Older and Wider Podcast

Ep 278. The one with the post festive catch up, Netflix logs and an unusual quilted runner

·52 min·5 clips
Jenny's surgeon blamed her bladder issues on decades of Diet Coke, but complimented her vagina's condition.
Jenny Eclair and Judith Holder open the episode by welcoming listeners back for 2025, noting it's episode 278. Judith is recording from Jenny's study, using her 1970s Danish rosewood desk, and criticizes Jenny's filthy, sticky keyboard, especially the worn-out 'I' key. They recap Judith's overnight stay, where Jenny cooked a chicken casserole rated nine and a half out of ten, and Judith needed help learning the Procreate app on her new iPad pencil. The hosts discuss their Christmases: Jenny enjoyed a successful holiday with family, hosting a Boxing Day sausage feast, while Judith's was dampened by antibiotics preventing drinking. They talk about children's presents, including a massive indoor tractor and Duplo sets, and Jenny's new Posca pens. Judith shares her trip to Cornwall, where she watched Netflix's 'Burning Logs' fire footage, which some listeners find psychosomatically warming. Jenny attended a funeral for her mother's cousin, who had quilted her own coffin runner; the service featured a multimedia tribute showing her crafts. They reflect on aging, with goals like attending a daytime disco and dealing with household issues like mice infestations and home repairs. In 'Hypochondriac's Corner,' they mention a government initiative for self-referring to specialists via AI bots. Jenny reveals she had a bladder procedure blamed on Diet Coke abuse, and her tour is starting soon. They discuss a spiteful listener email criticizing their 'hand in hand' Culture Corner phrase, prompting them to drop it. Culture Corner covers TV shows like 'Gavin and Stacey,' 'Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul,' 'The Split,' and 'Rogue Heroes,' plus podcasts and books like Graham Norton's 'Frankie' and Nathan Hill's 'Wellness.' Listener emails include a car salesman's story where Jenny's explicit rant played during a test drive, winning over customers, and the worst Christmas gift being a fire extinguisher from an ex-husband. They end by teasing live shows and saying goodbye.

As heard by us

A warm New Year catch-up in which family history, a handmade coffin quilt and domestic chaos fuel affectionate comedy.

This New Year reunion turns a simple catch-up into warm comic disorder. A grand declaration about how special the listeners are is promptly picked apart, setting a rhythm of interruptions and mock alarm.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You'll hear how a quilted coffin runner, made by the speaker's aunt for her own coffin, brings startled humor into a fond family remembrance.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on