It's time to go back to an era where you hung around a shopping centre all day with no money for no reason! We talk about Avril Lavigne's impact on millennial women, the allure of being "one of the boys", the Girlfriend era, the question of authenticity and Avril's eventual life with the Backstreet Boys. Annie Lord's first book, Notes on Heartbreak, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we attempt to cover the entire career of Anne Rice and quickly realise that it's impossible, so this conversation takes some of the most enjoyable twist and turns of the season. Caroline and Siobhán discuss vampires, witches, magic in Ireland, trans rights, women who take up TOO much space, Paul McCartney for some reason, sleeping beauty, and much much more.Siobhán McSweeney is the star of Derry Girls, Holding and the is the host of the Great Pottery Throw Down. She is more famous than Fiona Shaw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The bad boy of BBC iPlayer Connor Finch comes on to talk about one of his foremost musical heroes, Lily Allen. We talk about Lily's place in pop culture, her treatment by the British press, what a "London" sound is, the nepotism problem in the arts, and much much more. We don't talk about every single song on Connor's list in detail but the full list is here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2IKpqKPTNJCXFrv0bbClCF?si=ec606c16a49f4286Connor Finch plays "Street" in Everything I Know About Love, which was created by some chick we've never heard of. Catch every episode on BBC iPlayer now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Wimbledon week, and both Caroline and Jessica prefer the romantic, fictional rendering of Wimbledon to actual Wimbledon itself. We discuss Kirsten Dunst's slow-building status as a millennial icon, how this script is a perfect rendering of the rom-com formula, the last great era of the sincere rom-com, and the profound emotional effect of sports movies (even when you don't care about sport itself). Jessica Brown Findlay is the star of Harlots, and formerly of Downton Abbey. Caroline is still an author and you can find her books pretty much anywhere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The host of Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV joins us to talk about this quintessentially 21st century art form. Can we talk about reality TV as a monolith? What's worth keeping, and what's worth throwing away? And was I the only person to watch Celebrity SAS? Pandora Sykes is the host of Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV, as well as Pieces of Britney and The Missing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Janina Matthewson returns to discuss Alanis Morissettes 1995 smash hit album, Jagged Little Pill. We discuss Alanis as a survivor and a songwriter, her enormous good brain, and whether she's the Barack Obama of 90s music. Janina Matthewson is the co-host of History is Sexy as well as the writer/producer of Within The Wires. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Costume dramas are the most dominant way that ordinary people engage with history, so why are we so frequently snobby about them? Dr Emma Southon gives a historian's perspective about the usefulness of costume drama, as well as the pure pleasure of just looking at nice fabrics. We talk Shakespeare in Love, Marie Antoinette, The Lion in Winter, I Claudius, Vanity Fair and even make a pretty good case for A Knight's Tale over Gladiator. Dr Emma Southon is the co-host of History is Sexy and the author of A Fatal Thing Happened on The Way to the Forum, and Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jen Cownie is back on to celebrate our 100th episode with a boozy tarot round up of all the things that need Sentimental Garbage tarot readings: when will men embrace pyjamas? Why does it feel so good to cry in public? And when will prosecco liberate herself from its Basic Bitch prison? Jen Cownie is the co-author of Wild Card: Let The Tarot Tell Your Story, and it's available from all good book shops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punk rock prom queens assemble, today we're talking about the criminally over-looked and under-loved Josie & The Pussycats. Why was this movies so misunderstood, and why do so many critics refuse to believe that women can do sarcasm? We talk about the amazing soundtrack (RIP Adam Schlesinger), the even more amazing fashion (RIP transfer tattoos) and Alan Cumming (RIP my boner)Andrea Cleary is a music journalist and the host of the My Favourite Album podcast.Our Josie & The Pussycats guitar pop playlist can be found here! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1oRXAgaLAtSASt8UpzS3Q2?si=37491a0b065044df Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do influencers make fame feel less special? Influencers distort our ideas of where wealth and fame should come from, and often provoke our hate-follows in the process. We discuss the power of influence and its humble beginnings in the blogging world, the metamorphosis into big business and a curated lifestyle, the exhaustion of the influencer life, and why influencers are so often destroyed by the followers who created them. What happens to them when their influence dies down? Is it better to bow out early, or hang on until the bitter end? And most confusingly of all: are we influencers? Louise O'Neill is the best-selling author of Idol, Asking for It and After the Silence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.