Elis James and John Robins

BBC Radio 5 Live
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Sep 9, 2025 • 1h 16min

#470 - Old Man Bum, A Dream A Dream of Beef and Lust: 12 Bodies That Changed My Life

The boys have been busy bees recently and the show’s in danger of turning into a Michael Palin travelogue. Elis has returned from France and regales us with stories of visits to ex-military factories, intense chats with German families and Isy’s attempts at speaking French.Then it’s time for the first instalment of Elis and John’s Road to Nowhere, where your favourite podcast hosts drive around the country for no apparent reason other than to visit their valued family members. They’ve clipped on their mics (much to Elis’s embarrassment) and invited us onto the tour bus. Expect travel-based badinage and a whole lot of service station chat. Radio 4, are you listening?Back in the studio and on bum-based terra firma, Elis has gone up a pant size because of his ever-growing behind, whereas John’s seems to be ageing beyond his years.Why not spend your free time penning a witty missive to your favourite podcast? Send emails to elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk or it’s 07974 293 022 on WhatsApp.
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Sep 5, 2025 • 49min

#469 - The New Beans, In John’s Time and Eating Margaret Mountford’s Hair

The boys are fresh from driving around the country for charity with Ian Botham, which of course means Elis is exhausted and tour newbie Dave is absolutely fine.And there’s more bad news for Mr James as the Elis vote is being split in the Listeners’ Choice vote at the British Podcast Awards. He’s going to get pilloried by one co-host or maybe both. But given that John is more likely to lacerate Elis than Bubbins, place your vote in this stable. Find it online somewhere.And there’s also some Mad Dads to dig into and could John step into a Bragg-shaped hole to front Radio 4’s most influential discussion show?Remember, there’s bonus Saturday content *only* on your friend and mine BBC Sounds.Got something to say? Well head this way… WhatsApp - 07974 293 022 Email - elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk
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Sep 2, 2025 • 55min

#468 - Noble John, Sugar Me Twice and Good Old Gent

The ripples of last week’s Elis James mega-rant are still being felt right across the BBC, and despite vowing to ignore the call to pen John’s obituary, Elis has rowed back and done just that. Brace yourself for some emotional heft and candid commentary on John’s propensity for darts at university.But John’s made of sterner stuff these days and recovered to reveal the sighting of a certain car has left him shocked to his very core. Elis and Dave, on the other hand, don’t seem that bothered…Elsewhere there’s some classic ‘what would you do with loads of money’ chat that somehow leads to a conversation about Liam Gallagher’s coat collection, and a geography-based Made Up Game hits the mark with very little knowledge needed of the Falkland / Faroe Islands.We love receiving your emails and WhatsApps and wholeheartedly encourage you to send them in. The email is elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk and the WhatsApp is 07974 293 022.
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Aug 29, 2025 • 60min

#467 - Chiles Miltree, Toddler Watson and King of the Nerds

There’s a surprise in the offing for John. Not that that’s a surprise to him. Nothing gets past old Sherlock Robins. Especially Producer Dave positioning a phone on a table at a very slight angle.But said surprise leads to some incredible finds about Johnny JR which leave Elis and Dave’s jaws on the floor. This was not what had been intended. Elsewhere John has an out of body experience reflecting on the fact that there’s an entire segment on the show dedicated to his personal wins.Plus, John enjoys an email that could not have been more in his wheelhouse if it tried. For anyone else it would have been useless and just tossed on the Wasteland.The email: elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk The WhatsApp: 07974 293 022 The bonus content: The Bureau de Change of the Mind. Only on Bee Bee Cee Sounds every Saturday morning.
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10 snips
Aug 26, 2025 • 1h 11min

#466 - The UK’s Dumb Plums, The McFlurry Route and The Menutality Monster

Dive into a whirlwind of hilarious discussions on the sharp decline of intelligence in the UK! Explore wild debates on whether it's acceptable to tinkle in a paddling pool and if Martin Lewis belongs in the pantheon of great minds. Enjoy amusing stories of concert mishaps and a competitive taste test of fast food menus, all while reflecting on genius and beauty. From chaotic games to nostalgic dining adventures, this lively banter guarantees laughs and relatable moments throughout!
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Aug 22, 2025 • 50min

