This week we call on the Honourable Member for Blackburn - that is, Times newspaper political diarist Jack Blackburn, who helps guide Barry and Ben through the hallowed halls of the the House of Commons in search of the World's Worst Parliamentarian. He brings tales of philanderers, hitmen and faked deaths, while Barry serves up some deadly turnips and Ben introduces us to the German politician who never existed.
THE THIRD FOOT - TURKEYS (BONUS EPISODE)
Gobble gobble, folks! In this month's seasonal bonus episode we are having a very close look at our feathered friend: The turkey. Thanksgiving has just passed in the US, Christmas is coming, and so we decided to try get to know them a bit more intimately. We learn about the origin of their names, what they do with their snood and what exactly Benjamin Franklin thought of them.
189 - PIERRE NOVELLIE - WORLD'S WORST NORSE LEADER
Join us as we go beserk with hugely talented comedian and former Norse scholar Pierre Novellie. This week we journey back 1100 years to the time when coastal towns lived in fear of magic mushroom-guzzling Scandinavians and encounter the king of Viking slapstick, terrifying Russian pirates, decapitated polar bears and the goddess of skiing.
188b - BEST OF THE WORST OF THE BEST 10
It's been a good couple of weeks if you're a fan of vaccines and anyone-other-than-Donald-Trump, so Ben and Barry are electing to inject some positivity into proceedings with a look back at past worsts and finding their opposites. We find the bests in the categories from episodes 46-50: Cocktail, Space Invention, Blaxploitation Movie, Greatest Hits Album and Messiah. Along the way we sup with movie stars, bounce across the Alps, sing with Jimmy Cliff, celebrate the coming of the Jewish Messianic Age and - finally - agree on something, and that something is the majesty of Queen.
188 - JULIET MEYERS - WORLD'S WORST OLD WIVE'S TALE
If you don't listen to this podcast immediately then you're sure to get 7 years bad luck. We're joined by acclaimed writer and comedian Juliet Meyers to explore the folkloric world of Old Wive's Tales. We discover why vegetables were part of a battle for hearts and minds during World War 2, why you should never cross a woman selling fish in the 19th century and that you should be extremely wary of owls in the Dominican Republic.
187 - ERIC - WORLD'S WORST ADMIRAL
All aboard! Join us along with former submariner Eric (of Eric's Tales of the Sea fame) for a deep dive as we plumb the salty depths in search of the World's Worst Admiral. There's trips to Nebraska and Hungary, tales of Nelson and a polar bear, and Eric gives us maybe the most well-researched argument we've ever had in dissecting the career of World War One's Admiral David Beatty.