Happy Hump day EICrunchies! So last week an Instagram post by a child-free creator went semi-viral. The post explored the perspective of its child-free creator (Danni Duncan) and many other child-free people who have felt sad when a friendship has changed following a mate having a baby, and want spaces to express that freely. In the visuals for the post she writes: 

"I know your kids come first but I still believe friendship should go both ways so that makes me selfish. I understand you’re busy but I still hope to hear from you, so that makes me needy. I don’t expect the same time as before but I do hope for some effort, so that makes me unrealistic. I miss our friendship and I’ll say that out loud, so that makes me difficult. Or maybe I’m not a horrible friend. Maybe I just believe friendship should survive life changes. And that both people deserve to be seen.”

And we wanted to discuss this- with your help. We ask: is it fair for CF women to express their sadness when a friend has a baby? Is it on mothers to cross the divide or should those of us without kids do the heavy lifting? Are some friendships just seasonal? And where on EARTH are the dads in all this?

Thank you all SO much for your takes on this- as empathetic, thoughtful and considered as ever. We luuuuurve being in conversation with you all. O, R, B x

Links:

Danni's post

Danni's follow up post

Waterstones - Lessons from a Default Parent by Lou Beckett

Psychology Today - The Ring Theory

Book recs from listeners:

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne

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Good morrow EICinephiles!

Apparently there's a new film out atm? Some kind of rom-com thing starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie?

J.K. We've come home, let us in your windows i.e. your headphones. It's time to discuss the most divisive film of 2026 (and yes, we know it's only February). It's our bumper Wuthering Heights special.

Join us on horseback as we ride through the film and share our takes before disembarking and take a promenade through the wild discourse of the film. We end with a balanced investigation into Emerald Fennell and how she became one of the most divisive filmmakers of our time.

Thank you for listening and let us know your hot takes in the comments. Do you disagree with any of us? We'd love to know below!

In partnership with Cue Podcasts.

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This week Oenone reccomended Wuthering Heights (the book). Beth loved Lord of the Rings and How To Get to Heaven From Belfast. Ruchira loved Sorry Baby and A Little Bit Fruity's episode with Ashley St Clair.

Finally, a Smooth-Brained Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights review – Emerald Fennell’s astonishingly bad adaptation is like a limp Mills & Boon

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Happy Wednesday EIConversationalists. This week we ask, should everything be content?

As of early February 2026, there are at least seven major television and streaming documentaries specifically focused on the case of Lucy Letby. The latest documentary The Investigation of Lucy Letby landed on Netflix earlier this month, featuring, in their words ‘never-before-seen footage as well as interviews with case investigators, a friend of Letby, and one of the victims’ parents.’

The words “digitally anonymised” popped up every time the grieving mother, or Letby’s college friend, “Maisie”, appeared on screen, because although the documentary used their real voices, and real words they used Ai generated humans to represent them.

In a piece for Newsweek H. Alan Scott writes, ‘On paper, the logic is sound. In practice, it is deeply unsettling. The closer you look, the more the illusion unravels. They are talking FaceTuned images—avatars trapped in the uncanny valley, mimicking sorrow without any of the soul, Instead of honoring the victims and grappling with the incomprehensible horror of Letby's crimes, we are left debating the ethics of a visual effect.’

Netflix defended the decision to Esquire, stating the technology was used "to protect the anonymity of the contributors at their request." 

The evening standard said it was 'a morally egregious use of AI slop'

Aside from the AI issue which we go into, we can’t stop thinking about how many documentaries are popping up, seemingly constantly, about things that have just happened or are still happening.

Do true crime documentaries need to have such a big place in our culture?

Thank you so much for all of your opinions and takes on this topic, we love being in conversation with you all. O, R, B xxoxo

The Investigation of Lucy Letby review – this sensationalist take isn’t what this awful case needs

Why The Investigation of Lucy Letby's 'Digitally Anonymised' Documentary is Causing Controversy

Lucy Letby’s parents: Netflix show is an ‘invasion of privacy’

Netflix’s Use of AI Deepfakes is a Betrayal of True Crime

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Hello EICruisers! This week on the pod we're all over the map of pop culture, discussing everything from Brooklyn Beckham's tattoo cover-ups to cancelled RHONY stars to Taylor Swift's Croydon music video to France's open letter "reminding" 29-year-olds to have babies.

We also get deeper into the newly released batch of Epstein files and discuss the fallout so far, how we're choosing to consume this news and why nobody can seem to easily frame this story.

There's also some soul-searching to be had as the three of us ask... are WE performative? One commenter thought so after last week's episode. No hate to them (promise!) but it did make us think... where has this insult come from and what does it actually mean?

Beth's been loving Schitt's Creek and a dognapping drama, Ruchira's been loving Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show and Oenone's been loving Industry and chatting to old men in Waterstones (more on her Substack here).

Thanks so much for listening! If you've read this far could we pleeeeease be cheeky and ask for a rating, review or a share of the podcast on your socials? It really helps us grow and keep making EIC. Love you! O, R, B

In collaboration with Cue.

Links:

The Guardian - France's letter to 29-year olds to remind them to have babies

Nasdaq - Ring Super Bowl Ad Promoting AI Pet Search Raises Privacy Fears

How to Survive the Broligarchy - We all live in Jeffrey Epstein's world by Carole Cadwalladr

"Jmail" (Epstein Files Gmail mirror)

Pod Save America

The Guardian - So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it's about the mass abuse of women and girls.

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Hello EICheetahs,

This week we're discussing the rise of male body image pressures, from increased testosterone use and right-wing pushes to get bigger, to cosmetic surgeons coming for male celebs online. Are we seeing a slow equalising between men and women? And why does this feel so depressing?

THANK YOU to everyone who messaged in for this one as always.

And thank you so much for listening, ORB xxx

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Beefcakes Are Back

T-Maxxing Has Gone Too Far

The Toxic World of Perfect Looks

The Anti-Cosmetic Surgery Essay Every Woman Should Read

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Happy Friday EICritics. It's a full house of hosts again at EIC headquarters, hallelujah! This week, we're wondering if little pins add up to big outcomes? And why the internet has suddenly turned on Olivia Dean.

A lot went on at this year's Grammy’s which took place on Sunday night in LA. Kendrick Lamar won record of the year, Bad Bunny won album of the year and his reaction of disbelief and processing is already circulating as a meme, Olivia Dean was named as best new artist, and Billie Eilish won best song with Wildflower. But aside from the accolades, a big feature of this year’s ceremony- and something that’s been discussed a lot since- were the ICE Out pins that were worn by many attending - Kehlani, Billie Eilish and Finneas, both Justin and Harley Bieber, Joni Mitchell, plus a handful more. Should we be praising this, or questioning if celebrities scared to participate in true activism?

Next up, in 2022, one of the internet's favourite culture writers Rayne Fisher-Quann coined a term when she tweeted, ‘Ottessa moshfegh is on the verge of getting woman'd | can feel it (woman'd is what I call it when everyone stops liking a woman at the same time)’, we ask, is this happening right now to Olivia Dean?

Beth's been loving - Bridgerton

Ruchira's been loving - Oh,Mary! , Perfection

Oenone's been loving - The Count Of Monte Cristo

2025 was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades. Here are the 32 people who died in custody

What the “Ice Out” Pins at the Grammys 2026 Mean

the one about whether celebrities should also be activists

Does it matter when celebrities like Bad Bunny castigate Trump and ICE at the Grammys? You bet!

Being ‘Woman’d’ Is Becoming A Depressing Inevitability For Us All

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Hello EICrumpets! Welcome to Wednesday. For this week's Everything In Conversation we're talking about sex in films after actor and director Olivia Wilde responded to the statistic that almost half (48.4%) of Gen Z don't want to see as much sex in film and on TV. She said "I think the way that sex has been portrayed in film for a long time hasn’t been particularly realistic. There’s been this movement now towards authenticity, which is really good. So I choose to interpret that statistic maybe as Gen Z saying, ‘We don’t want to see inauthenticity anymore. We want to see real relationships, and we want to have something that feels more genuine.” 

Is she right that Gen Z are only rejecting poor representations of sex OR are they in fact a truly prudish generation who won't be happy until all love scenes are abolished and everyone involved put in jail? Let's find out!

