Standard Issue Podcast

With an awards-bothering central performance from Eka Chavleishvili, Elene Naveriani’s adaptation of Tamta Melashvili’s 2020 novel got smashing reviews across the board.

Set in a small, remote village in Georgia, the film brings us Etero, a single, middle-aged woman whose quiet, insular life is exploded by a near-death experience and a sexual awakening. 

But is Etero isolated or independent? How mean can women feasibly be to one another? Is it a sexy film? And will talking about it prove too much for Mick’s pronunciation abilities? Yeah, that last one’s rhetorical.

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Mick and Jen tackle this week’s news, which finally (FINALLY!) finds Labour kicking the ball towards a goal – and not even an own goal – in moves* that will annoy both racists and people who like kids living in poverty. There’s also an Old Missus, some classic Mick pronunciation, Jen cheering sportswomen all over the shop, and some nuns. Obviously.

*Probably. If the wind doesn’t change direction.

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Is Sidney Lumet's 1975 bank robbery drama of its time? Or years ahead of its time? Or still pretty relevant to today? Or all of it? Find out as we watch Al Pacino Al Pacino-ing it to the max as the mob cheers him on.

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Hannah and Mick tackle this week’s headlines, looking at whether Jess’s Rule is progress or a damning indictment of the NHS, worrying about young girls reporting being sad every day, charting how the Taliban continues to take its misogyny up yet another notch, and finally – finally – finding something* to like about golf. 

*Sister Rene of the Humility of Mary order

https://malala.org/countries/afghanistan

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Stephen Daldry’s 2000 coming-of-age comedy-drama made big waves on both sides of the Atlantic, and a star of its young lead, Jamie Bell. But how funny is it? Is that dancing actually any good? And is that really how they select people for the Royal Ballet School?

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Food glorious food: not only does it sustain and nourish us as individuals, it brings together communities, crosses borders and merges cultures. When Atoosa Sepehr fled an abusive marriage in Iran, she found herself alone and lonely in London. And then she started cooking. The Persian dishes she created providing an anchor to the home she missed and forging friendships in the one she was creating. 

In My English Persian Kitchen, Atoosa’s story is brought to the stage by playwright Hannah Khalil. But unlike most theatre, it’s not just food for thought, it’s also food for faces: during the one-woman show, actress Isabella Nefar cooks ãsh, a Persian noodle and herb soup, hugely popular in Iran – and then she shares the dish with the audience. 

Mick caught up with Atoosa and Hannah to talk about the power and joy of food, finding community, and how the hell you fit a recipe into a play.

My English Persian Kitchen is on at Soho Theatre from September 30 to October 11, before travelling to Bristol, Dublin and Belfast. 

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Poet, broadcaster, and TikTok sensation, Len Pennie was last on the podcast back in February 2024 on the eve of publication of her first

Jen chats to Len about the ups and downs of her last year, why she writes with “love and spite”, and getting permission to feel our feelings.

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It's Emmy time again and this month we're chatting about the good and bad choices made this year. Which is also an excuse to talk about The Penguin. We've also been watching King of The Hill, Only Murders in the Building, I Fought the Law, Hostage, The Newsreader, King & Conqueror, and Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

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A freedom of speech special awaits you this week, as Hannah and Jen debate the rights and wrongs of opinions expressed on the killing of Charlie Kirk, as well as the rights and wrongs of hammering nails through your penis. There’s added joy from some nuns on the run and - finally - some good news for Keir Starmer and the families of the 97 victims of the Hillsborough Disaster. We also bring you the latest in women’s sport and some very strange noises from Hannah’s neighbour.

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What’s a young man to do when he can’t stop murdering women he fancies? Blame his mum, obviously. The malign power of mothers is just one of several themes raised by the  genre-defining Hitchcock classic and discussed by Mick, Hannah and Jen. Hold onto your shower curtains, it’s time for some piercing violin. 

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