Join us truffling in the undergrowth this week as we dance among the death caps to find the world's worst fungus. In the company of the completely unique and utterly charming Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Elf Lyons, we get personal, poisonous, psychadelic and phallic.
191 - NEIL CONNOLLY - WORLD'S WORST SPY
Pop on your tuxedo and join us undercover as we bumble across enemy lines for an episode all about the worst spies in history. With our special guest (and former employer) Neil Connolly, who is a self-confessed Le Carre obsessive, we enjoy tales of triple agents, cross-dressing opera singers and the most uncomfortable gadget ever concocted by Q Branch.
190 - JACK BLACKBURN - WORLD'S WORST PARLIAMENTARIAN
This week we call on the Honourable Member for Blackburn - that is, Times newspaper political diarist Jack Blackburn, who helps guide Barry and Ben through the hallowed halls of the the House of Commons in search of the World's Worst Parliamentarian. He brings tales of philanderers, hitmen and faked deaths, while Barry serves up some deadly turnips and Ben introduces us to the German politician who never existed.
THE THIRD FOOT - TURKEYS (BONUS EPISODE)
Gobble gobble, folks! In this month's seasonal bonus episode we are having a very close look at our feathered friend: The turkey. Thanksgiving has just passed in the US, Christmas is coming, and so we decided to try get to know them a bit more intimately. We learn about the origin of their names, what they do with their snood and what exactly Benjamin Franklin thought of them.
189 - PIERRE NOVELLIE - WORLD'S WORST NORSE LEADER
Join us as we go beserk with hugely talented comedian and former Norse scholar Pierre Novellie. This week we journey back 1100 years to the time when coastal towns lived in fear of magic mushroom-guzzling Scandinavians and encounter the king of Viking slapstick, terrifying Russian pirates, decapitated polar bears and the goddess of skiing.
188b - BEST OF THE WORST OF THE BEST 10
It's been a good couple of weeks if you're a fan of vaccines and anyone-other-than-Donald-Trump, so Ben and Barry are electing to inject some positivity into proceedings with a look back at past worsts and finding their opposites. We find the bests in the categories from episodes 46-50: Cocktail, Space Invention, Blaxploitation Movie, Greatest Hits Album and Messiah. Along the way we sup with movie stars, bounce across the Alps, sing with Jimmy Cliff, celebrate the coming of the Jewish Messianic Age and - finally - agree on something, and that something is the majesty of Queen.
188 - JULIET MEYERS - WORLD'S WORST OLD WIVE'S TALE
If you don't listen to this podcast immediately then you're sure to get 7 years bad luck. We're joined by acclaimed writer and comedian Juliet Meyers to explore the folkloric world of Old Wive's Tales. We discover why vegetables were part of a battle for hearts and minds during World War 2, why you should never cross a woman selling fish in the 19th century and that you should be extremely wary of owls in the Dominican Republic.
187 - ERIC - WORLD'S WORST ADMIRAL
All aboard! Join us along with former submariner Eric (of Eric's Tales of the Sea fame) for a deep dive as we plumb the salty depths in search of the World's Worst Admiral. There's trips to Nebraska and Hungary, tales of Nelson and a polar bear, and Eric gives us maybe the most well-researched argument we've ever had in dissecting the career of World War One's Admiral David Beatty.
THE THIRD FOOT - BRAM STOKER (BONUS EPISODE)
Spooking time is upon us, with Hallowe'en looming over us, and it's also time for our regular monthly bonus episode. For this time of year, Ben delves into the back catalogue of one of the most famous spooky authors of all time - Bram Stoker. But, being Worst Foot Forward, we wander off the beaten path away from Dracula and examine Stoker's lesser known works. We learn about his penchant for romance novels, his failed PR efforts, and the governess Miss Gimp.
186 - ELEANOR MORTON - WORLD'S WORST WITCH HUNT
Boo! What's that hiding under the bed? Why, it's a Hallowe'eny episode from Worst Foot Forward as comedian, actor and writer Eleanor Morton joins us to go on the World's Worst Witch Hunt. Eleanor takes us through some of the darker times in her own native Scotland, Ben talks about witch's marks and third nipples, and Barry journeys to Salem for not one but two witch trials!
185 - LEE KYLE - WORLD'S WORST OFFSPRING
This week's episode is a chip off the old block as, inspired by a Patreon supporter, we look for the worst offspring in the world. Joined by comedian, ex-pro wrestler and glorious idiot Lee Kyle, we encounter papal bastards, Soviet disappointments and the gruesomeness of Mother Nature.
184 - TERRY VICTOR - WORLD'S WORST DICTIONARY
From Aardman Studios to ZZ Top, we are carousing through a wordy wonderland this week in the urbane company of actor, author and lexicographer Terry Victor. With his help, we hope to thumb through some well-worn books in search of the World's Worst Dictionary. Terry indulges us with a few definitions from his charming Chambers, Barry teaches us exactly how to mount a weasel and Ben brings an encyclopaedia to a dictionary fight.
183 - JAMES SHAKESHAFT - WORLD'S WORST VILLAGE IDIOT
We're clowning around this week, acting the giddy goat and generally just fooling as we are joined by one half of The Loremen podcast, James Shakeshaft, to uncover the World's Worst Village Idiot. James brings tales of moon-raking and church-fertilising, Ben scours the continent in search of holy fools, and Barry outlines why geese get a particularly hard deal from idiots.
THE THIRD FOOT - NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (BONUS EPISODE)
Another month brings another dose of bonus Worst Foot Forward content, as paid for by our kind supporters on Patreon. With Ben having taken on Columbus last month, Barry looks at the weirder side of the life of another of history's big names: Napoleon Bonaparte. We learn about his Twilight fan fiction, his incredible ability to piss off popes and what exactly the price of his penis is.
182 - RACHEL CREEGER - WORLD'S WORST OLD TESTAMENT CHARACTER
And Lo, Barry and Ben grew long sagacious beards and set themselves to the hubristic task of marking the most doleful characters from the Good Book. And there was much smiting, gnashing of teeth and light blasphemy (mostly from Barry, as Ben likes to hedge his bets.)
They are joined by comic, writer and much greater authority on the Torah than either of them, Rachel Creeger, as they explore human-angel hybrids, biblical soap operas and the Grim Reaper being a right old tease.
181 - NICK PETTIGREW - WORLD'S WORST INVENTOR
We've been tinkering and twatting about in the lab this week, and we've come up with all sorts of weird gadgets and gizmos aplenty in our pursuit of the World's Worst Inventor. Joined by comic, writer and antisocial behaviour officer Nick Pettigrew, we delve deep into the minds of the likes of Dr Sir Nakamats - the man of many patents; Richard Pockrich - someone with too many ideas; and John McAfee - the antithesis of the computer nerd.
180 - AARON SIMMONDS - WORLD'S WORST WEIGHTLIFTER
Lift, clean and jerk with us this week as we are joined by comedian and former weightlifter Aaron Simmonds to talk about the World's Worst Weightlifter. There are appearances by all sorts of strongmen and strongwomen, from The Mountain to Geoff Capes's budgies, alongside mishaps with urine and performances with horses, plus a whole lot more besides.
179 - IGNACIO LOPEZ - WORLD'S WORST SPORTS MOVIE
Get ready for the cinematic equivalent of a kick in the shins as we head to the cinema wearing three jockstraps, a backwards headguard and fetching lacrosse skirts as we watch all the most terrible sports movies, so that you don't have to.
Joined by comedian Ignacio Lopez we discuss how to ruin a cult classic, the haphazard launch of The Mighty Ducks and report on some very strange astrological goings on in Pittsburgh.
178 - RICH WATKINS - WORLD'S WORST LANGUAGE
Hello, bonjour and willkommen to this linguistically laden episode of Worst Foot Forward. Actor and student of languages Rich Watkins brings his talented tongue to bear on the World's Worst Language, with demonstrations of back slang and a very controversial candidate. Barry uncovers the secrets of the Rosetta Stone, and Ben doesn't disappoint long-time listeners with a discussion all about Klingon.
THE THIRD FOOT - CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (BONUS EPISODE)
As the famous rhyme doesn't go, 'In Twenty Twenty, Van der Velde and McStay / discovered Columbus was really from Norway'. After we were contacted by a Norwegian listener, Petter, with news from the north that there is a local legend in the tiny village of Hyen that Christopher Columbus was actually Norwegian. Not only that, there are TWO monuments in the village, to both the man himself and to 'Columbus's Egg'. Well, that was all we needed to set us off on a winding route in a bonus episode where we discover the mad stories about CC's origins, how exactly to balance an egg, and where on Earth is Atlantis.