It's an International Women's Day (aka Alex's birthday) special! The birthday girl gets all tied up in mummies, and Hannah scratches her heads over nits. Finally Caroline shares her first-hand experience of having a hangover in your 30s. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produced by Hannah Varrall, music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Hosted …

Caroline explores Norway this week with an ancient tale and some political truths, and Hannah investigates sunsets, genetics and reindeers in a segment on optimism. Finally Alex thinks about how to have a famous child in the Smart Lesson. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produced by Hannah Varrall, music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Hosted…

In episode 76, we invited stand-up comedian and animal expert Roddy Shaw to the studio to answer every stupid question we ever had about lizards. In this fully extended bonus episode, Roddy tells us about 'sneaky fucker' lizards, and we have some bat chat for good measure. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produced by Hannah Varrall, music by Harry H…

Alex gets vertigo learning about urban climbers this week, before inviting bubble buddy (and animal expert) Roddy Shaw to answer every question Caroline has ever had about lizards. Lastly Hannah reports back from taking up knitting, and evaluates whether starting a new hobby is the salve that we want it to be. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produc…

Caroline examines the life-changing* magic** of self-help books in this episode, looking at where the genre came from and what on earth is happening as it evolves. Meanwhile Hannah gets on her high horse about the 1994 film Black Beauty, its creator Anna Sewell and how Alan Cumming became obsessed with delicious oats. Finally Alex leads a Smart Les…

Hannah uncovers the real pandemic silently infecting our homes - The Rug that everybody has and nobody can get rid of. Elsewhere in the house, Caroline examines the rise of conservatories in the late '90s and what it told us about the sex lives of the O'Callaghans down the road. Lastly Alex presents a Smart Lesson on skincare and how to ensure the …

Alex goes retro this week to investigate the wild successes of teletext (aka Ceefax), the text information service that haunted her youth. Meanwhile Caroline goes to space (again!) to think about how much she doesn't like it, and why many Americans were actually not that interested in it either. Finally Hannah leads a Smart Lesson session on how to…

Alex enters the bull ring this week to investigate the whys and wherefores of professional bull riding, while Caroline takes her beaver to visit its namesakes and find out what they're actually doing in those dams. Finally Hannah stokes up some generational divides with a smart lesson on why millennials have it hard and why Gen Z will probably show…

Saddle up your mule, folks, because this week we're going to North-West Canada to look at the Klondike gold rush of the late 1800s, and Hannah's sickly ancestors are coming with us. Meanwhile Alex is transported to a small metal box in Mumbai to go undercover with the dabbawalas and their lunch delivery system, and Caroline delivers a Smart Lesson …

Caroline gets down and dirty with 'Typhoid Mary' this week, looking at how and why she became a disease super-spreader. Hannah takes a trip to the Swiss mountains to find out the origin story of hotelier César Ritz, and Alex leads a Smart Lesson on how to best spend your time in the park during lockdown. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produced by …

Hannah gets Mr Plow's phone number this week and goes deep into 555- numbers in American films and TV shows, discovering some bizarre connections to a Canadian gold rush and Gilmore Girls. Meanwhile Alex's TV nostalgia is more garden-based, focusing on Ground Force, our new hero Charlie Dimmock's brilliant norks, and the water features she couldn't…

World’s longest toothbrush Alex Haddow finds out about the birdy past of the Guinness book of world records this week, and invites special guest Gavin Day to tell us about his world record experience at Kilburn swimming pool. Meanwhile world’s prettiest pony Caroline O’Donoghue becomes a crooner to regale us with the complex history of fake flowers…

Hannah gets fully waxed this week with a visit to Madame Tussaud, while Caroline goes full Bush by looking into former First Lady Laura Bush. Meanwhile Alex gives us all tips on how to be horny during pandemic lockdown. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produced by Hannah Varrall, music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded remotely by Soho…

Was your childhood hamster part of the great lineage of Syrian hamsters abducted on the great hamster expedition of 1930? This week, Caroline goes deep on what goes in Richard Gere’s bum hole, Hannah withers on about fade outs in songs and Alex gives us tips on staying useless during a pandemic. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Produced by Hannah Va…

* This episode contains a huge spoiler for the show Mad Men at around 22 minutes in! * The team goes back in time this week to a period when staying in hotels, creating a rebel army and eating sweets from drawers were all socially acceptable pastimes. Caroline looks at how the US Senate keeps its sugar levels up with a ‘trough’ of candy kept in a d…

We're back from the dead and not only alive but also LIVE this week on Soho Radio as part of their International Women's Day programme. Alex charms the socks off a suspiciously quiet Daniel Craig, Hannah wonders where Free Willy got to after he jumped that harbour wall and Caroline talks about her big hole (in her mouth) and why she went on a train…

Before we get back to new episodes, we'd love it if you could take our survey about the podcast and tell us what you think of it! Here's the link: https://goo.gl/forms/kgVbNVq5rJ26g6FI2 Thanks pals. Anyway, this week we've got another goodie! Alex places the future of the podcast in peril by delving into the murky history of the richest family on t…

Caroline has thrush again (of course!) and there's a new royal baby on the way, so now's a good time to revisit this episode! What’s that itchy feeling, and why has it nested in Caroline’s underwear? This week she investigates the yeasty world of thrush, while Hannah ventures out for some fresh air and asks some silly questions to Emily Read, co-fo…

We've all got a year older since this one first aired (all of us apart from Helen Mirren, of course) so now's a good time to peel the Werther's Original off it and use it upside down by mistake. Hold onto your Ordnance Survey, listeners, because this week we're delving into your dad's glove box with lessons on buttons, maps and umbrellas! Caroline …

A true classic from the vaults this week, with Caroline's now famous exposé on goop. This week, Alex learns that our hair is just lots of whiskers, Hannah finds out that prosecco fizz is a bit like Schrödinger's cat, and Caroline lifts the veil on Gwyneth Paltrow. We also discuss how coding can help us pull in our Women Who Code mixer, and finally,…

Yes a third archive episode! How long will we do this for? Who knows! This week in honour of a visit from resident jingle creator Harry Harris, the Dumb Women go musical. Caroline investigates why earworms are so rah rah ah-ah-annoying, Alex looks into why Beethoven was the Michael Jackson of his day, and Hannah stands on the table to belt out an i…

Are you hoping to be fobbed off with a top-quality archive episode this week? Because you're in luck! Who keeps the metric system down? This week, Hannah goes on a deep dive down her ruler to figure out just what in the hell is making international baking so confusing. Alex stands up for seahorses, the 80s power business lady of the seas, while Car…

We're taking a break this month so we've cracked one of our favourite (and most sexy) episodes out of the archive just for you, you filthy beasts. Make sure you’re doubling up with the pill and Durex Extra Safe, because this week we’re talking kissing, sex and Hannah’s personal lubricant of choice, squash. We also spice things up by asking comedian…

To help you survive the difficult holiday season, we've put together a compendium of the very best life advice from our favourite self-help guru, Dr Jane Frail. She discusses meditation, breathing, sleeping, and self-care, and even has some tips on how to deal with tricky family members. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Music by Harry Harris, artwor…

Christmas is a time for overindulgence, so this week we present you with not one but two dumb guests, some bad crackers (mostly Alex’s) and a few vagina jokes just for Christmas seasoning. Alan Maguire of Roast Chestnuts and Juvenalia podcast fame talks to Caroline about made-for-TV Christmas movies and why they’re having a resurgence this year, Ha…

We're clogging up your podcast box with something a bit different today – a taster of Sentimental Garbage, a new podcast about chick-lit and the "guilty pleasures" you're done feeling guilty about. Created and hosted by certified Dumb Woman Caroline O'Donoghue and produced by Dumb Host Hannah Varrall, Sentimental Garbage celebrates classics of "com…

In episode 62, special guest Monica Heisey (Baroness Von Sketch, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better) joined us for a Smart Lesson on how to break up online, using Instagram Stories of bubble baths and strange Icelandic horses. In this bonus episode featuring the full conversation, we discuss ill-advised tattoos, Jennifer Garner and Alex's 'slut spiral…

Is pizza really God’s gift to bad restaurants or is it just over-hyped cheesy bread? This week, Hannah gets to the bottom of this deep dish problem while Caroline tries to fix the economy by investigating inflation and realising that actually, it doesn't make any damn sense. Meanwhile at the Women Who Code mixer Alex gets to know AI lie detectors -…

Dig out your Beanie Babies from the loft because you could be a millionaire! Is something you might have heard twenty years ago. But why? Caroline investigates the bean-ed ones and tells us why a man in a rented Rolls Royce is the reason we all went so bloody mad for them, before wellness expert Dr Jane Frail drops in for a terrifying tutorial on h…

In episode 60, the very handsome Gavin Day came to the studio to tell us all about art, money and why Banksy is a bit of a shit, actually. In this bonus episode featuring the full conversation, he dishes the dirt on his one-way relationship with Nigella Lawson, explains why the Mona Lisa was sent to New York strapped to a mattress, and tells us how…

Should you drink your own wee all the time or only on special occasions? Urine for a treat this week as Hannah investigates all things piss, before Caroline takes the stage at our Women Who Code mixer to explain that you might want to start being nicer to your laptop, lest you hurt its feelings. Next we ask celebrity guest Gavin Day (the smart man …

In episode 59, Hannah went to the Oscar Wilde Temple at Studio Voltaire to learn all about Oscar Wilde and his legacy within the LGBTQ community. In this bonus episode featuring the full conversation, curator Alison Gingeras discusses how aestheticism aimed to break down class barriers, the influence Wilde's mother "Speranza" had on his life and ho…

Good news, folks – there’s a 98% chance that this week’s episode will effectively prevent pregnancy, mostly because of what Caroline reveals about her nose-picking habits. But before that, Alex finds out how long we’ve been sheathing penises in dead animal skin, Dr Jane Frail visits the studio to teach us how to breathe (and get revenge on an ex), …

In episode 58, author Ayisha Malik came to the studio to teach us all about what a romcom is and whether they are a force for good or for evil. In our full conversation, Ayisha discusses not watching The Big Sick, feeling represented in Jane Austen novels and inviting a third wheel along to a date. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com Music by Harry Har…

Caroline’s 50% less farty than usual in today's episode, and the gang are taking apart the bread bin to find out why gluten is nature’s gas machine. Alex has the murder podcast bug, but it’s ok because it’s a Victorian murder, therefore dodging all of our suspicions that true crime podcasts are evil and bad. Meanwhile Hannah wins a gold star by inv…

Omg this episode is totally random! Oh hang on, no, it was very planned, and in it Hannah charts the early noughties comedy trend to find out what made sporks and badgers so gosh-darned funny. Meanwhile Caroline meets her guardian angel during a crisis of confidence, and Alex cracks the vault on bank holidays, days off and wearing white after Labou…

It’s all gone Pete Dong this week as Alex tries to figure out the endlessly provocative world of Freudian slips, Caroline relays the many miseries of flies in summertime and Hannah beefs up to learn about bodyguards before putting the others through their protective paces. We also bed down with some white wine to learn about Blockchain in our Women…

In episode 55, comedy writer and performer Natasha Hodgson came to the studio to teach us all about how to enjoy horror films in a responsible and safe manner. In our full conversation Tash discusses her top tips for escaping a scary movie, prescribes us each with a horror film that we’ll love, and tells us about Director’s Cut, her new comedy/horr…

Comb your curtains, tighten your sarong, and get your Lego kit out: Alex is doing David Beckham this week and the studio might just get flooded from her frothing over. Meanwhile Hannah embraces her inner shellfish by investigating lobsters, and Caro gets camp with the history of glitter. We also have TWO guests this week: the terrifyingly gentle Dr…

In episode 54, Hannah met author, journalist and comedian Viv Groskop to find out why self-help phenomenon Oprah Winfrey is one of the most important women in Viv's life. In this bonus episode, Viv tells us about Oprah's Weight Watchers controversy, what happened when she went to the O Magazine Annual Conference and how Oprah is secretly a bit of a…

Groove is in the heart this week, dummies, because Caroline has been to a rave and discovered she likes dance music, and now she has to find out WHY. Meanwhile, Alex has put all her money into a Swiss bank account and accidentally financed international corruption, and Hannah spoke to writer, podcaster and comedian Viv Groskop about her heroine Opr…

In episode 53, we invited writer and journalist Daisy Buchanan to the studio to tell us the story behind Swedish pop sensation ABBA. In this bonus episode featuring the full conversation, we learn how we can ring (ring ring) Bjorn Ulvaeus if we so desire, why a trip to Japan might have spelled the end for the group, and Daisy reveals her uncensored…

Could you send your dog into orbit? Should you? This week, Caroline gets emotional learning about Laika the Russian space mutt, and how she bears an eerie resemblance to her own not-in-space dog. Coming up next is a brief summary of brief summaries; which is to say that Hannah finds out how continuity announcers work and sets a test to see if the g…

To a whole new level of personal understanding, apparently! This week Hannah makes the group take a navel-gazing personality test as part of her segment on belly buttons, and Alex decides whether Lindsay Lohan is good, evil or simply holed up in the world's richest desert town for a bit of peace and quiet. Meanwhile Caroline examines why every 10-y…

How did she pull John Lennon? What is she up to now? And did she really break up the band? Hannah investigates all things Yoko this week, before Women With Dough’s financial expert Richard Danyou phones in from the World Cup with some tips on pensions, and how not to be poor after 65. Meanwhile Alex tries to find out how the piece of plastic implan…

How do you solve a problem like a podcast’s first birthday and its host’s debut novel? With a live show, of course! After a lot of nervous farting over by the history section, Alex Caroline and Hannah put on a show in a book shop, and people came along to listen! So buckle up as Hannah explains why everyone in Korea shares a birthday, Alex looks in…

In episode 49, we invited stand-up comedian and bat conservation expert Roddy Shaw to the studio to tell us all about what bats are. In this fully extended bonus episode, Roddy tells us about when bats nearly ended WW2, how they can make a moth's dick twitchy, and why they are integral to the production of tequila. Contact: dumbwomenpod@gmail.com M…

Do you ever listen to this podcast with your left hand and pretend someone else is doing it? No? Tune in for this and some more subtle wank jokes as Caroline investigates being (left or right) handy, and Hannah looks into how caffeine keeps us up all night but we don't mind. For her segment, Alex invites bat conservation expert and comedian Roddy S…

Has Jeff Goldblum, the internet’s darling, hacked our evolutionary biology to make us like him or is he just pleased to see us? This week, Caroline scientifically determines whether we are a pro- or anti-Goldblum podcast, while in a very much unrelated move, Hannah answers a listener question about tube lines and Alex spends her segment stewing ove…

What’s that noise you’re making? Is a grape stuck in your windpipe or did someone just tell you a funny joke? This week Alex investigates what laughter actually is, while Hannah comes to terms with her ignorance about the Romans (and good coffee) by looking at the life of Emperor Nero, and Caroline turns into your uncle at a family party by explain…