Straight Up Straight Up

Baby Reindeer is of course our main talking point this week, huns, as we debate the deeply ironic investigation undertaken by internet sleuths trying to uncover Martha and Darrien’s real identities. Sure, to uncover the ‘truth’ behind the chilling story of stalking is tempting, but is it fair to speculate when Richard Gadd has asked us not to? Ellie has also watched Nicola Peltz Beckham’s toe-curlingly vain attempt at filmmaking, Lola, and we mull over whether it could ever be OK for a billionaire’s daughter to write a screenplay from the perspective of a working class stripper. And of course we had to give our verdict on Taylor Swift’s new record, including an inside look at the power moves of her longtime publicist Tree Paine. 

Please do send us a DM @straightuppod or email hello@straightuppod.co.uk. We absolutely LOVE hearing from you and so appreciate it. LYSM!

Thanks so much to our amazing podcast partners:

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London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



Reccos discussed this week: 


Baby Reindeer, Netflix
‘I was severely stalked and severely abused’: Richard Gadd on the true story behind Baby Reindeer, the Guardian
Baby Reindeer review – Richard Gadd's solo theatre debut is a haunting hour, the Guardian 
Richard Gadd: how I turned my stalking nightmare into a Netflix drama, The Times
Nicola Peltz Beckham, a billionaire’s daughter, made a movie about abject poverty. It’s as bad as you think, the Guardian 
Memmo Alfama terrace bar, Lisbon 
Magnolia restaurant, Lisbon 
Mama Shelter rooftop, Lisbon 
Praia da Adraga beach (one hour from Lisbon) 
Nat's nourishments harissa potatoes
There Are Plenty of Power Publicists. But Only One Works for Taylor Swift, Wall Street Journal

The new Amy Winehouse biopic is finally out, but Back to Black has bitterly divided critics and fans. Some are disgusted by the ‘sanitisation’ of key figures such as her dad Mitch Winehouse and former husband Blake Fielder-Civil, while others are delighted to see a film that doesn’t revel in the sordid details of her drug addiction. We get into the thorny debate around the Sam Taylor-Johnson directed ‘love story’, starring Marisa Abela and Jack O’Connell, as well as the wild recent reporting on how Mitch is currently suing two of Amy’s best friends for auctioning off items she gave them. First, though, we give our verdicts on Netflix’s Scoop, the thrilling dramatisation of Prince Andrew’s car-crash Newsnight interview from 2019, told from the perspective of BBC celebrity booker Sam McAllister, played by an excellent Billie Piper. How accurate is the show when spotlighting the inner workings of celebrity booking? 

DM us your thoughts on Instagram @straightuppod, and let us know what you’d like us to cover next week! And as ever please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, lysm!

Reccos discussed:


Scoop, Netflix
Prince Andrew would 'scream and shout' if his 72 teddies were not put back properly, Express


Wendy Ide on Scoop for The Guardian
Clarisse Loughgrey on Scoop for The Independent
Peter Bradshaw on Scoop for The Observer
Off the Fence newsletter on Scoop, Substack (9 April edition)
Sam McAlister, Emily Maitlis and the drama behind Netflix’s Scoop, Telegraph
Civil War (in cinemas now)
My Amy by Tyler James
A Private War (film and book)
Back To Black (in cinemas now)
Sam Taylor-Johnson on art, age gaps and Amy Winehouse, The Guardian
It’s a grotesque insult for Back to Black to suggest Amy Winehouse died of heartache over her childlessness, Laura Snapes for The Guardian  
The Amy Winehouse I knew — by our critic, Will Hodkingson for The Times 
The row raging between Amy Winehouse’s father and her best friends, The Times
Emily The Criminal, Netflix


Thanks so much to our amazing podcast partners:


Innermost Nutrition, our favourite new plant protein that's actually really good for you, full of immune-boosting ingredients, a whopping 31g of plant protein and no nasty additives. It's stocked in Ocado, John Lewis, and Soho House, or visit⁠ ⁠⁠LiveInnermost.com⁠⁠⁠

London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

There’s yet another headline-grabbing ‘feminist’ debate raging on the internet, angels, so we give you the lowdown on The Cut’s viral piece The Case for Marrying an Older Man, from the intellectualization of gold digging (lol) to the persistent cultural misinterpretations of Lolita. Next, we debrief on the exposé on Andrew Huberman, the world’s biggest pop scientist and host of the third biggest podcast globally. How did the self-styled Mr Perfect manipulate six different women into believing they were his only partner? And should his questionable personal choices have bearing on his work? Very fittingly, we also cover the allegations detailed in Rebel Wilson’s book against Sacha Baron Cohen, including a look back at his highly questionable output, and he and Isla Fisher’s announcement last week that they are going through divorce. Finally, we recommend Lily Allen’s new podcast Miss Me, and chat all things Cowboy Carter and virginity. 

Please do leave a review on Apple, and send us love, feedback and gossip on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠, our DMS are always open and we love chatting with you!

Thanks so much to our partners:

Innermost Nutrition, our favourite new plant protein that's actually really good for you, full of immune-boosting ingredients, a whopping 31g of plant protein and no nasty additives. It's stocked in Ocado, John Lewis, and Soho House, or visit ⁠⁠LiveInnermost.com⁠⁠

London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Reccs discussed:


The Case for Marrying an Older Man by Grazie Sophia Christie, The Cut 
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Andrew Huberman’s Mechanisms of Control, The Cut
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Exes Who Froze Embryos and Regret It, The Cut
Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
The Molecule of More by Dr Daniel Z Lieberman 
Uncovering the Higher Truth about Jay Shetty, Guardian 
Miss Me with Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver (podcast)
The Hunks Du Jour Need to Start Having Fun on Instagram Again, Vulture 
All of You (film)
Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé

Why do the tabloids write about Katie Price nearly every day? The former glamour model better known as Jordan has said in a recent interview that her relationship with the media has changed from a ‘game’ to ‘mental health abuse’, so we get into what has prompted such a media frenzy. And, is it hypocritical of Price to say women in their 20s shouldn’t get cosmetic surgery? We also give our brutally honest thoughts on Channel 4’s much hyped new millennial comedy about mental illness, Big Mood, while Kathleen’s review of The Gentlemen, starring Kaya Scodelario (aka Effy from Skins) prompts a trip down memory lane…

Vote in our Spotify poll, leave a review on Apple, and send us love, feedback and gossip on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod, our DMS are always open and we love chatting with you!

Thanks so much to our partners:

Innermost Nutrition, our favourite new plant protein that's actually really good for you, full of immune-boosting ingredients, a whopping 31g of plant protein and no nasty additives. It's stocked in Ocado, John Lewis, and Soho House, or visit ⁠LiveInnermost.com⁠

London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In light of Kate Middleton’s recent announcement (and the prior ‘where’s Kate’ internet circus), this week we debate the fraught but symbiotic relationship between media and monarchy, from what ‘right’ we as the public have to access to the royal family, to previous privacy breaches like tampongate, Kate’s topless holiday pics and the hounding of Harry and Meghan. Next up is Ellie’s favourite new podcast discovery, Sounds Like A Cult, about the modern day cults we all follow. A tale of Lululemon leggings and murder ensues, followed very fittingly by Kathleen’s review of Netflix’s new true crime drama The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping. A shocking look at ‘disciplinary schools’, we found this especially fascinating considering our recent dive into Paris Hilton’s mission to have the industry shut down. 

Enjoy huns and please do rate review and subscribe as well as shooting us a DM on Insta ⁠⁠@straightuppod

Thanks so much to our partners:

Innermost Nutrition, our favourite new plant protein that's actually really good for you, full of immune-boosting ingredients, a whopping 31g of plant protein and no nasty additives. It's stocked in Ocado, John Lewis, and Soho House, or visit LiveInnermost.com

Flare, which makes the best earplugs for light sleepers: tiny, unobtrusive, with memory foam balls that perfectly moulds to your ear, and they don't fall out! Grab a pair at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Reccs discussed:


The Princess Of Wales’s Decision To Share Her Cancer Diagnosis Represents A Powerful Break From Royal Tradition, British Vogue
Sounds like a Cult podcast
The Program on Netflix
The Disney Adult Industrial Complex, New Statesman
The Pulling, by Adele Dumont

Male infertility accounts for half of all IVF cases, so why does society so often consider it a ‘women’s issue’? We get into the taboo around fertility and masculinity, as well as the thorny topics of egg freezing, the 'queer tax' and the commodification of reproduction in this second part of our exploration of why more and more people are putting off having children. We also dive into plenty of other unspeakable truths, from 'unnatural' parents, the fantasy mother vs monster mother tropes in Hollywood, and loss of identity. Plus, we discuss some of the most joyous things about being a parent, how social media is shaping parenthood norms, and much more.

Reccos discussed


Stand Up to Infertility,  BBC
'Elizabeth Day: At 45 I will never be a mother. I’ve made peace with it', The Times
Magpie by Elizabeth Day
The Birth of My Daughter, The Death of My Marriage by Leslie Jamison, New Yorker
Laura Jackson on Grace Beverley's podcast
Why Must We Pay Queer Tax? the Guardian
'I’m a sexual and single but wanted to become a mum’, Stylist
Straight Up with Tove Lo, and Straight Up with BabyQueen
Diary of a CEO: No.1 Neuroscientist: "Kids will make you unhappier"
I chose my marriage over having kids by Ruby Warrington, The Times
The School for Bad Mothers, Jessamine Chan
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel
The false escapism of soft girls and trad wives, Time 
How Long Can You Wait To Have A Baby? The Atlantic



Thanks so much to our partners:

@flareaudio makes the best earplugs for light sleepers: tiny, unobtrusive, with memory foam balls that perfectly moulds to your ear, and they don't fall out! Grab a pair at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠flareaudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

London Nootropics, our fave adaptogenic coffee that naturally actually boosts mental clarity and physical energy, while also easing anxiety, all without any of coffee's usual jitters. We are obsessed and you will be too! Get 20% OFF YOUR BOX  with the DISCOUNT CODE straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Ambl, the incredible app that's like a personal pocket concierge. Perfect for our spontaneous huns who need a last minute dinner reservation in London, Ambl matches you with the restaurants with real-time availability, all the while letting you fine-tune your choice with filters from vibe to price range.⁠⁠ Search Ambl in the app store, or visit https://www.ambl.co