The Poshcast

Welcome to The Poshcast, a riotously funny and irreverent examination of modern social norms, what ‘the done thing is’ these days and the dirtiest c-word of all: class.     Forget war! Forget energy prices! Forget civilisation burning to a crisp or being taken over by robots! Instead, turn to The Poshcast to debate the real questions that divide Britain. Is yours a shoes-on or shoes-off household? Have the Cotswolds become the naffest place in the country? And is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as basic as a premiership footballer now he has a double-barrelled name?   It’s hosted by Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson, two good pals who met a few years ago at a party and bonded over dogs and writing bonkbusters while knocking back margaritas.  After a childhood spent riding ponies, then a spell at Tatler before writing several novels featuring eccentric toffs, Sophia brings her lifelong understanding of the aristocracy to the table; Cleo worked in Conservative politics before writing a couple of very saucy novels not at all based on her experiences of Lords calling women ‘fillies’ or bundling MPs out of strip clubs. Together, with the tally-ho enthusiasm of two Jilly Cooper characters, they will navigate you through the choppy waters of how to behave nowadays.   Every week, Sophia and Cleo will discuss a big talking point, ranging from Waitrose to Range Rovers, Dubai to dog breeds, straightforward shooting weekends to Secret Santa. No subject is off-limits in our valiant quest to decode what ‘posh’ really means. And there’ll be listener input, too, because we want to help tackle the country’s thorniest etiquette questions. How do you tell your host in advance that you’re on Mounjaro? Should you dump a man because of his shoes? And how best to navigate the tricky ‘bathroom’ issue on the first weekend away with a new lover? Towards the end of each episode, they will pick their favourite bit of manners mail and offer their helpful thoughts on the subject.   Because like it or loathe it, Britain’s favourite hobby remains pretending not to care about class while quietly caring about it very much, judging everything from your kitchen taps to your holiday destination, and whether you say ‘toilet’ or ‘loo’. The spirit of Hyacinth Bucket lives on! Do, please, keep on your shoes, take off your gloves and hold on to your hats for The Poshcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 10 Sept

    Why women should never say I love you first: The Barbara Cartland Special

    Welcome to a very special, pink-hued episode of The Poshcast! This week, Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson are running wild in Hertfordshire. They've parked their bottoms on the hallowed velvet sofa of Camfield Place—home of the undisputed queen of romantic fiction, Dame Barbara Cartland. To help us unpack the intriguing, outrageous, and thoroughly exhausting paradox that is Dame Barbara, Cleo and Sophia are joined by writer Matthew Sweet, author of a new biography, The Great Dictator. Together, they dive nose-first into her eccentricities: why did she use Meltonian shoe cream instead of mascara? How did she rack up 49 proposals? And was she really as much of a prude about sex as she may have seemed?  From travelling across America with a stuffed Pekingese under her arm to her legendary, claws-out television showdown with Jackie Collins, no pink feather is left unturned. And because we're obsessed with what 'the done thing' is, Sophia and Cleo leaf through Dame Barbara's vintage etiquette tips to see if they hold up in the 21st century. Get ready for some serious home truths on interior decorating, dietary fusspots, and praising your husband’s lovemaking…  So hold on to your hats for a riotously funny look at the 20th century's most magnificent romantic force, the Great Dictator herself, Dame Barbara Cartland.  📧 Email us: theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk 📸 Instagram: @theposhcast The Great Dictator by Matthew Sweet is out now. To order your copy for £19.99, call 0330 173 0523 or visit Telegraph Books. 📰 Read: ‘Women should be like pretty chocolate boxes’: The bizarre world of Barbara Cartland Video Producer: Carla Mercer Social Editor: Ruby Borg Executive Producer: Louisa Wells Highlights: Should women ever say I love you first?The Barbara Cartland Special Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why women should never say I love you first: The Barbara Cartland Special

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Welcome to The Poshcast, a riotously funny and irreverent examination of modern social norms, what ‘the done thing is’ these days and the dirtiest c-word of all: class.     Forget war! Forget energy prices! Forget civilisation burning to a crisp or being taken over by robots! Instead, turn to The Poshcast to debate the real questions that divide Britain. Is yours a shoes-on or shoes-off household? Have the Cotswolds become the naffest place in the country? And is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as basic as a premiership footballer now he has a double-barrelled name?   It’s hosted by Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson, two good pals who met a few years ago at a party and bonded over dogs and writing bonkbusters while knocking back margaritas.  After a childhood spent riding ponies, then a spell at Tatler before writing several novels featuring eccentric toffs, Sophia brings her lifelong understanding of the aristocracy to the table; Cleo worked in Conservative politics before writing a couple of very saucy novels not at all based on her experiences of Lords calling women ‘fillies’ or bundling MPs out of strip clubs. Together, with the tally-ho enthusiasm of two Jilly Cooper characters, they will navigate you through the choppy waters of how to behave nowadays.   Every week, Sophia and Cleo will discuss a big talking point, ranging from Waitrose to Range Rovers, Dubai to dog breeds, straightforward shooting weekends to Secret Santa. No subject is off-limits in our valiant quest to decode what ‘posh’ really means. And there’ll be listener input, too, because we want to help tackle the country’s thorniest etiquette questions. How do you tell your host in advance that you’re on Mounjaro? Should you dump a man because of his shoes? And how best to navigate the tricky ‘bathroom’ issue on the first weekend away with a new lover? Towards the end of each episode, they will pick their favourite bit of manners mail and offer their helpful thoughts on the subject.   Because like it or loathe it, Britain’s favourite hobby remains pretending not to care about class while quietly caring about it very much, judging everything from your kitchen taps to your holiday destination, and whether you say ‘toilet’ or ‘loo’. The spirit of Hyacinth Bucket lives on! Do, please, keep on your shoes, take off your gloves and hold on to your hats for The Poshcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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