Episode Details

Broadcasts live every Thursday at 8:00p.m. uk time on Radio Soapbox: http://radiosoapbox.com

On this first proper Thursday of 2026, I’m back in the “radio shed” with Eric in full flow, swapping storms, doors-on-one-hinge sagas and eighties memories that spiral from Michael Fish and the ’87 gale to yuppies, Filofaxes and the Guinness affair. We riff on music old and new (Chris Rea, ZZ Top, The Divine Comedy), the demise of craftsmanship, and why guilds, beauty and curvature still matter—from Hampton Court brickwork to Gaudí and Tower Bridge. We also touch on censorship tangles, copyright-safe jingles, and the lure (and threat) of AI “app/site builders.” Hour two drifts delightfully into Shakespeare—language as spellcraft, who really wrote the plays, and how words shape reality—before a lively final hour with guest Eli James on money, oil, silver, inflation, digital cash, feminism’s effects on family and work, and the wider cultural churn. It’s a freewheeling, good-humoured gallop through weather, words, work, wealth and what we might build together in 2026.

• 'Met Office (UK weather service)': https://www.metoffice.gov.uk
• 'BBC': https://www.bbc.co.uk
• 'YouTube': https://www.youtube.com
• 'Audacity (audio editor)': https://www.audacityteam.org
• 'Filofax': https://www.filofax.com
• 'Serif / Affinity': https://affinity.serif.com
• 'Hampton Court Palace (Historic Royal Palaces)': https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace
• 'Tower Bridge (Official)': https://www.towerbridge.org.uk
• 'Antoni Gaudí – Sagrada Família (Official)': https://sagradafamilia.org
• 'The Divine Comedy (Official)': https://thedivinecomedy.com
• 'Chris Rea (Artist site)': https://www.chrisrea.com
• 'ZZ Top (Official)': https://www.zztop.com
• 'The Swingles (formerly The Swingle Singers) (Official)': https://www.theswingles.co.uk
• 'Opera Browser': https://www.opera.com
• 'National Express (UK coaches)': https://www.nationalexpress.com
• 'Jimmy Carr (Official)': https://www.jimmycarr.com
• 'Euro Folk Radio': https://eurofolkradio.com
• 'Anglo-Saxon Israel': https://anglo-saxonisrael.com
• 'Starbucks (US)': https://www.starbucks.com
• 'McDonalds (US)': https://www.mcdonalds.com
• 'KFC (US)': https://www.kfc.com
• 'Red Lobster (US)': https://www.redlobster.com
• 'Shakespeares Globe (London)': https://www.shakespearesglobe.com