#465 - Mr Headinhands, Kirsty’s USP and The Stomach Microbiome of My Instagram

Elis made a bad decision the other day. And if you had a million guesses as to what that decision was then you won’t even get close, even when given the clue "Welsh culture". He's insistent it isn’t the outcome he wanted but John and Dave aren’t sure they believe him.Quite frankly it’s one of the most baffling conversations ever had on this show.Aside from regrettable choices there’s a potassium-rich Mad Dad that breaks new money making ground, Scatman John gets an unexpected amount of airtime, and Elis does a surprisingly good impression of a history teacher.Remember to seek out some bonus content in the form of Saturday’s Bureau de Change of the Mind. That’s only available on your friend and mine BBC Sounds.And if you want to get in contact with thoughts on anything other than the first ten minutes of this episode then it’s elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk or 07974 293 022 on WhatsApp.
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Aug 19, 2025 • 1h 2min

#464 - Aloof Disinterest, Raised By Rats and A Sixth Form State of Mind

Memory lane is today's destination of choice, as John dons his rose-tinted glasses to reminisce about the time 'an arrangement was made' for him to return to his secondary school to assist in its production of Guys and Dolls. Was he officially invited back? Did John simply turn up because he had nothing else on? We're still not entirely sure, but this proud Assistant Director is giving back in a cool way, and that's all that matters.Elsewhere, Elis channels his inner McIntyre with a surprising side offering of Trump, Producer Dave is now worried sick that his house is about to fall down due to an influx of rodent faeces, and 'Don't Hate the Player or the Game - Hate the Governing Body' is the unexpected soundbite of the summer.Dying to share a Made Up Game? Itching to dispel some long-lingering Shame? Well elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk or 07974 293 022 on WhatsApp are the places to go.
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Aug 15, 2025 • 1h 2min

#463 - The Trifecta of Value, Celya AB and A Bin Bag of Marmite

There’s huge news in the rural Bucks area as the Trifecta of Value begins to take shape - pending planning application rulings. It’s one of many wins for John, but the spectre of the biggest loss in many a year hangs over him. But he is unwilling to reveal it in his losses column. Someone should have cottoned on to this sly behaviour by now.Away from the Ls and the Ws we go all Gallic in chatting to the wonderful Celya AB, and John introduces her by making it self-aggrandising. Exactly what Norton and Parkinson would do. Plus Elis gets rinsed by a listener yet again and we dig into the various chain restaurants of Woking.Have you got opinions on Surrey’s fast-casual outlets? Well elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk or 07974 293 022 on WhatsApp are the places to send them.
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Aug 12, 2025 • 1h 12min

#462 - Burger, Sell Me Your Suitcase and Topless Dave In Front of An Olive

John’s been chained to a typewriter diarising his life experiences, and he's so confident about his memoir that he’s written “this is a good book” in Bic on its cover. Something all the great authors do, and he clearly has confidence in his witty emotionally hefty prose.But anyway, in this chapter of the Elis James and John Robins show we’re whisked to the sunny shores of the Iberian peninsula, because Dave has a Made Up Game that required an entire week of deliberation and a classroom’s worth of children.Plus, turn another page and you'll find a one off feature which may or may not feature a dulcetly crooned jingle.Remember you can catch bonus E&J only on BBC Sounds on The Bureau de Change of the Mind. So go and inhale those if you haven’t done so already. (We’re past DI Robbyns nonsense now, so it’s just more of the boys).Get all your passing thoughts in to elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk or 07974 293 022 on WhatsApp.
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Aug 8, 2025 • 1h 2min

#461 - Elis, Man City’s Back Four and Will The Drummer From Coldplay

We start in the anecdote Wild West. Specifically it was wild [north] west London for Elis as he’s been to Oasis in credibility damaging seats. The best seats in the house, surrounded by some of the most famous people in the country. He *could* have asked for General Admission. But he didn’t and that suggestion is shoved up the tunnel of anguish.City backline Akanji, Dias and Gvardiol were all with him and all saw him in tears. Incidentally Gvardiol was papped on commando retreat this summer smeared in war paint. Something you wouldn’t catch Elis doing as he nibbles on his prawn sandwiches.But there are others swinging into the anecdote town, including the most handsome cowboy around, Luke McQueen. We also receive reflections on Elis’s inability to remember Pythagoras' theorem and open up his big ideas box which contains the phrase “health podcast”. *AND* there's a potential ill-thought out feature in the offing. It's hit after hit.elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk or 07974 293 022 on WhatsApp if you also want to reflect on your many corporate box experiences.

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