#530 - Mid-Table Rhino, 4:55pm Double Curry and The History of The Buffet

·1 hr 2 min·5 clips

Elis and John reveal they're entering a new digital era with ads, sparking a content evolution after seven BBC years.

The episode opens with Elis and John announcing their show is entering a new digital millennium, expanding beyond BBC Sounds and introducing ads, some riffed by the hosts. Elis then reveals he took too much ecstasy and couldn't sleep, leading to a detailed account of his night, including checking the attic and lying next to his wife who sleeps with a towel wrapped around her face. The conversation shifts to running, with Elis describing his first parkrun in Dulwich, where he started at the back and became competitively overtaking walkers, bankers, and grey-haired runners, finishing in 25 minutes. John discusses his hay fever, which occurs once every three years, and they joke about running marathons in snorkels. Listener correspondence includes a dropdown dilemma where a man was mistakenly listed as his pregnant partner's cousin on a hospital form, causing months of awkward explanations. Another email shares a funeral hymn autocue error where 'can you put the words in, please?' was left in the order of service. John mentions watching a YouTube video on the history of buffets, noting how cheap carbs are placed first to fill plates, and recounts his 4:55pm double curry at a local restaurant. The hosts read an email about Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who gifted a bass guitar to a fan's son after his bag was lost. They play a clip from Adrian Chiles discussing nervousness during public speaking and answer humorous questions like 'one condiment with a scotch egg, go?' The episode ends with banter about a hotel review video John filmed in a bath, available on Patreon, and teasing a special guest for the next episode.

As heard by us

A maternity-clinic dropdown error becomes a sharply awkward story of bureaucracy, embarrassment, and comic escalation.

A hospital dropdown error gives the episode its off-kilter centre, starting with a sleepless setup before widening into the kind of everyday absurdity the show handles well.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get an awkward maternity-clinic dropdown, a sleepless presenter, and a possibly misnamed film prize in one crooked ride.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Elis James and John Robins