Standard Issue Podcast

Suzy Madigan, senior humanitarian advisor on gender and protection at international humanitarian charity CARE International, is a human rights specialist who’s worked as an international humanitarian aid worker for 15 years within the UN and NGOs. So, when it comes to humanitarian crises and responses to them, she very much knows her shit. And her name probably rings a bell, because Mickey chatted to her in spring last year about the then-fairly new war on Ukraine. She’s back from Ukraine and back on this week’s Chops. Her recent visit to Ukraine, saw Suzy meet with the women-led organisations doing a lot of the heavy lifting in keeping the country running. She and Mickey chat about how things are on the ground, what these brilliant women are doing and their concerns now – and for what happens after the war. Suzy is also founder and author of The Machine Race, an ongoing series of essays investigating artificial intelligence and what it means for Joe and Joan Public. Because, as citizens, our understanding of AI is mostly pretty limited. And so, with The Machine Race, Suzy’s hoping to demystify and, in doing so, help democratise AI. Because it’s happening. And it’s happening fast. Can she stop Mick watching that Pepperoni Hug Spot advert? Find out. 

All good things come to an end and in this Outside The Box we talk about a few of them. So brace yourself for some Succession and Barry finale chat, as well as Mickey's better late than never Better Call Saul thoughts. Or should that be Better (late than never) Call Saul? Dunno. Moving on, we're also talking about the latest Inside No 9, Perry Mason, Malpractice, Poker Face, The Steeltown Murders and Black Ops. Plus there's an interlude on how much Hannah loves Stephen Root. Spoiler alert, it's a lot.

Witchcraft, witch hunts, and which witches are witch: in this week’s podzine, Hannah has a fascinating, feminist (obviously) chat to journalist India Rakusen about all things witch-related and her new podcast, Witch.  Jen’s chatting to Peaky Blinders’ Amber Anderson, star of a new production of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things at London’s Park Theatre, about cruel relationships, societal pressures, controversial characters, and absolutely not aligning with the women she plays. There’s a regular dollop of sporting action in Jenny Off the Blocks, and Mick’s chosen a Rated or Dated that threatens everyone’s warm childhood memories and might even ruin Hannah’s Christmas: 1988’s Big. 

Lady Margaret Beaufort was a major player in the War of The Roses and the mother of Henry VII. This week marks 580 years since her birth so Hannah's been on the Zoom with historian Nicola Tallis, author of Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch, to chat about Margaret's life, her legacy and why many people believe she's the greatest monarch we never had.You can subscribe to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/StandardIssue

Making babies for a chance to win cold, hard cash sounds like something out of a dystopian nightmare, but was something wealthy lawyer and high-level prankster/prick Charles Vance Millar planned for lols in Toronto, in the decade after his death in 1926. When our Hannah heard about Caroline Lea’s fictional retelling of the shockingly real-life Great Stork Derby in her latest novel Prize Women, she had to talk to her. They chat about Vance Millar, the women who got caught up in his dubious legacy and why the number of children women have is topical again.Award-winning and best-selling author, and long-distance runner, Dr Rachel Hewitt was interested in the erasure of women from the history of sporting pursuits in the great outdoors, when a series of family bereavements made her question loss in the wider sense. She joins Jen to chat about In Her Nature: How Women Break Boundaries in the Great Outdoors, her new book, which examines grief, the things women lose - or rather are taken from them - just by virtue of their sex, and the women who blazed a trail in early outdoor sports. 

Working-class poet and writer Natasha Carthew is Cornish. She grew up in a small village called Downderry, where the rockpools, beautiful beaches and hedgerows were as constant as the low wages, high property prices, lack of nearby resources and services, and the high rates of alcoholism, drug misuse, mental health crises and suicide. How’s that for a picture perfect postcard?Rural poverty often gets lost amid the stats on urban poverty, so in her first non-fiction, Undercurrent: A Cornish Memoir of Poverty, Nature and Resilience, amid recollections of her youth, Natasha investigates the state of poverty in rural places in general, and Cornwall in particular. In this Chops, Natasha chats to our Mick about the generational trauma of rural poverty, the othering of poor kids, and how careless tourists add to the problem. But it’s not all doom and gloom: Natasha is a huge champion of working-class voices and so they also talk about the power of resilience and writing, and the return of the excellent ClassFest in 2024.

Good morning listeners! And in case we don't see you, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight. Jim Carrey’s Truman Burbank is the star of this month’s Flicking, but maybe we’re all the subjects of Yosra’s pick: Peter Weir’s terrifyingly prescient 1998 drama/sci-fi/dystopia/horror, The Truman Show. How do Hannah and Mick feel about that? Find out. 

Digital frustration affects most of us, which probably explains why comedian Stevie Martin's sketches went viral in lockdown. This week, Mickey catches up with her to talk about all sorts, including her new YouTube pilot, screen time, and how her bum is. Hannah's been on the Zoom with writer, actor and director Daniella Isaacs to chat out about her new BBC audio drama People Who Knew Me and why they both keep forgetting to take their earphones out. In Jenny Off The Blocks, Jen's looking ahead to the French Open and in Rated or Dated, we've been watching 2003's Daddy Day Care, with mixed results. And in Sexism of The Week, someone's been reading the Daily Mail. Why Mickey? Why?!?You can watch screen time here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQYdc-FxeYg

Born of frustration around a lack of body literacy and taboos hindering progress in women's health and fitness, Baz Moffat, a coach and former GB rower, founded The Well HQ in 2021 with scientist Dr Emma Ross and GP Dr Bella Smith. They hoped to address the huge knowledge gap around how women’s bodies work and function, which hinders our ability to optimise performance and enjoyment in sports and fitness. Fast forward two years, with The Well going from strength to strength, they've published a new book, The Female Body Bible: A Revolution in Women’s Health and Fitness. Jen talks to Baz about her experiences as an elite athlete and coach, and the more than marginal gains to be made in women’s sport by a better understanding of women’s bodies, as well as addressing some of the myths doing the rounds around women’s participation in sport and fitness at different life stages.