Ofc The Traitors finale fall out had to quickly be discussed prior to kicking off proceedings today, huns, followed by an analysis of the off-the-charts chemistry between Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers. The gorgeous new film had Ellie swooning and weeping in equal measure, and she explains why the director wanted to change ‘straight liberal’ misconceptions of queer sex. Plus, Paul Mescal has been on the Louis Theroux podcast and, shocker, we’re still finding Louis’s narcissistic interview style annoying.   In the world of TV, Kathleen recommends Nicole Kidman’s glossy new Amazon Prime thriller Expats, another 'rich people thriller' but this time based in Hong Kong, that has been already dubbed 'the best show of 2024' by Time. We debate why Nicole has received criticism over her work — professional and cosmetic. Speaking of cosmetic surgery, we get into the deeply disturbing reports of children’s 12-step anti-ageing routines.  Finally, we dive into Netflix’s latest true crime offering America Nightmare, which saw a kidnapping case tragically bungled by the media’s misogynistic obsession with Rosamund Pike thriller Gone Girl. Also: why are there so many unanswered questions? Get in touch with thoughts, reccos and anything else you fancy by sending us a DM @straightuppod on Insta! We absolutely love hearing from you.  Thanks so much to our brilliant partner for this ep: Flare Audio, whose incredible, studio-quality JET earphones are absolutely top-notch at a highly affordable price, and perfect for listening to our favourite film soundtracks during awards season. They're even on sale atm, so get yours at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Recommendations discussed: All of Us Strangers (in cinemas now)  Paul Mescal on the Louis Theroux podcast  Paul Mescal: I’m Not Just the Token Irish Hunk (The Times) Andrew Haigh interview (Substack, Evan Ross Katz) Expats (Amazon Prime)  They Always Say the Younger You Start, The Better (The Cut) Why Does Gen Z Believe It's 'Aging Like Milk'? (New York Times)  American Nightmare (Netflix) American Nightmare review in the Guardian by Leila Latif  Griselda (Netflix)  Euphoria S2 E1 (HBO) The Traitors S2 (BBC iPlayer)

You asked and so we’ve delivered huns, with a deepdive into Sofia Coppola’s new film Priscilla, starring none other than the internet’s new boyfriend Jacob Elordi. We discuss how the film sits uncomfortably within the grey area between love and coercive control, and whether it would have been described as grooming today. Plus, everything we know about Jacob Elordi to date: from first roles and first loves to his thoughts on everything from handbags to celebrity interviews. Consider us obsessed.  Also, what the tween craze for Stanley Cups says about girls today (with a trip down memory lane to our own school status symbols) and whether the latest, hilarious Paul Mescal rumours could possibly be true.  Let us know what you thought of the film, and as ever us all your celeb intel, by sending us a DM @straightuppod on Insta! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: Flare Audio, whose incredible, studio-quality JET earphones are absolutely top-notch at a highly affordable price, and perfect for listening to our favourite film soundtracks during awards season. They're even on sale until the end of Jan, so head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from a swanky dinner at Frenchie to authentic Thai at Plaza! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com⁠⁠⁠

*TW consent and sexual assault* Sex is at the top of the agenda today hunnies, with Ellie having watched Emma Stone’s insane, Oscar-tipped bonkbuster Poor Things, as well as the amazingly realistic How to Have Sex, about a girls rite of passage trip to Malia. Cue discussions about everything from sexual taboos to consensual grey areas. Meanwhile Kathleen has been paying *particular* close attention to Hollywood’s unlikely leading men, from Barry Keoghan to Timothée Chalamet. Why is everyone so horny for ‘little freak energy’ as Barry neatly put it himself? We also get stuck into Calvin Klein’s month of thirst and furore: from the Jeremy Allen White ad that has people visiting its New York posters like holy monuments, to the ‘objectifying’ FKA Twigs ad that the ASA has bizarrely banned. And finally, why the explosive Chiara Ferragni cake drama suggests influencer culture really is eating itself.  Make sure you leave us a review on Apple and Spotify, and send us a DM with all of your thoughts, feedback, and celeb gossip to @straightuppod on Insta Reccos discussed: Saltburn's Barry Keoghan on flirting with Jacob Elordi and manifesting stardom (GQ) Jacob Elordi & Barry Keoghan on Hollywood, Future Films & ‘Making It’ (Vogue) ⁠How French is Timothée Chalamet?⁠ (Vulture) Why Celebs Are Over Keeping Their Private Lives Private (Vogue) Poor Things (in cinemas now) How To Have Sex (Amazon Prime) How To Have Sex Captures The Unique Thrill – And Pain – Of The Rite Of Passage Girls’ Holiday (Vogue) The Brothers Sun (Netflix) Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix) Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com⁠⁠

Kanye’s wife Bianca Censori is allegedly not allowed to speak in public,  but how many of the disturbing rumours swirling around the couple are actually true? We dive into the very strange world of Ye and Bianca, Head of Architecture at Yeezy, in light of the recent slew of semi-nude images posted by Ye in ‘honour’ of his wife’s 29th birthday.  Kathleen also tells us why Michelle Keegan’s new Netflix thriller Fool Me Once is the best thing on TV right now, and we debate why Michelle isn’t taken ‘seriously’ as an actress, and whether the media have a right to focus on her lifestyle over her work.And Ellie watches a controversial new black comedy, Sick of Myself, about a pathological liar who purposefully disfigures herself to get attention online. Is it a pertinently dark look at viral fame or is the satire too crude? And, in the wake of the recent news story about the rape of a minor in the metaverse, we finally share our thoughts on of our fave recent novels, Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, covering everything from virtual utopias to video gaming culture. Recommendations discussed: Sick of Myself (Amazon Prime) Fool Me Once (Netflix) Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Tetris (Apple TV) Your Christmas or Mine 2 (Amazon Prime) The Worst Person in the World  Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com⁠

*TW: themes of child sexual abuse and infertility* How could a female teacher in her mid-thirties ever think it acceptable to sleep with her 12-year-old student? That’s the question at the heart of provocative new film May December, starring Julianne Moore as said teacher, Gracie, who we find living married with the former student she raped, 20 years after the crime. The film - loosely inspired by a real case from the 90s - has received rave reviews, so we get into its many, very thorny ethical dilemmas.  Then, more on age gaps and power dynamics in relationships as we debrief on how Nara Smith, the 22-year-old wife of the biggest male model in the world, Lucky Blue Smith, has become one of TikTok’s standout stars, with commentators upset about everything from their (quite frankly insane) baby name choices, to Nara’s conversion to Mormonism and ‘trad wife’ content.  Finally, a look at the seminal 90s book The Journalist and the Murderer, and how extremely relevant it feels today when considering the murky ethics of true crime reporting, as well as two article recommendations by fashion writer Camille Charrière, whose accounts of IVF and infertility have recently gone viral. Please leave us a review on Apple, rate us on Spotify, and drop us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we LOVE hearing from you. Thanks so much to our brilliant partner Flare for this ep: Flare is the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Reccs discussed: May December (available on NOW TV) The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm  Loch Henry (Black Mirror episode)  The Staircase on HBO  My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell  Camille Charrière: We Need To Be Having More Honest Conversations About Fertility – And Not Just With Our Girlfriends in British Vogue They told me IVF would be fine. But it left me in a hole of despair by Camille Charrière in The Sunday Times Style

The three most shocking sex scenes of 2023? They’re all in one buzzy new film: class satire Saltburn, which Ellie went to see last week and reports back with all the gory details in this episode. A little less sexy but equally entertaining was Kathleen’s culture pick this week: Leave the World Behind, the apocalyptic thriller  starring Julia Roberts. We get into why it’s so realistic for 2023 and why everyone’s talking about its secret Friends references. And as an extra Christmas treat in this episode we also have a fabulously fun interview with two amazing women: Dawn O’Porter and Josie Naughton, the cofounders of our favourite charity and ‘movement’ Choose Love, which supports displaced people across the world. Everyone from Olivia Colman to Phoebe Waller Bridge have lent their stardom to promote its incredible message, which proves celebrity philanthropy is not to be sniffed at. So we were so excited to be invited to Choose Love’s stunning Soho pop-up boutique to chat  to Dawn and Josie, getting off to an excellent start by bumping into Dawn’s husband Chris O’Dowd wielding a Choose Love placard just outside.  We talked all about the highs and lows of a celebrity marriage, the hilarious fails of being a ‘celebrity plus one’, how Josie began her career in management for Coldplay, top tips for a fabulous dinner party and Dawn and Josie’s best foodie spots in London.   We’re having a little festive break next week gang but we’ll be back with an episode on Jan 4 full of culture recommendations to brighten up our gloomy Januaries.  Happy Christmas to our wonderful listeners, we have absolutely loved growing this amazing community of smart, hilarious, fabulous huns - we’re still sobbing over our latest outrageously cute Apple review - so thank you very much for listening, and until next year!  E&K x Please leave us a review on Apple, rate us on Spotify, and drop us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we adore hearing from you Shop for someone who needs it via choose.love, visit the store at Carnaby Street (open until xmas eve) and follow @chooselove on instagram! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

Prison, feuds, fake rumours, sex tape scandals, rehab stints and car chases: it’s all kicking off in part two of our investigation into Hollywood’s hottest noughties 'it girls’, gang, starting with the strange story of Nicole Richie’s adoption and subsequent route to fame via reality TV trailblazer the Simple Life.   Then, we continue to chart the toxic noughties and our then-treatment of women in the public eye, from the shameless obsession with their bodies, to the outright bullying and manipulative tactics of the tabloids. We also look at how Paris Hilton, Linsday Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie carefully crafted their own celebrity personas, from Paris’ decades-long dedication to wearing blue contacts, to Lindsay’s breast-focussed SNL skit at the age of just 18.  Finally, where are they now, and are any of them even nice people? We spill all the tea on Linsday’s new life in Dubai and debate whether Paris’ image revamp of recent years is actually legit.  Please leave us a review on Apple, rate us on Spotify, and drop us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we adore hearing from you! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £15.96 in the Black Friday sale with 20 per cent off side wide at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

A picture is worth a thousand words… quite literally, in the case of the infamous ‘Bimbo Summit’ picture of 2006, which saw Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan crammed into a car together after a drunken night out, at the height of Paris and Lindsay’s tabloid-fuelled feud. The picture, which was plastered on the cover of the New York Post with the headline ‘Bimbo Summit’ went viral, and its backstory has been contested ever since, but one thing is clear: the media was toxic, and it ruled the noughties.  In the first of this scandalous two-parter episode, we analyse how the rise and fall of Hollywood it-girls Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie was charted, and largely caused, by these blood-thirsty tabloids and their packs of hungry paparazzi, who could sell pictures for over $20,000 a pop. We look at what drove the media’s frenzied hatred for successful young women, and how complicit, we, as consumers, really were.  Ellie also gives us a bite-size travel guide to her recent trip to Goa. If you want to borrow her itinerary, here are her favourite hotels across north and South Goa: Ashiyanya Yoga, Cabo Serai, Turiya Villa and Silva Heritage. And Kathleen heartily recommends a winter getaway at the Pig in Devon. Please leave us a review on Apple, rate us on Spotify, and drop us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we adore hearing from you! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £15.96 in the Black Friday sale with 20 per cent off side wide at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

When US megastar Billy Porter invited us for champagne at his five-star London hotel, we knew we were in for a treat, and boy, did he deliver. The Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winning actor and musician got straight up about pretty much everything, including, of course, his relationship with the press. He tells us exactly how he managed his decision to go public with his HIV diagnosis in 2021, and why he feels obliged to be political. Plus: what's it like being catapulted to global celebrity aged 49? Billy reveals all, as well as his top fashion tip, favourite London nights out, and who he was going on a date with straight after our recording. Listen to Billy's INCREDIBLE new album Black Mona Lisa here: https://billyporter.lnk.to/BlackMonaLisa-album Follow Billy on IG @theebillyporter Please leave us a review on Apple, rate us on Spotify, and drop us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we adore hearing from you! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £15.96 in the Black Friday sale with 20 per cent off side wide at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

Jennifer Lopez was arrested with then-boyfriend P Diddy back in 1999, a scandal that had almost slipped from public view until earlier this week, when singer Cassie filed a lawsuit with a slew of disturbing allegations against the music mogul. We revisit exactly what went down on that fateful night in New York, which culminated in 14 hours in police custody for Jen, as well as the details surrounding Cassie’s now-settled claims.  Then, more on crime and punishment with our TV recommendation for the week, Time, the season 2 of which just dropped on BBC iPlayer starring Bella Ramsey and Jodie Whittaker, which gives a chillingly realistic look inside womens’ prisons. We also recommend Flora and Son, a very sweet film starring our hun Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters) about a tearaway teen one move away from young offenders institute, as well as the book Criminal by Angela Kirwin. A former social worker who spent more than a decade in UK prisons, Kirwin’s account of the horror inside our criminal justice system – and why it matters so much for all of society – makes for the most compelling and necessary non-fiction book we’ve read all year.  Finally and still on theme, a deep dive into both recent Pete Doherty documentaries, the Louis Theroux Interview and channel 4’s Pete Doherty: Who Killed My Son. The latter is a shocking look at a bungled case from a bereaved mother, who is convinced Pete knows what really happened one fateful night in 2007.  Next week we’ll be back with a VERY fun interview that is a world away from these more sombre topics, angels, so do make sure you tune in and shoot us a DM @straightuppod to let us know what you’d like to hear about next. Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £15.96 in the Black Friday sale with 20 per cent off side wide at ⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com Recommendations discussed: Time (BBC)  Flora and Son (Apple TV) Criminal by Angela Kirwin - available from all good booksellers  Louis Theroux Interviews Pete Doherty (BBC) Pete Doherty: Who Killed My Son (Channel 4)

Dolly Alderton’s second novel Good Material came out last week huns, so as promised we give you our verdict, and deepdive on the fabulous career of our millennial literary queen.  We analyse everything from the savvy personal brand building she began as young as her teens to why, after her memoir, she stepped away from the first-person writing that had made her famous.  Plus, our candid thoughts on everything from her prose to her humour, writing from the male perspective, the responsibility of being the ‘millennial Nora Ephron’ and that viral (and highly controversial) review of Ghosts that set Twitter alight.  Let us know what you think of the book (and our thoughts!) on Insta @straightuppod Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £15.96 in the Black Friday sale with 20 per cent off side wide at ⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

Made in Chelsea and I'm a Celeb star Georgia Toffolo was all set to study law until she appeared on the reality TV show as an extra, becoming such a beloved cast member that she didn't end up leaving for years. The show helped her launch a VERY successful career (she's won I'm a Celeb, written four novels and launched three businesses) and so we went for a cup of tea at the Standard hotel in London to ask her all about what it was like to spend her twenties in the spotlight on one of the UK's most successful shows. We chatted about everything from strangest fan interactions and dealing with the paps to why she quit drinking last year and her daily routine. Plus, whether she identifies as a 'Tory', her funniest celeb crushes, her most unexpected celeb friendship, favourite political podcasts and top spots around town. Please leave us a review on Apple, rate us on Spotify, and drop us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we adore hearing from you! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £15.96 in the Black Friday sale with 20 per cent off side wide at ⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

We come armed with BTS goss on a huge range of pop culture talking points this week gang, from the newly announced Harry Potter documentary about Daniel Radcliffe’s paralysed stunt-double (with juicy tangents on Emma Watson, Rita Skeeter and more) to the hilarious, hard-to-believe celebrity stories from James Blunt’s new memoir – including the time he ate his own poo at Jamie Foxx’s house, on Bear Grylls’ advice.  As requested, we also get into the Wagatha Christie documentary on Disney + that details exactly what went down between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, as well as the ethics of “playing evil”, prompted by the BBC’s new drama, The Reckoning, where Steve Coogan stars as Jimmy Saville.   Finally, if you haven’t yet please do leave us a review and next week, we promise, Ellie will be revealing her embarrassing, pants-related story as payback. We’re so chuffed with the ones you’ve already left, thank you! Any thoughts please do DM us @straightuppod Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠ Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at⁠ ⁠⁠yondercard.com

A forensic analysis of Britney’s memoir is top of the agenda this week, as The Woman In Me’s many bombshell revelations make headlines everywhere.  From childhood she was constantly sexualised by the media and after releasing her hit single Baby One More Time in 1998, aged just 16, the world was divided over what she represented: good American role model or dangerously bad influence? We look at how a toxic media and dated purity culture obsessed and shamed Britney over whether she was a virgin, a grotesque prurience Justin Timberlake himself took horrible advantage of via the calculatedly misogynistic media campaign for his own debut album. We trawl back through some of the most shocking Britney interviews from the lads mags of the late 90s, using our own experiences at mens' magazines to analyse journalistic motivations and Britney’s own agency. Plus: that now infamous Diane Sawyer interview, and how women journalists were complicit too. We also discuss everything from the current media narrative around Britney’s devastating abortion revelation to whether this memoir will calm or fuel the ongoing media circus. Please let us know your thoughts on the episode by sending us a DM @straightuppod on Insta, we love to hear from you!  Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠ Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! Sign up today at ⁠⁠yondercard.com

Do we have a right to tell our stories if they involve the private lives of others? It’s the ethical conundrum we’re discussing this week following the explosive revelations in Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir about her 'husband' Will Smith. And, on the same theme, the very dark stories ‘Kanye’s muse’ Julia Fox has revealed in her brilliant memoir Down the Drain. And for all the huns wondering, who is Julia Fox, don’t worry, Ellie gives us her wild life in a nutshell — prepare for your eyes to POP. Plus, how do you deal with professional rivalry when it comes to your own romantic relationships? We both watched Netflix’s erotic thriller about a couple going for the same promotion at a hedge fund and we have thoughts!! And finally Kathleen tells us all about why we need to know TikTok superstar Madeline Argy. Let us know what you think of the topics discussed on insta at StraightUpPod, we absolutely love all your messages.Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, a literally game-changing adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual classic crashes or jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at ⁠londonnootropics.com⁠ Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! The card also includes comprehensive travel insurance. Sign up today at ⁠yondercard.com

This week there’s only one pop culture topic on everyone’s lips: the Beckhams. The four-part Beckham documentary dropped on Netflix to rave reviews, but what were the juiciest revelations and what did brand Beckham conveniently leave out? We get stuck into everything from the tabloid shaming of Victoria’s weight and the disturbing quotes about Beckham’s dad, to those Rebecca Loos allegations (including how the story was actually put together) and whether Loos had any leg to stand on selling her story.   We chart how the Beckhams’ relationship to the media has changed over the course of their 25-year marriage, the multitude of rumours, allegations and *that*  furore around the knighthood. Plus, we spill all our own insider secrets: Ellie shares a VERY interesting story from meeting Mr Beckham, while Kathleen hears from one of the family’s former employees. And we discuss whether any of the industry circle whispers hold water. Please do rate review and subscribe and shoot us a DM about what you’d like us to chat about next @straightupod on IG Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, a literally game-changing adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual classic crashes or jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at londonnootropics.com Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes incl Boomcycle and Kobox this month! The card also includes comprehensive travel insurance. Sign up today at yondercard.com

Hiii huns, we had such a fun afternoon catching up about everything from the latest celeb divorce (it never ends!) to Anya Taylor-Joy's beige wedding dress, featuring some reminiscing from Ellie on the time she had brunch with Anya and left her "devastated" (whoops). Then, Kathleen gives the latest on the never-ending Kim and Kourtney fallout, including the "Not Kourtney" whatsapp group, and Kendall Jenner's Gucci campaign with boyfriend Bad Bunny, followed by a big dig into the new Jorja Smith interviews that have dropped in line with her new album this week, in particular her quotes around being trolled because of her weight. Plus, as a new book about Glossier founder Emily Weiss gets everyone talking, we discuss why she left her company last year after a Glossier boycott, the criticisms of 'barely there beauty' and the Girlboss era. And, VERY importantly, El continues her one-woman mission to read every piece of bad boy lit in the land, and has one particularly depraved recco for us, yay! Thanks so much to our brilliant partners for this ep: London Nootropics, a literally game-changing adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual classic crashes or jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at londonnootropics.com Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants to the swankiest gym classes! The card also includes comprehensive travel insurance. Sign up today at yondercard.com Reccos discussed this week: Queen & Slim (film) Split (film) Kill Your Friends by John Niven The Unpublishable by Jessica DeFino Boiling Point (BBC series) Drops of God (Apple+)

