Show Notes
Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in England, back in 1955, sparking public outcry and becoming a catalyst for huge change in the justice system. Like many, author Louisa Treger had always been fascinated by the story of Ellis’s life and death, which became the subject of her new novel, A Fatal Love.
Jen chats to Louisa about Ellis, how the justice system failed her and many other women besides, the media’s portrayals of domestic violence, and what we can learn from her story today.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Standard Issue Podcast
Jen's picked Rob Cohen’s family fantasy adventure starring Dennis Quaid as a disillusioned knight and Sean Connery as a good-hearted dragon, which was ahead of its time in terms of visual effects. But what about its treatment of women? Will Hannah approve of its interpretation of history? And why is Mick crying?
You know the idea of an alpha wolf, dominating the pack and OBVIOUSLY male... Total wolfshit, mate. Wolves are matrilineal families who work, play and love together a lot like humans. Our Mick was delighted to learn even more about wolves in this chat with Natalie Lagstrom, owner, head behaviourist and team leader at Watermill Wolves, head of the not-for-profit charity Project Wolfheart, and bona-fide mother wolf.
Next year, our Jen is running the London Marathon for the Samaritans. It's her second time round the 26.2 mile block, although some 18 years after her first one, her knees ain't what they used to be. And who better to talk to about knees, Vaseline, always having tissues to hand, and finding joy as a middle-aged, woman marathon runner, than Standard Issue favourite, Helen Thorn*? We’ll wait.
Relentless silliness, sight gags, wordplay and sheer chaotic comedic energy? Too right it was Mick’s pick for Flicking this month. And so she and Yosra are chatting about last year’s The Naked Gun reboot, in which Liam Neeson steps into Leslie Nielsen’s shoes as gumshoe lieutenant Frank Drebin… Jr. But is there still a place for old-school comedy in today’s film landscape, or is it more about nostalgia than keeping the genre alive? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Where does the word 'whore' come from? In this week’s Bush Telegraph, Mick’s wondering if Saturday Night Live guest host Shane Gillis knows (no), cares (no) or has any comedy chops whatsoever (no). For Jen, it’s medical misogyny o'clock again, with new research suggesting autoimmune conditions are, in fact, not just in our pretty little heads. Plus, there’s good news for victims in rape cases, bold Brexit overtures on Burnham's Venga bus, a terrifying new Press Secretary in the White House, and football and track cycling in Jenny off the Blocks.