Straight Up

Latest Episodes:

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.

The Ariana Grande discourse, ACOTAR and Nicole Kidman’s Vogue backlash Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Ariana Grande’s tour has been getting rave reviews, but the increasingly feverish discussion around her weight has us asking whether it’s more harmful to comment or stay silent, and what this and the tragic case of Jason Arday tell us about how journalists can lose sight of the real people behind headlines. Also this week: romantasy fans rejoice as Sarah J Maas reveals the covers, titles and blurbs for ACOTAR 6 and 7, Nicole Kidman faces backlash for looking “unrecognisable” on the cover of Vogue and the passing of actor Hayden Panettiere.

Join the ticket waitlist for our book club on Wed 2 September 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

DTF St Louis, HBO Max
The A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Sarah J Maas
The Last House, Netflix
The Invite
Camp Miasma
How do you assign a star rating to Ariana Grande? Ellie’s Substack
When the Snowflakes Pretend They Played No Part in the Avalanche, Conquest of the Useless Substack
“Where Am I Going? And What’s Next?”: Nicole Kidman Is Keeping Her Heart Open, Vogue
We call her Emma podcast
This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden Panettiere

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

Nara Smith, the tradwife discourse and this year’s buzziest crime thriller Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Nara Smith came on Call Her Daddy to rebuke her status as “poster girl” for the tradwife movement, but do we buy her rebrand? We discuss whether her content glamourising hyper-feminine domesticity causes real-world harm or whether she’s being held to unfair standards. Plus, rave reviews of masterpiece non-fiction thriller London Falling, the epic third season of House of the Dragon, and Epstein-coded serial killer drama Furious.

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! 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

London Falling by Patrick Radden-Keefe
Patrick Radden-Keefe on How to Fail
Where Are The Kings, Donal Ryan
House of the Dragon, NOWTV
The House That Dragons Built, HBO
Furious, Disney Plus
“Furious” Is a Crime Drama for a Post-Epstein World, New Yorker
Cape Fear, AppleTV
Nara Smith: Stop Calling Me a Tradwife, Call Her Daddy
Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke
The Tradwife Illusion Meets the Anti-Trump Reality, New York Times
“You Can’t Just Be Showing Matcha-Pilates-Alo”, Vulture
Influencers Are Being Paid to Spread the Mormon Church's Gospel, Bloomberg
Emilie Kiser: The Loss That Changed Her Forever, On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in cinemas
Gary Stevenson: “I was obsessed with making money”, The Louis Theroux Podcast
We Call Her Emma, Tortoise Investigates

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

FRIENDSHIP BREAKUPS: ghosting, group dynamics and comparison culture Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

This week we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes on a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of lots of deeply honest and moving DMs from the huns. A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises romantic over platonic love, there’s no social script for dealing with it. We cover everything from ghostings and estrangement to boundaries and therapy-speak, as well as how politics, exes and different life stages can lead to rifts and resentment. If you’ve been through something similar, then hopefully this ep will help you feel less alone!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here

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

Bad Friend, Michelle Elman
Bride Wars
We Need to Talk about Our Ex Best Friends, Elle
Bad Friend, Tiffany Watt Smith
The Lingering Wounds of Friendship Breakups, Elle
The White Lotus S3 E8, HBO
Will Our Friendship Survive Your Baby, New York Magazine

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

Our plastic surgery nightmare, Love Island and marital misery in The Invite Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

This week we’re diving into Jia Tolentino’s viral essay on the new age of cosmetic enhancement, from how algorithms are changing our faces to whether Botox really helps women get ahead at work – and why our own feelings on tweakments have recently radically changed. Also on the show: Olivia Wilde’s brilliant new film The Invite, where she and Seth Rogen play a miserable middle-class married couple, Apple’s sci-fi dystopia Silo, dispatches from the newborn trenches, and the latest doc exploring the ethics of reality TV, The Love Island Curse. Enjoy huns!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of 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:

On whether having a baby ruins your life or not, Sam Parker, Substack
Silo, AppleTV
The Invite, in cinemas
The Drama, available to rent
Half Man, iPlayer
The Curse of Love Island, Prime Video
Our incredible September book club pick Where Are the Kings, by Donal Ryan – pre-order your copy here
Our Plastic Surgery Nightmare, The New Yorker
How 'The Botox Psyop' Broke Our Brains in the Name of Beauty, Diabolical Lies

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

Katie Price’s doc, The Odyssey and Justin Bieber vs Madonna Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

We are so excited to be reunited and resuming normal service this week with a very overdue pop culture catch up! First up: reviews of Christopher Nolan's much talked-about Hollywood epic The Odyssey and "perimenopausal" crime caper Ride or Die starring Hannah Waddingham, before we dive into the fascinating new Katie Price docu-series. Plus: the new data showing that nine out of 10 of Britain's best-selling novels feature a murdered woman, and the Chris Martin-curated World Cup halftime show, from its bizarre performances to Madonna and Justin Bieber's reported feud. Enjoy huns and don’t forget to put Wednesday 2nd September in your diaries for our next book club at The Hoxton Holborn!

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:

The Odyssey, in cinemas
Sex, beds and grisly executions: what Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey changed, invented – and left out, Guardian
Chastity, nodding and enormous pores: will women also love Nolan’s Odyssey?, Guardian
Obsession, in cinemas
Ride or Die, Amazon Prime
‘An overnight success after 25 years? Delicious’: Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham on sexism, stunts and stardom at 51, Guardian
Lucky, Prime Video
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, NOWTV/ Sky
Nine out of 10 bestselling novels in UK have one thing in common: a woman is murdered, Guardian
9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why, Marie Claire
Hawk, Netflix

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

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