Shameless

Well ‘ello ‘ello from London! Welcome to our first Shameless Takes interview for 2025 – and what better way to kick things off than with the incredible James Acaster. 

In today’s chat, we discussed James’ ever-changing relationship to fame, how he decides how much of his personal life to include in his stand-up performances, why he pivoted from music to comedy (and back again, a few times over) and what he loves the most about making Off Menu with Ed Gamble. 

This episode of Shameless is brought to you by Samsung. Fold or Flip the new Galaxy Z series today. 

Shameless Podcast is hosted by Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews, produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Eilish Gilligan. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema, Charlotte White, Emily Li and Eilish Gilligan, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu. Also, an extra special thank you to Lucy Hunt and Jonathan Last for their help with this episode. 

Finally, a really, really massive thankyou to James Acaster for chatting with us. If you want to know what James is up to, and where you can see him live next, check out www.jamesacaster.com. You can listen to the Off Menu podcast on Apple and Spotify. 

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

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Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast 

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello!

Coming up on today’s show: Sabrina Carpenter drops her newest album, Man’s Best Friend, an explainer on why this Cardi B trial is everywhere, Mr Beast has beef with Rolling Stones, lol, Kris Jenner wants you to feel empowered enough to get a facelift too, Pamela and Liam Neeson was a stunt all along and welcome to my algorithm -a man stole a hat.

This week, Zara recommended watching The Gilded Age. Mich recommended her brother Tom’s phone hack! Listen to find out what it is, hehe.

Thanks so much to CeraVe’s SPF50 for making this episode possible. Combining broad-spectrum sun protection with a daily lightweight moisturiser, fall in love with wearing CeraVe SPF50 every day. Shop it now at your nearest pharmacy.

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Mike Liberale. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema and Emily Li, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn  Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557uxAaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello hello!!

On today’s show: The Summer I Turned Pretty is EVERYWHERE. We wanted to explore the appeal of this show and why it seems to have taken off with millennial women in particular – how did it cut through when so many other shows have tried and failed? Also, The Summer I Turned Pretty has a reputation for being warm and fuzzy… so why has the show had to issue a request to viewers to please stop bullying its cast members? Or, should we say, one cast member in particular… 

This episode of Shameless is brought to you by Samsung. Fold or Flip the new Galaxy Z series today. Also – huge shoutout to OnePass and their Big Brands Bonanza!

On today’s show, Mich recommended Weiner on Apple TV. 

Listen to Cheating The New York Times Best Seller List.

Your hosts are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Michelle Andrews (@michelleandrews1).

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Eilish Gilligan. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema, Emily Li and Eilish Gilligan, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn   

Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557ux 

Aaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp 

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast 

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello!

On today’s show: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married, Millie Bobby Brown is officially a mum, Serena Williams wants you to know she’s using weightloss injections, what’s up with the Zoe Kravits/Harry Styles/Austin Butler “love triangle?”, Snoop Dogg keeps running his mouth, Zara’s insisting we talk about The Beach Boys’ feud, and remember that guy from Scandoval? Yeah. We’re talking about him again…

This week, Zara recommended My Oxford Year on Netflix and The Map That Leads to You on Amazon Prime.

Listen to the first episode of Annabelle’s new project, The Confessional, right here!

Thanks so much to Samsung for making this episode possible. The Galaxy Z Flip7 is the most fashionable Flip phone, and you can now get your hands on it at samsung.com.

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Mike Liberale. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema and Emily Li, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn  Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557uxAaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi!

On today’s show, Netflix just dropped a three-part documentary about one of the most successful reality TV shows of our time: The Biggest Loser. We’ve known for a while that the methods used on this show were incredibly damaging, both physically and psychologically, but this doco has brought this conversation back into the mainstream at a very interesting time in our culture… 

Your hosts are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Michelle Andrews (@michelleandrews1).

Big thanks to Elite Eleven’s Omni collection for making this episode of Shameless possible. Ultra-soft, ultra-elevated loungewear – shop it now online, in-store or on the app. 

On today’s show, Gil recommended WWE: UnReal on Netflix. 

Sources:

The Biggest Loser by Maintenance Phase

Supersize Me by Maintenance Phase

The Biggest Loser P1 and P2 by Fad Camp

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

‘You Just Need To Lose Weight’ by Aubrey Gordon

Fat Is Not A Bad Word by Hunter Ashleigh Shackelford

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Eilish Gilligan. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema, Emily Li and Eilish Gilligan, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn   

Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557ux 

Aaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp 

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast 

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi hello and welcome to our August review episode! This month, we’re reviewing the new biography of Gwyneth Paltrow, written by journalist Amy Odell. Here’s a snippet from the blurb: “This deeply researched and rigorously reported biography of Gwyneth Paltrow takes us inside the world of one of the most influential, aspirational and polarising celebrities of the last thirty years.”

Huge thanks to Audible, the home of romance audiobooks, for making this episode of Shameless possible. 

Your hosts today are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Eilish Gilligan (@eilishgilligan). 

Here’s our Scandal series on Gwyneth Paltrow – here on Spotify, and here on Apple. 

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to the Shameless newsletter, Smart Dumb Stuff: http://eepurl.com/iH2sV-/

Aaaand everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast

Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi hi hi!

On today’s show: Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau may be over almost as soon as they began, an explainer on that weird feud between Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain, and is the friendship between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively ruined? Calvin Harris wants us to talk about him, and then Welcome to Belly’s algorithm! The ‘Probably This’ breakup is all over her feed, so she’s bringing it to your ears!

This week, Mich recommended The Queen of Versailles documentary. Zara recommended listening to Dyson Heppell on The Imperfects.

Big thanks to Audible for making this episode possible. Audible is a spicier way to listen to your favourite romance titles – just download the Audible app today to start listening.

And shoutout to Samsung, too! You can upgrade to the Galaxy Z Fold7 at Samsung.com now.

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Mike Liberale. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema and Emily Li, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn  Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557uxAaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello hello! 

On today’s show, Justin Timberlake copped a lot of flack over the break for his lacklustre tour performances. Then, came his explanation: Lyme Disease. So what is it? And why do so many celebrities say they have it? We’re diving into the facts behind this mysterious tick-borne illness. And later, Scooter Braun’s ex-wife Yael Cohen has founded a company that claims to remove the microplastics from your body – for just $13,000 per treatment, that is… 

Your hosts are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Michelle Andrews (@michelleandrews1).

Big thanks to CeraVe for making this episode of Shameless possible. The new CeraVe Balancing Air Foam Cleanser is cleansing reinvented for combination skin – and you can grab it now at Chemist Warehouse.

On today’s show, Zara recommended Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley. Mich recommended ‘Every killer comes from somewhere – but Erin’s case goes against the tide’ from The Australian. 

You can listen to our Scandal series on The Hadids here on Spotify and here on Apple. Also – here’s every episode of Scandal ever! 

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Eilish Gilligan. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema, Emily Li and Eilish Gilligan, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn   

Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557ux 

Aaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp 

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast 

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE’RE BACK, BABY! And boy, do we have a bit to discuss. 

On today’s show: There’s Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl… the curious name of Trisha Paytas’s baby… that Sydney Sweeney jeans ad… those pap shots of Sia and Harry Jowsey… the legal drama bubbling away behind Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut… Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz-Beckham’s renewed wedding vows… the claims that Pedro Pascal is creepily touching his female costars… Katy Perry’s unlikely new romance… and a check-in with Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa, who are still very much “on”. 

This week, Zara recommended reading The Names by Florence Knapp. Mich recommended watching Flee on SBS On Demand.

Big thanks to Samsung for making this episode possible. The Samsung Galaxy Z Series devices – including the Galaxy Z Fold7 and the Galaxy Z Flip7 – are both available from Samsung now.

Your hosts are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Michelle Andrews (@michelleandrews1).

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Mike Liberale. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema and Emily Li, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn  Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557uxAaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello hello! 

On today’s show, our lives have never been this… frictionless. Everything is convenient and bespoke; dating apps present us with an endless stream of suitors, streaming platforms curate personalised playlists for any possible mood, ChatGPT can write tricky emails for us so we don’t have to. But what if the most satisfying part of being alive is wading through the friction? What could happen if we never have to be uncomfortable again?

Also! The Coldplay affair couple. Lol. 

Your hosts are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Michelle Andrews (@michelleandrews1).

Big thanks to South Australia for making this episode of Shameless possible. Visit Australia’s hidden gem and celebrate the simple pleasures. 

On today’s show, Mich recommended The Gen Z Stare by Kate Lindsay in Embedded. 

Listen to ‘Fake bands, real weapons: How Spotify is fuelling the arms race’ from 7AM. 

Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Eilish Gilligan. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema, Emily Li and Eilish Gilligan, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu.

Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated.

Want more? We've got more…

Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn   

Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557ux 

Aaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp 

Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast 

Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices