No, there isn't a typo in this episode title and we aren't visiting the glitz and glam world of Hollywood. Instead, alongside the brilliant British-Nigerian comedian Ola, we are immersing ourselves in the brilliant, irrepressible but definitely crazy world of the Nigerian and West African film industry known as Nollywood. Ola tells us tales of snakes inserting themselves into lady-parts, Ben turns his seedy eye to bad CGI and Barry tells us exactly why Blackberry phones are so damn important.
176 - NAOMI PAXTON - WORLD'S WORST SPEECH
Ladies and gentlemen, pray silence for this week's episode of Worst Foot Forward - or ideally, gales of laughter as we expound on the World's Worst Speech. We are joined by Dr Naomi Paxton, performer, feminist, academic, and far too brilliant to contain in one short intro. Naomi is full of wonderful stories about rollerskating suffragettes and backtracking misogynists, while Barry finds a 53 hour sermon and Ben sits through the ramblings of William Henry Harrison, whose inauguration speech was nearly longer than his presidency.
175 - SEB FALK - WORLD'S WORST MAP
We are bang slap in the middle of nowhere, up a creek without a paddle and being urged violently to do a U-Turn where possible as we follow the World's Worst Map. Alongside us is historian Seb Falk who talks us through the weird and wonderful places and things to be found in the Hereford Mappa Mundi. Ben takes us wandering in the Mountains of Kong (spoiler: they don't exist) and Barry finds a map of a square and stationary Earth!
174 - ATHENA KUGBLENU - WORLD'S WORST MONUMENT
This week's episode has been painstakingly carved out of the finest audio marble available, erected on to a plinth only for us to discover that the head is on backwards and the shadow it casts looks indecent.
Joined by comedian, writer and podcaster Athena Kugblenu we discuss monuments as diverse as a giant mouse holding some DNA, the Geordie messiah, some Georgian commandments and an enormous revelation about Croatia.
THE THIRD FOOT - EUGENE FRANCOIS VIDOCQ (BONUS EPISODE)
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.
173 - STEVE CROSS - WORLD'S WORST SCIENTIST
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.
172 - JESSICA LAW - WORLD'S WORST HORROR STORY
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.
171 - RYAN DALTON - WORLD'S WORST PET
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.
170 - SUSAN E. CONNOLLY - WORLD'S WORST GHOST
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!
169 - ASHRAF EJJBAIR - WORLD'S WORST VACATION
Pack your bags, pop on a gaudy Hawaiian shirt and don't forget your toothbrush: we're off on holiday. Joined by glamorous guest Ashraf Ejjbeir, star of Ru Paul's Drag Race UK, we head off on a whistlestop tour of the globe with stops in Peru, Japan, diseased cruise ships and the ends of the earth in search of the world's worst vacation.
THE THIRD FOOT - PLINY THE ELDER (BONUS EPISODE)
It's about bloody time! Old friend of the podcast Pliny The Elder goes solo! We devote our bonus monthly episode to the man who gave us the myth about mice fearing elephants, who mastered the art of simultaneously reading and writing (clue: use two servants) and who died while getting a little too close to Mt Vesuvius.
168 - MUFSEEN MIAH - WORLD'S WORST PRIDE
During Pride Month, join the podcast in supporting Black Pride UK by clicking the link and donating*
This week is Pride Week in the UK! So on the show we are going to rain(bow) on your parade in the company of LGBT rights activist and podcaster Mufseen Miah, as we take part in the World's Worst Pride. We learn about the hanky code and the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom from Barry, Mufseen teaches us about the history of the Pride Movement and the story of the Stonewall Uprising, and Ben takes us to the bottom of the planet to the most remote Pride celebration.
167 - MARC BURROWS - WORLD'S WORST INVASION
Very much in keeping with the spirit of the times, this week we're charging headlong into battle with very little strategy or plan, joined by musician, comedian, journalist and official biographer of Terry Pratchett, Marc Burrows.
There's pretty much every variety of military misadventure including drunken penal battalions, invading deserted islands, attacking your own troops from behind and one very angry pine martin.
166 - SIF BOYNTON - WORLD'S WORST LAW
Please join the podcast in supporting organisations working for justice and equality for black people. Spurred by the death of George Floyd and too many others, and in solidarity with the waves of protest around the world, we have donated this month's Patreon income to the following three, but there are many others which need your help: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bailfundscovid The Community Justice Exchange - National Bail Fund Network (USA), Black Pride UK.
This week we are joined by Sif Boynton, our friendly neighbourhood Dane and long-time Patreon donor to the show. With her incipient law degree, Sif helps Ben and Barry investigate the World's Worst Law, with serious discussions on Burqas and racism, and sillier chats about salmon and suing God.
165 - BETHANY BLACK - WORLD'S WORST RACE
On your marks...get set...GO!
We're off to the races this week, along with brilliantly funny stand-up comedian, actor and writer Bethany Black as we discover new heights of human incompetence and brazen cheating.
It turns out that the turn of the 20th century was a highpoint for incredibly stupid motor car races, terribly organised Olympic marathons and cheating of the most audacious scope. This is a proper vintage episode full of misadventure, injury, wrong-headed endeavour and excellent stories.
THE THIRD FOOT - HERMITS (BONUS EPISODE)
Welcome to this month’s bonus glace cherry atop a teetering pile of horse manure. Since we’re all currently living a monastic lifestyle we thought it would be appropriate to be inspired by regular character on the show St. Simon Stylites and talk about some of the most fascinatingly odd loners in history.
There’s tales of hoarded riches, strange ciphers and ornamental hermits. Come enter our grotto…
163 - DR LUCY ROGERS - WORLD'S WORST SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR
God, the episode titles really don't really treat our guests very well, do they!? Dr Lucy Rogers is an absolutely world class science communicator, an inventor with a sense of fun and a whole lot to say to us on the topic of the World's Worst Science Communicator. She shares stories of fat trains and thin stations, Barry dives down ferret-holes in search of the evolutionary tree of fairies, and Ben takes aim at a big hitter: Alexander Graham Bell, hater of sign language.
162 - MADISON COBY - WORLD'S WORST POSTER
Your podcast needs YOU!
This week we're joined by the creative whirlwind Madison Coby: actor, graphic designer and illustrator to discuss all the things that can go wrong on a simple piece of A3 paper. We dive into the worlds of fashion, film-making and wartime propaganda to discuss words and images that should never have been put together on paper.
Are you podcast body ready...?
161 - JOSEPH CULLEN - WORLD'S WORST FARMER
We're reaping what we sow this week on WFF as actor, improviser, comedian and producer Joseph Cullen, whose family are of Cornish farming stock, is with us to talk about the World's Worst Farmer. We talk odd animals, dynamite, gong-farming and the man who taught the world about 'do nothing' farming.
THE THIRD FOOT - VIRTUAL WALKING TOUR OF LONDON (BONUS EPISODE)
We’re not really meant to bring groups of tourists wandering around London in these locked-down times, so Ben and Barry lead a virtual walking tour of the capital of the UK. This was live-streamed on Sunday 26th April 2020, and made use of Google Street View. There was a scavenger hunt if you want to have some fun at home, and you can follow along with the whole thing using the tour at this link:
https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/builder#play/ahJzfmd3ZWItdG91cmJ1aWxkZXJyEQsSBFRvdXIYgIDg6KXr9wkM/ahJzfmd3ZWItdG91cmJ1aWxkZXJyJwsSBFRvdXIYgIDg6KXr9wkMCxIJUGxhY2VtYXJrGICA4Jj94b0JDA