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The things that matter

Last week we spoke about what should have been CMAT’s triumphant return to Radio 1’s Big Weekend after being horrifically trolled about her appearance when she performed in 2024 (which in turn was the inspiration behind Take a Sexy Picture of Me). Unfortunately, people haven’t changed, and history seems to be repeating itself.

In the same week, Olivia Rodrigo has been accused of ‘pedo-baiting’ because of wearing baby doll dresses. Is there anything acceptable for a woman to wear? Turns out the answer is apparently… no.

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Is there a CMAT x Olivia Rodrigo collab incoming? We think Olivia’s cover of When A Good Man Cries is a good omen and a glorious spiritual connection.

The things that don’t

Friend of the pod Dua Lipa is married! We discuss the chic London nuptials between Dua and Callum Turner, their unbelievably perfect story of how they met and whether or not ‘big weddings’ are over.

It leads us to the revelation that if you’ve got something nice to say, then PLEASE leave it in a IG comment!!

Plus, the cult of the week features the strangest fan edit the world may have ever seen…

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First things first - is it ever acceptable to paint your nails on a train?

What matters this week?

The founder of fashion brand Mango is dead. What was initially treated as a tragic accident is now an insane family drama with suspected murder, inheritance money, and suspiciously missing phones at play.

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The things that don’t matter

The Kyle Minogue documentary dropped on Netflix, and I don’t know about you, fellow zillenials, but in my head, Kylie was always a pop princess with amazing bangers and the perfect bum for gold hot pants.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Plus, expect additional overanalysis on Radio 1’s Big Weekend, CMAT’s ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ and of course, the cult of the week.

and the things that don't

We’d love your thoughts on any and all of the above - leave a comment on Substack, or Spotify x

Mainly to ask, do you actually know your target audience? Because the Cello player was a choice…

Rampant racism aside, on the podcast this week, Charlie and Abi discuss the terrifying rise of the silent right wing and why you gotta keep having woke conversations with your parents (sorry guys!).

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We couldn’t avoid discussing the circus around Venezuela Fury’s wedding, which was the complete opposite of an unplugged ceremony, and it turns out we’re Molly Mae sympathisers.

Plus, Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike are starring in a new gender stereotyping satire, so we couldn’t help but intellectualise and overanalyse why their version of a matriarchy is just a patriarchy with boobs.

Any thoughts on the above? We’d love to hear from you x

Gone are the days of wasting your time on something bad, because you can always cleanse the palette with something else. We’ve got 4 TV recommendations so you can watch something that actually leaves you feeling satisfied and are definitely worth your time.

The Pitt - HBO MAX

I remember hearing about The Pitt because it was beating Severance for all the awards last year, much to my annoyance.

However, I am now firmly in the camp that the accolades are completely deserved, and it’s a crime that not enough people in the UK are watching this show.

It’s set in the ER department of a hospital in Pittsburgh (hence, The Pitt) and each 60-minute episode is set in real time, with the season making up one 15-hour shift.

It is incredibly intense and fast-paced, and actually, you can’t focus on anything else, which is why I’ve found it a great after-work watch.

I’ll also go out on a limb and say that it’s the best medical drama I have ever watched. The acting is superb from the stars to the guest actors who appear with a broken leg or heart attack. Plus, try to watch it and not fall in love with Dr Mel - I dare you.

Virgin Island - Channel 4

It is understandable to see this name and watch the trailer and be like, ‘Nah this isn’t for me’. We’re here to tell you that you’re wrong, and this show is for you.

A group of virgins go to and Island retreat for a radical course to unlock their fears and reservations around sex and potentially lose their virginities - guided by a team of therapists.

Despite its shock factor, this show is incredibly watchable and surprisingly wholesome. The reality is that the participants on the show are being held back by the concept of virginity, and the retreat helps them face whatever trauma or issues which are impacting their everyday lives. It’s really heartwarming watching the therapists lift them up and provide much-needed self-esteem boosts (amongst other things!!)

Warning though, season 2 is much more explicit that season 1!!