Links:

Spotify - Diabolical Lies

Variety - Olivia Wilde Says Sex in Movies Hasn't Been 'Realistic' for a 'Long Time'

LinkedIn - Heated Rivalry and the Rejection of Romanticised Harm

The Guardian - Almost half of gen Z viewers want less sex on screen study finds

Ladbible - Gen Z Intimacy Statistics Revealed

The Guardian - Passages film review

Everything Is Content Porn Deep Dive Part One

Everything Is Content Porn Deep Dive Party Two

The Times - Gen Z want more realistic sex scenes. Here's why

The Guardian - Pornhub to stop new UK users accessing site from next week

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Hello EIChihuahuas,

We're back with a hot, steamy episode... Yes it's Heated Rivalry time!! We bravely tackle the series everyone in the US has already spoken about for months now (thank you HBO for edging the UK with a delayed release).

Next-up, Jameela Jamil has been drawn into the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni arena thanks to text messages between her and her PR agent becoming public knowledge. We weigh in on the situation and her response to it all.

Finally we're back with some pop culture headlines and a live review of Cruz Beckham's music. Is he capable of becoming the most successful Beckham?

THANK YOU for listening to us. Please could you gift us a review on your podcast player app and share us with a friend? Love O, R, B xxx

In partnership with Cue Podcasts.

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This week Ruchira reccomended Sentimental Value and Diabolical Lies. Beth reccomended Sorry Baby and Conclave.

Do women love “Heated Rivalry” too much?

Why Are Women Obsessing Over Gay Hockey Smut?

Women are feral for Heated Rivalry. What does that say about men?

So, my private texts were leaked to the world...

What Jameela Jamil’s Texts Say About Her Feminism

Cruz Beckham - Optics

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Hello EICaramels,

As promised we're wading into the grim world of student loans, specifically the Plan 2 nightmare for UK students. Were we scammed aged 17/18 when we signed up to these loans? It's clear we weren't told that the terms i.e. the interest rates could change over time and significantly impact the amount we're paying back for the majority of our working lives.

Thank you as always to everyone who messaged in for this one. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the episode and your loan situation. Love O,R,B xxxx

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Scandalous student debts are crushing the economy

How do student loans work and when are they written off?

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Hey EICapulets! To Brooklyn, or to Beckham? That is this week's question.

There was simply no way of doing this episode without discussing the biggest news of the week, which is a pretty big statement, all things considered. 

On Monday evening, Brooklyn Beckham took to his Instagram and posted a series of stories stating that he does not want to reconcile with his family. This comes after years of speculation about a rift between the Beckhams and Brooklyn and Nicola, a lot of which started after their 2022 wedding.

We discuss how and why this has taken the internet by storm, and what we make of it all.

Next up! Chloe Zhao's Hamnet is based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel of the same name. The fictional story follows Agnes Hathaway (played by Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal) as they lose their son Hamnet to the plague- and how this tragedy births the play Hamlet. Very little is known about Shakespeare’s life, so this story has been compared to fan-fiction. But just a lil fact check: several other plays, including two comedies, Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It came between the death of Hamnet and the creation of Hamlet, according to The New Yorker.

Since the film’s release there’s been a lot of claims it's "grief porn". We get into it.

And lastly, whoever is doing 2016’s marketing needs a raise, after a nostalgia-based trend caused what feels like the entire internet to look back a decade to the days of Pokemon Go, Brexit, Beyonce’s Lemonade, Trump 1.0, Kylie lip kits and chokers to name but a few big moments and trends. For those of us who were old enough to own phones and participate in the culture and social media back then, throwbacks are aplenty. For those who missed it the first time around, FOMO is in full force. Harper’s Bazaar has called 2016 the “last good year”, and Glamour suggested it might be the last time we felt “hopeful”. According to TikTok, searches for 2016 surged by 454% in the first week of the new year and about 229 million posts have been made using their 2016 filter. But why?

We hope you enjoy, as always please do rate, review & subscribe!

Thank you to Cue for the edit.

Beth's been loving: The Silence Of The Lambs (the book), Emily In Paris. Ruchira's been loving Stranger Things and Dying For Sex & Oenone's been loving A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, The Night Manager

Brooklyn Beckham's statement

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