Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast)

LO - To know the parents race at sports day might not be worth the risk

This week, the lads look back on one of the hottest teaching weeks in recent memory and the media backlash that followed as schools across the country battled impossible classroom temperatures. Lee shares his frustration with the criticism aimed at teachers, discusses why schools are constantly expected to solve society's problems and explains why the real conversation should be about supporting working families rather than blaming schools. There's also plenty of discussion about misinformation online, viral parenting influencers, social media outrage and why so many education stories are designed to stir up anger rather than reflect the reality of life in schools. Elsewhere, Adam suffers another brutal celebrity lookalike comparison, while Lee receives perhaps the greatest introduction of his career at a teacher conference. The conversation also revisits one of their old classroom resources, leading to one of the funniest pupil comments they've heard in years. The blind ranking returns with a trip through television's most famous fictional teachers, sparking plenty of debate over who deserves top spot and who would be an absolute nightmare to work alongside. As always, the listener stories are packed with glorious second hand embarrassment. Expect accidental public humiliation, unfortunate misunderstandings, awkward supermarket moments, train disasters, unfortunate autocorrects and enough cringe to leave you hiding behind your hands. Back in school, the lads also share some unforgettable sex education moments, featuring innocent misconceptions, brilliantly timed pupil comments and the sort of questions no teacher is ever truly prepared to answer. Finally, sports day season is in full swing, bringing with it some of the funniest parent stories imaginable. From over competitive dads, ambitious mums, broken bones and prosthetic legs, to drunken spectators, police call outs and enough sporting chaos to convince anyone that parents' races might not be worth the risk after all. ​📬 Want your story or question featured on the pod? Submit it here: 👉 forms.gle/sWCUVURZjtn6GeN16 Here’s where you can catch the show 👇 🎭 October 2026 25th October - Norwich, Epic Studios 🏰 26th October - London, Soho Walthamstow 🎤 27th October - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre 🌳 28th October - Eastbourne, Devonshire Park 🌊 29th October - Colchester, Charter Hall 🏺 30th October - Southampton, O2 Guildhall ⚓ 31st October - High Wycombe, Swan 🎶 🎭 February 2027 14th February - Blackpool, Grand Theatre 🎡 15th February - Carlisle, The Sands Centre 🏞️ 16th February - Chester, Storyhouse 🐎 17th February - Crewe, Lyceum Theatre 🚂 18th February - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 🏹 19th February - Stoke, Victoria Hall 🏺 20th February - Stockton, Globe Theatre 🌐 🎟️ Tickets at 2mrpspodcast.com/live See you on the road again soon 👏🎤 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LO: To wonder how anyone is supposed to teach in this weather!

LO: To wonder how anyone is supposed to teach in this weather! This week, the lads are recording in the middle of a sweltering heatwave and wondering how on earth anyone is expected to teach thirty children in classrooms that feel more like greenhouses. With temperatures soaring, an England World Cup campaign underway and the ever-present threat of an Ofsted call, it's a survival guide for teachers trying to make it to the end of term with their sanity intact. The conversation then takes an unexpected turn into politics as Lee shares his frustrations about the current state of government, leadership and public discourse. It's a passionate discussion about patience, accountability, social media, the pressures facing modern politicians and why meaningful change often feels impossible in a world that demands instant results. Elsewhere, Mr P reports back from seeing Take That live, prompting a nostalgic trip through the glory days of boy bands. Naturally, this leads to a blind ranking packed with questionable decisions, strong opinions and the sort of debate that could end friendships. There's also a discussion about one school's decision to remove teachers' desks and chairs entirely, sparking a wider conversation about trust, workload, classroom expectations and some of the stranger leadership decisions schools make in the name of improving teaching. As always, the listener stories steal the show. Expect tales of public embarrassment, disastrous train journeys, awkward encounters with strangers, unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions and enough second-hand cringe to make you hide behind a cushion. Back in school, there are plenty more classic pupil moments too, including accidental oversharing, spectacular misunderstandings, brutally honest children and the sort of comments that leave teachers desperately trying not to laugh. The episode finishes with a look at the strange habits that instantly give away anyone over thirty, from keeping boxes for everything and printing photos, to making phone calls, using proper punctuation and committing the ultimate Gen Z crime: sitting quietly with your own thoughts. ​📬 Want your story or question featured on the pod? Submit it here: 👉 forms.gle/sWCUVURZjtn6GeN16 Here’s where you can catch the show 👇 🎭 October 2026 25th October - Norwich, Epic Studios 🏰 26th October - London, Soho Walthamstow 🎤 27th October - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre 🌳 28th October - Eastbourne, Devonshire Park 🌊 29th October - Colchester, Charter Hall 🏺 30th October - Southampton, O2 Guildhall ⚓ 31st October - High Wycombe, Swan 🎶 🎭 February 2027 14th February - Blackpool, Grand Theatre 🎡 15th February - Carlisle, The Sands Centre 🏞️ 16th February - Chester, Storyhouse 🐎 17th February - Crewe, Lyceum Theatre 🚂 18th February - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 🏹 19th February - Stoke, Victoria Hall 🏺 20th February - Stockton, Globe Theatre 🌐 🎟️ Tickets at 2mrpspodcast.com/live See you on the road again soon 👏🎤 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LO: To Know A Better Name For A Bag Of Quavers