Beef - Netflix

You know how everyone’s saying TV is being dumbed down? This show is the perfect antidote to that.

It’s sharply written, offering naturalistic conversations to the point of cringe (anyone in a long-term relationship will shudder at relating to any of these characters, but sorry, you will!). Plus, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton… ARE YOU KIDDING!!!!

I appreciate when Netflix support a super-engaging comedy-drama which is just as good (if not better) than the first series.

Amandaland - BBC

Motherland is easily one of the best British comedies ever written and leaves us wanting more with it’s mere three seasons. So, when they offered up Amandaland, I was hopeful.

Candidly, I did not like the first series. It had moments of comedy, but it tried to be too meaningful and wholesome, and honestly, I am not here for my favourite London mum squad to be trying to teach me lessons about anything!

Thankfully, they’ve found their feet with series two with a lot more laughs and Lucy Punch just being an absolute characature in a regular world (see the first scene of her pitching herself Dragon Den’s style in a high street bank).

Spend less time watching shit TV, and let us know if you watch one of these recommendations!

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It’s that time of your life, isn’t it? Once you get into your late twenties, it seems like there’s a big life event every quarter.

While we of course love celebrating our friends when they get married, have babies and hit big age milestones, it can’t help but come with a huge financial cost. Maybe we need to get onto Martin Lewis to educate the masses on how to prepare for this?!

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On the podcast this week, Charlie brings Harper Beckham’s pending skincare brand ‘HIKU’ to the table and the problems that people seem to be missing.

Plus, Abi is upset about the Legally Blonde prequel, primarily because it just. looks. BAD! Not to be so shallow, but the fashion is already disappointing.

Listen to the latest episode on your favourite podcast platforms, and don’t forget to let us know what you think!

Oh, and share what sardine merch you’ve acquired ready for summer.

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After an ode to 5-minute voice notes and discussing the ethics of giving birth to a personal shopper, Charlie and Abi talk about the really important things: the complete overhaul of UK Bank Holidays.

Why was the Secretary of War’s wife wearing a SHEIN dress when she definitely has Prada money? We discuss the true meaning of wearing the bottom of the barrel of fast fashion.

Plus, off the back of Sharron Davies’ legal threat against park run, we consider what has shaped a generation of women to be… generally not very nice.

It’s been so heartwarming to have so many welcome back messages, and we’re buzzing that The Listen hole shape in the podcasting scene was a hole shared by many (what is that sentence…).

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We also wanted to flag (haha corporate speak) that we’re still figuring out our video because we want it to look good and actually be worth a paid offering, so bear with us there! For now, we’re focusing on making the episodes the best they can be, and hey, who knows, maybe audio only podcasts will be the new ‘chic’.

This week on The Listen, Charlie offers her controversial opinion that she doesn’t want Trump to get shot (don’t worry, we’ve not drastically changed political leaning), and Abi gets vocal about SNL UK’s political commentary and is just out here asking…

Is anyone watching SNL UK by the way?? Let us know in the comments!

Plus, Cult of the Week returns!! Ugh we’ve missed it x

Since our last episode in 2024, Abi has birthed a literal child, and Charlie has birthed a literal studio. Life and work meant we were just too busy to keep our pod going, but we’ve always had it in the back of our minds. Countless texts of ‘oh I wish we could talk about this on The Listen’ or ‘this is so The Listen coded’.

Eventually, we decided that we just needed a bit of fun! An outlet for our big feelings about the silly little pop culture topics and the outrage for the many aspects of our world being on fire - all from our lens of being millennial women in 2026.

Our first recording was back was a little… chaotic, and it’s clear we’ve still got some dust to brush off. There was even a brief discussion about whether we even put this episode out.

However, we cover a story that, scarily, no one is talking about, which we know our listeners will want to know.

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So, whether you’re new here or have been part of our little loyal following since the start we are so pleased to have you! We’re planning on hanging out a lot more here on Substack, so for video episodes, additional articles and thoughts, please consider subscribing! ❤️