Standard Issue Podcast

Hannah and Mick have looked at the news, had a big scream and are now ready to talk to you about Ticketmaster chaos, the ‘duty of candour’ law and why it’s a no-brainer to apply it to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and why just because Peter Boghossian hasn’t heard feminists talking about Afghanistan doesn’t mean feminists aren’t talking about Afghanistan. There’s also a teeny-tiny police cordon, and some unwelcome visitors in Sarah Millican’s house.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PJ Hogan’s 1994 classic, Muriel’s Wedding, launched his own career, as well as those of Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths. But has Jen misremembered the Aussie comedy as a “feel-good” movie? Is Muriel/Marial/Muriel a likeable protagonist? And will Mick and Hannah ever stop laughing about an unzipped beanbag? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Reah Bravo encountered sexual misconduct at the hands of a former employer during her time as a broadcast journalist, she was surprised by the way she handled it. As, she discovered, were many other women in similar situations. As Reah questioned the impact of the #MeToo movement, she set about examining the ways in which women are socially conditioned to not just tolerate abuse but even prop up abusive systems. That forms the premise of her new book, Complicit: How Our Culture Enables Misbehaving Men, and so Jen caught up with her to chat about this, as well as how women sometimes benefit from complicity, victim blaming, and how cultural identity informs it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often talk about how social media is radicalising men and boys, but it absolutely happens to women and girls, too. In a new BBC3 documentary, America's New Female Right, Layla Wright heads to the US to find out why so many young women are advocating against their own interests. She chats to Hannah about domineering dads, the church, the thrill of clicks, going down a right-wing wormhole and working for Louis Theroux. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who doesn’t love a good night’s sleep? And yet, 40% of us in the UK struggle with some sort of sleep issue. And yes, you guessed it, it affects women more than men. Sunday marks the start of Sleeptember, so Mick grabbed the opportunity to get Lisa Artis, deputy CEO of The Sleep Charity, on the Zoom to talk about those all-important zeds – and why we’ve become so bad at getting them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Bush Telegraph time again and this week Hannah and Mickey are covering perhaps the widest range of topics ever: Oasis, menstrual blood, coercive control and cutting a whale's head off with a chainsaw. You are welcome. And in Sexism of the Week, Mickey's looking at how life is worsening for women in Afghanistan. We didn't say it was cheery. But it does need talking about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy x2 star in this satirical comedy from 1999, which is a firm favourite of both Hannah and Mick. Pressure. Which Eddie Murphy will steal the show? Will Heather Graham out Heather Graham herself? Will Hannah be able to stop watching the same three minutes of the film to watch all the film? Why is Mick practicing her kung-fu moves? Can Hannah get down from that mid-height platform? And, vitally, has Mick pushed her luck by picking Bowfinger for Rated or Dated? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adjusting to life on the outside is, for a lot of prisoners, very hard. But there's a wealth of advice on hand from the Life After Prison podcast and in this episode, Hannah chats to one of its co-hosts, Jules Rowan. They talk about what prison is for, who should and shouldn't be sent there, and how Jules has been using her experiences "inside" to help others navigate theirs.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tissues at the ready, because Yosra's picked a surprisingly dark Marvel film for this month's Flicking. The final outing for James Gunn's ragtag family of heroes led by Chris Pratt's Peter Quill puts half its focus on Rocket's (hellish, heartbreaking) backstory and the other on saving a Guardian in mortal peril. But does it have enough of its usual irreverent swagger to charm Guardians fan Hannah? And how much sobbing at sci-fi can Mick do in a week?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannah and Mick are finding glimmers of good in the bad news this week, as they celebrate the brave women seeking justice in cases involving sexsomnia (sure, yer Honour) and, separately, mesh complications. And what’s that? Extreme misogyny being recognised by the Government as an ideology dangerous to women and girls? There have never been such times. Like, literally; it’s a new dawn and we’re glad to see it. There’s also critical thinking, beavers, the ghost of Alec Guinness and a rendition of R Kelly’s Bump n’ Grind for which Mick cannot apologise enough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices