Join Ben Van der Velde, Barry McStay and their guests as they brandish their wooden spoons of destiny and celebrate the losers, heroic failures and spectacular mis-steps that pockmark human endeavour. If you ever want to feel better about your progress in life, take a listen and enjoy a lovely schadenfreude bubble bath. Music by Max Perryment.
This month's bonus episode takes us back to our episode on the world's worst detective where we encountered a truly remarkable French icon: Eugène François Vidocq. A classic case of a 19th century man living several lives in one he was a career criminal, spy, master of disguise, fencer, paramour, soldier, policeman, private detective, novelist, businessman and self-mythologiser.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the biography of a staggeringly industrious, intelligent and dangerous man.
In an age that is anything but rational, where pseuds, quacks and anti-vaxxers have way more voice than they should, it's time for a bit of perspective. Joined by expert actual scientist and founder of Science Show-Off comedy nights Steve Cross, we discover the ridiculous and awful things people have done in the name of science, without actually doing science. Brains are electrocuted, millions left dead thanks to an old friend of the show and one boy scout has a very dangerous dream indeed.
Listener beware, you’re in for a scare. Gather round the campfire and join Barry, Ben and guest Jessica Law as we tell the World’s Worst Horror Story. Ben takes on one of Bram Stoker’s lesser-known works, Jess holds forth at length on the dreadfulness of Penny Dreadfuls, and Barry goes back to the Noughties and opens a can of creepypasta.
Pop on your collar and leash and join us for some walkies as we talk to stand-up comic, professional dog walker and former zookeeper Ryan Dalton about the world's worst pets.
We discover that the White House has also been quite the menagerie over the years, which are the most impractical animals to keep and why parrots are inarguable dickheads.
Listener beware, you're in for a scare as this week's podcast is crammed full of ghouls and ghastly apparitions. And that's just the hosts. Alongside Irish writer Susan E. Connolly, Barry and Ben attempt to bust the World's Worst Ghost. Their journey takes them to Asia to find eyeballs in arseholes, to Ireland to find daughters in bricked-up rooms, and to Theatre-Land to find butterflies in a pantomime dame's skirts!