Straight Up

Today’s guest is the best-selling author Caroline O’Donoghue, the GENIUS behind one of our favourite podcasts, Sentimental Garbage, for a pop cultural deep dive on everything from And Just Like That and Desperate Housewives, to Fleishman in Trouble, the career vs kids conundrum and why fame is less like being the most important in the room, and more like being the entire public’s PA. Plus, Caroline’s top recommendations for you all, including Brooke Shields’s Pretty Baby documentary and her favourite London pub. If you take one thing from this chat gang, make sure you buy a copy of The Rachel Incident, which, as thought-provoking as it is funny, is without a doubt one of the best novels we’ve read in the past few years! It’s out now so you can grab yours from all good book shops.Follow Caroline on IG ⁠@czaronline⁠Enjoy the episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple, or send us a DM ⁠@straightuppod ⁠on Insta.Thanks to our two amazing sponsors for this episode:Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to ⁠artfund.org/national-art-pass⁠ to grab your 3-month trial National Art Pass for just £15, PLUS until June 30th you can add a free plus one to your trial membership with promocode STRAIGHTUP.Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at ⁠yondercard.com⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gang, we have waited SO long to debrief about HBO’s new “torture porn” show The Idol, starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd that is already the most talked about TV show of 2023, and since three episodes have passed we think we’re finally ready to give our verdict. We get stuck into its grotesque flaws and surprisingly more promising moments, debating everything from whether Lily-Rose Depp is any good (and if her character Jocelyn could ever really be a viable pop star), to the allegations of “heavy sleaze” and its inescapably male gaze. Plus, the new Black Mirror anthology has dropped on Netflix after a four year wait, and one episode in particular is highly relevant to us celeb culture nuts: 'Mazey Day', the one in which a vulnerable celebrity is stalked by paparazzi. No spoilers huns, instead we debate the ethics of photographing someone who has consented to becoming a public figure, and whether the paparazzi has evolved since its infamous heyday. Plus, a quick overview of episode one, Joan Is Awful, the most "vintage", deliciously "Black Mirror" of all of the new series. Finally, Ellie has a new boyfriend, and we get to meet him! Enjoy the episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple, or send us a DM @straightuppod on Insta.Thanks to our two amazing sponsors for this episode:Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/national-art-pass to grab your 3-month trial National Art Pass for just £15, PLUS you can add a free plus one to your trial membership with promocode STRAIGHTUP.Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi huns, we’ve got someone a little different from the usual celeb on the pod this week: Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who is currently having a second wind of fame thanks to his top-charting podcast The Rest is Politics, of which both of us are HUGE fans. This month he also released a brilliant new book called But What Can I Do? which is all about motivating young, capable people to get into politics and shake things up, with lots of practical tips on how to improve the essential skills you need in politics, from communication to body language. Of course, true to the Straight Up USP, we had to ask Alastair all about his most surreal – and nightmarish – celebrity encounters, from Princess Diana to Jimmy Savile. Plus, he revealed his biggest celebrity crush, how he feels about his daughter's risque comedy, and his surreal interlude writing erotic fiction.We had so much fun (despite Alastair ripping us for our shameful lack of general knowledge) that he even let us accompany him to his home after the recording to sign some books for us. Though he may have got cross that we didn't immediately recognise his portrait of John Lennon - oops.We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording this one! Please let us know what you think by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or rating us on Spotify and come say hello on Insta ⁠@straightuppod⁠Thanks so much to our amazing partners for this episode:Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/national-art-pass to grab your 3-month trial National Art Pass for just £15, PLUS you can add a free plus one to your trial membership with promocode STRAIGHTUP. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.comAlso thanks very much to the Dartmouth Arms in Highgate for hosting us! This gorge pub has an amazing dining club, the next one is on Thursday 29 June in collaboration with Uncharted Wines and is just £50 a ticket for five courses and a welcome drink with an optional £30 wine pairing supplement, tickets available at disappearingdiningclub.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s mad developments in celebrity culture has aligned perfectly with Straight Up’s USP, to deconstruct ‘fame’ in all its surreal highs and horrible lows, so we’re talking about everything from Matty Healey’s controversial performative fame and the online outpouring of outrage from Taylor Swift fans, to the the surreal This Morning saga and Phil Schofield's fall from grace, as well Johnny Depps's return to Cannes. Then, we debrief on the wildly shocking new data on what top podcaster Chris Williamson calls ‘the mating market’ (ie, the dating scene), investigating why so many amazing women are single and why it feels like there aren’t enough ‘good men’ to go round (spoiler: because there literally aren't). Plus, we tell you all about our new TV obsession: Platonic, starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as old friends reuniting, which got us wondering why opposite-sex, heteronormative friendships in adulthood becomes so hard to maintain. Enjoy angels and please do leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta ⁠@straightuppod⁠Thanks so much to our amazing partners for this episode:Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £19.95 at flareaudio.com.Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.comHuel, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello huns, we were SO excited to go round for tea at Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s gorgeous London home the other week to chat all about her extraordinary experience of fame, from her initial “failed” start in a band as a teenager, who were dropped by their label before their second album, to the incredible success of her iconic hit Murder on the Dancefloor just a few years later (Europe’s biggest song of 2002 and our primary school selves’ FAVE). The queen of the kitchen disco was just as fun as we’d hoped, getting into everything from her most embarrassing showbiz fail and how she played the tabloids by making up her own stories, to her insane archive of vintage clothing and a retrospective on what the noughties music scene was really like. Plus, how fame can affect family dynamics, dealing with phone hacking, the paparazzi and a stalker, and what it’s like to be such a successful musician with five children. Sophie's new album HANA is out 2nd June, find it here: sophieellisbextor.komi.ioFollow Sophie on IG @sophieellisbextorLeave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta ⁠@straightuppod⁠Thank you so much to our sponsors for this episode:Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £19.95 at flareaudio.com. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.comHuel, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to another cultural debrief gang! This week, Ellie interviewed the icon that is Kesha for the Telegraph ahead of her brilliant new her album Gag Order, out now, and gave us all the behind-the-scenes gossip and juicy talking points, specifically: did Kesha really have a vaginal ghost exorcism?  Plus we both reveal our own experiences with the paranormal, featuring Kathleen’s mum’s run-in with a hag at the end of her bed and Ellie’s unexplained sleep paralysis...Then, we debrief on Lily Allen’s new show Dreamland, prompting all kind of existential questions, from whether you can ever innocently party with your friend’s partner, to what counts as an unforgivable betrayal, and why filming such scenes were so triggering for Lily, who cheated on her former husband with female escorts. Finally, we get into why everyone is watching Jury Duty right now, as well as all the ethical implications of Amazon's reality hit. And finally, our thoughts on Hailey Bieber’s interview with The Sunday Times Style, where she said that public hate makes her scared to have children, and whether she’s really as “calculated” as Selena Gomez fans would have us believe. Leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppodThank you so much to our amazing partners for this episode:Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.comThank you to Huel for supporting this episode, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buckle up huns because today’s guest is one of our all-time favourites: fellow Londoner and proper funny man Allan 'Seapa' Mustafa, the BAFTA-winning actor, writer and co-creator of hit crime comedy, The Curse, as well as the ICONIC People Just Do Nothing, the BBC mockumentary series – and feature film – where he played MC Grindah. In this hilarious chat, Allan tells us all about the inspiration for PJDN, from his work in a call centre (featuring retellings of some of his best pranks), to the pirate radio and raving scenes he loved, as well as his relationship with weed and partying, and how that has evolved now that he’s a 37-year-old celeb. We also get stuck into whether Allan has always been a natural-born performer, how he met his best friends and collaborators Asim, Steve and Hugo, why they never cared about being famous and how he learned to be a brilliant writer and actor, all on the job. Plus: harnessing imposter syndrome, his “celebrity regret” featuring Post Malone, the comedic tragedy of bravado, meeting fans when your persona is so well known and Allan’s top restaurant recommendations (as a bonafide member of food collective Taste Cadets).Follow Allan on IG @seapa220 and @tastecadets. Watch both series of The Curse now via Channel 4. Thank you to our three partners for making this episode possible:Black Lines, the amazing bottled cocktail company behind the Spicy Tommy's margarita we drank on air. Allan's fave, our fave and this one is utterly delicious – it's our drink of the summer, from festivals and picnics to parties and date nights. Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 for 15% off at blacklinesdrinks.comYonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.comThank you to Huel for supporting this episode, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightupLeave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got a real treat in store for you today angels, starting with the latest explosive Gwyneth Paltrow interview and the many, many revelations she made on how her exes Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck compare, as well as a big debate on therapy, finding yourself and how the Goop guru’s life advice actually works in practice.Next, we get into a fascinating chronology of the ‘It Girl’ phenomenon, based on a new New York Magazine feature, covering Jaime King, Chloe Sevigny, Alexa Chung et al and exposing how these women have been both deified and damaged by that attention. Finally, is Sydney Sweeney our era’s It Girl? All the gossip around the rom-com she’s currently filming with Glenn Powell would certainly suggest so… ​​Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightupLeave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week hunnies we have musician, The X Factor semi-finalist and Strictly finalist Fleur East on the show for a chat all about what it’s like to go through the often brutal churn of reality TV, and come out very much on top! She shared stories about how she almost pulled out of her big The X Factor audition, dealing with managers who wanted to lie about her age, and the wildest A-List party she ever attended. She also shared the cutest story about how she got together with her now husband Marcel, her secrets to a long and happy relationship, and what she’d like to set the record straight on.Plus we’ve got a fabulous bar review for you Londoners, having spent an excellent evening together at the city’s hottest new haunt, Stereo, the stunning cocktail bar, restaurant and live music venue from super chic the Experimental Group. It’s right in the heart of Covent Garden and for a night of killer cocktails, burgers and a little spin on the dance floor, this totally hits the spot. Stereo is at 35 The Piazza, London, WC2E 8BE, check out Stereo’s website at stereocoventgarden.com, or on IG @stereocoventgardenlondon. ​​Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightupLeave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back with a thrilling culture debrief for you today, angels, and as you can hear from our unhinged giggling, we are really very excited to be reuinited with you all, gossiping about everything from Sofia Richie’s wedding at the infamous, ridiculously luxurious Cap Du Eden Roc hotel in France, to the explosive sex scandal gripping the cast of Netflix’s latest hit, Beef. We also get stuck into Lewis Capaldi’s Netflix documentary, How I’m Feeling Now, which highlights his struggles with Tourette’s syndrome, as well as the streamer’s latest surprise success, The Night Agent, a brilliant, pacy political thriller recently became its third most-watched show of all time, as well as, erm, it’s epic new series about chimpanzees. Also, why you need to read Curtis Sittenfield’s new novel Romantic Comedy about a famous male pop star falling for a TV comedy writer, inspired by Kim K’s hook up with Pete Davidson, as well as a deep dive into how Reese Witherspoon became the most powerful woman in Hollywood. Finally, for anyone planning a Mexico trip in the near future, Kathleen gives a very brief overview of her recent travels, from swimming with wild dolphins to street food hotspots. If you’d like to know more, be that on the route, AirbnB reccos or restaurants to book, shoot us a DM and Kathleen shall share! Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightupMexico recommendations discussed: Mexico City: Expendio de Maiz, Orinoco, Supra Roma, the Xocholmilco floating gardens.  Puerto Escondido: Stay in La Punta, swimming with dolphins boat trip, visit Fish Shack. Oaxaca: Mercado Benito Juárez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Tacos Roy. Bacalar: Stay in a lakeside cabin at Amacar Baclar, visit Los Rapidos. Holbox: We stayed at Mystique, do eat at Feugo Santos and Temco. Leave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.