On the 15th of February 2023, before a hastily assembled press pack, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, informed Edinburgh - and the world - of her decision to resign after eight years in the post. The personal cost of political theatre had become all too high for the longest-serving first minister in Scotland’s history. Amidst the furore that descended upon the party, one forerunner in particular made waves: the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Kate Forbes. Although debates for the SNP leadership have finished - with Humza Yusaf, not Forbes as the victorious candidate - today we’re exploring a debate of a different nature that’s taken place. One that hinges on Forbes’ personal politics….

This episode was written by Paula Akpan. This is a Broccoli Production.

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How difficult is it to be damaged by the consequences of your own actions when you have power and profile to shield yourself from accountability? Case in point: Alec Baldwin. Over the years, the acclaimed actor has been emboriled in scandal after scandal — from tapes being released of Baldwin verbally abusing his daughter, to throwing around bigoted and racist slurs, and most recently, being at the helm of a film responsible for a woman's death. As this episode will delve into, legal and cultural parameters are much easier to evade when you're protected by weath and status...

This episode was written by Anton Ferrie. 

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In the spring of 2022, two Spanish towns were getting ready to celebrate one of their most famous sons. Hundreds – possibly thousands – of tourists would pack the usually sleepy streets of Javea and Getaria to visit temporary exhibitions displaying the finest haute couture. Intricate womenswear designs from the 40s, 50s and 60s, trimmed with the most luxurious lace, sequins and silk, creating intriguing feminine silhouettes that were considered revolutionary at the time. The occasion? The 50th anniversary of the death of a designer whose work transformed the female form forever. A man so talented that his contemporary, Christian Dior, dubbed him “the master of us all”, while American fashion magazine Women’s Wear Daily proclaimed “The King is Dead” in their announcement of his untimely death.

This episode was written by Annique Simpson.

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Celebrities can go from flavour of the month to persona non grata within minutes thanks to social media and a general shift towards more progressive views on accountability and responsibility. Few famous media and entertainment folk are as entrenched in this Camp of Public Hatred as Mr James Kimberley Corden. A renewed wave of anti-Cordenism hit last year after the actor-comedian-TV host was publically criticised by London-born restauranteur Keith McNally for his humourless treatment of staff at McNally’s New York brasserie Balthazar. Listen for an insight into events that may explain why some people – read ‘most’ – can’t stand the comedian...

This epsiode was written by Annique Simpson. 

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In late 1976, the Institute of Contemporary Art or ICA gallery in London unveiled its recent exhibition ‘Prostitution’, a retrospective group show by established art collective COUM-Transmissions. The collective, no stranger to confrontation, couldn’t have predicted the reaction their work would receive, but upon opening, the show was was immediately met with vitriolic reviews in the press, mentioned in the Houses of Parliament and censorship restrictions were placed on some of the pornographic images. The Conservative MP Nicholas Fairbairn famously said “These people are the wreckers of civilisation" and rows ensued about public funding for the arts. The fallout was hard.

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This is the story of Ricky Gervais, a pioneer of sharp-elbowed comedy who decided to puncture his own legacy of speaking truth to power. In one fail swoop, catalysed by the release of his Netflix stand-up speical, SuperNature, Gervais made a series of jokes which could have been at home on a Republican conspiracy theorist's Twitter and annointed them comedy. In doing so, he exchanged a career's worth of political capital as someone who has ostensibly been a rock soild progressive, just for a chance to say he could be 'cancelled'...

This episode was written by Anton Ferrie. 

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Jeremy Clarkson — the TV motor man and newspaper columnist — was clearly feeling extra miserable last Christmas when he decided to pen one of the most offensive opinion pieces to ever grace a UK publication. An article so heinous that it not only helped unite the British public – a massive achievement in these divided times – it may well have cost him one of his biggest gigs. And all because he just had to let the world know he despises Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex...

This episode was written by Annique Simpson.

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The American Music Awards, which have been running annually since 1974, occupy an illustrious spot within the American music industry. The AMAs sit within the Big Three music awards shows in the US, alongside the Grammys and the Billboard Music Awards. And so, it is little wonder that the cancellation of singer Chris Brown’s performance just a few days before the 2022 awards quickly became a big talking point. Infamy has cloaked the 33-year-old songwriter for over a decade as accounts of his violence towards women have regularly made headlines, alongside a variety of legal troubles. And yet, as someone who is understood as having been ‘cancelled’, Chris Brown remains visible and supported, if his online following is anything to go by. In this episode, while we unravel the singer’s past, we’ll be asking crucial questions: was Chris Brown ever truly ‘cancelled’?

This episode contains discussion about assault and sexual abuse, please be mindful of your own well-being. Pause and take breaks as often as you need to.

This episode was written by Paula Akpan. 

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In the first half of the 20th century the literary scene was dominated by now revered authors, whose books have since become classics. It reads like a roll call of greats - Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust, George Orwell, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, J.R.R Tolkein and, of course, Virginia Woolf, to name a few. Their books need no explanation. With a juggernaut of status behind them, these authors have outgrown their living credibility and become much bigger personalities since death. Time allows for such reverence, but with it fresh criticism of the words and the writers. In today's woke world, where cancel culture leaves no stone unturned, many of our famed musicians, scholars, aritsts, and writers face fresh evaluation for the things they said or did when they were alive. Virginia Woolf is the latest in this canon to come under fire...

This episode was written by Rhyannon Styles. 

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From radio show host to Eurovision commentator and best-selling author, Graham Norton is a household name in the UK - his position cemented by his irreverent, innuendo-laden style. He is, of course, most notable for his hugely popular comedy chat show which has seen all manner of celebrity names grace his plump red sofa. However, October 2022 saw a new term float into the lexicon used around the well-known TV presenter after he was posed questions on trans rights and author JK Rowling’s unrelenting anti-trans campaign. And it was Norton’s noncommittal response that sparked weeks of debate; a mere glimpse of the hostility towards trans people in the UK. The term in question? As always, it’s ‘cancel-culture’ and, as we’ll explore, Norton’s experiences are merely a symptom of a much wider problem…

This episode was written by Paula Akpan. 

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Some of the world’s best loved comedians have tiptoed on the edge of decency and political correctness from time to time. Take, for example, the acerbic wit of Joan Rivers, whose skits about the Holocaust regularly whipped her audiences into a tizzy and firmly established her as one of America’s sharpest mouthpieces. Before Perez Hilton blogged and mocked A-listers falling out of rehab, Joan was doing it on stage IRL. It may come as no surprise then, that the star of today’s episode, Kathy Griffin, was a close friend of Joan’s, and her partner in crime - no pun intended. 

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