The High Low

It’s here! Expect many tears, intense nostalgia, beautiful letters from our listeners and a big ole dose of DJ CJ to celebrate the last four glorious years of The High Low. Book tickets to the last ever High Low live show, streaming next week and raising money for Blood Cancer UK https://www.fane.co.uk/high-lowRecommendations:Michaela Coel on Grounded with Louis Theroux Billy Crystal on Awards Chatter Pandemic at the disco playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3dW4ddgwOxj4q7XVvbOa7w?si=-xXJ81SkTLS0ZU2w9v-v3gConnect, by School of Life https://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/catalog/product/view/id/27526/s/connect-game/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAk53-BRD0ARIsAJuNhpu_l3AxJ_EvOq7t-mOqmwSdz2UPQc28f8ksuBh7CBf7g5bvn4t7lAAaAjScEALw_wcBBig Ideas for Curious Minds, by School of Life https://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/big-ideas-for-curious-minds/A Promised Land by Barack Obama Tiny Lungs - 28 poems by Joanna Bennett Small Axe by Steve McQueen, on BBC iPlayerMangrove, on BBC iPlayer &#

We are so thrilled to have the one and only Graham Norton on today's episode, talking all about his new novel, Home Stretch, his favourite celebrities to interview on his chat show, and the weird wonderfulness that is Eurovision. Graham is The High Low's last ever author special - because the High Low will be coming to a close next week, after 4 joyous, life-changing years for us both. But before we go, we have one last LIVE show for you: the High Low Christmas LIVE will be live streamed on Vimeo at 7pm on December 8th, with all proceeds going to Blood Cancer UK, a charity that is very close to both of our hearts, in memory of Florence Kleiner and Enzo Saunt. We promise a festive extravaganza featuring a VERY special musical performance. Tickets start at £10, please book yourself a ticket at: https://www.fane.co.uk/high-low.With special thanks to Fane Productions, and our sponsor, the eco-friendly brand Method (and their delicious pink grapefruit cleaning spray) for making this live s

Brace yourself: Emily in Paris is back for a second series. More importantly: the Christmas ads have dropped! We discuss some of them, and why a great Christmas ad doesn't actually.... have to have anything to do with Christmas.Also today, we discuss Maggi Hambling's controversial nude statue of founding feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Rupert Everett's new autobiography, a documentary about Vivienne Westwood and the punk movement, and we deep dive into the Princess Diana content of the last week: the two-parter on ITV, with staggering allegations made against Martin Bashir, and the new series of The Crown, starring the magnificent Emma Corrin as Diana. E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits for November go to Fare Share LinksTo The End Of The World, by Rupert EverettThe Crown series 4 now on NetflixThe Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess, on ITV PlayerWhat I've learned from 7 years of being single, by Camille Charr

What a week to be alive! We discuss some of the many ridiculous things that have happened, mainly on the television, during this last monumental week, plus the riveting revelating that Dr Fauci of the Coronavirus task force in the US, had a celebrity zoom to help stop the spread of misinformation during the pandemic. Plus, swans in love and what we'd call our pet tortoise. And we talk telly: The Undoing, The Queen's Gambit, Emily in Paris (again) and Been So Long, an ambitious, upifting musical rom-com starring Michaela Coel.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com, 100% of profits for November go to Fare ShareLinksYou're Wrong About podcastBeen So Long on NetflixThe Queens Gambit on NetflixThe Undoing, on SkyMaking Love With The Paint, on BBC iPlayer Octavia Bright on her father being in a care home during lockdown, for The Sunday Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-can-speak-to-dad-but-i-may-never-hold-him-again-gtnq27p5sModern Lo

Are you familiar with No Nut November? Move over Movember, there's a slightly queasy new internet challenge in town. Also today, we discuss whether a burger is a sandwich, the concerning omission from the Sean Connery obituaries, and the new YouTube record-breaker. And we have an author special today with Otegha Uwagba, who came on to discuss her new long-form essay, Whites.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet@thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com where 100% of profits go to Fare ShareLinksWhites, by Otegha Uwagba, out 12th NovemberSacha Baron Cohen on Fresh Air: https://www.npr.org/2012/05/21/153204627/sacha-baron-cohen-the-fresh-air-interview?t=1604443983616The Undoing, on SkyYou're Wrong About, on all podcast platformsGhosting stories at hardtoforget.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From a naturally green puppy called Pistachio, to a charming and surprising memoir by Matthew McConnaughey, this week is your usual mixed bag -- including discussion of the government's abhorrent decision to stop funding free school meals for vulnerable children outside of term time (see a petition you can sign and charities you can donate to, below) and some television that has moved us. Also! A book that made Dolly's week, and Pandora's new favourite podcast.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% profits go to charity, 50% to Black Minds Matter and 50% to The Freedom Charity. For November, all profits will be going to Fare ShareLinks ReadingElle Hunt on Matthew McConnaughey's memoir, Greenlights, for The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/26/greenlights-matthew-mcconaugheys-guide-to-life-livin-hollywood-starWhat happened when me and Kim Kardashian both turned 40? By Eva Wiseman, for The Observer https://

Today we discuss a love story in Venice, the new "wellness" trend of cow hugging, Matt Hancock's personal app (???) and listeners tell us what they think makes "a good deed". And some things we've been loving, including the feel good Love Life on Netflix. Plus! An exclusive, filthy extract from Joan and Jericha's new book, out on the 29th October.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity, 50% to Black Minds Matter and 50% to Freedom CharityLinksMax Woosey's fundraising page for North Devon hospice https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/max-woosey1Daddy, by Emma Cline, out nowLuster, by Raven Leilani, out in January 2021 and available for pre-order nowLove Life, on BBC iPlayerNigella Lawson on the fallacy of guilty pleasures for The Guardian: https://amp.theguardian.com/food/2020/oct/10/peanut-butter-chocolate-cake-and-vegan-gingerbread-five-new-sweet-recipes-from-nigella-lawson?__twitter_impression=trueThe role of food in Jewish celebratio

We continue our conversation about sharing grief in the aftermath of a still birth or miscarriage, with a special contribution from the grief psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE. We also discuss penguin and seahorse reproduction, a delicious piece of Hollywood gossip involving Cary Grant and Clark Gable, and - mais bien sûr - we plunge into Emily and Paris aka 2020's answer to Sex And The City and all its associated controversy.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet@thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshow.com - 100% profits go to charity, 50% Black Minds Matter and 50% to Freedom CharityLinks10 Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, by Jaron Lanier summarised on BlinkistWhat to say to women going through miscarriage and baby loss, by Alexandra King for CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/09/health/miscarriage-what-to-say-wellness/index.htmlI find myself apologising for the complex nature of my motherhood, by Sophie Beresiner for The Sunday Times Style https://www.

We discuss Chrissy Teigen's social media posts about the death of her baby Jack, and the judgement around public grief. Also today, we dissect a list of words and phrases facing expiration (40% of under 30s don't know what "getting sozzled" means) and the fascinating docu-drama, The Social Dilemma. Plus, Pandora falls in love with a film called Rocks, and Dolly has a(nother) Springsteen moment.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% proceeds go to charity (50% to Black Minds Matter, and 50% to The Freedom Charity)LinksIf Chrissy Teigen wants to share the agony of losing her baby, let her, by Barbara Ellen for The Observer https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/03/if-chrissy-teigen-wants-to-share-the-agony-of-losing-her-baby-let-herWhy Chrissy Teigen's story is so helpful to other women, by Jennifer Handt for WBUR https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2020/10/06/miscarriage-pregnancy-loss-chrissy-teigen-jennifer-handt The

This year has seen even our closest friendships turn into long-distance ones; what is the impact - and the thought spirals - of your A-list friends becoming peripheral specks in your vision? We discuss, with a funny and thought-provoking piece by Katie Heaney for The Cut. Also today, we natter about how to mend a broken heart, and the evolving nature of romantic relationships, with a special reading from the author Nick Hornby.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet@thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com with 100% profits going to charity (50% Black Minds Matter, 50% Freedom Charity)LinksAre All My Friends Mad At Me? By Katie Heaney, for The Cut https://www.thecut.com/2020/09/are-all-my-friends-mad-at-me.htmlHigh Fidelity, by Nick HornbySchitt's Creek, on NetflixGuys We Fucked - Heartbreak Is Universal? with Guy Winch https://luminary.link/8lCmg8hebabThe Psychology of Friendship, by Mahzad HojjitUs, on BBC iPlayerSafe Spaces for Black Women, created by Leyla Hussein https://gf.m

Doll's Polls is back, with a strange fact about what heterosexual women most look for, in a man. A handsome face? A tight tush? Nope -- quite frankly, you'll never guess. We also discuss a beautiful ode from a coupled-up woman to her single friends, Matt Haig's new book about finding hope in the lives you could have lived, and a couple of our favourite comedy shows by women.And - deep breath - we dive into the issues raised by a personal essay penned by the model and actor Emily Ratajkowski, that blew up certain parts of the internet this week, about who owns a public image. We address women's bodies and the ethics of sharing in the age of Instagram, with a side order of choice feminism. You can share your thoughts with us via e-mail -- we're sure you'll have a few.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity, currently Black Minds Matter and Freedom charityLinksEmily Ratajkowski on reclaiming

In today's episode we discuss news of the telly: decade-defining reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, is ending after 20 seasons; US soap The Bold & The Beautiful are using dummies in their snogging scenes; and most depressingly and shamefully, Ofcom have received 22,000 (15,600 at the time of record) complaints over dance troupe Diversity's moving dance rendition of George Floyd's death on Britain's Got Talent. Also today, we discuss the joy of a buffet (with an excerpt from new book In The Kitchen read by Joel Golby), the world's first ever A.I. model agency and the emergence of lockdown literature, featuring Zadie Smith's booklet of essays, Intimations. E-mail us thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet us @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity: Black Minds Matter and Freedom CharityLinksIntimations by Zadie SmithZadie Smith on Adam Buxton podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-130-zadie-smith/id1040481893?i=1000487206444?i=10004872

We reminisce over garage music (without being entirely sure what officially defines a garage track), discuss the dicey new Dettol ad that's got everyone's knickers in a twist and why we both felt ashamed when we read Gwyneth Paltrow's recent piece about the trauma of her 'conscious uncoupling', ten years ago.Plus, the sensitive and moving BBC drama about a life never lived, Anthony; a brilliant pocket-sized book on race by Ijeoma Oluo; and Dolly's favourite show, Circus of Books, about a famous gay pornography and bookshop of the 1980s.Oh! And Dolly's solved the mystery of Francesco - her long-term house ghost. You're welcome.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity (50% to Black Minds Matter, 50% to Freedom Charity)LinksGwyneth Paltrow on her experience of conscious uncoupling https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/gwyneth-paltrow-conscious-uncouplingCircus of Books, on NetflixSo You Want To Talk About Rac

We back! And it's the old mixed bag of content: from grubby gussets to bathroom-heavy mansions in WeHo, via a revisitation of our noughties book shelves. Links below, you know what to do.Shop thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% profits go to charity (Freedom Charity and Black Minds Matter)LinksWatching/ listeningMrs America on NetflixSelling Sunset on NetflixShagged Married Annoyed on all podcast appsJim Nicholson on Fresh Air https://www.npr.org/2019/03/01/698908276/fresh-air-remembers-philadelphia-daily-news-obituary-writer-jim-nicholson?t=1598993655688ReadingThe Confession by Jessie BurtonDominicana by Angie CruzLost To The Virus, a series for The Guardian by Sirin Kale 26a by Diana EvansTwo Lives by Vikram Seth'Heirlooms' a short story by Bryan Washington for The New YorkerMore Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran High Fidelity by Nick Hornby How to Live On 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett   See acast.com/privacy

It’s our last episode of the season - and boy, do we have a bumper episode for you. In this week’s show we discuss what Twitter’s failure to suspend Wiley says about our failure to combat anti-semitism (and what you can do to help), the graphic and glorious podcast of the year, Brown Girls Do It Too, Kiley Reid’s incisive and compulsively readable novel Such A Fun Age and an author special with the inspiring and thought-provoking columnist and author of We Need New Stories, Nesrine Malik about why we must resist cultural myths. Plus, some newsletters to subscribe to right now, and an Ask The High Low question about dating after cancer. We’ll be back in early September! E-mail: thehighlowshow@gmail.com (but please do note the inbox will be unmanned for August)Tweet: @thehighlowshowShop: thehighlowshop.com where 100% proceeds go to charity - 50% to Black Minds Matter and 50% to Freedom Charity LinksFollowing/ signing@geraldstratfor3 on Twitter Sign the petition for Wiley to ha

We dig further into the cultural conversation around parenting, courtesy of masses of feedback from our listeners on last week's ep and a thoughtful piece on same-sex parenting. Also today: Taffy Brodesser-Akner's short story, Dolly's favourite new dating columnist, a novel that delves into the foibles as much as the grand themes of old age, and why people are happier by the sea. And we introduce our new charitable outlets for The High Low shop.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet@thehighlowshowShop at thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity (50% to Black Minds Matter, 50% to The Orchid Project.)LinksThe Weekend, by Charlotte WoodA Curious Career by Lynn Barber Taffy Brodesser Akner's short story https://www.thecut.com/2020/07/fleishman-is-in-lockdown-a-story-by-taffy-brodesser-akner.htmlAnnie Lorde's dating column for Vogue https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/sextingWhat adopting as a same-sex couple taught us, by Ben Fergusson for The Guardian https://

Today we discuss how motherhood and child-free women are culturally discussed and pitted against one another, referencing podcasts, a journalistic series and Emma Gannon's new novel, Olive, along the way. We also answer an Ask The High Low from a woman whose partner wants children, but she's worried about how pregnancy, birth and motherhood may affect her mental health.Also today, we talk about a candid interview with Thandie Newton, where the actor reflects on a 30 year career often rife with micro-aggressions and misogyny, Nick Hornby's new novel and recommend two social and mentorship networks: City Girl Network and The Black Agents and Editors Group, for people of African descent working in publishing or media.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity, 50% to Show Racism The Red Card and 50% to Women's AidLinkshttps://www.goclimate.com ReadingOlive by Emma GannonJust Like You by Nick Hornby Thandie Newton interview by E

The pubs have opened; but why is the beauty sector still in lockdown? Also today, we discuss the slew of videos of children interrupting their parents during a pandemic, a new book about love and loneliness in 1950s suburbia, and a deep-dive into Nora Ephron. And Dolly interviews the brilliant former doctor, comic and writer, Adam Kay, about a new book he has edited, Dear NHS: 100 Stories To Say Thank You.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% profits go to charity (50% to Show Racism The Red Card, 50% to Women's Aid)LinksSmall Pleasures, by Clare Chambers, out nowThe Old Man, by Roger Angel https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/17/old-man-3Everything Is Copy, on NOW TV via Sky DocumentariesDear NHS: A Collection of 100 Stories To Say Thank You, edited by Adam Kay - out 9th July  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wishing you were at Glastonbury? Get stuck into Zing Tseng's piece, instead. Ruby Tandoh reads us an excerpt of her beautiful piece on quitting, and we discuss why quitting is not just a physical act - but a state of mind. Also today: a Doll's Polls on first date turn-offs (verdict: most of them are unavoidable), a hilarious analysis by Diyora Shadijanova of what Gen Z'ers really think about millennials (verdict: old and boring), plus a great primer on white privilege by Robin DiAngelo and Channel 4's documentary, The School That Tried To End Racism. E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% profits go to charity (50% Show Racism The Red Card, 50% Women's Aid)LinksZing Tseng on festivals for Vice https://www.vice.com/amp/en_uk/article/4ayagj/what-i-miss-festivals-glastonburyRuby Tandoh on the art of quitting for WePresent https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/work-sucks-i-know-ruby-tandoh/Eat Up, by Ruby TandohWhat Gen Z'ers thi

Mmmm get that yeasty pong. Today we recall the wisdom of Zadie Smith, chat more about the jaw-dropping drama that is Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You, discuss Naoise Dolan's piece on how autism has shaped her work and recommend Munroe Bergdorf's Table Manners interview. We also drop a lot of not entirely irrelevant but mostly random animal facts - including the retirement of Diego, the Warren Beatty of tortoises. Plus, an Ask The High Low about what to do when you're single, and none of your coupled up friends understand.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowShop thehighlowshop.com - 100% of profits go to charity (Women's Aid and Show Racism The Red Card)LinksA Ladder To The Sky How Being Diagnosed with Autism Changed My Life, by Naoise Dolan for The Sunday Times Style https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/naoise-dolan-how-being-diagnosed-with-autism-aged-27-changed-my-life-lc9f7bzp0I May Destroy You, on BBC iPlayerArena: Desert Island Discs 1982 on BBC iPlayerBig Brother: