Giles wants to recount his plumbing woes…the Smurfs give him a helping hand to hurry things along.

After sifting through the first weeks post from the new podcast email address Giles and Esther assess a very difficult week for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

A week since rap duo 'Bob Vylan' hit the headlines at Glastonbury Giles shares some of the responses to his notebook piece on the subject, not all are positive.

Then a whistle stop tour of faces on bank notes, the cool club and Eau De Politician.

Please do get in touch with any comments or questions: noidea@thetimes.com

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Esther and Giles have some exciting news which they share at the start of the episode…

On with the pod:

Do couples have a better chance of staying together if their political views are aligned?

Luckily for Esther and Giles they never discuss politics, they’re far more concerned with being mean and what they’re drinking in the evening. Just as well as Esther keeps her voting habits a closely guarded secret. But why do some couples get sucked into political debate?

If talking politics doesn’t make you sleepy, have you tried being bound, gagged and cuddling up to some terrapins? If you’re not convinced, don’t worry there are lots of other sleep tips - most of which are genuine.

Lastly, it’s bye-bye to the cookbook…about time too.

And that address: noidea@thetimes.com

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**Please hold. Giles and Esther will be with you shortly….[muzak]…Press 1 for the podcast. Press 2 for immediate death or press 3 to speak to a bot who will return you to the main menu…**

If there really is no sound more joyful than that of children playing, no wonder the world is so miserable. It is a sound in short supply as children have retreated from playing outdoors to stay indoors on their tech. Former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield has called for ‘no ball games’ signs to be removed to get children playing outside again. The trouble is, if they go outside who is there to play with apart from a load of killer dogs and some bloodthirsty gangs?

If kids can’t play outside, can you take them to work? Well, best to check first in case you’re turned away at the door as one lady was with her nine-month-old. Should she have been allowed in, or are some places just not meant to be child friendly?

**A new apple app promises to deal with hold music for its users, but Esther doesn’t want it.

Finally, can you schedule your friends? Lily Allen 40, may do this (or she may just have a good sense of humour.) Either way she has given Giles an idea…

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