There’s a bloody lot going on at present. From where I’m sitting, as England moves into a second lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, joining the rest of the UK in heightened COVID-19 restrictions, there are many in need of a jolly good chuckle, just to break up the day.
Luckily, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders have a good joke about butt cheeks.
Released on Audible at the beginning of October as part of a swathe of UK comedy releases on Amazon, French and Saunders: Titting About is needed now more than ever, as the hearty guffaw-inducing chatty podcast I’d been searching for in this sinking quagmire of a year.
Hosted by comedy legends French and Saunders (known together for their iconic comedy sketch series French and Saunders launched in the ’80s, among sparkling solo careers), Titting About sees the whipsmart pair very loosely “choosing a theme and not really sticking to it,” telling rollicking tales from their childhoods, lauded careers, and adventurous lives, all while valiantly attempting to stifle giggles. If you’ve spent the majority of the past year loading up on news podcasts in a fried attempt to get across this hellscape, this mischievous, cheeky podcast allows you to take a break and eavesdrop on two brilliant women shooting the breeze about their school days, childhood family holidays, and the unexpected joy of cooking frozen peas in vermouth (you read correctly).
“Titting About with Fatty is the best fun I’ve had without my incontinence pants on. Which, on reflection, was a mistake. Some soft furnishings were damaged in the making of this series,” said French in one of the finest press statements I’ve seen. Saunders’ statement is equally sublime: “I can’t imagine anything I’d rather be doing than titting about with Dawn. We both have tits after all.”
With just six episodes released at 30 minutes each, Titting About will take just a few hours to complete, or you can choose to savour it over a few days. It’s the podcast equivalent of sitting around for a cheeky 30-minute chat with a glass of wine in hand, musing over the fact that Saunders used to collect horse trading cards as a child. It’s the type of nonchalant conversational bliss that many of us crave during lockdown, deconstructing life’s sillier but nonetheless important details rather than the perpetually dire headlines.
The topics covered include their best and worst comedy gigs; passions and hobbies (including the curse of being eternally gifted themed knick-knacks emblazoned with whatever dog breed you own); holidays and the art of packing only a kaftan; the Seven Deadly Sins and lusting after Idris Elba; food and last meals; and the ol’ school days of super mature jokes like this:
French: “Can you believe that they’re still together, after all that bloody shit?”
Saunders: “Who?”
French: “YOUR BUTT CHEEKS!”
If you can hear Bart Simpson-level cackling on the wind, I apologise but cannot stop. But it’s moments of levity like this that are damn well needed in this day and age. I’d honesty listen to French and Saunders debate the pros and cons of cauliflower all day, which incidentally happens in the fifth episode.
Available on Audible, the podcast was part of a swathe of UK comedy releases on the platform in October, including Steve Coogan’s From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast. If you’ve got a subscription, you can listen to Titting About for free.
If you’ve finished the six episodes, or you don’t have Audible and crave chatty podcasts to fill your home during lockdown, make your way through this cheerful list — and hang in there.