Italian author Ilaria Bernardini is a big deal in her home country. And rightly so. Her latest novel in English, We Will Be Forest, was longlisted for Italy’s presitigious Strega Prize when it originally came out in 2018, and she’s received a tankload of plaudits for her works for the page and screen.

In this episode, Mick’s chatting to Ilaria about the pain, hope and renewal of change, particularly in relationships and events that affect our physical health, the invisible lines that connect us all – and what part plants and nature can play in all of that. 

We Will Be Forest is translated by Livia Franchini, published by Whitefox and out now.

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What’s this, not one but two older women with a lot to do? In the same film? There’s never been such times. Mick’s picked Nyad, the 2023 sports biopic from dream team Elizabeth Chai Vasarheluyi and Jimmy Chin about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim the 110 miles of open ocean from Cuba to Florida – in her 60s. 

But will Hannah and Yosra enjoy this tale of endurance and hubris? And did Annette Bening and Jodie Foster earn those Oscar nods? Find out! 

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Assassination attempts, conspiracy theories and a MAGA Prince Harry costume. How can Hannah and Mickey cram all the drama of the US election into one BT? Well, they give it their best shot, no pun intended. 

And for Sexism of the Week, Mickey's been on the Zoom with journalist, broadcaster and author Terri White. Terri's podcast series, Finding Britain's Ghost Children, quite rightly scooped a whole load of awards and she has continued to bang the drum on how appalling the UK is when it comes to child poverty – 30% of our kids live below the breadline. One huge driver of this is the two-child cap, which Labour has not pledged to scrap. Terri tells Mick why it needs to go immediately if not sooner, talks about the devastating effects it's having, and explains why it's very much a feminist issue.

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This week it's Jen’s pick, and for reasons not even she can explain, she's chosen James Cameron's 1994 Arnie-fest, True Lies. But is Cameron telling tales of tough women, or toxic entitlement? How has Hannah found common ground with a horse? And why does Mick look like she's been crying?

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Artist Louise Bourgeois became a household name late on in her seven-decade long career, and is known best by many for her iconic spider sculptures. However, her body of work explores themes such as life cycles, nature, motherhood, and relationships. As part of its 20 Years of Compton Verney programme, the Warwickshire art gallery and stately home is showcasing Bourgeois’ work in a new exhibition Louise Bourgeois: Nature Study.

Jen caught up with CEO of Compton Verney, Geraldine Collinge, to chat about Bourgeois’ life, work, and why she’s so important, as well as how the venue is celebrating the 20th anniversary of opening its doors to the public.

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Best-selling crime author Lisa Jewell has written a book for Marvel. You heard us. So, our Hazel Davis got on the phone to find out more. They chat about Jessica Jones, killing off characters, a terrible first marriage, audiobooks, hoarding and a lot more besides.

To hear the full interview, including Lisa talking about None Of This Is True, you can sign up to the Standard Issue membership scheme here: https://www.patreon.com/StandardIssue

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The Secret Garden was a childhood favourite of Anna Himali Howard and Holly Robinson - and our Hannah, too - so she leapt on the Zoom to talk about their new stage adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel. They talk about the themes of disability and India, as well as staging a play at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre during the Great British Summer - whatever the weather.

Tickets are on sale here; https://openairtheatre.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb60BhClARIsABGGtw8gIaATFcs62_0fZca2IqIiCO2SvDfIX8SgPJtHv-dloqZtR_D_TwkaAnBOEALw_wcB

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Jen and Mick are on Bush Telegraph duties this week, and boy, oh boy, are they giddy with optimism after Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 General Election. That's rhetorical. And yet, as new PM Keir Starmer rings the changes, some things stay the same – hello sexism. Not that any of it is stopping Jobby the parrot having a lovely time. Meanwhile in sport, we’re chatting Wimbledon and misogyny, and definitely not sending any angry tweets.

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Hannah's been pretty upfront about how much she loved this film as a kid, but hang on, isn't it basically a musical about the rape of the Sabine women? Yes, yes, it is. But will the sheer toe-tapping nature of MGM's much-loved feast for the eyes, help Jen and Mick get over that terrible premise? No prizes for guessing.

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The statistics around domestic violence in the UK and beyond are horrifying – and have been for a long time. When playwright Martha Loader heard about schemes to rehabilitate the perpetrators of abuse, she was inspired to write what became the winner of the 2022 Bruntwood prize for playwriting, Bindweed, which is at London's Arcola Theatre from July 9-13.

Jen spoke to Martha about the issues explored in Bindweed, about the onus of solving the endemic problem of domestic abuse being firmly put on the perpetrators, and about the curiosity of nervous laughter.

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