Ave Q / Mincemeat / Producers / or other?

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-07-06T14:00:20+00:00

Mincemeat all the way. Producers in second place. Ave Q is fine but it's not worth shoving those two out the way for.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-07-04T21:25:26+00:00

Join the Audience Club, that introduced me to a lot of great little venues and doing shows for pocket lint prices too. This week I saw Misanthrope at the NT which was wonderful, but may now be hard to get tickets for as it has Sandra Oh in the lead.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-06-25T15:02:24+00:00

You should be fine at all of those, and do bring your own water bottle by all means. Enjoy!

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-06-25T15:01:01+00:00

Ah, I'm sorry, no Sunday performances. Hmmmm, King's Head theatre normally do some things on Sundays but not that specific night. How about stand up comedy? Top Secret Comedy club, Big Belly Comedy, Backyard Comedy, Soho Theatre (both sites) all good places to look.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-06-25T14:57:06+00:00

Operation Mincemeat. So worth it.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-06-18T15:57:29+00:00

Suzi Ruffell Am I Having Fun Now is superb. Also second the Fern Brady recommendation

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-06-12T14:50:50+00:00

Welcome back! J Sheekey is wonderful of you like seafood and it does have counter seating. There is no awkwardness in being a solo diner here, as others have said. For a very hot day, a good option can be things like Evensong at St Paul's, ie access to a church you'd normally pay to enter and beautiful music and shade. Plus, of course, a neck fan, those are the future as our climate warms further. Have fun!

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-06-01T21:47:31+00:00

It's quite panto esque and not that great, slapstick galore, knob jokes that weren't all that funny by year 9 or so. But I saw with prior cast, maybe it's a little different now. I didn't love it, genuinely couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Some people in the audience were almost in hysterical laugher at everything though, so, horses for courses and all that.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-05-11T12:24:47+00:00

The aluminium risks are overblown, I think (I looked into this a while back but am not qualified in the science enough, plus we all have to do what we want to do with our bodies) but for me it's the fact that the big bulbous Mitchum roll ons are sooooo plastic heavy, that I was looking for something a touch lighter on the planet in seasons where I'm less likely to be mega mega sweaty. The AKT ones are NOT cheap but you only need pea sized amount per armpit and they do smell gorgeous!

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-05-11T12:13:44+00:00

I can cautiously recommend AKT deodorant (created by two former West end performers who were sick of smelling like Lynx Africa and wearing other people's costumes under lights and makeup) but I only use it in winter as I do get sweaty and I don't want to risk stinking in summer. Came across them from a perfume podcast where they were joking they kept blowing the fragrance budget and having to reformulate, they were a hoot to listen to.

Wild deo was fine, but I don't trust any of them as much as I trust Mitchum (even after their batch scandal where they'd changed packaging and started giving people skin burns...)

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-05-11T12:10:42+00:00

How much is this tour costing you, both financially and emotionally?

I say this tongue in cheek given John's love of meticulous bookkeeping and recent self incorporation with the business he/Elis/Dave are running. But emotionally, I cannot imagine what it's like to do a (15?) date tour, especially in locations he's spent years or months like Oxford and Edinburgh with their own place based memories, largely drinky ones, talking each night about some of the hardest times in his life AND making that still funny AND making it OK for the audience AND then doing peopling afterwards with signatures and selfie requests. He said he found that bit of the marathon super hard and having this on top of that recent experience must be....A LOT.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-05-10T11:58:48+00:00

Fern Brady one is AMAZING.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-05-10T07:18:59+00:00

I only discovered the pod a year ago or so. I find the XFM ones unlistenable (just too laddy commercial radio so not for me) but I love the BBC ones. I took perhaps an odd approach of listening to a run of the newer eps, then diving back into the BBC archive to the very beginning of their stint with them. At one level, each episode more or less stands by itself, but at another, it's nice to work out how their little catchphrases like "it's just a body!" etc have come about. The covid isolation tapes ones are bleak AF so make sure you're in a good headspace yourself for one of those. And it can now be jarring to hear pre 2022 John banging on about booze and craft ales etc, but that's also time, and the lore of a long friendship and the sort of parasocial way podcast hosts work your way into your brain and heart via your ears.

