Tuesday, 18 December 2012

18/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - RSPCA and Foxhunters, Wind Turbines, Reading

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1

  • James is flabbergasted that the RSPCA has spent £330 000 prosecuting foxhunters in David Cameron's constituency (as The Guardian would like us to refer to it) and secured a prosecution that resulted in a £6800 fine plus costs.
  • James wants people who think this was money well spent when there are animals that could have done with the money.
  • As usual, "animal lovers" call in to claim that this is a victory and they'll up their contributions to RSPCA to help their coffers. 
Hour 2
  • Wind turbines.  James finds them aesthetically pleasing and would like people who object to them to call in and explain their objections.
  • Midway though the hour it emerges that UKIP is opposed to the idea because Europe told us to do it.
  • People with big brains call in to essentially say that it's still an emerging technology that should be explored, but commensurately. (At least that's what I understood. These were very learnered people with posh accents)
Hour 3

Monday, 17 December 2012

17/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - Americans and guns, Parental dislike, Plebgate

Credit:  Robert Kriegseis ‏@wb9vgo

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1

Hour 2
  • More calls about guns
  • A documentary claims that Queen Victoria didn't like her children very much.  James wants to know what it's like to be a parent who doesn't like their children or vice versa. 
Hour 3
  • More parenting calls
  • James proves, once again, that he's a cut above the rest when he handles a call from Louise, a despondent caller  There'll be a clip here later.

  • Plebgate: James thinks the police officer who was on the receiving end of Andrew Mitchell's alleged abuse should be punished.
  • In closing, James thanks us all for the messages of condolences for his dad's passing last week.

Thursday, 13 December 2012

New No Pressure To Be Funny Podcast




Seeing as we won't have Mystery Hour this week, here's the latest No Pressure To Be Funny podcast that was recorded on Sunday, the 9th December.

Along with the co-creators of No Pressure to be funny, Alistair Barrie and Nick Revell, James welcomed guests Robin Ince, Matthew Norman, Sara Pascoe, Pete Johansson and James Sherwood punctuated the proceedings with hilarious music.  They cover everything from the Royal prank call to happiness.  And you get to hear James say naughty words.

You can listen to previous episodes here

Monday, 10 December 2012

10/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - Decriminalising Drugs, Gay Children, Australian Prankers

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1




Hour 2
  • Following David Davies' claim that most parents don't want their children to be gay, James explores the Conservatives' (and their mousy wives) fascination with homosexuality.
  • James agrees and then invites callers opinions and experiences.


Hour 3

Cultural References

The film about drugs narrated by Morgan Freeman



The phone call by Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian of 2Day FM the whole world is talking about.

Friday, 7 December 2012

07/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - Child Maintenance, NHS, Leftover Food

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)


Hour 1


Hour 2
  • James is suspicious of the government's rhetoric around the NHS and after going into one of his Marxist monologues before contending that a lot of people who darken the door of A & E have no business being there.  He then invites callers who have personal experience in A & E and they call in in droves.
Hour 3
  • After being mugged off his £2.50 at a posh toy shop yesterday, James invites calls from people who have also been duped by unscrupulous merchants in the past.
  • A government minister has urged celebrity chefs to give us leftover menus to cut food waste.  James invites callers to persuade him that he's not a bad person for not being keen on leftovers for dinner.

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Mystery Hour Podcast 06/12/2012


Here's today's Mystery Hour Podcast



Questions are under Hour 3 of today's show

06/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - Autumn Statement, Alternative Medicine, Mystery Hour



Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)
Hour 1
  • After yesterday's Autumn Statement, James wants to knowa what the phrase "we're all in this together" actually means.
Hour 2
Hour 3

There's a free podcast for this hour
  • What key is the Big Ben bell and does it change when weather conditions change?
  • If Prince William were to adopt a child, would they have a claim to the throne?
  • What are the origins of the domesticated Christmas tree?
  • Why does garlic smell so bad the day after consuming it?
  • Why do we close one eye when we look down
  • Why do we talk about a "round of toast"?
  • Why is it that tight, curly hair confined to people of colour?
  • Why is "salary" also called "wages"?
  • National lottery numbers - do they come up during a rehearsal? 
  • What are the origins of "cold turkey"?
  • Why is there always that one "rogue" nasal hair that looks nothing like the others?

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

05/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - N-word, Fertility, Autumn Statement



Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1



Hour 2

Hour 3
  • More calls on infertility.
  • George Osborne's autumn statement.

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

04/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - Royal Baby, Debt, Cheating Partners

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1



  • James takes calls from Royalists who are ecstatic at the news 
Hour 2
  • Following the tragic story of a debt-ridden young man who killed himself, James wonders how people can have the same amount of debt and one of them just get on with life and not worry and the other be crippled by worry.
Hour 3
  • After discussing this bust up, James wonders whether it's possible to confront a cheating partner and retain your dignity.
  • We learn that James used to be a player


Notes
  • a caller tried to crowbar a plug for his book, Money, money, money, during the second hour of the show.
  • James serenades us with this classic

Monday, 3 December 2012

03/12/2012 James O'Brien Show - Knife crime, Israel, Corporation Tax

Credit: BBC


Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1

  • After it was announced that Chris Gayling will reveal that people wielding knives in public will go to prison, James takes calls from Londoner to get their reactions.
Hour 2
Hour 3

Friday, 30 November 2012

30/11/2012 James O'Brien Show, UKIP, Drink Driving, Oscar Pistorius

Credit:  Jim Thurson

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1



Hour 2
  • More UKIP callers
  • After the drink driving campaign was launched, James wants to know what we can do/have done to stop friends from driving drunk. 
Hour 3
  • More drink driving calls
  • Oscar Pistorius interview
James serenaded us with this classic while discussing drink driving




James' break-up song


Thursday, 29 November 2012

Mystery Hour Podcast 29/11/2012

Here's today's Mystery Hour Podcast



Questions are under Hour 3 of today's show

29/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - I'm a Celebrity, The NHS, Mystery Hour



Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1
  • James is reluctantly outraged by something that happened on I'm a Celebrity.  He thinks it borders on child abuse.
The heartbreaking clip



Hour 2

Hour 3

AUDIO: There's a free podcast for this hour
  • Is there any basis on the suggestion that if you are wearing coat indoors it makes it less effective when you venture outside?
  • What are the origins of the word "tattoo" when you're talking about the Edinburgh tattoo or the military tattoo?
  • What are the origins of the phrase "tying the knot" in reference to getting married?
  • Why do we lose our memories of what happens immediately before a car crash?
  • How do touch screens work? (as in smartphones)
  • In the UK you're innocent until proven guilty whereas in Europe it's the other way round. Has it ever been established which system is fairer?
  • Why are there 60 seconds in a minute? 
  • Is there a genetic guarantee that boys taller than their mother?
  • How long does it take the royal mint to print £1 million when implementing quantative easing?
Cultural references
  • Jay-Z's Guilty Until Proven Innocent



And James' obviously superior effort.  It's a shame that such talent has so far gone unnoticed by record companies.


Wednesday, 28 November 2012

28/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Porn education, Countryside Development, Online Dating

Picute credit: Jeff Schwartz


Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1
  • After this emotive story, James takes calls from parents about whether children should be taught about pornography at school.
Hour 2
Hour 3

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

27/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Property Ownership, Phones for Children, Floods



Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1

  • The bank of mom and dad is responsible for 72% of first time property buyers in London.
  • James wants to know how we came to have the relationship between property ownership and success.

Hour 2


  • James takes calls from paranoid parents who think a phone will insulate their kids from the evils of the world and some to whom the phones have helped their kids find their way home or with medical conditions.
Hour 3
  • Following the floods that have swept across the North West, James wants to speak to people who have ever been flooded.
  • All he wants to know is, WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

Monday, 26 November 2012

26/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - UKIP/Rotherham, Booze, Football Chants



Click here for to download the podcast (subscription required).

Hour 1

Hour 2
Hour 3
Cultural references



Tim Minchin's Matilda James has been singing in his "flat voice" - his words.

Friday, 23 November 2012

23/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Stalking, Dubai, Prisoner Votes

Photo Credit: Creative Commons, Fotopedia

Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1


  • We learn that James was something of a stalker as a teenager 
  • James takes calls from stalkers and stalkees
  • James was once on the receiving end of stalking by a Manc woman that culminated in what he can only describe as "simulated orgasm" (maybe she was a saucy phone operator), but he doesn't consider the  existence of this to be stalking.

