Posts Tagged ‘ladybirds’

AMT419: a plethora of organisms

June 25, 2026

LISTEN ad-free when you support us on Patreon

LISTEN: Apple PocketCasts MP3 YouTube SoundcloudAmazon Music

If this Christmas, one of us starts Instagramming pics of us smugly showing off a white chocolate coconut bundt cake sent by Tom Cruise, this episode is why. And the question is also why – why does Tom Cruise send cakes? Why does he send this cake? All is explained in AMT419, along with:

living statues
growing mushrooms off a book/bath
corporately-named stadiums after the sponsorship deal ends
the spiky side of the cheese grater
the Brixton Bovril building
mangelwurzels
joeys – the baby animals, not the Tribbiani
koala vaginas
Martin the Sound Man’s pet ladybirds
shoes as gifts
what happens to retired police cars
the best Midlanders
and
Olly’s guide to the books of George Orwell.

Got questions for an episode, trivial troubles for our Patreon-exclusive Petty Problems, or feedback about an AMT old or new? Send them in writing or as voice notes to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com, or you can call 0208 123 5877 to leave us a message. AMT420 will be out 30 July 2026 and the next Answer Us Back will land on on 16 July.

Support AMT at patreon.com/answermethis, and in return you get an ad-free version of the show, you can join us for our video livestream Petty Problems – next happening 28 June, 10pm UK time – and the highest tier gets access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, the Bonus Bits of Crapp on the AMT App (RIP) and all the Retro AMT episodes.

Check out our other work:

Olly‘s several podcasts can be found via ollymann.com, and include Today in History with the Retrospectors, his monthly magazine show The Modern Mann, and the news-but-not-the-news-you’re-totally-sick-of podcast The Week Unwrapped.

Helen makes the entertainment podcast about language, The Allusionist, which pertinent to this AMT has episodes full of facts about ladybirds and unusual types of apple.

Martin makes the weird experimental podcast Neutrino Watch, where each episode is a little different each day you download it. He also has a new album coming out soon, so get hyped for that by digging into the back catalogue of his songs, available via his Bandcamp.

AMT is sponsored by:

Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set.
Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.
Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online realm. Go to squarespace.com/answer, play around with the two-week free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

EPISODE 208 – singing from the same spreadsheet

March 8, 2012

Batten down the hatches, Team AMT; today Planet Earth is being lashed by the most violent solar storm in years. Unlike the usual sort of storm, it won’t knock the flowerpots off the windowsill or ruin your laundry on the line, but it MIGHT interfere with communications systems, including the internet. So hurry hurry hurry to download Answer Me This! Episode 208, then listen to it whilst you board up your windows and dust off your emergency canned foods:

Subscribe to AMT! on iTunes listen to the MP3 through your computer our podcast feed on Libsyn Share with Facebook

This week we consider:

mermaid menstruation
ladybird literature
the Cranberries’ comeback
partying at Heathrow Airport
the Earl of Sandwich and the Earl of Sandwich
joint bank accounts
The Wizard of Oz vs. Return to Oz
Muppets vs. puppets
Soo vs. Anne Robinson
Catholics vs. farmers
grease-free cribbage
Tik-Tok (the character, NOT the K€sha song)
toothpaste
kitsch
Big Bird busybody
and
ET’s hands.

Plus: Olly would like the USA to know that burgerssandwiches; Helen’s unlikely to be going on a dirty weekend to Blackpool, and not just because when the wife’s away, Martin the Sound Man will play. With toilet paper.

This week’s Bit of Crap on the App (available for iDevices or Android) concerns Olly’s gorgeous teeth, both real and artificial. You’d never guess which are which!

Give all of us something to chew on by sending in your QUESTIONS: email them to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com or leave a voicemail on the Question Line (dial 0208 123 5877 or Skype answermethis). Chomp chomp chomp.

See you next Thursday,

Helen & Olly

SUBSCRIBE WITH iTUNESAMT BOOKQUESTION ARCHIVEEPISODESFAQ
iPHONE APPANDROID APPFACEBOOKTWITTERYOUTUBEMERCH