This week we are so excited to welcome Emma Gannon on the pod, author of six books and creator of our favourite Substack newsletter, The Hyphen. Having published The Success Myth earlier this year, which explains why our obsession with achievement is a trap and how to break free, Emma was diagnosed with chronic burnout, an irony that she unpicks with us as she gets into how it left her dissociated and unable to work for four months.  From her own experience of massive success – and how it left her feeling unfulfilled and miserable – to workaholism, the subjective nature of success and how to design a life (not a career) you enjoy, there is so much insight and wisdom for all you angels here regardless of what you do for work! It felt almost like we’d been in one of Emma’s coaching sessions after this chat, and we absolutely loved it.  Also up for debate are the joys of being child-free by choice (her novel Olive is all about this and it is fab), finding your own version of “fun”, how to earn more doing LESS work, the importance of prioritising a solo holiday and, of course, boundary setting.  Also, a big shout out in our intro to The Apollo Arms, the most gorge new pub in Clapham, South London, that has the most incredible gastro menu we’ve tried in a long time. We implore you to go check it out! apolloarms.co.uk Get your copy of The Success Myth at all good booksellers, follow Emma on socials @emmagannonuk and check out her newsletter at thehyphen.substack.com/subscribe Please do rate review and subscribe and shoot us a DM about what you’d like us to chat about next @straightupod on IG Thanks so much to our three brilliant partner for this ep: London Nootropics, the tastiest sachet-served coffee EVER, which - thanks to its incredible adaptogens such as lion's mane mushroom and zinseng - actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, all without any of coffee's usual classic crashes or anxiety. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at londonnootropics.com Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £19.95 at ⁠flareaudio.com⁠. Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants like Lina Stores to gym F45! The card also includes comprehensive travel insurance. Sign up today at yondercard.com

Hi everyone, we’re all aware of the horrific rape and sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand  - which he vehemently denies, maintaining all sexual relations have been consensual - so in this episode we analyse what this means for the media (TW). Why is it that so many Brand supporters think this is a media conspiracy? What does ‘the media establishment’  - Brand and his supporters’ enemy no1 - really mean? And  are ‘alt’ voices like Brand really being silenced by traditional titles?  Using our extensive experiences in the media we analyse how exactly this kind of investigation would have come about from a legal and editorial perspective, and why alt-right, conspiracy-led content from people like Brand does so well online. Plus, we debate the thorny issue of the age of consent, why there has never been such a divide between men and women, and who Russell Brand’s male and female supporters really are. Let us know what you think of our discussion by sending us a DM on Insta @straightuppod. We will be back to less sombre issues next week! E and K xxx Thanks so much to our two brilliant partners: Yonder, the super cool lifestyle credit card that’s ideal for London Huns who want to get huge discounts and freebies across food, drink, and fitness. Every point you spend is then redeemable against amazing experiences in the capital, from top restaurants like Lina Stores and 45 Jermyn St to gyms F45 and Sweat BXR! The card also includes comprehensive travel insurance. Sign up today at yondercard.com London Nootropics, the tastiest sachet-served coffee EVER, which - thanks to its incredible adaptogens such as lion's mane mushroom and zinseng - actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, all without any of coffee's usual classic crashes or anxiety. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20 per cent off your box with the code straightup at londonnootropics.com

We’ve said it before huns, this is the year of the chaotic celebrity divorce, but the Joe Jonas vs Sophie Turner divorce drama has left us REELING. From Joe’s PR team playing what appears to many as a misogynistic smear-campaign against Sophie — who he married in 2019, when she was just 23 — to wild rumours involving partying and ‘ring cameras’, this might be the messiest celeb divorce we’ve witnessed since Brad and Angelina. We discuss everything from Sophie’s public battle with mental health and when Ellie interviewed Joe in 2018, to  the very revealing Taylor Swift song thought to be about ‘smug’ ex Joe. Plus, Kathleen tells us why she’s had enough of reading about heartbroken middle-class women, and we reveal our honest thoughts about new It couple Kylie and Timothée. Do they have more in common than we think? Let us know what you think of the episode by sending us a DM @straightuppod ! Recommendation discussed: Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas and why the court of public opinion matters in celebrity divorces, today.com Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisy  Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan  Real life by Brandon Taylor  Mona Hotel Athens Birdman Athens  Listener reccos: The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver I'm Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait Maame by Jessica George

Poor Els got mugged last week huns, so today’s episode starts with the download on her enforced digital detox, before taking a sunnier towards perhaps the best news we’ve heard all year  – Maya Jama and Stormzy are back together!! – and our slightly tragic obsession with this ultimate modern day love story.  Then, more summer reading recommendations, including Imogen Crimp’s A Very Nice Girl, the buzziest debut novel of last year, and Dolly Alderton’s upcoming second novel, Good Material, as well as some suggestions from you gorgeous listeners. We also debate why there are so few ‘bad boy’ voices in literature these days, the female protagonist overload, and whether we could ever be interested in an ‘incel-y’ perspective.  Finally, an unfortunate look at Kanye’s builders bum in Venice (yes you read that correctly), plus a rundown on the ongoing Hollywood strikes, and how they’re shaping TV and film for the future.  Recommendations discussed: Jockstrap, I Love You Jennifer B  Another Round on Netflix  Theatre Camp in cinemas now  The Woman in the Wall on BBC1 A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan  Good Material by Dolly Alderton (out this November) The List by Yomi Adekoke The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan  Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne 

All the celebs are on holiday this week, angels, so we’ve got another jam-packed pop culture debrief for you, starting with Coleen Rooney’s fabulous – but divisive – Vogue cover for the September issue, the most important of the year! We get into all her explosive Wagatha Christie revelations and backstory with Wayne, as well as the criticisms of the cover. Are the suggestions that Coleen is not a Vogue cover girl rooted in classism?  Then, a look at one of the most powerful and hated men in music, manager Scooter Braun – who discovered Justin Bieber and waged war with Taylor Swift in 2019 – who has just been dropped by Ariana Grande, following in the footsteps of J Balvin and Demi Lovato. We get stuck into the rumours as well as some of the disturbing allegations surrounding his management style.  Plus, is it ethical for Amy Winehouse’s parents to be publishing her private diaries, and what the hell is going on with Britney’s divorce? Is Sam Asghari a scumbag who plans to take her to the cleaners? Or are the rumours that Britney cheated on him true? We lay out her prenup terms and all the other insider bits of intel, with a debate on her nude Instagram posts.  Please leave us a review and send us a little DM @straightuppod on Insta, we love to hear from you! 

From the outrageous 'dirty' celeb dating story that has blown up our WhatsApp chats to the Harry Styles rumour that sent the internet spinning, it's safe to say we have been SHOCKED by the world of celebrity gossip this week huns!! And of course we are here to share all of our uncensored thoughts. In more serious news, we also look at the claims that Lyme disease is a 'celebrity' sickness that has become an identity for some, as well as the absolutely horrific allegations that have come out of an investigation into some of Britain's top drama schools. Plus, we get into Zayn Malik's underwhelming comeback (and a very strange story about his pet chicken), and the book you absolutely must bring on your next holiday. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe, it really helps us in the charts and then we can get more fabulous guests! And we LOVE receiving your DMs on Insta @straightuppod, so please send us something cute

It's a dark and sordid week in the world of fame and celebrity huns, with pop stars Lizzo and Ariana Grande both getting flack from all directions. Lizzo is at the centre of wild allegations from three former dancers – all of which she denies – while Ariana Grande has been accused of living a little close to her lyrics by finding herself at the centre of yet another cheating drama. We get into all the arguments for and against both women, and let you be the judge! Finally, we have a juicy debrief on the politics of sharing bills with your partners, thanks to a divisive Refinery29 Money Diaries post. Plus, TV recommendations including S2 of Netflix's brilliant Heartstopper, and Kevin Costner's contemporary cowboy, Succession-style drama Yellowstone. Let us know what you think of the episode by shooting us an Insta DM @StraightUpPod and please do rate, review and subscribe on your fave podcast platform!

We are SO excited to share this fascinating chat with our favourite chef and cookery writer Gizzi Erskine with you all this week, getting into everything from naked dinner parties to psychedelics, via public shaming, misogyny and body image.  Author of killer books from Gizzi’s Healthy Appetite to Slow and Restore, you might recognise Gizzi from her various TV appearances over the years, or perhaps from her lockdown fakeway brand with Professor Green, Giz and Greens. She’s a proper celeb chef and a pop culture icon, writing regularly for the Independent and as a London party scene fave, with a whole host of famous friends and fascinating insight into that world.  Gizzi talks incredibly honestly about how her extreme ADHD and cyclothymic disorder made life feel like utter “chaos” for decades, and how she’s since come through the other side, after addiction, losing all five of her businesses last year and hitting financial rock bottom. Ever the optimist, Gizzi reveals all the ways she’s been putting her life back together, from experimenting with different mushrooms, to settling down in Brighton. And, of course, her must-try restaurants in the UK! Enjoy huns, don’t forget to leave a review, and shoot us a DM with your thoughts on the episode @straightuppod on Insta. Thank you so much to our wonderful partner Flare Audio, who have game-changed the way we sleep thanks to their amazingly nifty little earplugs, Sleeeps, which totally block out pesky sounds — from snoring to traffic — ensuring a peaceful night’s sleep. Plus they are so tiny, so comfortable, and don’t fall out! Get your Sleeeps, starting at £4.95, from flareaudio.com.

The headline speaks for itself huns, this episode is spicy!! After seeing Barbie together last week (dressed in pink, obv) we couldn’t wait to discuss our verdicts and debate the VERY polarised online conversation, including Barbie-burning Republicans and some very cross incels.  Plus, we deepdive into Barbie’s salacious origin story and the woman who created her, and reveal why Ken’s crotch became one of toymaker Mattel’s most unexpected nightmares. Also, what is going on with so-called Margot Robbie fans editing her face beyond recognition, and what does this say about our warped beauty standards? Which obviously prompted us to fret that everyone around us is getting tweakements and we should too *cries* Finally, we have a ‘cheugy’ moment dissecting the latest TikTok lingo, as well as the very strange success of new ‘robot’ social media star PinkyDoll. Please do rate review and subscribe, and send us a DM with all your hot pink Barbie thoughts to @straightuppod on Insta And enjoy our two delicious restaurant reviews of Little Kudu in Peckham and Sale e Pepe in Knightsbridge. 

We are SO excited to introduce you to this week’s utterly fascinating and highly controversial guest: Caroline Calloway, one of the very first internet celebrities, a self- anointed ‘scammer’ and perhaps our first guest who has been publicly shamed.  If you haven’t heard of her before, don’t worry, we give you the complete lowdown in our intro, but in a nutshell: Caroline moved from New York to the University of Cambridge in 2013 and swiftly became famous as one of the first Instagram influencers, then was commissioned aged just 23 by a major British publisher to write a memoir.  But by 2019 her life had fallen to pieces. The book was never finished, she was $100k in debt to her publisher, and her former best friend had written a viral, tell-all piece claiming all her fame and success was a scam. She was attacked from all corners of the internet as an emblem of everything wrong with influencer culture, while her ex-friendship became a sordid topic of public fascination.  Now, she’s finally written a self-published memoir, Scammer (which is actually fab!) has built an incredibly successful personal brand off her own controversies, and has become a kind of anti-hero with a cult following. Her life rights have even been bought by Lena Dunham!! So we got her on Zoom to chat all about her insane and unusual experience of fame, the catharsis of rage, making ‘chaos’ her brand, how she dealt with an overwhelming online pile-on, her complicated feelings around friendship, and MUCH more. She was incredibly eloquent, charming and thoughtful, and we have to say, she very much won us over. But what do you think? Let us know! Buy Caroline's book Scammers via carolinecalloway.com and find her on Insta @carolinecalloway. Please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify, and find us on Insta @straightuppod. We'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a topic suggestion for future episodes. Thank you to our fabulous sponsors for this episode: Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/straightup to claim your discounted under 30 membership – then we recommend booking DIVA at the V&A. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at ⁠yondercard.com⁠

No interview this week angels, instead, we're covering the hottest celeb talking points from the past few days. First, we get into the topic that's currently ruling the internet, actor Jonah Hill's toxic 'boundaries', which came to light when his ex Sarah Brady shared their private messages on her Instagram. We debate the dangers of therapy speak and at which point it becomes a tool for manipulation and narcissism, the difference between boundaries and controlling behaviour, plus why fame enables emotional abuse. Next, a rich-person drama to rival Succession: the epic fallout between Kim and Kourtney Kardashian over Dolce and Gabanna. Did Kourtney steal Kim's "wedding country" and "wedding singer" Andrea Boccelli? Is Kim a money-grabbing manipulator who puts fame before family? And finally, *whisper it*, has Louis Theroux lost his touch? We debrief on Louis' new Spotify podcast, in particular the episode with former Straight Up guest Amelia Dimoldenberg, where his interview style seemed to not only irk her, but in all honesty, us as well. Please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify, and find us on Insta @straightuppod Articles, TV shows, podcasts, films etc. discussed: normalondon.com restaurant on Charlotte Street Green Tea Peng live at Somerset House. Keep up to date with GTP's upcoming shows via her IG @greenteapeng Why are millennials talking in therapy speak? Sidney Lima for The Times You People The Kardashians The Louis Theroux Podcast on Spotify Thank you to our fabulous sponsors for this episode: Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/straightup to claim your discounted under 30 membership – then we recommend booking DIVA at the V&A. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at ⁠yondercard.com⁠

Right huns, gets ready for an episode full of drama, because this week we're debriefing on America’s sweetheart Blake Lively getting her first taste of cancellation, and why celebs are in their peak chaotic divorce era (and we secretly love it).  Plus, is it at all possible to escape the insane multi-million pound marketing campaign for Margot Robbie’s new Barbie blockbuster, encompassing everything from AirBnb to inflatables — and might it be overcompensating for a potential flop? We also get stuck into Idris Elba’s thrilling new role in Apple TV’s Hijack, in which he plays a VERY sexy corporate negotiator on a hijacked plane flying from Dubai to London. And of course we couldn’t not update you on the final of The Idol, which we are sorry to report enters a whole new realm of terrible.  Finally, we discuss one of Lily-Rose Depp’s little known roles in the film Wolf, as a troubled young woman who identifies a cat and is sent to a sadistic treatment centre to be ‘cured’. Are we the only ones who seem to have watched it? Let us know! Please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify, and find us on Insta @straightuppod Thank you to our fabulous sponsors: Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/straightup to claim your discounted under 30 membership – then we recommend booking DIVA at the V&A. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at ⁠yondercard.com⁠

Today’s guest is the best-selling author Caroline O’Donoghue, the GENIUS behind one of our favourite podcasts, Sentimental Garbage, for a pop cultural deep dive on everything from And Just Like That and Desperate Housewives, to Fleishman in Trouble, the career vs kids conundrum and why fame is less like being the most important in the room, and more like being the entire public’s PA. Plus, Caroline’s top recommendations for you all, including Brooke Shields’s Pretty Baby documentary and her favourite London pub.  If you take one thing from this chat gang, make sure you buy a copy of The Rachel Incident, which, as thought-provoking as it is funny, is without a doubt one of the best novels we’ve read in the past few years! It’s out now so you can grab yours from all good book shops. Follow Caroline on IG ⁠@czaronline⁠ Enjoy the episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple, or send us a DM ⁠@straightuppod ⁠on Insta. Thanks to our two amazing sponsors for this episode: Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to ⁠artfund.org/national-art-pass⁠ to grab your 3-month trial National Art Pass for just £15, PLUS until June 30th you can add a free plus one to your trial membership with promocode STRAIGHTUP. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at ⁠yondercard.com⁠

Gang, we have waited SO long to debrief about HBO’s new “torture porn” show The Idol, starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd that is already the most talked about TV show of 2023, and since three episodes have passed we think we’re finally ready to give our verdict. We get stuck into its grotesque flaws and surprisingly more promising moments, debating everything from whether Lily-Rose Depp is any good (and if her character Jocelyn could ever really be a viable pop star), to the allegations of “heavy sleaze” and its inescapably male gaze.  Plus, the new Black Mirror anthology has dropped on Netflix after a four year wait, and one episode in particular is highly relevant to us celeb culture nuts: 'Mazey Day', the one in which a vulnerable celebrity is stalked by paparazzi. No spoilers huns, instead we debate the ethics of photographing someone who has consented to becoming a public figure, and whether the paparazzi has evolved since its infamous heyday. Plus, a quick overview of episode one, Joan Is Awful, the most "vintage", deliciously "Black Mirror" of all of the new series. Finally, Ellie has a new boyfriend, and we get to meet him!  Enjoy the episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple, or send us a DM @straightuppod on Insta. Thanks to our two amazing sponsors for this episode: Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/national-art-pass to grab your 3-month trial National Art Pass for just £15, PLUS you can add a free plus one to your trial membership with promocode STRAIGHTUP. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com

Hi huns, we’ve got someone a little different from the usual celeb on the pod this week: Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who is currently having a second wind of fame thanks to his top-charting podcast The Rest is Politics, of which both of us are HUGE fans.  This month he also released a brilliant new book called But What Can I Do? which is all about motivating young, capable people to get into politics and shake things up, with lots of practical tips on how to improve the essential skills you need in politics, from communication to body language. Of course, true to the Straight Up USP, we had to ask Alastair all about his most surreal – and nightmarish – celebrity encounters, from Princess Diana to Jimmy Savile. Plus, he revealed his biggest celebrity crush, how he feels about his daughter's risque comedy, and his surreal interlude writing erotic fiction. We had so much fun (despite Alastair ripping us for our shameful lack of general knowledge) that he even let us accompany him to his home after the recording to sign some books for us. Though he may have got cross that we didn't immediately recognise his portrait of John Lennon - oops. We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording this one! Please let us know what you think by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or rating us on Spotify and come say hello on Insta ⁠@straightuppod⁠ Thanks so much to our amazing partners for this episode: Art Fund, which has an amazing art pass that allows you to see paid exhibitions at major galleries from the Tate to the V&A and National Gallery at half the price! Head to artfund.org/national-art-pass to grab your 3-month trial National Art Pass for just £15, PLUS you can add a free plus one to your trial membership with promocode STRAIGHTUP. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com Also thanks very much to the Dartmouth Arms in Highgate for hosting us! This gorge pub has an amazing dining club, the next one is on Thursday 29 June in collaboration with Uncharted Wines and is just £50 a ticket for five courses and a welcome drink with an optional £30 wine pairing supplement, tickets available at disappearingdiningclub.co.uk.

This week’s mad developments in celebrity culture has aligned perfectly with Straight Up’s USP, to deconstruct ‘fame’ in all its surreal highs and horrible lows, so we’re talking about everything from Matty Healey’s controversial performative fame and the online outpouring of outrage from Taylor Swift fans, to the the surreal This Morning saga and Phil Schofield's fall from grace, as well Johnny Depps's return to Cannes. Then, we debrief on the wildly shocking new data on what top podcaster Chris Williamson calls ‘the mating market’ (ie, the dating scene), investigating why so many amazing women are single and why it feels like there aren’t enough ‘good men’ to go round (spoiler: because there literally aren't). Plus, we tell you all about our new TV obsession: Platonic, starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as old friends reuniting, which got us wondering why opposite-sex, heteronormative friendships in adulthood becomes so hard to maintain. Enjoy angels and please do leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta ⁠@straightuppod⁠ Thanks so much to our amazing partners for this episode: Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £19.95 at flareaudio.com. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com Huel, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup

Hello huns, we were SO excited to go round for tea at Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s gorgeous London home the other week to chat all about her extraordinary experience of fame, from her initial “failed” start in a band as a teenager, who were dropped by their label before their second album, to the incredible success of her iconic hit Murder on the Dancefloor just a few years later (Europe’s biggest song of 2002 and our primary school selves’ FAVE).  The queen of the kitchen disco was just as fun as we’d hoped, getting into everything from her most embarrassing showbiz fail and how she played the tabloids by making up her own stories, to her insane archive of vintage clothing and a retrospective on what the noughties music scene was really like. Plus, how fame can affect family dynamics, dealing with phone hacking, the paparazzi and a stalker, and what it’s like to be such a successful musician with five children.  Sophie's new album HANA is out 2nd June, find it here: sophieellisbextor.komi.io Follow Sophie on IG @sophieellisbextor Leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta ⁠@straightuppod⁠ Thank you so much to our sponsors for this episode: Flare, the cutting edge company behind the Calmer earbuds, which soften horrible sounds like chewing, tapping and loud breathing for sensitive souls like us (misophonia!). If you’re someone who gets distracted easily then you absolutely NEED these in your life. Grab a pair for £19.95 at flareaudio.com. Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com Huel, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup

Welcome back to another cultural debrief gang! This week, Ellie interviewed the icon that is Kesha for the Telegraph ahead of her brilliant new her album Gag Order, out now, and gave us all the behind-the-scenes gossip and juicy talking points, specifically: did Kesha really have a vaginal ghost exorcism?  Plus we both reveal our own experiences with the paranormal, featuring Kathleen’s mum’s run-in with a hag at the end of her bed and Ellie’s unexplained sleep paralysis... Then, we debrief on Lily Allen’s new show Dreamland, prompting all kind of existential questions, from whether you can ever innocently party with your friend’s partner, to what counts as an unforgivable betrayal, and why filming such scenes were so triggering for Lily, who cheated on her former husband with female escorts.  Finally, we get into why everyone is watching Jury Duty right now, as well as all the ethical implications of Amazon's reality hit. And finally, our thoughts on Hailey Bieber’s interview with The Sunday Times Style, where she said that public hate makes her scared to have children, and whether she’s really as “calculated” as Selena Gomez fans would have us believe.  Leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod Thank you so much to our amazing partners for this episode: Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup

Buckle up huns because today’s guest is one of our all-time favourites: fellow Londoner and proper funny man Allan 'Seapa' Mustafa, the BAFTA-winning actor, writer and co-creator of hit crime comedy, The Curse, as well as the ICONIC People Just Do Nothing, the BBC mockumentary series – and feature film – where he played MC Grindah.  In this hilarious chat, Allan tells us all about the inspiration for PJDN, from his work in a call centre (featuring retellings of some of his best pranks), to the pirate radio and raving scenes he loved, as well as his relationship with weed and partying, and how that has evolved now that he’s a 37-year-old celeb.  We also get stuck into whether Allan has always been a natural-born performer, how he met his best friends and collaborators Asim, Steve and Hugo, why they never cared about being famous and how he learned to be a brilliant writer and actor, all on the job. Plus: harnessing imposter syndrome, his “celebrity regret” featuring Post Malone, the comedic tragedy of bravado, meeting fans when your persona is so well known and Allan’s top restaurant recommendations (as a bonafide member of food collective Taste Cadets). Follow Allan on IG @seapa220 and @tastecadets. Watch both series of The Curse now via Channel 4.  Thank you to our three partners for making this episode possible: Black Lines, the amazing bottled cocktail company behind the Spicy Tommy's margarita we drank on air. Allan's fave, our fave and this one is utterly delicious – it's our drink of the summer, from festivals and picnics to parties and date nights. Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 for 15% off at blacklinesdrinks.com Yonder, the new lifestyle credit card that gives you the most incredible perks, allowing you to convert the money you spend on your card into points that are then redeemable at some of London’s best restaurants, bars, cafes and entertainment spots – from Lina Stores to BAO. AND if you join now you get your first 6 months for free! Get yours at yondercard.com Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod

We’ve got a real treat in store for you today angels, starting with the latest explosive Gwyneth Paltrow interview and the many, many revelations she made on how her exes Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck compare, as well as a big debate on therapy, finding yourself and how the Goop guru’s life advice actually works in practice. Next, we get into a fascinating chronology of the ‘It Girl’ phenomenon, based on a new New York Magazine feature, covering Jaime King, Chloe Sevigny, Alexa Chung et al and exposing how these women have been both deified and damaged by that attention. Finally, is Sydney Sweeney our era’s It Girl? All the gossip around the rom-com she’s currently filming with Glenn Powell would certainly suggest so…  ​​Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode, the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Leave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod

This week hunnies we have musician, The X Factor semi-finalist and Strictly finalist Fleur East on the show for a chat all about what it’s like to go through the often brutal churn of reality TV, and come out very much on top! She shared stories about how she almost pulled out of her big The X Factor audition, dealing with managers who wanted to lie about her age, and the wildest A-List party she ever attended. She also shared the cutest story about how she got together with her now husband Marcel, her secrets to a long and happy relationship, and what she’d like to set the record straight on. Plus we’ve got a fabulous bar review for you Londoners, having spent an excellent evening together at the city’s hottest new haunt, Stereo, the stunning cocktail bar, restaurant and live music venue from super chic the Experimental Group. It’s right in the heart of Covent Garden and for a night of killer cocktails, burgers and a little spin on the dance floor, this totally hits the spot. Stereo is at 35 The Piazza, London, WC2E 8BE, check out Stereo’s website at stereocoventgarden.com, or on IG @stereocoventgardenlondon.  ​​Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Leave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod

We’re back with a thrilling culture debrief for you today, angels, and as you can hear from our unhinged giggling, we are really very excited to be reuinited with you all, gossiping about everything from Sofia Richie’s wedding at the infamous, ridiculously luxurious Cap Du Eden Roc hotel in France, to the explosive sex scandal gripping the cast of Netflix’s latest hit, Beef. We also get stuck into Lewis Capaldi’s Netflix documentary, How I’m Feeling Now, which highlights his struggles with Tourette’s syndrome, as well as the streamer’s latest surprise success, The Night Agent, a brilliant, pacy political thriller recently became its third most-watched show of all time, as well as, erm, it’s epic new series about chimpanzees. Also, why you need to read Curtis Sittenfield’s new novel Romantic Comedy about a famous male pop star falling for a TV comedy writer, inspired by Kim K’s hook up with Pete Davidson, as well as a deep dive into how Reese Witherspoon became the most powerful woman in Hollywood. Finally, for anyone planning a Mexico trip in the near future, Kathleen gives a very brief overview of her recent travels, from swimming with wild dolphins to street food hotspots. If you’d like to know more, be that on the route, AirbnB reccos or restaurants to book, shoot us a DM and Kathleen shall share!  Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at ⁠huel.com/straightup Mexico recommendations discussed: Mexico City: Expendio de Maiz, Orinoco, Supra Roma, the Xocholmilco floating gardens.  Puerto Escondido: Stay in La Punta, swimming with dolphins boat trip, visit Fish Shack. Oaxaca: Mercado Benito Juárez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Tacos Roy. Bacalar: Stay in a lakeside cabin at Amacar Baclar, visit Los Rapidos. Holbox: We stayed at Mystique, do eat at Feugo Santos and Temco. Leave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod

Hello darlings, have you missed us? Kathleen is back from Mexico so Straight Up is back to business and we have an excellent celebrity interview for you today: Ryan Hennessy, frontman of Picture This, the childhood friends turned Irish mega band who flew to the top of the Irish charts with their debut album in 2017. If you go weak for an Irish accent and swoon over gorgeous introspective songs about love, breakups and existentialism then you are going to absolutely love em.  We met Ryan one sunny afternoon in Kings Cross and chatted all about why they're the most 'egoless band out there', why young female fans should not be patronised, and why he might be the only artist that never drinks before a show. And his anecdote about a mental house party in LA - which also inspired a song - might well be one of the craziest stories Straight Up has heard to date.  Plus: why he wasn't offended by controversial Irish film Banshees of Inisherin, the song inspired by his big existential crisis and his thoughts on masculinity and fatherhood. Leave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod Check out Song To Myself here: https://songtomyself.lnk.to/PictureThis If you want to see Picture This live, they're headlining Koko on the 27th April, tickets here Follow the band @picturethis on IG and Ryan @ryanhennessy_ Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at huel.com/straightup

Hi gorgeous ones! Today we round up our mini celebrity journalism series with the fourth and final part (listen to parts one to three by scrolling back in our archive - they’re super juicy!). And it’s all about celebrity journalism’s uncertain future: in an era in which celebs increasingly hold all the power, and publications are losing their relevancy, who needs who? After Ellie reveals a shock celebrity encounter that got her feeling all kinds of existential angst, we discuss why and how celebs are choosing to disrupt traditional media, from Dua Lipa's newsletter and podcast to the now ubiquitous A-List tell-all Netflix documentary. Whereas celebrity journalism used to be a highly calculated game paying dividends for both sides, today it seems to have become something a lot less strategic. But it's not all doom and gloom for the media huns, as we make the case for why the traditional interview still holds an important place in our culture, and why celebrity journalism more broadly is important in holding the powerful to account. Make sure you answer our themed question on Spotify! And let us know what you thin on Insta @straightuppod Ps we're off for a two-week break after this episode but don't go anywhere, we'll be back on April 20 with a VERY fun interview. See ya then! Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at huel.com/straightup

Jordan Stephens is in the studio today angels and this is defo one of our favourite chats to date – you are going to absolutely love this one! Jordan shot to fame as a teenager as one half of Rizzle Kicks, they disbanded in 2016 and he went on to pursue a super successful, incredibly varied career, from actor and painter to children’s book author (as well as still releasing music ofc). We sat down at Brixton Village studios to debrief on the rise of Rizzle Kicks and being thrown into fame overnight as a teenager, from the “delusion” that got him there in the first place, to the wild and ultimately unsustainable partying that came with such success. Jordan gets into what his subsequent five years of sobriety have been like and his myriad talents, including  being an actor, and his views on everything from Penn Badgley's no intimacy rule for filming, to Andrew Tate and toxic misogyny. Plus, why he absolutely loves how famous his partner, Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix, is, how they complement each other, their creative intimacy, and their plans when it comes to getting married and having children. Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at huel.com/straightup And thanks VERY much to Shure for gifting us our sexy new mics, the MV7s, which we can highly recommend to any new or current podcasters. Grab yours at Shure.com

Welcome back angels! We’ve got a corker of a chat for you today, where first we quickly debrief on our favourite Oscar looks, before getting into The Whale, for which Brendan Fraser took home Best Actor, and Hollywood’s surrounding fat suit controversy. Is the portrayal of his character Charlie is ethical? And why are  weight and morality all too often confused? Plus Jonah Hill’s life-long struggle with his weight and self-image, as portrayed in his Netflix documentary Stutz. Then, we pop the Paul Mescal hype after seeing his arthouse hit Aftersun, which we, unlike the rest of the world, unfortunately did not love. Also, the dreamy Austin Butler as Elvis in the new Baz Lurman film, Jennifer Lawrence’s comeback and Cara Delevingne’s recent renaissance post a much-documented ‘unravelling’. Plus, Kathleen’s favourite new bar discovery, a Mexican meets Japanese underground spot in Notting Hill, Viajante 87. Recommendations: The Whale Stutz on Netflix by Jonah Hill Elvis (Baz Lurman film) Austin Butler on Mark Maron’s podcast Jennifer Lawrence BuzzFeed No Hard Feelings (JLaw film) Planet Sex on BBC iPlayer with Cara Delevingne Viajante 87 bar, 87 Notting Hill Gate Mae Stevens “If We Ever Broke Up” Miley Cyrus “Endless Summer” Thank you to Huel for supporting this episode. In case you haven't heard, Huel is the game-changing, high protein nutritionally complete meal you can have in a shake that has got both of us into the best shape of our lives, and feeling our healthiest, too! Our fave is the Black Edition – get a free shaker and a T-shirt when you order at huel.com/straightup

Hi darlings, we’re back today with a chat with the man who got us turning our kitchens into dancefloors over the pandemic, and has just released one of the most disco-tastic albums of 2023, AudioLust and HigherLove. SG Lewis (or Sam, to his friends) is, as Kathleen says, a pied piper of the party! Makes sense that he’s also super-producer to some of the world’s biggest stars, from Mabel to Dua Lipa, and has worked with icons such as Elton John. Sam Zoomed us from LA to talk about what his career spent working with some of music’s biggest stars has taught him about fame, money and success, as well as entertaining us with some excellent red carpet stories and revealing what the mysterious ‘songwriter camps’ are really like. Plus we have got all our cocktail loving Huns covered with a review of what might be our top new London bar: SOMA, in Soho. And Ellie gives us the lowdown on her favourite new female comedians for International Women’s Day, while we also both get stuck into the juiciest controversy of the moment, the explosive fallout from HBO’s upcoming show The Idol, which has been accused of ‘male torture porn’. How did a show satirising fame become the very thing it was meant to satire? And what does this mean for its very famous co-creator The Weeknd? Recommendations discussed: SOMA Dans Le Noir? Guilty Feminist Podcast ( IWD episode not yet out!) Comedian Helen Bauer Comedian Michelle de Swarte  The Rolling Stone expose on The Idol Enjoy! Thank you to Huel for making this episode possible. Huel is a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake in a load of amazing flavours, and which has totally changed the game for us since we started weight lifting, helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money. huel.com/straightup

First up today darlings is a whistlestop recommendation rundown for New York, where Ellie celebrated her 30th last week, followed by a blow-by-blow look at the car crash that is the Peltz-Beckham wedding lawsuit drama. Then, a further debrief on the unofficial first family of Britain, from whether we think Victoria Beckham is a nice person, featuring *alleged* intel from Kathleen, who once met one of the Beckham’s nannies, to Ellie’s experience of interviewing a rather handsy David. Also on the topic of weddings, we cover the rise of the “couple podcast” and debrief one of Kathleen’s fave new discoveries, Jaime Laing’s Nearlyweds, plus, our new celebrity crush, the actor Mia Goth who is currently starring in Infinity Pool, the new horror dubbed “White Lotus for sickos” and is the lead in two of Ellie’s favourite horror films, X and Pearl (out now). We also get stuck into Paris Hilton’s decision to use a surrogate because of her crippling phobia of childbirth, which was triggered, in part, by the abuse she experienced at boarding school, as well as the revelation that her sextape “One Night In Paris” was the first bit of porn either of us ever saw (we’re so sorry! We understand the ethics of this now!). Finally, a debrief of Selena Gomez’s documentary My Mind and Me, in particular the excruciating press day scenes and her incredible mental health advocacy. Then a hilarious look at former Elle Editor Farah Storr’s latest Substack newsletter, where she gives “the world’s best restaurant” a brutally honest review that reads just like the amazing chef thriller we recently recommended, The Menu. Recommendations discussed: Homefire by by Kamila Shamsie Big Vogue Still Trying to Push the Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Agenda, Gawker Nearlyweds podcast with Jaime Lang and Sophie Haboo Jaime Lang on Elizabeth’s Day’s How To Fail Infinity Pool starring Mia Goth X and Pearl both starring Mia Goth Paris Hilton’s Glamour cover story Diary of a CEO episodes with Romesh Ranganathan, Richard Hammond and Charlie Sloth Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, Apple TV The World’s Most Dangerous Roads, Dave Farah Storr’s review of “the world’s best restaurant” Noma, Substack Jay Rayner’s Le Cinq review for the Guardian NYC recommendations: The Williamsburg Gotham Comedy Club The Book Club in East Village The Sex Museum Lafayette for brunch Misi for brown butter pasta Sunday in Brooklyn Tompkins Square Bagels Dante bar in Chelsea for $10 martinis Little Ned cocktail bar Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors for this episode: Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting, and is helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money. huel.com/straightup Get 10% off your first month of therapy with our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get your discount at https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/ And thanks VERY much to Shure for gifting us our sexy new mics, the MV7s, which we can highly recommend to any new or current podcasters. Grab yours at Shure.com

Hi gorgeous ones, this week we have the equally gorgeous Mae Muller in the studio, who many of you will no doubt recognise from her absolute belter I Just Came to Dance which was permanently on the radio just before Christmas, as well as her viral TIkTok hit Better Days which she even performed on Jimmy Fallon. Trust us when we tell you she’s gonna be a star! Over her fave drink, an Aperol Spritz, we had such a fun chat talking everything from first unglamorous jobs to dating in the public eye and her (now broken) year long celibacy journey. Plus, how fame has impacted her body image, why she’s built an all-female team around her and her most memorable ‘don’t you know who I am?’ moment. Another highlight was debating over the pros and cons of Stan culture, and we almost died laughing when Mae took the opportunity to beg her fans to change their fandom name from the.. ahem…Mullshitters. Check out Mae Muller's amazing music and her socials here: https://bio.to/MaeMuller  Let us know what you think by reviewing the episode on Spotify or dropping us a DM on Insta @straightuppod Thanks so much to our amazing sponsor for this episode: Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting, and is helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money. huel.com/straightup

Sorry about the hangovers, huns, because first up today we’re give you the full behind the scenes debrief on the Brit Awards, where we had a rather raucous evening on Saturday night, starting with drinks at the gorgeous Shoreditch bar Seed Library and culminating with the star-studded Universal Records party at Soho House’s 180 The Strand. We then get stuck into all the other biggest talking points of the past week, from Rihanna’s epic pregnancy reveal at the Superbowl, to the Chat GPT takeover, as well as our top TV and podcast picks right now, from HBOs’ zombie masterpiece The Last of Us, to Strippers In The Attic, a no-holds-barred series on what really goes down at strip clubs. Enjoy darlings and as ever please rate, review, subscribe and send this episode to a friend! Let us know what you think by reviewing the episode on Spotify or dropping us a DM on Insta @straightuppod Recommendations discussed: Seed Library at 100 Shoreditch ( our fave bar discovery of 2023!). Book via seedlibraryshoreditch.com Watch RiRi at the Superbowl via NFL's YouTube The Last of Us on HBO Happy Valley Next Level Chef on ITV X Strippers in The Attic podcast 'The Last of Us’s gay love story breaks new ground for an entire genre' The Independent Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors for this episode: Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting, and is helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money. huel.com/straightup Get 10% off your first month of therapy with our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get your discount at https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/

Gang we are so excited to have none other than RAYE on the podcast this week, one of our favourite artists and an absolute icon on the British music scene at just 25-years-old. The South London gal released her debut album independently on 3 Feb after a very public dispute with her label last summer – they’d stifled her and controlled her creatively for seven years – and now, is telling her story on her own terms and enjoying more commercial success than ever before (her most recent amaze single, Escapism, went to No1). Ellie was unwell for this one (*sob*) and so Kathleen sat down to talk to RAYE about her incredible journey and resilience, from surviving abuse at the hands of the music industry’s darkest figures, to thriving as an independent artist after calling out injustice. We get deep about forgiveness, standing up for artists, Black Mirror-worthy media events, the power of therapy and finally having your moment. Check out RAYE’s incredible album My 21st Century Blues here: https://raye.orcd.co/m21cb Let us know what you think by reviewing the episode on Spotify or dropping us a DM on Insta @straightuppod Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors for this episode: Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting, and is helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money. huel.com/straightup Get 10% off your first month of therapy with our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get your discount at https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/

Hi darlings, this week we get stuck into some VERY juicy topics, starting with, is the new Amy Winehouse biopic doomed to fail? Plus, having watched the brand new Pamela Anderson documentary on Netflix, how much did her sex tape colour the public view of her? And can sex tapes ever be empowering? Also, having both watched the very entertaining black comedy The Menu, about an acclaimed pompous (and murderous) chef starring our fave Anya Taylor Joy, we reminisce over some of our most absurd memories reviewing some of the world’s finest restaurants (it’s a hard life huns). Finally, is there more to J Lo’s new marriage romcom than meets the eye, and why Miley Cyrus’s Liam Hemsworth revenge song Flowers is the latest savvy mood in celebrity meta marketing. Let us know what you think by reviewing the episode on Spotify or dropping us a DM on Insta @straightuppod Thanks so much to our amazing sponsor for this episode: Helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money is Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightup Recommendations discussed: Pamela, a love story on Netflix ‘Pamela Anderson: The only man to treat me with respect? Hugh Hefner’, The Times The Menu on Disney Plus and in cinemas Shotgun Wedding on Amazon Prime An Attempt to Make Sense of the Jennifer Lopez Wedding Industrial-Complex Canon, Vulture Miley Cyrus Flowers Miley thread: https://twitter.com/mileycyrusvibez/status/1614391250396012545

Can’t quite believe we’re saying this huns but we had the man, the legend AKON in the studio with us recently to celebrate his new TikTok EP TT Freak and it was all we hoped and more. We had the most amazing chat about everything from growing up between New Jersey and Senegal and how his time in prison inspired his major hit Locked Up, to discovering Lady Gaga, working with Whitney Houston and becoming TikTok’s most streamed star. Plus Akon got real on our favourite topic of fame, revealing why so many stars are selfish, greedy and give nothing back to their communities. He also spoke honestly about why musicians like Kanye West need to care less about music, and why - controversially - he still stands by Michael Jackson. And, our favourite moment of the interview, he invites us to his favourite strip club! We shall attend and report back. Let us know what you think by leaving us a review on Apple or Spotify, or you can DM us on insta @straightuppod Thank you to our two incredible sponsors: Helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money is Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightup If you’re nervous about starting your therapy journey this year, then check out our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get 10% off your first month by visiting https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/

We read Prince Harry’s memoir so you don’t have to, huns, and good grief do we have thoughts. We trawl through the juiciest revelations (especially the ones that haven't made the headlines) and debate over some of Spare's most contentious points, from Harry's obsession with the press and the royal family's strange dysfunction, to whether he'll eventually regret going into such microscopic detail about his sibling rivalry with William. Plus, has online discourse around cutting off ‘toxic’ people done more harm than good, and is it leading to an ‘estrangement’ epidemic? Let us know what you think by replying with a comment on Spotify or sending us an Insta DM @straightuppod Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors for this episode: Helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money is Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightup If you’re nervous about starting your therapy journey this year, then check out our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get 10% off your first month by visiting https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/ Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Happy new year huns! After a restful Christmas of pigs in blankets and Oatnog we’re suitably fattened up and raring to go for 2023 at Straight Up HQ, with plenty of juicy, eye-opening interviews about the murky world of celebrity. In this episode we’re joined by the fabulous Baby Queen, the 25-year-old South African born, London-based artist who many new fans might recognise from Netflix’s Heartstopper soundtrack, for what is perhaps our most revealing interview to date – like, EVER! Baby Queen, AKA Bella, spills the tea on just how twisted the music business actually still is, even in its green juice era, from toxic male managers and the prevalence of drugs, to abuse and manipulation, the sexism, the self-medicating and the mental health costs that are all practically part and parcel of being a performer. Bella digs deep into her own “bright lights syndrome” and the narcissism inherent in artistry, while talking through a recent identity-crisis, navigating ADHD, and her battles with depression, revealing how they are, for her, intertwined with being in the spotlight. Plus, we talk everything from therapy and why Bella says she is never, ever having children, to video games and why the name “Baby Queen” triggered an existential crisis. Let us know what you think by replying with a comment on Spotify or sending us an Insta DM @straightuppod Thank you to our gorgeous sponsors for making this episode happen: Black-lines, the amazing bottled cocktail company behind our fave winter tipple Oatnog. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out here Huel, our January saviour helping us to get back into the gym, build muscle and save money with Huel Black Edition, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightup Dame, the world’s first climate positive period brand, making products that are both healthier for you and the planet and which has already saved hundreds of millions of pieces of plastic from going into landfill. Enjoy 25 per cent off Dame products with the exclusive code UP25 at wearedame.co

