Scummy Mummies - Podcast

In this episode we meet Deborah James, aka Bowel Babe, who is currently going through intensive chemotherapy after being diagnosed with late stage cancer. And we have a right old laugh! Deborah tells us what it was like to receive her diagnosis, and how she's sharing the news with her kids. We find out that chemo isn't like in the movies, and discover that like most things, it's more bearable with wine. There's some serious chat about Deborah's views on mortality and how she looks to the future. Then we play a game about swearing!  Do check out Deborah's column, Facebook page, and follow her on Instagram @bowelbabe. Her book is Coming Soon. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Come to our live comedy show! Our Norwich show is SOLD OUT, but be are coming back to Cambridge this February. Then we're previewing our new show in London and coming to Bath, Masham, Cardiff, and more...

What's the best age to start learning an instrument? Can you make kids musical? And what kind of vajazzle would the host of the BBC Proms go for? Answering all these questions is Clemency Burton-Hill! She tells us all about her love of music, which covers everything from Back and Mendelssohn to Take That and UK garage. We talk about her brilliant book, Year of Wonder, which recommends a piece of classical music to listen to every day. Year of Wonder is out now, and comes highly recommended - we love it. You can follow Clemency on Twitter @clemencybh. The Scummy Mummies book is also OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Come to our live comedy show! Our Cambridge show is now SOLD OUT, but in January we're performing our Greatest Hits show in Shepherd's Bush, Nunhead and Norwich. Then we're previewing our new show and coming to Bath, Masham, Cardiff, and more... To buy tickets, and for more dates, visi

Ho ho ho! It's time to welcome back two of our most available friends, good old Nurse Jessie and Steve "bah humbug" Hill! In this Christmas special we reveal our highlights of 2017, including our favourite events, songs, food, and sex. Helen has a brand new game for us to play, and of course we enjoy the traditional Ham Review. Then it's time to round off with some festive Scummy Mummy Confessions. As discussed in this episode, we're supporting the #freeperiods campaign to make menstruation products free for girls already on school meals. The demo kicks off on Wednesday 20 December at 4pm - meet at Parliament Square. Other gubbins we talk about in the podcast, if you're interested, include Nomad by Alan Partridge, The Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer, I Believe in You by Dolly Parton, and Wahaca, which just opened a new branch in Shoreditch. Our book, Scummy Mummies, is out now. We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review!&nb

Do kids need vitamin pills? Are smartphones really as addictive as heroin? And how are Muslim parents supposed to stop terrorism when they can't even get children to put their shoes on? Answering all these questions and more is Dr Afrosa Ahmed!She tells us about her work as a GP and her life as a mum to three boys. We get her top doctor's tips for raising kids, and discover why Instagram Wrist is the new Tennis Elbow.There's also some serious chat about religion, terrorism, and what it's like to raise a Muslim family in Britain today. Then normal service is resumed as Helen shares a Scummy Mummy Confession about farting in a lift.Do check out Afrosa's blog at mum2sons.com. She's on Facebook too.The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review!**SEE US LIVE** Come to our live comedy show! Over the next few months we're visiting Cambridge, Tunbridge Wells, Chester, Manchester, Hillingdon, and more... To buy tickets, and for more dates, visit ScummyMummies.com.We

This episode features two amazing guests - Clemmie and Simon Hooper, otherwise known as Mother and Father of Daughters! They tell us how they became Instagram sensations, and what it's like to be famous while still holding down your job as a midwife or whatever it is Simon does. There's some hosiery chat, in which Simon explains why he hates socks. We also discuss why most of his followers are women, and whether he can actually tell his twins apart. Then it's time for a bit of seriousness as we talk about the Hoopers' recent trip to Madagascar. We find out about WaterAid's plan to get everyone in the world access to clean water by 2030, and why handwashmongers Soaper Duper are donating £150k to help the cause. To get involved, visit wateraid.org. And to win a handwashing kit for your family, go to soaperduper.com. There's a bit more silliness as we play a special version of Handbag Surprise, and find out what's in Simon's manbag. We round off with a Scummy Mummy Confession from M

Are expensive face creams worth the money? What are the best beauty products on the high street? Is botox b****cks? Answering all these questions is the fantastic novelist and beauty expert, Lindsey Kelk! Although she's originally from Doncaster, Lindsey now lives in LA, so we chat about life under Trump. We discover how she began her literary career (writing the Girls Aloud annual), and how she went on to become a best-selling novelist. Then it's time to discover the beauty products Lindsey can't live without. We tackle the question of whether you really do have to wash your face every night, and find out what it's like to have a colonic irrigation to the sound of Ed Sheeran. For more from our lovely guest visit lindseykelk.com, or follow her on all the social medias @lindseykelk. Herlatest book, I Heart Forever, is out now. And her ace podcast is titled Full Coverage. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Come and see us

They're comedians, they're mums, and they're a hilarious double act - that's right, it's Croft and Pearce! They tell us how they met, how they got their Radio 4 series, and how they ended up pregnant at exactly the same time. We also play a brand new game, Mrs & Mrs. Find out whether Croft knows Pearce's middle name, who Gibson thinks should play Thorn in a movie of her life, and everyone's favourite sexual position. You can follow our guests on Twitter @croftandpearce, and their website is croftandpearce.com. Listen to their June and Jean podcast is on Soundcloud. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Our Nunhead show is now SOLD OUT but we are trying to add another date - we'll keep you posted. Or you can come and see us in Sutton Coldfield on 7 October, Hillingdon and Manchester in November, and Tunbridge Wells, Chester, and Brighton in December. To buy tickets, and for more dates, visit ScummyMummies.com. We're on

A Pulitzer prize-winning author joins us for this episode! Mei Fong tells us all about her book, One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment, and why China is full of horny young men these days. The chat gets a bit serious as we discuss the realities of the One Child policy, and one of us has a little cry. We also talk about Mei's experiences of miscarriage and IVF. But then it's back to the usual old nonsense as Mei tells us about the time she met the queen sporting the world's dodgiest perm, and why suburban America is the strangest place she's ever lived. We finish up with Scummy Mummy Confessions, and Ellie almost throws Mei off the podcast for slagging off Marie Kondo. Mei's brilliant book is out now. You can read more about her at meifong.org, and follow her on Twitter @meifongwriter. We're on Twitter (@scummymummies), Instagram, and Facebook. Please send your confessions to scummymummiespodcast@gmail.com and visit us at ScummyMummies.com. If you like the podcast, do tell your friends

How do you eat well on a budget? Why are diets so rubbish? What is wrong with people who think it's acceptable to put pineapple on a pizza? Answering these questions is the amazing Thomasina Miers! The Masterchef winner and best-selling author shares her fabulous foodie knowledge and top time-saving tips. We discuss everything from getting kids to eat their greens to the best recipe for guacamole. There's some chat about eating sustainably, the importance of teaching cookery in schools, and how you know when there's enough butter on your Marmite toast. Thomasina's latest book, Home Cook, is out now. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @thomasinamiers. And you can find us down one of her fabulous Wahaca restaurants on a regular basis. Pork pibil and margheritas ftw. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Come and see us in Bromsgrove on 16 September, Sutton Coldfield on 7 October, and at various other venues right through

How do you have a great family day out? Where are the best places to go? And how do you survive the whole thing without going absolutely bonkers? To answer all these questions we have the hilarious Jimi Famurewa! He tells us all about his book, Family London, and reveals his favourite places to visit in the capital and beyond. We also talk about why the Swedes are so good at parenting, and discuss Jimi's career as an entertainment journalist. Find out what it's like to hang out with Leonardo DiCaprio and John Boyega, and why Harrison Ford can't hold his yams. Jimi's book is out now, and you can find him on Twitter @jimfam. Read his prizewinning short story, Teddybird, at 4thestate.co.uk. This episode was recorded at MEATliquor, who supplied all the food and lovely cocktails. We went to the East Dulwich branch because we're lazy, but their new opening in Queensway features bowling and ice skating, so it's a great family day out. Or great for making someone else take the kids ice skating while you eat your

How do you get motivated to do exercise? Is running better than sex? And what did Kriss Akabusi say to Ellie that almost made her glasses fall off? We answer all these questions and more! Our guest is Ruth Field, author of the brilliant Run, Fat Bitch, Run, which is out now. She tells us what gets her off the couch, why running can have mental health benefits, and why she doesn't think exercise has to be fun. We find out how Ruth helped Helen run her first 5K, and Helen reveals her top running songs. There's also some chat about Ruth's career as a criminal barrister, which mainly involves a lot of reminiscing about This Life. This episode's Scummy Mummy Confessions are sponsored by Acamar, creators of CBeebies favourite Bing. We are running a fabulous competition with them to celebrate the launch of the new Fisher Price Toilet Train Bing toy. The winner (as judged by us) will receive a special visit to their nursery or preschool, along with some ace Bing goodies. You have until 15 August to enter - jus

Our guest for this episode is the wonderful comedian, writer and mum, Jenny Eclair! She tells us what she's learned in 28 years of parenting, and why she thinks all unruly London children should be sent up north for a bit. We hear about how Jenny got her start in comedy, what it's like to win a Perrier award, and why cheese conventions are less fun than you might think. We find out about her latest show, How to be a Middle-Aged Woman (Without Going Insane). Then it's time for Book Chat as we discuss Jenny's brilliant collection of short stories, Listening In. There's a silly quiz about South East London, which includes Jenny's best meat buying tips, and she shares her Scummy Mummy Confession. Listening In is out now. You can follow Jenny on Twitter @jennyeclair and see all her latest show dates at jennyeclair.com. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Come and see us in Bromsgrove on 16 September, Sutton Coldfield on 7 O

Mindfulness: actual science, or hippy dippy nonsense? How do you stay in the moment if the moment's sh**? And what's the best way to increase your sex drive? Answering all these questions is the brilliant Dr Genevieve Von Lob! She's the author of the ace 5 Deep Breaths: The Power of Mindful Parenting, which is out now. We talk about some of the issues she covers in the book including how to be a more confident parent, and the importance of being kind to yourself. Genevieve shows us how to do proper deep breathing, and explains how it can help in tricky situations, from dealing with toddler tantrums to talking to grumpy teens. Then there's some sex chat, because goodness knows we can't get through a whole podcast without a bit of filth. Do check out Genevieve's book, it's great. And you can follow her on Twitter @drvonLob. Her instagram is @drgenevievevonlob. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** Come and see us in Rugby o

You might not think that having your boobs removed and your ovaries taken out are the funniest subjects for a podcast - but this episode will prove you wrong! Our guest is Alice Evans, who explains how her family history of breast cancer led her to have a double mastectomy. She also reveals what it's like to go through the menopause at a young age, and why she doesn't let her husband call her his wife. Honestly, it's more LOLs than it sounds. Alice reveals that she's basically an X-Man, and she and Helen discover they share the same party trick. Ellie squeezes another woman's breasts for the first time ever on the podcast. Also ever. There's some graphic but surprisingly hilarious chat about what Alice has been through, and she offers her advice for anyone in the same situation - including her top tips for surviving menopause. We round off with some exclusive Scummy Mummies "On Tour" Confessions, direct from the Hay Festival. Thank you very much to iheartwines.co.uk for supplying the wines that fuel

WE ARE ONE HUNDRED! And to celebrate we have a very special guest - it's hilarious comedian DARA O BRIAIN! He reveals his favourite thing about being a parent, and shares his number one nugget of parenting wisdom. There's some chat about how raising kids is like driving a boat, and trying not to get shipwrecked on Notadick Island. Helen and Ellie discuss their parenting goals, and Dara recounts the time he enraged Idina Menzel. As this is our hundredth episode, we've brought back a couple of games - the classic What's On Our Clothes This Week?, plus the ever-popular Accent Game. We round off with a special edition of Scummy Mummy Confessions, and then Helen has a surprise for Ellie. We're as shocked as anyone that this podcast has made it to 100 episodes. Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed, emailed us, left us lovely iTunes reviews, and shared the podcast with their friends. But most of all, thank you for listening. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do,