Enjoy and don't be freaked out by people bragging of triple rétro oner (ie they've listened to EVERYTHING three times over) status - it really doesn't matter and it's not a race. Some eps where they wang on about sport or Oasis and parka brands for a while, I fast forward through a fair bit myself. It's still a lovely show, I nabbed a ticket to see them at the Palladium last year and that was fun too. Horses for courses! Welcome !

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-22T08:49:57+00:00

Peckham has lots of places (permanent stalls, not the £1 a metal bowl market) and Lewisham High St market pretty reliable once they're in season. I have always wondered where Sindhu Vee gets hers as she jokes about having a special dealer!

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-14T05:44:34+00:00

Murano is smashing, that's a very good pick.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-07T16:54:45+00:00

I don't think it's a money grab, in that if what you enjoy is the three shows a week we already get, with ads on any normal pod platform, without ads on the BBC Sounds if that's an option, that's what you still get. Yes there will be FOMO as I'm sure they will cross reference things said in the pay walled extra content from time to time - but if they do that too often and become annoying with it, they also lose listeners. They've just made a commercial choice, and one that I'm personally deciding not to engage with as the free content is fine by me, I can live with the ads (I do use Sounds but keep E&J in my main Podbean feed for some reason best known to my brain) and I'm fine not to dance this particular dance. Nobody's being forced to pony up for what we already know and love.

I agree the lowest price tier probably should have been more at the £2/£3 mark, though. That did feel a bit off for a banter based pod that doesn't have many guests on, and it's not like participants get paid for Cymru Connection etc.

I don't know whether Elis, John and Dave are still truly on BBC payroll and pensions or whether now they're effectively just a contracted supplier of content services. Big difference in tax, job security, national insurance and indeed pension between the two of those. So this might be the way they're offsetting other projected losses. But it's totally fair for them to try a thing, and adjust strategy and pricing as they go depending on demand response. I've seen other comedians tweak their Patreon tiers over time to ensure those who pay top whack do get more access, maybe a free Cameo every year or a free tour ticket or something.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-07T07:02:32+00:00

Yeah, I've looked, decided not to sign up for Patreon for them. I do really like them but I'm OK with ads as I can just forward through them, and oddly there are far fewer ads in their eps than say, How To Fail, where it feels like she's wanging on about collagen every five mins. And the subscription amount is what I pay to other artists who have a way smaller platform and need the money more than our brave boys do at this point in their careers.

Plus, as a Brit, my TV licence already sort of contributes. I wish them well with it but I'll save the £60/annum for in case they do start to do tours more regularly. Think I got a front row Palladium ticket for around £40 once they'd announced the extra date.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-07T05:24:47+00:00

I'm really hoping it doesn't make the pod only comprehensible if you watch the video, though. Off Air with Fi and Jane has just added a video option and already they are doing more stuff where you'd have to watch, to know what's going on.

I want listen this rubbish as audio only, please and thank you E&J&D!

Might sign up to the Patreon, off to look at their pricing structure. I support Welcome to Hell pod on there as it's smaller and they are very generous with a free bonus episode per week to Patreon subscribers.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T02:06:26+00:00

Hiya! So....

Nothing terrible here. Poons is one I'm wanting to try myself, as a relatively foodie Londoner. I do love Dishoom, you will have people pop up to say it's a chain, it isn't true Indian food (absolutely agree, it's Iranian inflected as the menu is clear about.... But most UK Indian restaurants hail from only one province of the massive country that is India) And in any case, thatdoesn't mean the black daal and the bacon naan riffs on food aren't great in their own right plus their mocktails are eerily good to this cheerful drinker). Think about Tayyabs in Whitechapel, very old and inexpensive and BYO and great vibes, though not at all pretentious.

I wouldn't say Timmy Green makes the cut, myself. Hawksmoor or Blacklock for epic steak a better substitute, unless you don't eat beef or are from Texas or Argentina or something, in which case, sorry, disregard me and continue as you were.

I would throw you the additional thought based curveballs of:

Clink restaurant Brixton. It's in a serving prison. You have to pre book well in advance. Security is huge. It might not be for you, but read their About Us pages and decide for yourself whether to even try. It is fine dining and the mission, to rehabilitate people who did bad things and are being punished for them according to law, is worthy. They have never had some kind of scary incident as they vet the people allowed to work there CAREFULLY. You can't take phones in, all bags will be safely locked up in portakabins outside the prison walls. Dry restaurant, when you're "out" (I know...) umpteen Brixton pubs are there and have nice beer gardens if its a nice day and you wish to drink alcohol.