Hello angels, today we are bringing you an episode full of festive cheer and (slightly tipsy) merriment! Over a bottle of Straight Up’s fave winter drink Oatnog, we reminisce about our best and worst Christmas rituals and presents, the highs and lows of seasonal cinema, and Ellie even whipped up a truly scintillating Christmas quiz for us all to enjoy, of which the first question is: ‘What is Ellie’s favourite ingredient on the Christmas Day lunch plate?’ (Kindly note Kathleen’s eye roll). Also, we share our top celebrity moments of 2022, and why Billie Piper’s I Hate Suzie is THE show you all need to watch over the holidays. Plus we couldn’t resist debriefing the White Lotus finale too, obv. We’re taking a little two week break now, so see you next year on the 12 January for an incredibly exciting guest interview. We really do have some absolute corkers for you lined up in 2023, so get ready for even bigger and better juicy celebrity stories, fascinating analysis around what it means to be famous in this day and age, plus your usual cultural recommendations to keep you entertained and in the know. Happy Christmas and see you on the other side!  Hunnies if you want the PERFECT Christmas/New Year's gift for your loved ones, or simply as a well-deserved treat for yourself, then look no further than amazing bottled cocktail company black-lines, which has launched quite literally the most delicious winter cocktail you will ever try: Oatnog. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery East Rarer rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out here.

Hiiii huns, this week we have one of our fave bands on the show: First Aid Kit! The Swedish, Brit-nominated sisters Klara and Johanna are adored around the world for making the most beautiful country music, which had Ellie swooning into her wine last Friday at the Eventim Apollo. This episode is a cracker, with such fun, hilarious sisterly energy as Klara and Johanna recall their drunkest moments, touring together as children (with their dad in tow) and the most outrageous thing a journalist has ever said in an interview. Plus, they share a very moving and spiritual story behind their amazing new album Palomino, and get candid about everything from the pressures of performing to pleasing fans. Shoutout to the gorgeous pop-up bar we reviewed in the intro too, which is just ideal for snug winter cocktails on a beautiful alpine rooftop! Book your table at Laurels on the Roof here! A huge thank you also to our incredible partners for this episode: Amazing bottled cocktail company black-lines has just launched quite literally the most delicious Christmas cocktail you will ever try: Oatnog. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out here Ever feel totally bamboozled by everything from investing to crypto and your pension? Juno is an amazing educational platform and app that is helping to close the financial literacy gap that affects women and non binary people. Use the code STRAIGHTUP to get 30% of a premium subscription, which brings the cost down from £4.15 to £2.91 per month – less than a cup of coffee! Search Your Juno in the App Store or visit www.yourjuno.co Q Acoustics is the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.uk As ever, please do let us know what you think by shooting us a DM at our newly launched Straight Up IG @straightuppod Brands with collab enquiries, please feel free to email us at hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk. Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Get ready for some rip-roaring recommendations this week angels, because we're debriefing on everything from infamous celebrity gossip IG account DeuxMoi's thinly-veiled new autofiction, Anon Please, to the second season of the bonkers, totally brilliant HBO series The White Lotus, set in a luxury hotel in Sicily. We get stuck into debates on privilege, power, hypocrisy, stalking and celeb privacy, plus lots of laughs on A-list lookalikes, astrology (and the legitness of it) and the inherent sexism in "icks". We also have a good old debrief on the alleged Maya Jama and Stormzy reunion (including our take on the incredible new album This Is What I Mean and the thorny question of whether you should ever take an ex back), the ethics of paparazzi and the tabloid story exchange game, plus why clickbait headlines simply reflect our own worst instincts. Recommendations discussed: The White Lotus Anon Please by DeuxMoi Stormzy This Is what I Mean Explained on Netflix (astrology episode is S1 E14) Debbie - Is This Real Love? Thank you so much to our fantastic new partner Juno for supporting this episode. Ever feel totally bamboozled by everything from investing to crypto and your pension? Juno is an amazing educational platform and app that is helping to close the financial literacy gap that affects women and non binary people. Use the code STRAIGHTUP to get 30% of a premium subscription, which brings the cost down from £4.15 to £2.91 per month - less than a cup of coffee! Search Your Juno in the App Store or visit www.yourjuno.co As ever, please do let us know what you think by shooting us a DM at our newly launched Straight Up IG @straightuppod Brands with collab enquiries, please feel free to email us at hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk. Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Hi darlings, if, like us, you love peeling back the glossy layer of the celebrity machine and digging beneath the sparkle of the music industry, then you are going to absolutely adore this episode with Dublin megastar Dermot Kennedy. He’s sold out the O2, counts Taylor Swift among his fans and in 2019 released Ireland’s best-selling debut album of this millennium. Now he's just released an amazing new album, Sonder. But, as Dermot told us in this very moving and honest chat over some gorgeous Oatnog from our new partner black-lines, he hates celebrity, and does everything he can to protect himself from the trappings of fame, from not checking what’s in his bank balance to keeping his dad on his payroll. Refreshingly down-to-earth, he offers some serious debunking when it comes to the music business, revealing how little money he makes when he’s on tour. And of course it wouldn’t be Straight Up without some eye-popping anecdotes, from Dermot pranking his friends in front of Muse’s Matt Bellamy and being dared to drink his own piss (yes, really), to a quite frankly terrifying fan experience. Thank you to our amazing new partner, bottled cocktail company black-lines, which has just launched quite literally the most delicious Christmas cocktail you will ever try. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out here Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

We’ve got a full free-wheeling festival of recommendations for you this week angels, from our thoughts on Em Rata’s new podcast HighLow – which prompted a big old debate on tweakments, the intersection of cosmetic surgery and feminism, body image and Julia Fox’s belief that aging is hot – to Amazon’s latest big hitter, Mammals, a dark comedy all about cheating and monogamy, starring James Corden. We also get stuck into the problem with the term ‘punching’, our personal insecurities and the radical weight-loss injections that all the A-listers are suddenly using. Plus, our review of the most festive bar in London, at the gorgeous Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden, a deep-dive into the six forces of friendship, and, the best theatre production of 2022. As ever, please do let us know what you think by shooting us a DM at our newly launched Straight Up IG @straightuppod Thank you so much to our fantastic new partner Juno for supporting this episode. Ever feel totally bamboozled by everything from investing to crypto and your pension? Juno is an amazing educational platform and app that is helping to close the financial literacy gap that affects women and non binary people. Use the code STRAIGHTUP to get 30% of a premium subscription (usually £4.15 per month if bought annually), which offers super fun and bitesize courses on how to be smart with your money, as well as access to the app’s incredible community section, where you can ask other Juno users questions and share your own experiences around money. Search Your Juno in the App Store and remember to use our discount code STRAIGHTUP. www.yourjuno.co Recommendations Miracle bar pop up at the Henrietta Hotel HighLow with Em Rata:  the Julia Fox interview episode and 'Can you be a feminist and get plastic surgery? EmRata asks' The Doctor at Duke of York’s Theatre, London The IG account @beauty.false Mammals on Amazon Prime Handmaid’s Tale on 4 Fall (2022 film) One Man, Two Guvnors The Six Forces That Fuel Friendship Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Hello darlings, this week's fabulous Straight Up guest is the radio presenter and DJ Roman Kemp, who has just released a memoir, Are You Really Ok?, and who opened up to us about everything from his lifelong struggle with mental health and losing his best friend to suicide, to his surreal celebrity upbringing as son to Martin Kemp (Spandeau Ballet) and Shirlie Kemp (Wham!). It's a very inspiring chat that also peels back the layers of one of the UK's most famous faces, with Roman admitting that he actually hates attention so much he can't even stand friends singing him Happy Birthday. Plus, Roman talks about his difficult years spent in the fashion industry, and reveals what it's really like to work in radio, from disaster interviews to dealing with trolling. Oh, and his extraordinary Harry Styles impression is NOT to be missed! Enjoy! Get Roman's book Are You Really Ok? here and follow him on IG at @romankemp A huge thank you also to our partners for this episode: Q Acoustics for supporting Straight Up for another season and for being the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.uk Black Cow, the world's first sustainably made pure milk vodka that is made by a dairy farmer in West Dorset, which we enjoyed in our extraordinarily delish cocktails with Roman. While chatting, we drank the ready to drink Negroni, a smooth, delicious, absolutely pitch-perfect take on the classic. Get your negronis (and some seriously excellent strawberry vodka) at blackcow.co.uk. Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Hi lovely listeners, this week’s episode is absolutely brimming with recommendations spanning everything from romantic autumn minibreaks to the memoir everyone’s been talking about – did you know that Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) almost died from drug addiction and once dumped Julia Roberts?  We also deep dive into the sordid affairs of Britney Spears’s late grandfather, who, according to an incredibly juicy new New York Magazine article, is horribly relevant when it comes to questioning why Britney’s dad put his daughter in a conservatorship. Speaking of sordid things, there's a new serial killer film on Netflix starring Eddie Redmayne that's based on a true story – Ellie gives her verdict. Plus, we debate our fave Julia Roberts film after Kathleen reviews her new romcom Ticket to Paradise and we assess the controversy around Billie Eilish’s boyfriend.  Dig in and let us know what you think! Recommendations Il Palazzo Experimental, Venice Osteria alle Testiere, Venice Al Covo, Venice House of Spears article in NY Mag Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry The Good Nurse, Netflix The Peripheral, Amazon Prime Louis Theroux interviews Judi Dench, BBC Popbitch newsletter The Playlist, Netflix Ready Player One, Amazon Prime Vanity Fair, Apple TV Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Gorgeous ones, are you ready for one saucy lil episode from none other than the extraordinary, Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling star Tove Lo? And we really do mean saucy: Tove might just be one of the most sexually liberated women in pop, with a vagina tattoo on her arm, a history of flashing her lucky fans at gigs, and lyrics to make a grown man blush. Not only did the Swedish pop queen open up about her marriage, being queer, living communally in LA with her husband and friends, freedom and female pleasure, she even shares a cheeky sex tip. Plus, expanding on some of the themes in her amazing new album Dirt Femme, we dig right into the pressures and contradictions around motherhood, womanhood, and romantic love, from ambivalence around having children, to being a "floating free spirit" by nature. Tove was also very inspiring about her experiences navigating the music industry as a woman who won’t take any shit, from body image struggles to lewd music execs and disbelievers who told her she was too ‘intelligent’ to make it as a musician. And of course, it wouldn’t be Straight Up without some highly nosy questions about fame, and what she gets up to when she isn’t being famous, from her favourite cocktail to her must-watch TV. A huge thank you also to our partners for this episode: Q Acoustics for supporting Straight Up for another season and for being the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.uk Dame, the world’s first climate positive period brand, making products that are both healthier for you and the planet and which has already saved hundreds of millions of pieces of plastic from going into landfill. This female founded green brand is changing the game with its amazing products including the reusable tampon applicator, tampons and reusable pads – and we are never going back. Enjoy 25 per cent off Dame products with the exclusive code UP25 at wearedame.co Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Hi angels! This episode is an absolute cultural smorgasbord (yes that is the first time we’ve used that word), covering everything from what real life luxury hotel concierge think of hilarious super rich satire The White Lotus and crew members revealing the 1%’s wildest demands in light of superyacht comedy Triangle of Sadness, to the tea from Stormzy’s Louis Theroux interview and Piers Morgan’s car crash Kanye interrogation.  Plus! Why you need to watch Netflix’s creepiest drama The Watcher (inspired by real events) and why House of Dragon is so deliciously feminist. And finally, all the juiciest behind-the-scenes intel from the memoir of Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) about what it was like to grow up as one of Hollywood’s most hated characters. Come to chat to us in our DMs on @straightuppod, and see you next week! <3  Recommendations Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman White Lotus S2 Triangle of Sadness Below Deck Louis Theroux interviews Stormzy The Watcher Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast with John Legend House of the Dragon Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy

Hello gorgeous ones, this week’s guest is the wonderful podcaster, musician and author Caggie Dunlop, whose dulcet tones some of you might already have heard on her own podcast Saturn Returns, which makes sense of our chaotic lives using astrology and amazing interviews with experts across everything from dream therapy to tarot. Caggie tells us all about how she became sober-curious after realising she had an addictive personality and was using alcohol as a way of masking vulnerability, and dives deep into what she calls her “cosmic coming of age” after her life fell apart in unpredictable ways. She also reveals how her stint in reality show Made in Chelsea contributed to self-destructive behaviour, with producers “puppeteering” her life. But, she tells us she fought against a “victim mentality” and has now reshaped her life around authenticity, spirituality and self-kindness. And excitingly, not only has she just launched the sixth season of her very successful podcast, next year she will release a new book, Saturn Returns, and release an EP. You can pre-order the book here. She was full of the most brilliant insight and life advice –  we hope you come away from this chat as energised and inspired as we did. Enjoy huns! And please leave us a review, and send this episode to a friend. Please do hop into our DMs @straightuppod to let us know what you think! Thank you SO much to our two amazing partners for this episode. First, Q Acoustics, where you can get the best quality, affordable speakers that will transform the way you listen to music AND watch films on your TV. Try the super sexy M20s. Second, Grubby, the UK’s first 100% plant-based, vegan recipe boxes, which not only taste banging, but have six portions of veg in every box and take just 30 mins to whip up after work for a super healthy meal. Use the exclusive and mouth-watering discount code STRAIGHTUP for a 50% off on your first box, and 20%  on your next three! Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy

Get ready for another cultural debrief gang, because this week our guest once again cancelled at the last minute. Celebs, ey? Don’t fear however, hunnies, because to make up for it we have an extra fast-paced and fun one for you all. First up, we chat Industry, the HBO drama about young, ruthless bankers that has arrived on BBC iPlayer for a second season. As big fans of the first season, we  just have to ask: why are the characters suddenly so predictable? Why is Harper so unlikable? And why have they gone so hard on the sex scenes? The New Statesman called it “ porn posing as prestige TV” and we think they’ve got a point (although that’s not to say we didn’t really quite enjoy it). Then, Ellie fills Kathleen in on Triangle of Sadness, the new, absolutely hilarious, pitch-black comedy from celebrated Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund about a yacht that sinks, leaving the super-rich survivors – including a fashion model celebrity couple – trapped on an island. It’s Östlund’s English language feature film debut and El’s is calling it the funniest thing she’s seen this year. Finally, we turn our attention to the murky world of true-crime, as Netflix’s Dahmer, a dramatisation of the life and crimes of serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, continues to stir up controversy. Is the genre as morally indefensible as the journalist Anna Leszkiewicz argues?  Recommendations discussed: Industry S2 on BBC iPlayer How my friends struck gold with a TV show about badly behaved city boys by Ed Cumming for The Telegraph Triangle of Sadness Force Majeure Kiss the Ground on Netflix (the Woody Harrrelson climate doc – NOT Mud, sorry guys, ha) Dhamer on Netflix The Staircase on HBO Serial S01 E13: Adnan is Out Abolish True Crime By Anna Leszkiewicz for New Statesman What Makes a Murderer on Channel 4 Enjoy, leave us a review, and please do hop into our DMs @straightuppod to let us know what you think! Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy

Sorry for the late episode this week hunnies… the kitten ate our homework. Ok, not quite – though Kathleen does have a new kitten – but actually we had our celeb guest reschedule last minute. And, instead of leaving you all in the lurch (because obv you can’t get through the weekend without us), we did recorded a spontaneous deep dive into the topic EVERYONE is talking about this week: Kanye’s disastrous Paris fashion week, in which he wore and presented a White Lives Matter T-Shirt. And then, because Kathleen is actually a Kardashian academic (ok, not really, but almost), we thought we would also  treat you to a thorough dissection of the Kardashian Klan: from Kimye's twisted mythology (ft an excellent The New Yorker piece on why their trajectory is modelled on The Incredibles by @Kardashian_Kolloqium's MJ Corey) to Kourtney’s work ethic and Khloe’s body positivity. Plus, important questions: is Kim a good role model? Is money her main motivator? Are Kanye & her in a secret business partnership? And was her relationship with Pete scripted by Hulu? Dive in!  Enjoy, leave us a review, and hop into our DMs @straightuppod to let us know what you think of the whole wild saga. We'd love to know! Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy

Darlings, you won’t believe how juicy this episode is. Tomorrow sees the release of the film the world has been talking about for weeks on end: Don’t Worry Darling, the psychological drama fronted by none other than Harry Styles. But unfortunately for poor Hazza, and the film’s excellent director Olivia Wilde, everyone seems a lot more interested in the behind-the-scenes – from on-set feuds to sex and #spitgate – than what’s actually on screen. So, we’ve put our sleuthing hats on and taken you through every step! Also in this week’s episode, Kathleen recommends Will Storr’s excellent new book The Status Game, and explains why our obsession with status helps us live longer (yep, really), while Ellie dives into the freaky history of the Evening Standard’s Premonitions Bureau, after reading an also excellent book by Sam Knight. Please leave us a review or hop into our DMs to let us know what you think! Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy

This week we’re rolling out the red carpet for queen of the internet Amber Rose Gill, the 2019 Love Island winner turned TV personality, podcaster, content creator and now debut author, with romance novel Until I Met You having been published by saucy fiction titans Mills & Boon earlier this summer. We had the best time over at her place drinking Ginger Strawberry Cow cocktails courtesy of our fab partner Black Cow, covering everything from her childhood in Newcastle, choosing beauty over uni and being approached by Love Island, to finding her purpose, navigating the public eye (including *those* Jack Grealish headlines and her recent “coming out” tweet), the importance of representation, reiki, property, owning being an “average” influencer and why women get cancelled more than men. Not to mention, of course, the juiciest behind the scenes look at Love Island, from how it’s actually all filmed and why for Amber it was really just a fun free holiday, to what she spent her prize money on and the therapy provided afterwards. We also dig deep into the problem with the reality TV bimbo stereotype and the quarter life crisis, as well as laughing like loons about red flags, the ick-factor, and why Amber is not a girl boss! Please leave us a little review on Apple or Spotify, and do DM us with any feedback or thoughts on our brand new Insta @straightuppod A huge thank you also to our partners for this episode: Q Acoustics for supporting Straight Up for another season and for being the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.uk Dame, the world’s first climate positive period brand, making products that are both healthier for you and the planet and which has already saved hundreds of millions of pieces of plastic from going into landfill. This female founded green brand is changing the game with its amazing products including the reusable tampon applicator, tampons and reusable pads – and we are never going back. Enjoy 25 per cent off Dame products with the exclusive code UP25 at wearedame.co Black Cow, the world's first pure milk vodka that is made by a dairy farmer in West Dorset, which we enjoyed in our extraordinarily delish cocktails with Amber at her place. While chatting we drank tall, refreshing Strawberry Ginger Cows, which use the all-new Black Cow + English Strawberries vodka – made from wonky strawbs, because Black Cow care about sustainability – and all three of us are now obsessed. Get your bottle (and some serious excellent Cheddar cheese) at blackcow.co.uk. Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1

Hi angels! We're so happy to be back with another cultural debrief for you all, covering the absolutely wild new doc on controversial Hollywood actor Armie Hammer, House of Hammer; an original debut story collection by 80-year-old Jane Campbell, Cat Brushing; Sharon Horgan's brilliant new Apple TV show, Bad Sisters; the best erotic novel, Insatiable, by Daisy Buchanan; and finally House of Dragon (the Game of Thrones prequel). We also chat about why men don’t find women funny, murderous dreams, polyamory, and what we've been up to recently – from Lost Village festival to a v v special proposal!  Please leave us a little review, or DM us on our brand new Insta @straightuppod. Don't forget that you can still redeem your 50% off your first Grubby vegan recipe box with the code STRAIGHTUP . Thank you so much to our amazing partner Grubby for their delicious boxes packed with more than 6 vegetables, we still cannot stop thinking about the onion bhaji burger we made earlier... Thank you also to our longtime sponsor Q Acoustics for supporting Straight Up for another season and for being the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.uk Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercy Kathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnston Ellie’s IG: @elliehalls1