Straight Up

Latest Episodes:

Elizabeth Holmes in You Can See Everything, Meghan Markle and the next James Bond Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

The ‘dazzling’ new film about disgraced Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes has become one of the buzziest and most controversial documentaries ever made. Why is there so much hype, and what does it say about our fascination with famous fraudsters? Also on the show: how the serious allegations against Meghan Markle’s father could change public opinion around her, and our thoughts on the three finalists in the running to become the next James Bond. Plus: a five-star review of Disney’s comedy-mystery Phoney and our verdict on Channel 4’s star-studded series, It Gets Worse, about Gen Z disillusionment.

Book your (free!) tickets to our exclusive Netflix film screening and live ep recording here.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get your 10% discount code for Swyft Home at swyfthome.com/pages/straightup

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

Phoney, Disney+
It Gets Worse, Channel 4
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
Will the public change its mind about Meghan? BBC
You Can See Everything, in UK cinemas Nov 20
You Can't See Everything: Release delays are killing movie culture in the UK, GQ
‘A cultural moment’: smash hit doc You Can See Everything continues to dazzle America, Guardian
Elizabeth Holmes is Literally Just a Man, Liz Plank, Substack
The New Stanford Prison Experiment, Netflix

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Sally Rooney and the Girls reboot Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is back and seemingly more popular than ever, just years after it was dismissed as sexist and outdated. So how did we get here, and why are we suddenly celebrating a version of femininity we thought we’d left behind? Also this week: the newly-announced reboot of Lena Dunham’s Girls and whether it can capture the zeitgeist again, the controversy surrounding Sally Rooney’s book ban, plus reviews of Florence Pugh’s East of Eden adaptation and Ben Affleck’s new Netflix thriller.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/ reviews:

East of Eden, Netflix
Animals, Netflix
Jon Ronson on The Louis Theroux Podcast
Office Romance, Netflix
The Sheep Detectives, Amazon Prime
So, Girls is coming back for 5 fresh eps… Lena Dunham’s substack
Who Exactly Is The Victoria’s Secret Show For? Otegha Uwagba for Grazia
Why terrorism laws stopped Sally Rooney selling books in the UK, Today in Focus

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Day’s TV thriller, Mark Zuckerberg and when comedians go too far Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Elizabeth Day’s bestselling novel The Party has been turned into a glossy new TV thriller with Luke Evans, exploring toxic friendships and the dark side of the British upper classes. Plus, a comedian has sparked a furious backlash after calling women in gym shorts “whores” on SNL. Is misogyny being repackaged as edgy comedy? Also on the show: the must-watch new series of prison drama Time starring David Tennant and the questions it raises about our broken criminal justice system, a gripping new investigative podcast about an LA couple who had 21 children via surrogacy, a review of Jeremy Strong’s turn as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning and Nara Smith’s “sexy rebrand”.

Get your ticket to our ACOTAR 6 virtual book club via Ticket Tailor here.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/ reviews

Honeybloom jewellery (IG @honeybloomstore)
The Journey, New Yorker podcast
Time s3, BBC iPlayer
Criminal: How Our Prisons Are Failing Us All, Angela Kirwin
Sing Sing, Netflix
The Party, ITVx
Elizabeth Day: How I finally got my book The Party on TV, The Times
The Social Reckoning, in cinemas
The Interview, NYT, Aaron Sorkin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Celebrity Traitors, Sienna Miller’s War and when Hollywood divorces get ugly Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Sienna Miller and Dominic West play a celebrity couple at war in Sky’s hyped new divorce drama, so this week we’re getting into some of Hollywood’s messiest breakups – not to mention the stars’ own experiences with relationship scrutiny – from Halle Berry’s current custody battle to how Olivia Wilde and Tom Cruise were both “blindsided” by their exes. Also on the show: The Celebrity Traitors is back and we couldn’t be more thrilled, why contestant Richard E. Grant has our hearts, the Fourth Wing prequel and a review of Daisy Edgar Jones’ Sense and Sensibility. Plus, we reveal all the details of our first ever virtual book club!

Get your ticket to our ACOTAR 6 virtual book club here.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs / reviews:

Sense and Sensibility, in cinemas now
War, Sky / Now TV
‘I’d strip for £100!’ Dominic West and Sienna Miller on nudity, narcissism and their juicy new show War, Guardian
Threshing Day, Rebecca Yarros
The Celebrity Traitors, BBC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taylor Swift’s Encore, Amelia Dimoldenberg and the female rivalry trap Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Miquita Oliver went on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place pod this week, marking the end of a decades-long feud fuelled by the toxic tabloid culture of the early noughties. We debrief on their heart-warming reconciliation and how female rivalry is so often rooted in insecurity. Also on the show: Amelia Dimoldenberg hosted SNL, Taylor Swift has upset fans and critics alike with her latest release Encore (despite cleaning up at the VMAs on Sunday) and Vogue is engulfed in yet another controversy after the company behind Mounjaro sponsored its latest event. Plus: Colin From Accounts season three, Anne Hathaway’s dinosaur movie and a couple of great recs for weekend watching. Enjoy huns!

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

SNL UK, NOWTV
Colin from Accounts, iPlayer
Last Seen, AppleTV
Wasteman, Netflix
End of Oak Street, AppleTV
Taylor Swift Is Losing Us, Vulture
Taylor Swift’s Shrinking World, Substack
Miquita Oliver on The Happy Place podcast
‘It’s problematic’: concern as weight-loss jab maker sponsors Vogue World event, Guardian
I was hurt. It was spiteful: Alexandra Shulman on life after Vogue, The Times

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Sheeran, Lena Dunham and the ethics of surrogacy Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

From Lena Dunham announcing the birth of her baby girl via surrogate in a fashion piece for Vogue, to Ed Sheeran’s PR disaster over Palestine and free speech, this week both celebs have found themselves at the centre of debates they’d tried to side-step. Is commercial surrogacy inherently “anti-feminist”? And can stars really be apolitical in this day and age? Also on the show: we review Sharon Horgan’s brilliant new series YOUTH, all about ageing anxiety and dating in your 50s.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

YOUTH, HBO Max
Sharon Horgan: My sexual shelf life and dating over 50, The Times
Lena Dunham Is a Mother! The Sweet, Singular Story of How She Prepared, Vogue
Whose Babies Are These? A Chinese man hired a Florida surrogate, then didn’t pick up his kids, sparking a custody battle that could upend the industry, The Cut
When Political Reality Collides With Ed Sheeran, New York Times
Ed Sheeran wants to stay out of politics. By quitting his tour, his support acts have exposed the hollowness of neutrality, Guardian
‘With Gaza, I Couldn’t Not Speak Out’: Ms. Rachel on Controversy, Fame, and the Future, Rolling Stone

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THERAPY: ChatGPT, false memories and weaponised ‘therapy speak’ Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

This week we’re revisiting our ep on the dark side of the therapy boom, from unqualified therapists planting false memories in vulnerable people and an obsession with labels to ‘therapy boasting’ on Hinge and the weaponisation of ‘therapy speak’. Plus, what makes a good therapist, and can AI offer an accessible alternative to what has become a luxury? We’ll be back with our usual pop culture debrief next Thursday!

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs:

Dangerous Memories podcast
My therapist told me Mum had abused me. She hadn’t, Times
The therapist who planted false memories, Pandora Sykes, Substack
How the language of therapy took over dating, NYT
Nobody has a personality anymore, Substack
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns users not to trust ChatGPT agent with sensitive or personal data, Decoder
Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens, NYT
He Had a Mental Breakdown Talking to ChatGPT. Then Police Killed Him, Rolling Stone
What does bad therapy actually look like? Stylist
Can AI therapists really be an alternative to human help? BBC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alix Earle, her Alex Cooper feud and the business of influence Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Mega-influencer Alix Earle’s new reality show has dropped on Netflix and so we’re unpacking it all, from all the details of her feud with Alex Cooper to the family’s bizarre dynamics. Could Earle Meets World be Gen Z’s answer to The Kardashians? Also this week: series two of The Gentlemen starring Maya Jama, as well as the brilliant film spin-off of French comedy Call My Agent! featuring an excellent cameo from George Clooney.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/ reviews:

Where Are The Kings, Donal Ryan
The Gentlemen, Netflix
Call My Agent! The Movie, Netflix
Earle Meets World, Netflix

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ali G, the Met Gala backlash and cleavage’s big comeback Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Ali G is back after more than 20 years, sparking a backlash over the character’s racist stereotypes with cinemas saying they’ll boycott the new film. And speaking of controversial comebacks, the planned John Galliano exhibition at the Met has been pulled, so this week we’re discussing cancel culture, second chances and when some things are better left in the past. Also on the show: the sky-rocketing of push-up bra sales, breastfeeding in public, Bonnie Blue’s baby announcement and Olivia Wilde’s new film, plus the Lindsay Clancy trial.

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

Get our book club pick Where Are the Kings here
FRIENDSHIP BREAKUPS: ghosting, group dynamics and comparison culture (our ep)
Outcome, AppleTV
Toy Story 5, SkyTV
Furious, Disney Plus
I Want Your Sex, in cinemas
Eyes Down Here: Push-up bras are back with a vengeance, The Cut
Not My G, More Brit (ish) Than Ever Substack, Afua Hirsch
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Is Making a Very Bad Mistake, New York Times
Lucky Boy, Tortoise Investigates

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

North West, Meghan Markle’s return and the man-child epidemic Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Why do so many adult men seem stuck in arrested development? We review the buzzy new novel from the “male Sally Rooney” Jem Calder, whose rom-com I Just Want You to Be Happy charts a dysfunctional age-gap relationship between a 35-year-old man-child and 23-year-old woman. Also on the show: our thoughts on the backlash to North West’s “age inappropriate” Dazed cover, Meghan Markle’s new career move, Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi’s hard launch and a possible sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

We’ve released a final batch of tickets to our book club on Wed 2 September! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and order Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

I Want You to be Happy, Jem Calder
I Want You to Be Happy is the excruciating millennial novel everyone will be reading this summer, The Independent
Alice and Steve, Disney Plus
Prue Leith – On leaving Bake Off and finding love again at 70, Experience is Everything
Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi’s Dating World Tour Continues in London, Vogue
North West: ‘Music is what I wanna do with my life’, Dazed
Fresh Hell, Tina Brown’s Substack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected