Standard Issue Podcast

In new BBC drama series The Listeners*, a woman starts hearing a noise that seemingly no-one else can hear. Which was catnip to Hannah, who got on Zoom with its director, Janicza Bravo, and star, Rebecca Hall, to find out more.

* The Listeners starts on BBC1 on November 19 and is also available to watch on the iPlayer

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Women’s ice hockey is on the rise in the UK, and new team on the (ice) block, the Haringey Greyhounds are already intent on promotion at the end of the season. Jen caught up with assistant captain Yami Manchanda to talk about the UK’s ice hockey scene, access to the sport, and the joy of just giving something a go.

The Haringey Greyhounds are next in action at Alexandra Palace on November 25. Tickets available here or on the door (subject to availability).

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Rivals! Rivals! Rivals! Mickey's certainly excited about the small screen adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel, but will Hannah and Jen agree? Find out in this month's Outside The Box, when we're also talking about Mr Loverman, Alma's Not Normal, Showtrial, Territory and Sweetpea.

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Donald Trump becomes the first convicted felon to win the Presidential race and will reenter the White House – again. URGH. Not least for women. Hannah and Mick’s yearned for monkey overlords remain frustratingly absent, but at least Gary Barlow’s massive son and the backpack-wearing rats are here. 

And there’s some extra light relief courtesy of Sarah Millican for our £5+ patrons.

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One of the “cool” movies of the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece* is a carnival of violence and humour set to a banging soundtrack. It made stars of Samuel L Jackson and Uma Thurman, revitalised the careers of John Travolta and Bruce Willis, and basically gave Tarantino a blank cheque going forward. But did it tickle the pickle of Mick, Hannah and Jen? Or is it all Dick Dale and no trousers? 

*Discuss. That’s why we’re here, right?

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Writer and theatre-maker Rae Mainwaring was in her early 20s when she was diagnosed with Mutiple Sclerosis – MS as it's commonly known. All she knew of the autoimmune condition at the time was that every single representation she’d seen of it on TV was one of abject misery, which, ultimately, was not her experience of MS. Some years later, she wrote about her experiences in Bright Places, her Peggy Ramsay award-winning play and a deeply personal and authentic exploration of the condition.

Jen caught up with Rae ahead of a tour of Carbon Theatre’s production of Bright Places to talk about chronic illness, misunderstandings around MS, and getting into theatre later in life.

Bright Places is touring the UK until December 13

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There used to be a time when it was said you were better to seek medical treatment from your wife or your mother than from a doctor, because at least your wife or mother wouldn't kill you. And then it all changed. Hannah chats to Professor Karen Bloom Gevirtz about her book, The Apothecary's Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity, to find out more. 

The Apothecary's Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity is out to buy on November 7, 2024

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Big news in the world of "how can that STILL be going on?" as both the Tory leadership election and the US Election enter their final days. Who will lose? Maybe all of us. Meanwhile, bus fares are going up and so is minimum wage but won't these just cancel each other out? In Sexism of the Week, we continue to let the side down by not having enough babies. And speaking of the next generation, in that she's young enough to be your daughter, Jen's got words for a basketball legend in Jenny Off The Blocks.

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Wondering what medieval women did for us anyway? Or how we even know what they did, given back then only the monks could write? Then get yourself to the British Library's new exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words.

Jen caught up with the exhibition’s curator Ellie Jackson to find out how much we have in common with our medieval ancestors, and why they remain relevant to our lives today.

Medieval Women: In Their Own Words is showing at the British Library until March 2, 2025.

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Literary critic and feminist historian Joanna Scutts’s latest book, Firebrands, showcases 25 pioneering women writers you should have heard of – but probably haven’t. Why? Well, in this episode, Joanna’s chatting to our Mick about the whys, the whos, the what’s changed, what’s not changed and the trouble that kicks off when women start having ideas. 

Firebrands: 25 Pioneering Women to Ignite Your Reading Life is published by Duckworth and out now.

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