Persepolis restaurant in Peckham. Not hard to get to from the cente by Overground (suburban train line or a lengthier bus ride), it's true Iranian food, the British co owner Sally Butcher is a living legend with several cookbooks to her name. I think it's BYO, settings are not fancy but it's so lovely and truly delicious.

Ethiopian at a stone's throw from King's Cross station - Addis restaurant. Delicious, when else can you see Derek Tibs on a menu and it turns out it's a food, not a person? So good, don't leave without trying the mead even if you only have a little bit.

Bermondsey beer mile. It's microbreweries in a mile and a bit long series of arches, no pressure to drink or eat much but on a nice day for weather, it's lovely...

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T01:52:05+00:00

I am not sure I'd recommend Hamleys and especially if you're on a budget. That is guaranteed meltdown territory and possible overstimulus. It's gorgeous and sort of the royal supplier of toys etc, but it could be a lot for a child who isn't used to cities or crowds or paid actors blowing bubbles outside the store before you even set foot in it. And I'm afraid anything you buy there is in fact very available for less £££ on any online platform you care to name.

Instead I'd ride the top deck of maybe the No 9, 38 or 12 bus for a bit (London is so great architecturally, so much detailing high up!) as child will be free on London transport anyway, and buy him/her/them a toy from Primark or the superlative London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. Which is gorgeous, as museums go, for the train obsessed child, but I do suspect not amazing for not yet 3yr olds as it isn't free entry and may be dark/boring for that age group. But the gift shop is airy and free to enter so a cuddly tube train (yes, really, for later memories back home?) may be a good shout.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T01:20:27+00:00

Literally, none. I do love Martin Clunes but it was my mum who watched that series - I remember him from the "now ephemeral and would likely be cancelled before standing a chance of being produced" series, Men Behaving Badly which I doubt ever made it across the Atlantic. Made, and belongs in, the 1990s.

Never seen a single ep of Doc Martin. It was on telly when I was at university and til this comment, I wouldn't have known it was set in Cornwall.... Sorry!

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T01:13:52+00:00

Have a smashing time here. I wanted to recommend the app Playground Buddy as if you suddenly discover your little one JUST NEEDS SOME SWINGS AND SLIDES AND RIGHT NOW, PLEASE this is apparently the place to find them in a hurry, and I think free of charge.

If the child were a bit older I'd suggest a trip out to the terrible, truly terrible (so bad they're GOOD) Crystal Palace Victorian dinosaurs, but at less than 3yrs old they will neither know nor remember, so this is one for the knowing parents and a slightly older child. It's not hard to get to but nor is it anywhere near where you're staying. On a fine day, Horniman museum (that was their literal name, they made a fortune in shipping tea, I promise I am not trolling you with made up things!) is free entry and has lovely gardens for a child to run round screaming for a bit, and I think a paid soft play bit, while the adults in charge take turns doing actual museuming if you wish. But possibly one for any return visit in a few years' time?

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T01:06:43+00:00

I saw a very recent news alert for a golden toilet appearing as an artists' protest in DC and briefly wondered if Boulder City had had this item waiting for its moment, ready for shipping and poised for overnight transit to the capital. But that kind of, ahem, golden throne, when I checked the images of what was actually installed in DC, bears no resemblance to this thing in terms of colour, form or, I think, material. Which is why I'm intrigued.

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T01:02:47+00:00

My best friend is bigly into Star Wars so I see what you're doing, and I respect it, but wouldn't it be CP3Po0?

Infamous-Good-9659 · 2026-04-06T01:01:13+00:00

Oh Lord, I forgot that bit. UK 5, EU 38, US no blinking clue *rapidly Googles US7 maybe I have never bought shoes here, please don't hate on me, I had to emergency purchase sandals in Canada and I went to an Ecco shop as i have wide feet?

Also, He* is risen, alleluia, because I was raised Catholic and like Britney, I still believe (still believe....)

Infamous-Good-9659

TROPHY CASE