This week, the lads are back with a big chat about the proposed under-16 social media ban and whether it actually solves the problem or just shifts it somewhere else. Lee and Adam talk through phones, attention spans, online safety, loneliness, youth clubs, boredom and why children need better alternatives than just being told to “go outside” like it’s 1998 and Snake on a Nokia is the height of entertainment. There’s also a look at the wider impact of social media on schools, from behaviour and friendships to the way trends, language and online drama somehow always end up landing in classrooms by 9:05am. As always, it becomes less “education policy discussion” and more “how are schools expected to fix absolutely everything?” The episode then takes a very strange turn with a bizarre education story involving hypnosis in a school, because apparently the job description wasn’t already weird enough. There’s also a blind ranking of end-of-year traditions, with the usual mix of strong opinions, questionable logic and Adam trying to keep some sort of order. Finally, the listener stories bring the usual chaos. Expect tales of pupil madness, staff exhaustion, end-of-term survival mode and the sort of classroom moments that make you laugh, wince and immediately think: “That’s going straight on CPOMS.” ​📬 Want your story or question featured on the pod? Submit it here: 👉 forms.gle/sWCUVURZjtn6GeN16 Here’s where you can catch the show 👇 🎭 October 2026 25th October - Norwich, Epic Studios 🏰 26th October - London, Soho Walthamstow 🎤 27th October - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre 🌳 28th October - Eastbourne, Devonshire Park 🌊 29th October - Colchester, Charter Hall 🏺 30th October - Southampton, O2 Guildhall ⚓ 31st October - High Wycombe, Swan 🎶 🎭 February 2027 14th February - Blackpool, Grand Theatre 🎡 15th February - Carlisle, The Sands Centre 🏞️ 16th February - Chester, Storyhouse 🐎 17th February - Crewe, Lyceum Theatre 🚂 18th February - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 🏹 19th February - Stoke, Victoria Hall 🏺 20th February - Stockton, Globe Theatre 🌐 🎟️ Tickets at 2mrpspodcast.com/live See you on the road again soon 👏🎤 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LO: To know students will stick anything in places they shouldn't stick things.