Hour 2
  • After a British woman and an Irishman were jailed in Dubai for what the prosecution and the only witness, a taxi driver, call sex in a taxi (James calls it getting jiggy), even though DNA evidence confirms that no penetration actually took place, James wants to know: what's the bloody fascination with Dubai? 
  • A woman who lived there for 25 years called in to say people have too much freedom here
Hour 3
  • After David Cameron's claim that the thought of prisoners voting makes him "physically sick", James wonders who this emotive line was aimed to impress.
Cultural references
  • The Flintstones - The classic American cartoon series was the source of a very rubbish joke that was texted to James and he read it out at the end of the second hour
  • Guns N' Roses - Linsey, the drummer of Guns 2 Roses, The Official Guns N' Roses called in to tell us that his band is performing in Dubai soon and he's keen to check it out.

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Mystery Hour Podcast 22/11/2012

Here's today's Mystery Hour Podcast


Questions are under Hour 3 of today's show.

22/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Gaza Ceasefire, Babies and Dogs, Mystery Hour



Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

Hour 1

Hour 2
Hour 3 - Mystery Hour

Free audio podcast of this hour is available here
  • If stars die, how come astronomical studies appear to be the same?
  • Is there a restriction on the height of basket ball players?
  • Why do we refer to the mince meat pie thus when there's no meat involved?
  • Why do we teach kids times tables up 12?
  • What would have to happen for us to see things around us in slow motion?
  • Can the internet ever be turned off?
  • Can birds fly backwards?
  • Can an animal procreate with an from a different species?
  • Can a hair that's fallen off a dog grow on a human body?  Duh!
  • Today being Thanksgiving in the US, what happens to the two turkeys that President Obama will pardon?

    Wednesday, 21 November 2012

    21/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Child Exploiting Gangs, Down's Syndrome, Women Bishops, PMQs



    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1
    • James kicked off the this story about that quotes a report by the Office of Children's Commissioner
    • Sue Berelowitz said the evidence indicated the perpetrators "come from all ethnic groups and so do their victims, contrary to what some may wish to believe".
    • James takes exception with the last part of that sentence. He sees it as emblematic of "political correctness at it's worst"
    • James thinks the report has played down the role of certain sections of Asian/Muslim (consensus has yet to be reached) men whose attitudes towards women are "medieval" and who are more likely to target 
    • As usual, a lot of callers who are high on anger and low of logic called in to disagree with him
    Hour 2
    • James quotes Dominic Lawson's Independent piece in which he wonders why he would want his 17 year old daughter with Down's Syndrome cured when he loves her the way he is.
    • James then takes calls from parents of children with Down's Syndrome and they all share his sentiments
    Hour 3

    Tuesday, 20 November 2012

    20/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - MPs expenses, Private Schooling, Prisoner Mentorship



    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1

    • 51 of our 320 MPs have not disclosed their landlords' details on security grounds 
    • James wonders whether the absence of fury is a sign that we're suffering from "fatcat fatigue"
    • This is not "moats cleaning" revisited but it should still give us pause


    Hour 2
    • After the Sutton Trust's report that a disproportionate amount of birthdays recorded by national newspapers are of people who are privately. Furthermore, 80% of them run the country. Why?
    • Cue a succession of posh accents.
    Hour 3
    • Chris Grayling is will set out plans to introduce a mentor programme for newly released prisoners.
    • James expresses his frustration with the usual refrain that "prisons are holiday camps" and tells of his visit to a prison last week
    • James takes calls from former prisoners in an effort to find out how they transitioned back to outside life after their release.
    Cultural references



    When news of this call spread like wildfire, James was invited on Sky News.  Kay Burley then set about trying to extort an apology from James on behalf of his friend, Frank Lampard.  I don't want to be unkind, but she was ill-equipped for the task.



    Monday, 19 November 2012

    19/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Mansion Tax, Young Drivers, The Middle East



    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1

    • As usual, The Telegraph readers lined up with their reasons why they think this is unfair to them and had their arguments calmly and intelligently decimated by our bearded hero.
    • But some useful contributions too, especially the last caller John who encouraged us all to "be greedy but not too greedy".
    Hour 2

    Hour 3

    • James discusses the Middle East (again) but this time contrasts it with the Northern Ireland.
    I wanted to link to the Matthew Parris' Times column in which he articulates his frustration and boredom with the Middle East.  James quotes it often and has said in that he cut it out and kept it.  I can't link to it as it's behind the paywall - and I'm not giving that company any of my money - but when Mr Parris was on Question Time, he pretty much summed it up.

