There's a bloody lot going on at present. Luckily, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders have a good joke about butt cheeks.
Released on Audible at the beginning of October 2020 during England's second lockdown(opens in a new tab), French and Saunders: Titting About(opens in a new tab) was part of a swathe of UK comedy releases for Amazon's audiobook app including Steve Coogan's From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast(opens in a new tab). They were a welcome, hearty guffaw-inducing break from the sinking quagmire of anxiety that characterised heightened COVID-19 restrictions.(opens in a new tab)
And now, Titting About is back for Season 3, with six new episodes(opens in a new tab) released on Audible today.
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 a lot of time 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 six episodes at 30 minutes each, Titting About is the podcast equivalent of sitting around for a quick, cheeky chat with a glass of wine in hand, musing over the fact that Saunders used to collect horse trading cards as a child. It brings the type of nonchalant conversational bliss I personally crave, deconstructing life's sillier but nonetheless important details for a moment before we dive back into 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.
If you've got an Audible subscription, you can listen to Titting About for free. If 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.
