Stop Everything!

Stop Everything! We're stopping … everything. After nearly eight years of unapologetically overthinking pop culture, it's time to say goodbye.

Bev shares the Stop Everything! origin story, Hannah has a chuffed to end all chuffeds, and we're sharing messages you've sent in from Stop Everything world.

Beverley's back from her trip and joins Hannah to share some news about the future of Stop Everything!

Send us your thoughts about Stop Everything! Or what has you chuffed. Write or leave us a voice mail at [email protected]

Is it possible to authentically share the reality of being a mum, online?

Hannah is joined by comedian and mum of two, Rhiannon Down, to compare algorithms and their fraught relationships with mumfluencer content.

Whether it's mums in spotless kitchens showing off their meticulously organised nappy bags or chaotic scenes interspersed with skincare routines and over the top parties, finding accurate and relatable depictions of motherhood online can be a challenge.

Hannah and Rhi also delve into their favourite fictional depictions of motherhood that have captured something true about the postpartum experience.

Share your thoughts write or leave us a voice mail at [email protected]

Show notes:

A review of season one of The Letdown: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-30/the-letdown-on-abc-is-painfully-real-and-painfully-funny/11156346

Kathryn VanArendonk's review of Jane the Virgin: https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/jane-the-virgin-recap-season-2-episode-6.html

Rhiannon Down's instagram: rhi down (@rhidown) • Instagram photos and videos

Hannah's chuffed by a southern gothic vampire horror film now available to stream, while Bec's binging police procedurals.

Set in the 1930s and written and directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Sinners stars Coogler's long-time collaborator Michael B Jordan l. Jordan plays identical twins with dreams of setting up a juke joint, who instead face down the supernatural.

And comedy writer Bec Shaw has delved into the archives to watch some cosy crime shows, rotating between Bones, Castle and Elementary. Her top pick is Elementary starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu in a modern reimagining of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

Get in touch: write or send a voice memo to [email protected]

Hannah and comedy writer Bec Shaw talk about how hard it is for comedians to break through now that the site formerly known as Twitter is objectively wretched.

Yet life (comedy) finds a way, so Bec shares her somewhat definitive list of the emerging comedians to watch, and how their work — from the silly to the political — can be a balm in these dark times.

And we sidebar on the break-up of Australia's royal couple Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.

Get in touch: write or send a voice memo to [email protected]

Show notes:

Bec Shaw's viral article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/16/i-knew-one-day-id-have-to-watch-powerful-men-burn-the-world-down-i-just-didnt-expect-them-to-be-such-losers

Paloma Paris's single Good Boy: Paris Paloma — Good Boy [Official Music Video]

The New Yorker profile on Jacqueline Novak: The Anxious Precision of Jacqueline Novak's Comedy | The New Yorker

Elizabeth Gilbert's 2006 self-help memoir Eat Pray Love turned the writer into a pop culture phenomenon, championed by Oprah. She became an emblem of white woman spiritual fulfilment/enlightenment/liberation.

Almost two decades later, Gilbert is back with a new memoir titled All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation. But as she herself admits, the Gilbert we come to know in this latest book is far from the "nice lady who wrote Eat Pray Love".

 It focuses on 18 turbulent months in Gilbert's life, after she gets together with her best friend Rayya who has a terminal cancer diagnosis. Both women are addicts and Gilbert goes into detail about the love and dysfunction that unfolds between them.

 Hannah and guest host Jen Wong ask: Where does the book's brutal revelations leave the acolytes living Gilbert's Eat Pray Love lifestyle? Do we now know too much about Elizabeth Gilbert? And why did she publish those poems?

Get in touch: write or send a voice memo to [email protected]

Show notes:

The Conversation All the Way to the River review: Wealthy, whiny and wildly tone deaf: Elizabeth Gilbert's new memoir exemplifies 'priv-lit'

Jennifer Wong's upcoming events: Events — Jennifer Wong

We're chuffed about a new Australian sequel and a pop culture podcast that delves into the lives of c-grade celebrities.

Hannah's sharing a long time listen; Who? Weekly, a pop culture podcast that delves into the celebrities you probably haven't heard of, reality contestants, YouTube stars, the "who?'s" of the world. 

And writer and film critic Jared Richards is chuffed by Top End Bub, a series sequel to the 2019 rom-com Top End Wedding, starring Miranda Tapsell and Gwilym Lee.

Show notes:

Who? Weekly podcast: https://www.whoweekly.us/

From Twilight to the new War of the Worlds offering from Amazon and every bit of slop (AI or human) served up on social media, we're devouring it — but why?

Hannah's joined by writer and film critic Jared Richards to try to understand why we can't look away from the unsavoury content being delivered up by our algorithms. Are we seeking it out for the feeling of superiority, the draw of the grotesque or simply the communal bonding experience of viewing and commenting on the obscure?

Also, we sidebar on the Emmy Awards winners, snubs and highlights this year.

Get in touch: write or send a voice memo to [email protected]

Show notes:

Kirbpiemayo mixes chicken with ice cream: https://www.tiktok.com/@kirbpiemayo/video/7463141724605451526?_r=1&_t=ZS-8zd4IG2Z61g

The Princess Ayesha instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM_WO0cz1Q7/

We're chuffed by two shows that have gone a bit under the radar on the streaming platforms.

Hannah can't look away from the Netflix series Sirens: Survive the Island, the Korean reality series that drops teams of women onto a deserted island featuring fortified bases and rugged terrain as they battle to capture their opponent's flag.

Guest critic Clare Rawlinson LOL'd nonstop watching In the Know, a stop motion comedy series, set in an American public radio station that feels a little too real.

And Hannah and Clare share a couple of their picks for the Radio National top 100 favourite books. Don't miss out on having your say in Australia's favourite books from the 21st Century.

Tell us what's got you chuffed. Write to [email protected]

Show notes:

Radio National 100 favourite books: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/countdown/top100books

The creators of The Office (US) have returned with The Paper: a new series set in a struggling local newspaper. We put it to the test to see if it can match the magic of the original.

Hannah and guest critic Clare Rawlinson also share their experiences in a contracting media landscape and local newspapers, and how The Paper taps into the erosion of news coverage occurring worldwide.

Plus, we sidebar on the best moments from the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, arguably the least serious yet most fun of all the awards nights.

Get in touch: write or send a voice memo to [email protected]

Show notes:

Vote in Radio National's 100 favourite books: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/countdown/top100books