This week, the lads are back after half term and counting down the final few weeks until the summer holidays. Adam opens up about leaving his latest role and finding himself in that strange in-between stage of weighing up new opportunities, signing up for supply work and figuring out what comes next. Two new features this week. First - THE BIG QUESTION from a listener focuses around the Department for Education's controversial collaboration with Gemma Collins. Lee shares his experiences of working with the DfE, meeting Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and explains the challenge of trying to represent teachers' concerns while still maintaining access to decision makers. The conversation dives into SEND reforms, teacher workload, government communication and why so many teachers and parents felt frustrated by the timing of the campaign. The there's IN THIS WEEK'S NEWS... There's also a look at two bizarre education news stories making headlines. One involves a teacher who called in sick before being spotted on a stag do in Portugal, while the other features a headteacher accused of some very questionable spending decisions involving school funds, cruises and karaoke machines. Elsewhere, there's a discussion about the latest playground obsession with Michael Jackson, memories of legendary school productions, and whether social media trends are any stranger than the things pupils were obsessed with in the 1990s. The blind ranking returns with a fiercely contested list of classic school dinner desserts. Expect strong opinions on Arctic Roll, Cornflake Tart, Sprinkle Cake, Jelly and Ice Cream, Rice Pudding and the iconic Chocolate Cake with Pink Custard. Some of the rankings may cause outrage. Finally, the listener stories are back and they might be some of the funniest yet. From children calling teachers "King of Crying", to pupils wiping tables with ham, swinging dead moles around the playground and attempting prison-style escapes via manholes, it's another reminder that no workplace produces stories quite like schools. 📬 Want your story or question featured on the pod? Submit it here: 👉 forms.gle/sWCUVURZjtn6GeN16 Here’s where you can catch the show 👇 🎭 October 2026 25th October - Norwich, Epic Studios 🏰 26th October - London, Soho Walthamstow 🎤 27th October - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre 🌳 28th October - Eastbourne, Devonshire Park 🌊 29th October - Colchester, Charter Hall 🏺 30th October - Southampton, O2 Guildhall ⚓ 31st October - High Wycombe, Swan 🎶 🎭 February 2027 14th February - Blackpool, Grand Theatre 🎡 15th February - Carlisle, The Sands Centre 🏞️ 16th February - Chester, Storyhouse 🐎 17th February - Crewe, Lyceum Theatre 🚂 18th February - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 🏹 19th February - Stoke, Victoria Hall 🏺 20th February - Stockton, Globe Theatre 🌐 🎟️ Tickets at 2mrpspodcast.com/live See you on the road again soon 👏🎤 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A chinwag with Rev Richard Coles

This week’s special guest is the brilliant Richard Coles, joining the lads for a wide-ranging chat that somehow manages to cover children’s books, pop stardom, religion, reality TV, school life, funeral disasters and losing a speedboat in Ibiza. Richard talks about releasing his very first children’s book - https://amzn.to/3S51Q6j after already writing more than a dozen books for adults. He explains why he wanted to write stories about people whose adventures go spectacularly wrong, and why getting children hooked on reading feels more important than ever in a world battling for their attention. There’s a brilliant conversation about school visits, children’s honesty and the way young people see the world. Richard reflects on how empathetic and accepting children are today, while also sharing some hilarious moments from his recent school tour, including an unforgettable question about “having the nerve” to stand up and speak in front of people. The lads then head right back to the 1980s as Richard opens up about life in The Communards, having the biggest selling single of 1986 and the surreal experience of going from signing on at the dole office to flying on Concorde and dining with Andy Warhol and John Lydon in New York. There’s also a really thoughtful discussion around growing up gay in the 1970s, the challenges Richard faced at school and why finally being able to live honestly changed everything for him. It’s honest, reflective and full of perspective without ever losing the warmth and humour. The conversation then moves into Richard’s life as a vicar, including what people misunderstand most about religion and why being part of the church was never about escaping reality but facing it head-on. Naturally, this quickly descends into absolute chaos as the lads ask about disastrous weddings, awkward confessions and the unforgettable moment a bride catastrophically misjudged a nervous fart during the ceremony. There’s plenty of chat about TV too, including Strictly Come Dancing, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity MasterChef and Richard’s love of being thrown into bizarre situations with complete strangers. He also reveals the most disgusting thing he had to eat in the jungle and teases a reality show he’d still secretly love to do. As always, the episode finishes with the classic final question: what advice would Richard give to his ten-year-old self? His answer is simple, honest and genuinely lovely. A fascinating, funny and surprisingly moving episode with one of the most interesting guests the podcast has had. 📬 Want your story featured on the pod? Submit it here: 👉 forms.gle/sWCUVURZjtn6GeN16 Here’s where you can catch the show 👇 🎭 May 2026 22nd May - Salford, Lowry 🎨 🎭 October 2026 25th October - Norwich, Epic Studios 🏰 26th October - London, Soho Walthamstow 🎤 27th October - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre 🌳 28th October - Eastbourne, Devonshire Park 🌊 29th October - Colchester, Charter Hall 🏺 30th October - Southampton, O2 Guildhall ⚓ 31st October - High Wycombe, Swan 🎶 🎭 February 2027 14th February - Blackpool, Grand Theatre 🎡 15th February - Carlisle, The Sands Centre 🏞️ 16th February - Chester, Storyhouse 🐎 17th February - Crewe, Lyceum Theatre 🚂 18th February - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 🏹 19th February - Stoke, Victoria Hall 🏺 20th February - Stockton, Globe Theatre 🌐 🎟️ Tickets at 2mrpspodcast.com/live See you on the road again soon 👏🎤 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices