never stop being curious. It is truly empowering.

    One of the best aspects of The Standard Issue Podcast is its commitment to showcasing women's achievements in various fields. From discussing the outcomes of women's sports teams to highlighting women's accomplishments in media, film, and beyond, this podcast provides a refreshing perspective that challenges traditional narratives. The hosts also strike a perfect balance between humor and warmth, creating a delightful listening experience that will leave you laughing out loud.

    While The Standard Issue Podcast offers fantastic content overall, some listeners may find that it has a liberal bias when it comes to discussing women's issues. While this may not be an issue for many listeners, those with differing political beliefs might feel excluded or find the commentary too one-sided. However, it's important to note that the focus of the discussions remains centered on equality, health, and options for women rather than pushing any hateful agenda.

    In conclusion, The Standard Issue Podcast is an absolute gem worth subscribing to. It combines humor, feminism, and insightful analysis in a way that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish. While there might be occasional sound quality issues in earlier episodes (which seem to have been resolved), the overall content more than makes up for it. This podcast offers a fresh take on current events and leaves you eagerly anticipating each new episode. Kudos to the team behind The Standard Issue Podcast for consistently delivering laughter and contributing to their audience's happiness.



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    Latest episodes from Standard Issue Podcast

    Outside The Box May 2026

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2026 51:30


    Want some TV recommendations? Yeah, you do. This month we're chatting about Legends, Ponies, Widow's Bay and Believe Me, as well as some good and bad news about what's still to come this year, plus what should probably never have been on the telly in the first place.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Short Circuit (1986)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2026 28:38


    Number 5 is alive! Or is he? This week, Hannah and Jen talk about the family-friendly sci-fi comedy, its inappropriate casting and why the love interests have the same haircut.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Virginia Mendoza's search for water

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2026 25:19


    The Search for Water: A Human History of Thirst is an expansive and important new book from journalist and anthropologist Virginia Mendoza. Part-memoir and part-history, Virginia weaves personal reflection and her memories of growing up in La Mancha – the driest region in Europe – with a meticulously researched anthropological exploration of how water – both too little and too much – has shaped our species.  Mick chats with Virginia about water and how it connects us to our oldest ancestors, from where we were all born in Africa to migration, from myth-making and religion to what our relationship with water means today. English isn't Virginia's first language so a heads up that she pronounces drought “druth” the first couple of times she says it.  The Search for Water: A Human History of Thirst is translated into English by Thomas Bunstead, published by Pushkin and out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Gillian Best knows pain

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2026 25:50


    Inspired by her own experiences of autoimmune diseases, writer Gillian Best decided to delve deeper into the topic of pain. Her book, Chronic: Understanding Pain, explores what pain is, how to treat it, and the research being done to improve the lives of the 1.5billion people across the world living with chronic pain.  Jen chats to Gillian about chronic pain, how to navigate it, its impact on women, and why it's more than a medical issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Flicking #73: Sinners

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2026 31:16


    Ryan Coogler's much glazed box-office smash is Yosra's pick this month. It's a vampire horror about life and times in the Jim Crow South with a banging Blues soundtrack and a lot to say about cultural appropriation, colonialism and the Black experience. Does its midway handbrake turn work or is it too reminiscent of a film Mick and Hannah would rather forget? Do the not one but two Michael B Jordans bring out the actor's best? Is Jack O'Connell under control? And could we love Wunmi Mosaku any more? Find out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Hey, hey, there's no monkeys

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2026 28:31


    With Labour suffering huge losses in last week's local elections, Hannah and Jen look at the wholesale batshittery of the reaction to it, from the party itself and the media, as well as misinformation and the women (allegedly) begging Nigel Farage to “save them”. Thank God for the nuns, and the slightly safer territory of end-of-season football and tennis's clay season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Mulholland Drive (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2026 30:38


    Take off all your clothes and climb into bed with your female pal, as David Lynch's twisty neo-noir nightmare-dream that tickles the seedy underbelly of Hollywood gets Rated or Dated. Join Mick, Hannah and Jen, as they ask questions, such as ‘what the fuck is happening?', ‘who cares?' and ‘WHY?' about a film some regard as one of the greatest movies of the 21st century. Is that a dolphin? What's in this Twinkie? WHO CARES. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Exposing the cost of extreme porn

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2026 23:23


    Professor Clare McGlynn is fighting the good fight when it comes to tackling the growing harms of extreme porn. She chats to Hannah about her new book, Exposed: The Rise of Extreme Porn and How We Fight Back, not being cool with the kids and how we're all having worse sex because of porn, whether we watch it or not. * You can buy Clare's book here * More info on ad-free listening and bonus content here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Family Lawyer's guide to courts, with Laura Naser

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2026 26:42


    The family courts in England and Wales are going through some changes. In particular, a move to a 'child-focused' approach – designed to minimise trauma and cut a huge backlog of cases. But what does that really mean? Weren't the family courts already child-focused? And will the changes really help victims of domestic abuse? Jen got on the Zoom with Laura Naser, award-winning partner in family law at Penningtons Manches Cooper, and author of The Family Lawyer's Guide to Separation and Divorce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Are we all still going on a summer holiday?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2026 40:46


    Laura Jackson, Deputy Head of Travel at the Times and the Sunday Times, joins Hannah to talk about the very many questions facing us all right now when it comes to booking a holiday. Where is safe to visit? How are the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East affecting long-haul flights? Should we boycott America? What are the new rules at EU borders? Are anti-tourism protests in Europe here to stay? And are the price of jet fuel and mass cancellations by airlines going to make travel unaffordable? Plus there's some important, but maybe surprising, news about the expiry date on your passport.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Barb Wire (1996)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2026 26:17


    Nineties Baywatch babe (don't call her that) Pamela Anderson was ridiculed for her part in David Hogan's adaptation of Dark Horse Comics' Barb Wire. But was she unfairly scapegoated for the resulting box office flop? Does it have any feminist credentials? And will Hannah be as delighted as Jen by its unlikely holy matrimony of Diagnosis Murder and Shortland Street? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Iron: the hill Rose Stokes won't die on

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2026 28:51


    Aged 38, journalist Rose Stokes felt not quite right, in fact, she felt not at all well. Doctors quickly dismissed her concerns as either exhaustion from the demands of her two young children, or – classic! – perimenopause, and it wasn't until a blood test found Rose to be iron deficient that it all began to make sense. When Rose wrote about her experience for the Guardian, she was inundated with messages from other women who'd felt similarly dismissed. Jen chats to Rose about her experience, why iron deficiency is a feminist issue, and why the growing conversation around perimenopause might now be tipping the balance when it comes to addressing women's health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Discovering Paula Bartley's trailblazing women

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2026 27:55


    Dr Paula Bartley is a women's historian and author of the new book, Trailblazers: The First Women Elected to Government, in which she uncovers some incredible stories about extraordinary women. She's chatting to Mick about the (roller coaster) rise of women in global government, the boon of war and revolution when it comes to political equality, and a really impressive nun. Trailblazers is published by Polity on May 8, but available for pre-order now.  Tickets for the launch event at Church of Saint Magnus-the-Martyr, London, on May 27 are available here. As ever, there's more chat available for our £5 and above patreons, so if you're not already involved visit patreon.com/standardissue to find out more. We've a free trial period, if that tickles your pickle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Protecting our elderly, with Kate Snell

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2026 24:41


    David Barton, a Southport-based care home owner who preyed on wealthy, elderly residents to fund a lavish lifestyle, was jailed for 21 years in 2018. In today's podcast, Hannah chats to Kate Snell about her new book, The Care Home Swindler, which recounts Barton's case, and why, at a time where we don't always respect the elderly, it remains important. Kate's book is available to buy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-care-home-swindler/kate-snell/9781408723425 More about supporting Standard Issue here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: The (G)rapes of wrath

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2026 33:18


    If the thought of a rapist having his cock mangled by very sharp plastic teeth is your thing, have we got news for you. We have! In fact, Mick and Jen have got not one, but two positive stories about rape for you this week. Albeit served with a shit sorbet of some truly horrible stats around domestic violence and suicide.  In SOTW, Mick (49-year-old mother of none) is choosing not to judge Cameron Diaz and inviting you to join her, while in JOTB, Jen's chatting darts, swooning at Allyson Felix and sharing the most Trumpesque demand not to be made by Trump. Rape Crisis has a 24-hour support line: 0808 500 2222 or online https://247sexualabusesupport.org.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Harold and Maude

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2026 32:53


    The ultimate in age-defying relationships turns 55 this year, but how has Hal Ashby's black comedy aged? Starring everybody's favourite manic pixie dream sex pensioner, Ruth Gordon, and soundtracked by the then Cat Stevens - what's not to like? Right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Sudi Pigott considers the anchovy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2026 26:25


    Journalist and author Sudi Pigott has spent nearly three decades writing about food and travel. In her new book, Consider the Anchovy: a Journey in Pursuit of the Little Fish With the Big Flavour, she pays homage to one of her favourite ingredients, albeit one she thinks is in need of a rebrand. Jen chats to Sudi about why we should consider the anchovy, 'foodie' culture for the masses, and who inspires her when it comes to cooking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Alexandra Wood on Hilary Mantel, Thatcher and political violence

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 24:02


    When back in 2014, the Guardian published Hilary Mantel's short story The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, it sparked intense controversy. Critics called it a "distasteful fantasy" and "dangerous nonsense”, while others, our Mickey included, would argue that actually it's a smart, creative exploration of a polarised political era from a literary heavyweight.  It's also now a play, with Mantel's short story in the safe hands of playwright Alexandra Wood. As if that wasn't enough for Mick to want to get Alex on the Zoom, it's opening in Liverpool, famously a bastion of anti-Thatcher sentiment.  They're chatting the brilliance of Mantel, alternative pasts and futures, Maggie's legacy and political violence.  The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher opens at the Liverpool Everyman on Saturday 2 May and runs until May 23. Tickets and more info available from everymanplayhouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Outside The Box April 2026

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2026 61:26


    Looking for some TV suggestions? We have some. So that worked out well. Join us as we chat about Deadloch, The Pitt, Scarpetta, Euphoria, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, Secret Garden, The Dinosaurs, Babies and Bait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Ranting and raving (I'm raving)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2026 30:59


    What's Jen got in common with some pensioners in Barnet? Find out in this week's BT as she and Hannah talk about women's health, some bad news for women and girls in Myanmar, the "womanosphere", running marathons while pregnant and throwing some moves while middle aged or elderly.  You can read the Standard Issue Substack here: https://standardissuepodcast.substack.com/ The Government's Women's Health Strategy is here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69df5d7261d2e8e9b9e42d2e/renewed-womens-health-strategy-for-england-web-accessible.pdf More about the Pachamama Project here: https://www.thepachamamaproject.org/ Find out more about Hotsy Totsy's family raves here:  https://hotsytotsyraves.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Excalibur (1981)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2026 35:04


    Jonathan Boorman's epic thesp fest was a big hit at the box office and a surprise watch in the Dunleavy household. The cast list is impressive. The lighting is dark. The dialogue is as clanking as the shiny armour. And the laughs come thick, fast and mostly not on purpose. Did Mick, Hannah and Jen have a good time with all the thrusting, grunting, Arthurian legend and whole load of unexpected Geoff Tipps? And does the answer to that mean it's a good film? Find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Suze Kundu's good news is out of this world

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2026 26:12


    A space mission that passed the Bechdel test? There's never been such times! Mick needed no further prompting to get NASA's finest, Dr Suze Kundu, on the Zoom to chat about bright spot amid the gloom: Artemis II. And not content with that being a feel-good story for the ages, Suze came armed with some other women-centred tales of joy in STEM.  As ever, there's extra chat for our £5 patreons. And so if you want to know a bit more on how positive this mission has been for women in STEM, learn what's next for Artemis and hear Suze crying at Carroll the lunar crater, visit patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Hunger, with Katriona O'Sullivan

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2026 26:56


    After being raised by parents with addictions, professor of psychology at Maynooth University, Katriona O'Sullivan turned her experiences into bestselling non-fiction book Poor. Her follow-up, Hungry: A Biography of My Body, explores how poverty, and the sexual abuse she endured as a child, have shaped her relationship with her body. Jen chats to Katriona about the vulnerability of neglected children and the adults they grow up to be, and the harm caused by society's obsession with women shrinking themselves. Help and support is available for survivors of all types of childhood abuse, via the National Association for People Abused in Childhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Flicking #72: Left-Handed Girl

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2026 31:42


    Shih-Ching Tsou's debut feature film caused a stir at Cannes, and tickled many a reviewer's pickle, but flew under the radar when it landed on Netflix last November. A shame for many reasons, not least because it's by a woman about women, as the iPhone camera tracks single mum Shu-Fen, and her two daughters – five-year-old I-Jing and university-aged I-Ann – as they try to make a fresh start in their home city of Taipei. What will Yosra and Hannah make of this refreshingly wang-light pick from Mick? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: This is not an emergency podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2026 43:47


    Everything is totally normal in America, right? This week, special guest Helen Lewis stops by to talk to Hannah about Trump's war, Hegseth's row with the Pope, AI doom-mongering, the US at 250, and other assorted insanity. Who you gonna call? No really, who? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2026 25:29


    Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan's teen musical comedy gave a well-deserved ribbing to the advertising and music execs of the early ‘00s, as well as teen culture in general. But at what point does this satire become part of the problem? Shall we ask Tara Reid? And what were they putting in Sunny Delight in the late ‘90s? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Ila Colley on the trouble-making Elizabeth Allen

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2026 26:16


    The fascinating story of Elizabeth Allen takes us from East London to a remote woodland cabin, to Hollywood and back, before settling in Coventry, where Compton Verney is exhibiting the artist's absurd, funny and boldly prophetic work 60 years after her debut. Jen catches up with Ila Colley, Compton Verney's curator of folk art and the exhibition, Troublemakers and Prophets: Elizabeth Allen and Other Visionary Artists, to chat about Allen's extraordinary life and work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Beneath the Waves

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2026 23:51


    A new adaptation of Virginia Woolf's The Waves opens at London's Jermyn Street Theatre next week. Hannah chats to playwright Flora Wilson Brown about the appeal of Woolf to young people, the issues with adapting her work and the loss of “scenes” in the modern world. Grab yourself a ticket here: https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/the-waves/ Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Helen Thorn has faced big change and come back stronger

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2026 26:38


    It's fair to say author, Scummy Mummy and self-proclaimed running nerd Helen Thorn has dealt with some pretty hefty shit in the last few years. Her new book, How to face big change and come back stronger, is a hopeful, comforting, funny look at how to navigate some of life's biggest challenges: change, grief and loss of self. It's packed with practical wisdom from a plethora of women who have walked the walk.  Mick caught up with Helen to talk endurance, navigating life looking very different, growth, ditching bad habits, and – of course – lasagne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Cost of Trust

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2026 31:41


    Surgeon Ian Paterson was jailed in 2017 for conducting botched and often unnecessary operations on his patients, who were predominantly women. Hannah chats to Deborah Douglas and Tracy King about their new book, The Cost of Trust: The Butcher Surgeon and the Scandal that Shamed British Medicine, their experiences of being "cared for" by Paterson and the battle to ensure it can't happen again. This episode contains some pretty graphic descriptions of surgery You can buy The Cost of Trust here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-cost-of-trust/deborah-douglas/tracy-king/9780008712938 To hear the full interview, join the Patreon supporter gang here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Is that a really long scroll, or are you just pleased to see us?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2026 31:39


    What could go wrong in an unregulated fertility clinic, asks our Jen while discussing a BBC report on families seeking fertility treatment in Northern Cyprus. Mick has better news about guidance aimed at making public spaces safer for women and girls, and there's a glimmer of hope from the Middle East. Elsewhere, the Daily Mail invites us to play a Guess Who? of “bodycounts” in SOTW, and there's some uplifting news in Jenny Off The Blocks about sports science for female athletes, and the upcoming Women's FA Cup quarter-finals. Donate to the British Red Cross's Gaza Crisis Appeal here. You can find out more about the University of Portsmouth's research group in breast health here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Chariots of Fire (1981)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2026 34:16


    Is it the Devil's work to run on a Sunday? Who's even heard of Cambridge University? And who will win a mini-break with Nigel Havers? Find out the answers to these and many more questions as we watch the classic '80s Oscar (and God) botherer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Samira Ahmed's inside the box

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2026 28:45


    Journalist, writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed is a busy woman. Through the Square Window, her new(ish) podcast with Graham Kibble-White guides listeners through UK TV of decades gone by. It's nostalgia with a keen critical eye, examining what TV reflected about and indeed brought to British culture. With telly very much still at the forefront, Samira's also penned the forthcoming BFI Film Classics volume on 1964 Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night. She chats to Mick about TV, its role in our daily life, how her mum taught men to cook, and what the telly can tell us about a social moment. And of course, the Fab Four's first film and what makes it such a great ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Elinor Cleghorn on the radical history of mothering

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2026 27:26


    The work of mothering has been undervalued for centuries, relegated to the sidelines thanks to patriarchal control of history. In her new book, A Women's Work: Reclaiming the Radical History of Mothering, acclaimed author Dr Elinor Cleghorn brings stories of mothering out of the shadows to show how the women in them shaped history. Jen chats to Elinor about the book, the denigration of mothering as “women's work”, and the lessons we could learn (as well a few we could forget) from the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Outside The Box March 2026

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2026 47:10


    In this month's round-up of the best and worst TV, we're talking about A Woman of Substance, Gone, Rooster, The Lady, DTF St Louis and Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Because we got high

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2026 33:18


    Hannah's been looking for light at the end of the endlessly depressing news-tunnel and found it in the case of seven Adams County sheriff's officers vs Joseph “Afroman” Foreman, as well as some delightful canine antics. There's less happy news about top schools excluding SEND pupils, but a little Brucey bonus if you like not retraumatising victims of domestic abuse. Elsewhere, a gold rush ensues at the athletics, and Jenny Off The Blocks also ponders new FIFA rules on coaches in women's football. Want to support us and enjoy additional content? Of course you do. And you can: patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Best In Show (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2026 37:20


    Christopher Guest's second time in the director's chair involved him putting on a dog show. Co-written with Eugene Levy, this fake documentary about the people getting their pooches ready for the prestigious Mayflower Dog Show (and then the show itself) stars Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock and Jennifer Coolidge. And loads of dogs. Will Mick, Hannah and Jen give it a blue rosette or send it home with its tail between its legs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Now Tat Effby's baking with gas

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2026 25:08


    You might know Tat Effby as social media sensation The Caketoonist, sharing her brilliant, doable recipes with a hefty slice of humour all over the social media platforms. Tat's now an author. Her first recipe book, Bake Your Sweet Time, takes traditional flavour combinations and puts them in recipes that vary in length and difficulty, depending on how much time you want to spend in the kitchen. It's a triumph. She chats to Mick about caking, baking, and taking sweet liberties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Jess Baxter on Tracey Emin's Second Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2026 26:18


    Dame Tracey Emin burst onto the art scene in the 1990s and controversy has followed her ever since. Like in 1999, when her Turner Prize-nominated My Bed caused a media frenzy. Emin's raw, autobiographical and confessional work is very personal yet also platforms the wider female experience through its themes of abuse, sexuality, poverty, and reproductive rights.  Jen chats to Jess Baxter, assistant curator of major new exhibition Tracey Emin: A Second Life at the Tate Modern, about the artist, her work, and the expression of the female experience. Want to support us and enjoy additional content? Of course you do. And you can: patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Relatively speaking, with Catherine Carr

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 28:24


    Some 80% of us have at least one sibling, which makes it so commonplace we don't often give it much thought. But we should, says journalist Catherine Carr, and in today's podcast, she talks to Hannah about memory, loss, estrangement, birth order and her new book Who's The Favourite? The Loving, Messy Realities of Sibling Relationships. * You can buy Catherine's book here  * Listen to her podcast, Relatively, here  * And support Standard Issue here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Better not get a Travelodge

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2026 24:49


    Hannah and Mick have braved this week's onslaught of fresh hell. They've even tried turning it off and on again, but no, the news keeps newsing. And so they're chatting the timescales of “immediate” change, archaic criminal law going through the Lords, ice cream and landmines in Croatia, and the sad slaying of the Buffy reboot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Jack & Sarah (1996)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2026 28:56


    Dench, McKellan, Atkins, (Richard E) Grant! Who doesn't love a bit of Tim Sullivan's weepie ‘90s romcom? Hmmm, maybe Mickey and Hannah. Maybe even Jen herself. But can its sublime cast or Simply Red save this week's offering? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Helen Bain on Syliva Plath's daffodil days

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 24:51


    For her debut novel, Helen Bain chose one of her heroes as her focus: poet, author, arch-confessionist and genius, Sylvia Plath. The Daffodil Days spans a year and a half in Plath's life, during which she and husband Ted Hughes head to Devon seeking the idyll of country living.  During that time, Plath completed The Bell Jar, gave birth to a son, Nicholas, and wrote the poems that would be posthumously published as Ariel. But she also threw herself full-heartedly into the Devon life, and it's this and what it tells us about Plath, which Helen so beautifully explores in The Daffodil Days.  She chats to Mick about Plath, female genius, daffodils, hope and bellringing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Washing up with Isabel Daly

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2026 26:05


    Despite very little experience in feature filmmaking, director Isabel Daly teamed up with writer Issy Brett and actor/writer/producer, Carys Glynne, to make Washed Up, their debut feature film on a shoestring budget. The delightful story of a Cornish artist who accidentally falls in love with a selkie premieres at this year's BFI Flare, the British Film Institute's annual LGBTQIA+ film festival. Jen caught up with Isabel to talk about filmmaking, queer representation in film, Airbnb culture, and the joy of a 90-minute movie. Washed Up screens at BFI Flare on March 25 and 28 and tickets are available now. Want to support us and enjoy additional content? Of course you do. And you can: patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Flicking #71: I Swear

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2026 38:05


    Kirk Jones's biographical drama based on the true life story of John Davidson, the man who taught Britain about Tourette Syndrome, is currently no 1 in the Netflix UK charts. It bagged lead actor Robert Aramayo the best actor gong at the recent Baftas, an awards ceremony that led to the film having a fourth act no one was expecting.  Hannah picked it as her next Flicking choice waaaay before any of that occurred. She, Yosra and Mick chat about this frank, powerful, gut-wrenching and funny account of a man still bringing much-needed awareness to a still misunderstood condition.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Reports of our cognitive decline are greatly exaggerated

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2026 27:15


    Turns out we all just need to be a little more Linford, a little less Peter. Just one life lesson from Mick and Jen's look at the news this week. There's also the issue of savings versus compensation, former politicians you probably do not want to find in your mate's bathroom, an important Mumsnet report into medical misogyny in Sexism of the Week, and news on the Iranian women's football team in Jenny Off the Blocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: Lone Star (1996)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2026 30:15


    Long regarded as the peak of American indie filmmaking in the 1990s, John Sayles neo-western/murder mystery has a cracking cast and asks a huge moral question. Hannah thinks it's way ahead of its time but will Mickey and Jen agree? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Poorna Bell wants more

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2026 26:07


    When she turned 40, journalist and author Poorna Bell decided she'd had enough of being told her best years were behind her – not least because she was seeing so many older women absolutely killing it in their various and varied arenas. With that in mind she set about looking at the rules set for women by society, questioning how and why they'd come to be, which in turn became the basis for her new book: She Wanted More: Reimagine your future and live by your rules. Jen chats to Poorna about why society writes off older women, our fears around ageing, and the art of not giving a shit. Want to support us and enjoy additionalcontent? Of course you do. And you can: patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Paula Varjack on Nine Sixteenths and changing the narrative

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2026 28:04


    A “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Superbowl halftime show caused a huge furore and changed the course of Janet Jackson's career for decades, while her fellow performer, Justin “Trousersnake” Timberlake thrived. Multidisciplinary artist Paula Varjack's play, Nine Sixteenths, examines the impact of the infamous “Nipplegate” incident. Jen chats to Paula about the play, the forces of racism, sexism and ageism that conspired to derail Jackson, and the hypocrisy that underlines pop culture. As ever, there's more available for our £5 and above patreons, and you can become one of those by visiting patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Bush Telegraph: Just because you still have your teeth, doesn't mean you're not trying

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2026 24:58


    Sure, the news is all about the Middle East, but what else is going on? Quite a bit. In this week's Bush Telegraph, Hannah and Jen talk about how "baby brain" is actually good for women, the Telegraph's literally unbelievable school fees story, good news about homelessness in Wales, and sexism in the workplace. And in Jenny Off The Blocks, there's ice hockey, tennis and football.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Rated or Dated: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2026 35:58


    Fava beans and Chianti all round as Mick's picked Jonathan Demme's Oscars-dominating 1991 psychological horror. Or is it a thriller? Other questions addressed include: how's Hannah feeling about Scott Glenn; does the film have feminist credentials; what's with the stereotyping, and how much ham is simply too much ham for Jen's mum Cath? Fffffffffffffff. Etc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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