Indie music blogger Kamala Adams joins Mark to discuss all things modern indie, and to define what “modern” means. Kamala’s picks In order of discussion: Porridge Radio Despite Mark’s apparent ignorance, this band did crop up in the previous episode, but he had apparently forgotten. Regardless, Porridge Radio are Kamala’s current favourite band. Wolf Alice Initially on first blush, Kamala wasn’t a big fan of Wolf Alice, but they’re a varied band, and eventually they won her...

Mark talks vinyl and hunts down new music to enjoy, with music podcaster Elliott Farrar. Elliott’s picks In order of discussion: Weird!, by Yungblud Elliott picked Yungblud’s second studio album for the way the artist’s message of “you do you” bleeds through. Girlfriends, by Girlfriends Pop punk is back, in the form of Travis Mills and Nick Gross’ project, which may have a limited shelf-life, given Mills’ busy career. Grime MC, by Joe Actually released right at the end of 2019 –...

Mark is joined by super-talented singer-songwriter Bryony Williams. Bryony realised she could sing in her early teens, and spent most of her mid-to-late teens honing her craft. At nineteen she was in the electro-pop duo Field Harmonics, and has been recording solo since 2018. Bryony's picks In order of discussion: Cleaning Number one – with not so much a bullet as a scented wet wipe – for Bryony, and for so many, is cleaning. It's a great way to see a problem and eliminate it with extreme...

Mark kicks off a music mini-season with artist manager Ella Gregg, who's been supporting emerging music artists since she was a teenager.

Many people are intrigued by the depiction of their profession in popular fiction, and none more so than librarians, like this week's guest.

Mark and podcaster + web developer Aaron Conway rank the best films about real people.

Journalist Eliza Lita is a self-confessed bookworm, but her early reading focused more on non-fiction work. As a result, she's picked up a wide variety of useful knowledge, and kept her curiosity alive. She and Mark share an appreciation for good crime fiction, and Eliza has some tips to help Mark finish the books he keeps starting. Eliza's picks In order of discussion: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Eliza's first pick is life-changing for her, in a less-than-subtle...

Uncovering the joys of a good stretch of the legs.

Developer of horror video games Valerie Paris joins Mark to discuss point-and-click adventure games you'll remember, and one or two you'll never forget.

How to survive in a world where your parents told you to have a fallback job, in case the dream didn't work out.

It's About Time to take the Time Traveller's Wife Back to the Future Lake House. Warning: Safety Not Guaranteed.

Musicians, comedians and chocolatiers make the long list of famous Brummies.

Liam and Mark discuss moments in modern history where people took things over together.

Today Mark is talking the golden age of arcade games, which ran from 1979 til around 1983. Mark and Nick start with their own childhood arcade memories, and Mark gets quizzical about the American quarter as a "unit of fun". As this was recorded during the Quarantimes, conversation inevitably turned to the decline in in-person entertainment like arcades and cinemas. Pac-Man Nick's first pick is the 800lb gorilla in the arcade, a game in which many other video game historians aren't in love....

Tom and Cat rejoin Mark to finish listing terrifying tales.