Standard Issue Podcast

With Westminster’s political bin-fire still burning bright, Mick caught up with Belfast-based journalist and author Siobhan Fenton to find out how it's affecting what’s going on in Northern Ireland. The team had a natter with writer Bella Heesom about her new play, Rejoicing At Her Wondrous Vulva The Young Woman Applauded Herself, and why we should all be celebrating our lady bits a lot more. Jen chats to terrific hockey birds Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh about the BBC’s plans to #ChangeTheGame and the forthcoming summer of women’s sport, and all eyes – human and/or replicant – on Blade Runner in Dunleavy Does Dystopia. Contains flying cars. Meanwhile in the Bush Telegraph, there’s more Twitter twattery and some covert whales. Really.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

Throughout May, we're treating you to a selection of sporty Chops, in which: Jen chats to Sarah Train from Kick It Out about homophobia – and other forms of discrimination – in football; Jackie Forsyth and Claire-Marie Roberts about their book The Exercising Female and why we shouldn't be lumping men and women's bodies together as one giant interchangeable lump when it comes to sport (or, you know, anything); and we'll have a Women's World Cup Special featuring *gasps* Alex Scott.In this episode, Jen catches up with Catherine Bond-Muir, CEO of the W Series, the brand new motorsport series for women, as well as drivers Alice Powell and Emma Kimilainen, to find out how the series got off the ground, and why it's so needed.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

Forty years after Margaret Thatcher became the UK's first female Prime Minister, she remains one of the most divisive names in British political history. We wanted to explore her political legacy today, so asked 22 women - some of whom knew her, most of who spent their formative years in Thatcher's Britain - about how Thatcherism changed, and continues to change the country we live in.In the second part of our two-part special podcast, we look at what That Bloody Woman did for – or indeed to – country, society and state.. Featuring the thoughts of Jess Phillips MP; author Val McDermid; political commentator Ayesha Hazarika; Southall Black Sisters' Pragna Patel; former health minister Edwina Currie; journalist Samira Ahmed, author Claire Allan; journalist Siobhan Fenton; writer AL Kennedy; comedian Jo Caulfield; Debbie Mathews and Dot Rodgers from the Sheffield Women Against Pit Closures, and disability rights activist Barbara Lisicki, among many others.In part one we look at the effect Thatcher had on women and minorities, and if you haven't already listened, you should.Thanks to ITV's News At Ten.Credits: "Super Power Cool Dude" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  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

Forty years after Margaret Thatcher became the UK's first female Prime Minister, she remains one of the most divisive names in British political history. We wanted to explore her political legacy today, so asked 22 women - some of whom knew her, most of who spent their formative years in Thatcher's Britain - about how Thatcherism changed, and continues to change the country we live in.In this first part of a two-part special podcast, we look at the effect That Bloody Woman had on women and minorities. Featuring the thoughts of Jess Phillips MP; author Val McDermid; former leader of the Women's Equality Party, Sophie Walker; political commentator Ayesha Hazarika; Stonewall founder Lisa Power; Southall Black Sisters' Pragna Patel; former health minister Edwina Currie; and journalist Samira Ahmed, among many others.In part two, we'll be focusing on what Thatcher did for - or indeed to – country, society and state. We talk to even more brilliant women, including author Claire Allan, writer AL Kennedy, comedian Jo Caulfield and some of the women from the Sheffield Women Against Pit Closures.Credits: "Super Power Cool Dude" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Thanks to ITV's World In Action and Spitting ImageSupport 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

Clare Balding and Sara Pascoe? On the same show? Oh yes, it's gigcast week and this time we're spoiling you with a recording of the In Conversation show we did on Valentine's Day, where Hannah and Jen asked questions about role models, romance and why everyone should stop talking to Clare about horses, especially if that horse is imaginary. 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

With the London Marathon taking place on April 28, Jen went to meet 84-year-old marathon runner Eileen Noble, to find out why she loves running, what's changed over the 18 marathons (and counting) she's participated in, and why she wishes more people would take up the sport.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

Scrapping no-fault eviction is a start, but as Georgie Laming of Generation Rent tells Hannah and Jen, there are many more difficulties facing those trying to keep their heads above water in the renting section of the housing market. Natasha Devon is back, this time chatting what’s what with anti-semitism in certain sectors of the Labour Party and how we can all help. And there’s more calls to fight racism, this time in football, as Jenny Off The Blocks finds Jen talking to Sarah Train, one of Kick It Out's professional clubs equality officers.Also, the brilliant Libby Liburd is in to talk boxing in general, women boxers past and present in particular, and how it’s all incorporated in her new play, Fighter (Stratford Circus, Apr 25 to 27).Dunleavy Does Dystopia visits the not-too-distant future of 2022, as seen through 1973’s Soylent Green, starring Big Chucky H himself, and there’s a vision of future peace on Twitter that no one’s ready to believe 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

Musical comedian and impressionist Jess Robinson chats impersonations, finding your own voice and what it’s really like on Britain’s Got Talent, as Hannah, Mick and Jen just shout ‘do more voices! at her, like the delightful pricks they are. Jess also attempts to teach the team how to ‘do’ Liza Minnelli, which includes a double hip operation and a sterling effort from our Jenster.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

This week the team catch up with comedian and musical impersonator extraordinaire, Jess Robinson (and a few friends, natch). Mick and Jen chat to Natasha Devon, campaigner, author and presenter of Channel 4’s The Naked Beach about body positivity and mental health. There’s T-bots, gory rips and cat chats in the Bush Telegraph while Jenny Off The Blocks looks at Wrestlemania. And Dunleavy Does Dystopia ponders whether size really does matter as Hannah takes in the intense earnestness of Gattaca.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

Joanne Harris, globally bestselling author of Chocolat (among many other books), chats to our Mickey about her latest novel, The Strawberry Thief, and a whole host of other topics, including empty nest syndrome, magic and folklore, the pinkification of women authors, being badass on Twitter, and that time someone left a machine gun in her garden hedge.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