    Saturday, 17 November 2012

    Friends of The James O'Brien Show dance for Children in Need



    Skip to 02:12 to avoid the "Nice to see you, to see you, to see you ......." prelude

    Friends of the James O'Brien Show, astrologer Russell Grant and retired MP, Ann Widdecombe took to the stage last night to dance for Children In Need.  Well, I think it would be more accurate to say that the latter was dragged around the stage.

    I miss the rule of Widdecombe on the show.

    Thursday, 15 November 2012

    Mystery Hour Podcast 15/11/2012

    Here's today Mystery Hour Podcast.





    15/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Sniper, Gaza, Mystery Hour



    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1
    • The Sgt Danny Nightingale story
    • Should a soldier go to prison for possessing a firearm?

    Hour 2
    • After the tragic events in Gaza overnight, James braves the treacherous waters that is the Middle East politics.  
    Hour 3

    Free audio podcast of this hour is available here
    • The origins of snod
    • Shortsightedness - does it ever get reversed?
    • Why do patients not bleed when they're being cut open in surgery? 
    • Lieutenant, why do Americans pronounce it differently?
    • Do colour blind people have to purchase a colour TV licence?  It didn't make it to the board.
    • Do fish drink water, or whaEVER? It didn't make it to the board.
    • Who invented the game of IT or tig or tag? I don't know either
    • Why do we pull the face when we taste something sour?
    • What is the difference between brook, stream and river?
    • Why do push sprockets, gears on the right hand side? In the words of Homer Simpson: BORING!
    • Can you record a smell? Duh!
    • Phone boxes.  Do they come in different colours?
    • How is the art industry having to buy all the colors when just three colours (magenta, yellow, cyan) would do when mixed?

    Chris Offen's Mystery Hour Theme Song




    While we patiently wait for Mystery Hour to begin at noon, let's sing along to Counterfeit Beatles' Chris Offen's work.

    Following James' plea yesterday, we've picked up a lot of followers (and bots).  Let's all tweet #mysterhour at noon and see if we can get it trending.

    Wednesday, 14 November 2012

    James and Steve the Brummie cold calling sketch

    Listen to James launch into an impromptu role play with Steve, a veteran cold caller who rang in to defend his trade.  I think I'd find it difficult to be rude to Steve, he sounds like a nice fellow.

    14/11/2012 James O'Brien Show - Trains, Cold Callers, Depression



    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1
    • What is wrong with 3rd class travel?

    Hour 2
    • Why be rude to them if you don't want to buy what they're selling

    Hour 3

    • In light of Margaret Moran's depression that has seen her avoid prison, James gets stuck into the subject of depression.

    Caller of the day

    • Hour 2 - Steve, a Brummie with 12 years of experience in cold calling rang in to defend his trade.  James asked him to re-enact a typical cold call.  What ensued was comedy gold.  I hope they audioboo the call. 
    Here's the role play.


    Cultural References

    Tuesday, 13 November 2012

    13/11/2012 James O'Brien Show: Abu Qatada, payday loans, child smacking



    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1

    Predictably, the usual suspects crawled out of the woodwork and loudly called for Abu Qatada to be deported to Jordan, where he may be tortured and James was happy to debate them, and won.

    Hour 2
    • James continued to take calls on Abu Qatada
    • Payday loans - "it's a tax on poor people"

    Hour 3

    Monday, 12 November 2012

    12/11/2012 James O'Brien Show: Poppies, Tax avoiding corporations, Mad as hell, Troops in foreign wars

    Click here to download the podcast (subscription required)

    Hour 1

    • Poppy burning arrest



    Hour 2
    • Tax avoiding corporations

    Hour 3
    • The criteria by which we decide to send the British troops to theatres of war.  
    • We wear poppies to honour the fallen soldiers but do we know why they went to war in the first place?

    Caller of the day

    Hour 2:  Justin, an unemployed Marketing graduate, from Forest Hill called in to dissect the cynically crafted "friendship" we have with brands and the blind loyalty with which we, the masses, embrace it.  Another listener sent a text to James offering him a job.

    Clip of the day

    The clip James always refers to when all else fails:




    Call to action
    • James spoke to Jo Campion from NDCS about this petition to halt proposed cuts into services to deaf children.   
    • James said "It's not a polite request, IT'S A BLINKIN' ORDER.  You should sign this petition." 
    Cultural references