Straight Up

Latest Episodes:

The 10 best books of 2025 Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Happy almost New Year, huns! We’re rounding off 2025 with our list of the top ten books of the year, from award-winning heavyweights to addictive romantasy and some stand-out non-fiction. We’re reviewing the reads that dominated group chats, the ones recommended by you guys, and the under-the-radar faves we still can’t stop thinking about. Plus: the books we’re desperate to dive into in 2026 and an update on our book club! We really hope you enjoy this ep, we’ll be back next Thursday for our usual pop culture chaos.

Let us know what you think of the ep, share your fave books of the year and just generally get in touch via socials or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. We LOVE hearing from you!

Recs

The Names, Florence Knapp
Flashlight, Susan Choi
Onyx Storm, Rebecca Yaros
Shield of Sparrows, Devney Perry
Our Salt Path episode
Careless People Sarah Wynn-Williams
Girl on Girl, Sophie Gilbert
New Age of Sexism, Laura Bates
Bring the House Down, Charlotte Runcie
Flesh, David Szalay
Alchemised and CeCe reviews episode
Alchemised, SenLinYu
CeCe, Emmelie Prophete
The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Kiran Desai
Perfection, Vincenzo Latronico
Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
What We Can Know, Ian McEwan
Half His Age, Jeanette McCurdy
Dear Debbie, Freida McFadden

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The 10 best TV shows of 2025 Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

Happy Christmas hunnies and here’s a little treat from us: our definitive list of the top 10 TV shows of 2025. From thrillers to comedies and coming-of-age dramas, these should keep you entertained throughout the Christmas hols. We've kept our main list to original shows of the year, but with special mentions to our fave returning seasons too. Plus a run through of a few of the year’s very worst shows. We’ll be back next Tuesday for our Best Books of 2025 ep, then back to our usual Thursday pop culture debrief the week after that!

Enjoy and please do let us know what you think of the ep, share your top TV recs of the year and just generally get in touch on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. We LOVE hearing from you!

Recs

The Beast In Me, Netflix
Pluribus, AppleTV
Sirens, Netflix
Film Club, BBC iPlayer
Adolescence, Netflix
Toxic Town, Netflix
The Girlfriend, Amazon Prime Video
Down Cemetery Road, AppleTV
What It Feels Like For A Girl, BBC iPlayer
Overcompensating, Amazon Prime Video
Platonic, AppleTV
Amandaland, BBC iPlayer
Severance, AppleTV
Big Boys, Channel 4
The White Lotus, NOW TV

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Taylor Swift’s Eras doc, Bonnie Blue and the biggest film of 2025 Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Taylor Swift’s The End of an Era documentary is already breaking Disney records, so we review the first two episodes. Is it pure hagiography or genuinely insightful? Also on the show: why Bonnie Blue wrote a Spectator op-ed backing Nigel Farage, George Clooney’s new marital rule, and the surprising subculture that’s helped make Zootopia 2 box office gold. Plus a review of Alchemised, the incredible fanfic inspired by Harry Potter and the Housemaid’s Tale that netted a seven-figure film deal. Enjoy hunnies and remember next week’s ep is dropping on Tuesday!

Enjoy and please do let us know what you think of the ep, share your recs and just generally get in touch on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠. We LOVE hearing from you!

Recs/ reviews

Backstage Beauty Salon
Alchemised, SenLinYu
The fanfiction written on a notes app that’s become a bestseller – with a seven-figure film deal, Guardian
Margaret Atwood on Desert Island Discs, BBC Sounds
The MaddAddam Trilogy, Margaret Atwood
Cece, Emmelie Prophete
Grace Beverley: the Oxford student with a £70m wellness brand, The Times
Zootopia 2, in cinemas now
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Netflix
Taylor Swift: The End of an Era, Disney

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The Diddy documentary, Sydney Sweeney and Miley Cyrus’ younger man Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

50 Cent’s explosive Diddy documentary is dominating the headlines, so this week we’re unpacking the most shocking moments from Sean Combs: The Reckoning. Also on the show: Sydney Sweeney finally addresses her “great jeans” ad controversy, Margot Robbie has given a wonderfully juicy Vogue interview around Wuthering Heights, Channing Tatum’s “career defining” film with Kirstin Dunst is out, Miley Cyrus’s fiancée has everyone talking about age-gaps again and Ellie Goulding’s new baby daddy is a “bad boy”. Plus: the Netflix and Warner Bros mega-deal that has Hollywood spooked!

Recs/reviews:

Roofman, Apple TV
‘Roofman’ Stars Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst Talk That Nude Scene, Which Toys They Took From Set, Hollywood Reporter
Margot Robbie, British Vogue
The end of big-screen cinema? What Netflix hopes to achieve by buying Warner Bros, Guardian
All About Miley Cyrus’s Fiancé Maxx Morando and Their ‘Low-Key’ Relationship, Elle
Sean Combs: The Reckoning, Netflix
Sean Combs: The Reckoning review – you can see why the musician is fighting to ban this horrific documentary, Guardian

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Ed Sheeran, Wicked 2 and the new British ‘Gossip Girl’ Wild Cherry Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Ed Sheeran’s new songs hint at cracks in his seemingly perfect, previously ultra-private marriage, while Jessie J has had to set the record straight on her breakup with Channing Tatum. So just how literally should we take pop stars’ lyrics? Also this week, we’re diving into the BBC’s Gossip Girl-style mother-daughter thriller Wild Cherry, the so-called “female Adolescence", David Szalay’s Booker Prize-winning novel Flesh and 2025’s Word of the Year. Plus, the surprising news that we’re technically teenagers until 32, reports of wild parties from the set of Rivals, and, finally, our (spoiler-free) review of Wicked 2!

We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuppod too!

Recs/reviews:

Wild Cherry, BBC iPlayer
Flesh by David Szalay
Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart
Ignore the pessimists – we are living through a literary golden age, New Statesman
How to Stop Time, Matt Haig
Threw it Away, Jessie J
Play, Ed Sheeran
Straight Up behind the music miniseries ep with Ed Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp
Adolescence lasts into your 30s, major new study on brain development finds, The Independent
Wicked: For Good, in cinemas now

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Jennifer Lawrence, Charli XCX on pop stardom and The Beast In Me Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

The Beast in Me is the buzzy new Netflix thriller everyone’s talking about, so this week we’re sharing our (spoiler-free!) review and the standout moments from its star Claire Danes’ latest interviews. First, though, we dive into Jennifer Lawrence’s career-defining performance in Die My Love, also starring Robert Pattinson, and her personal reflections on postpartum life, as well as Charli XCX’s fab Substack on the realities of being a pop star and the celeb newsletter boom more generally. Plus: the brilliant new sci-fi about a romantasy writer, Pluribus; the Guardian’s viral investigation into ‘free birth’ influencers; and Ambika Mod’s latest role as a porn-addicted academic. Enjoy hunnies!

Get 10% off our fave sofa brand Swyft with the code straightup10 at swyfthome.com, and the code works on top of Black Friday sales! Stylish, comfy, flat-packed and no tools required.

Recs/reviews:

Pluribus, AppleTV
The Lost Bus, AppleTV
Die My Love, in cinemas now
‘Die My Love’ and the savage truth about the postpartum experience, Gillian Orr, Substack
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world, Guardian
The realities of being a pop star, Charli XCX’s substack
Why is Everybody Losing Weight and What do we do Sincerely? A person who's lost weight, Lizzo’s Substack
Lizzo Starts Over The pop star’s success once felt radical. Can she capture the Zeitgeist again?, Vulture
The Beast In Me, Netflix
‘I’d barely kissed a boy, but was making out with Adonis’: Claire Danes on sex, spy camp and teen stardom, Guardian
Porn Play, Royal Court
The 31-Year-Old Creator Of Porn Play Wanted To “Do Something Provocative”, Vogue

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

The best films of 2025 (LIVE from Curzon cinema) Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

From Frankenstein, One Battle After Another and Bugonia, to Sinners, Materialists, and The Roses, in this very special bonus episode we're battling it out for the best films of 2025 live from the Curzon cinema Hoxton! Why are so many of this year’s top films so divisive, and is horror taking over Hollywood? Plus, why blockbuster icons like Leonardo DiCaprio should take note of Timothée Chalamet’s marketing tricks for Marty Supreme, the joys of the Wicked press tours, and our Oscar predictions. Finishing up with a few questions from our huns in the audience! TYSM to everyone who joined us, we loved meeting you all and we can’t wait to do more next year.

Thank you so much to our fave cinema Curzon for hosting and sponsoring this episode. PSA for all the huns who want to watch the incredible films reviewed in this ep, Curzon have got a brilliant Black Friday deal on their Classic Film Membership, which runs from 28 November to the 1 December and includes a whopping seven free cinema tickets instead of the usual five, as well as 20% off all additional cinema tickets for you and a guest, and 10% off food and drink in all Curzon cinemas. Find out more here.

Recs/reviews

Frankenstein, Netflix
Bugonia, in Curzon cinemas now
One Battle After Another, AppleTV
Eddington, Amazon Prime Video
Lilo and Stitch, Disney+
After The Hunt, Amazon Prime Video
The Roses, Disney+
Materialists, Amazon Prime Video
The Ballad of Wallis Island, Amazon Prime Video
Wicked: For Good, in Curzon cinemas now
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Amazon Prime
Sinners, Amazon Prime Video
Weapons, Amazon Prime Video
Babygirl, AppleTV
Die My Love, in Curzon cinemas now

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

Caroline Flack, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Hilary Duff's comeback Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

The Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer has just dropped and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! Will Miranda and Andy’s return live up to the iconic first film? Also this week: Jack Whitehall’s glossy thriller Malice, the Caroline Flack documentary that reveals new details about the role the tabloids and police played in her tragic passing, Louis Theroux interviews Florence Pugh, Hilary Duff is making a comeback, Rachel Sennot’s fab influencer comedy I Love LA, Michelle Obama publishes a fashion book and Paris Hilton has been problematic again. Enjoy hunnys and look out for our bonus episode next Wednesday!

Get 10% off our fave sofa brand Swyft with the code straightup10 at swyfthome.com, and the code works on top of Black Friday sales! Stylish, comfy, flat-packed and no tools required.

Recs/reviews

I Love LA, NOW TV
Malice, Amazon Prime
Californication, Paramount +
‘Diabolical move’: Miranda Priestly’s red shoes get Instagram fashion no-no, Guardian
Allow Hilary Duff to Reintroduce Herself, Vogue
Florence Pugh on the Louis Theroux podcast
Michelle Obama at 61: ‘I feel as free now as I did when I was a kid’, The Times
Paris Hilton: ‘I’m not scared of anything — except spiders, bees and dying’, The Times
Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, Disney+

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Sydney Sweeney’s reputation, Timotheé Chalamet and Jennifer Lawrence’s return Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

Sydney Sweeney’s new film Christy has bombed at the box office, days after her GQ cover interview went viral for all the wrong reasons. Are her days as Hollywood’s golden girl over? We take a look at evolving public image and explore whether her controversies have actually damaged her career. Also on the show: how Sarah Snook’s new kidnapping thriller has prompted a conversation about the gender gap, the I'm A Celeb lineup, what Timothée Chalamet’s very revealing Vogue interview means for Kylie, and we are so here for JLaw’s comeback! Finally, is it fair to say Kim Kardashian has created the worst TV show of all time with All’s Fair? Plus two fab new book recommendations.

Get 10% off our fave sofa brand Swyft with the code straightup10 at swyfthome.com, and the code works on top of Black Friday sales! Stylish, comfy, flat-packed and no tools required.

Recs/reviews

All Her Fault, Sky/ NowTV
All her Fault is a misandrist masterpiece, Vulture
Sarah Snook And Dakota Fanning On How New Show ‘All Her Fault’ Reveals The “Invisible Labor” Women Take On In Relationships, Deadline
Sarah Snook on Why She Opted for ‘All Her Fault’ After ‘Succession’: “I Can’t Top That, So Finding Something Different Was Really Important”, Hollywood Reporter
Our October bonus ep: The myth of having it all and how to break free
Did women ruin the workplace?, New York Times
Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson Vanity Fair lie detector test, YouTube
Jennifer Lawrence, The Interview podcast (NYT)
Sydney Sweeney, GQ
The Universe According to Timothée, Vogue
All’s Fair, Disney
Is All's Fair really the 'worst TV drama ever'? BBC
The All's Fair cast: ‘It’s good to see women come together and protect one another', Glamour
With ‘All’s Fair,’ Ryan Murphy gives us the ultimate Trump-era TV show, LA Times
‘All’s Fair’ and the New Television of Nothingness, Hollywood Reporter
Have we passed peak social media? Financial Times
Shield of Sparrows, Devney Perry
Under The Blue, Suzannah V Evans
The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden

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How boyfriends became embarrassing, David Harbour and Jennifer Aniston Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now? Vogue’s viral piece arguing that male partners have become “culturally loserish” has broken the internet, so we dive in and discuss whether it’s a feminist reckoning or pure TikTok rage bait. Also this week: Millie Bobby Brown’s bullying claims against David Harbour, Jennifer Aniston’s Hollywood hypnotist boyfriend, People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Jonathan Bailey, Cruz Beckham’s new music, and The Cut’s hot take on high-earning women dating younger men. Plus some far from mid TV for you to enjoy!

Last two tickets to our very special live recording at Curzon Hoxton on 19 November are available here :)

Get 10% off our fave sofa brand Swyft with the code straightup10 at swyfthome.com, and the code works on top of Black Friday sales! Stylish, comfy, flat-packed and no tools required.

Recs/reviews

Down Cemetery Road, Apple TV
Emma Thompson: The spy thrillers I read as a teenager told me women should fall in love and get killed, Radio Times
The Dead of Winter
Girl Bands Forever, BBC iPlayer
Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive, People
Millie Bobby Brown Reportedly Filed Harassment and Bullying Claim Against David Harbour, Vanity Fair
Jennifer Aniston Finally Hard-Launched Her Hypnotist Boyfriend, The Cut
OPTICS and Lick The Toad, Cruz Beckham
Just Find a Younger Man: Dating is horrible right now, but some women have discovered a loophole, New York Magazine
All Fours by Miranda July
The myth of having it all and how to break free, our bonus from last week
Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? Vogue
Is it really outrageously uncool to have a boyfriend? the Guardian

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

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