Making lists, managing screen time, coping with debt, deciding which animals look like which biscuits - we cover all these topics and more with the brilliant Clemmie Telford! We talk about her blog, Mother of all Lists, and her career in advertising. There's some advice on making money from Instagram, and how to boost your creativity. Clemmie discusses what she loves about living in Peckham, and Ellie bangs on about how she remembers when it was all just fields. We also chat about our support for new Oxfam campaign Dressed By The Kids. Sign up via oxfam.org.uk/silly, and get sponsored to wear whatever the kids choose for you on 16 June. Oxfam believes everyone should have access to clean water, that grown-ups should be able to earn a fair wage to feed their families, and that children should have the right to education. Which sounds pretty good to us, so come 16 June, we'll be wearing ridiculous outfits, just for a change. As usual we round off with Scummy Mummy Confessions, plus a bit of admin - you ca

Our guest for this episode is the fabulous Giovanna Fletcher, author of the ace Happy Mum, Happy Baby. We discuss her book, find out how she got started, and discuss the tricky but important issues surrounding hotpants and flip flops. Giovanna shares the best vlogging tip ever, as invented by her husband, Tom McFly, and Helen reveals her favourite thing to do after the school run. There's also a bit of sleep chat, where we give our advice for coping without it, and play a stupid game. This podcast is sponsored by Leesa mattresses - visit leesa.co.uk and enter the code "MUMMIES80" for £80 off. Thank you also to iheartwines.co.uk for supplying the lovely booze. Happy Mum, Happy Baby is out now. You can follow Giovanna on Instagram and Twitter -@mrsgifletcher. The Scummy Mummies book is also OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** We're performing at Brighton Komedia on 28 June. To buy tickets, and for more dates, visit ScummyMummies.com. We're on Twi

What is a doula? Why do birth rights matter? And how would Ellie guide someone through a difficult labour with the help of a Pepperami? All these questions are answered in this episode, with special guest Rebecca Schiller. She's the author of the excellent book Why Human Rights in Childbirth Matter, which is out now. We discuss the issue of birth rights around the world, including why it's so hard to have a home birth in Australia, and the difficulties facing migrant women in the UK. Ellie and Helen share their experiences of labour, and make Rebecca pretend she's on Dragons' Den while doing terrible impressions of Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones. To find out more about Rebecca's charity, visit birthrights.org.uk. She's on Twitter @hackneydoula and Instagram as @rebecca.schiller. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** We're performing at Brighton Komedia on 28 June, with plenty of other dates planned around the country. To bu

She's been a DJ for nearly three decades, she's Kelis's best mate, and she was once pushed out of G-A-Y in a wheelchair while eight months pregnant - it's the amazing Nikki Beatnik! We discover the surprising truth about where Kelis likes to hang out on Saturday afternoons, and whether Madonna prefers M&S or M&Co. Nikki discusses the challenges facing women in her industry, and how she manages changing nappies one minute and DJing at Puffy's birthday bash the next. We also find out whether they serve cheese and pineapple on sticks at the Grammys. We round off with some ace Scummy Mummy Confessions, and do keep listening to the end for one more amazing showbiz story. You can find out more about Nikki via her website, beatniktv.com. She's on YouTube and she's @djnikkibeatnik on Instagram, Twitter, and Mixcloud. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** We're performing Brighton Komedia on 28 June. To buy tickets, and for

She's a social media sensation, a champion for flexible working, and close personal friends with Gloria Hunniford - it's megavlogger Mother Pukka! We compare Caesarean scars, make jokes about bacterial vaginosis, and explain why everyone needs a c***ometer. There's also some serious talk about miscarriage, and Pukka tells us an amazing fact about herself. We learn about what inspired her to start the Flex Appeal campaign, and how to get involved. There's some practical advice on the best way to ask your boss for flexible working. We round off with a fantastic listener confession, plus a very special one from Mother Pukka herself. You can find out more about the Flex Appeal campaign over at motherpukka.co.uk, and by following her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The next flash mob is on 31 March in Trafalgar Square. The Scummy Mummies book is OUT NOW! We hope you like it, and if you do, we'd love an Amazon review! **SEE US LIVE** We're performing at Bush Hall in Shepherd's Bush on 22 March, an