Welcome to the Posh and Specs Hogmanay Special Edition, where New Year’s Eve becomes New Year’s honesty, Scottish tradition collides with English scepticism, and one innocent wee dram very quickly proves it has opinions of its own.

This is not your polished, goal-setting, vision-board New Year episode. This is the one recorded slightly off-balance, post-Christmas, mid-whisky, and with absolutely no intention of pretending that “New Year, New Me” has ever worked for anyone with a functioning nervous system.

James and Hannah come together for a quick but chaotic special edition, recorded in the strange, liminal days between Christmas and New Year, when everyone is full, tired, reflective, and quietly wondering whether they should be a different person by midnight. Spoiler alert: most people think it’s a lot of rubbish.

From the very start, it’s clear this is not a normal episode. Masks appear for reasons that are never fully justified. Hannah realises far too late that this is a special edition and wonders aloud whether she should be wearing her wedding dress. James, meanwhile, has committed fully, arriving dressed like he’s about to host the Edinburgh Street Party itself and accidentally triggering a tartan identity crisis that spirals into accusations of clan fraud.

What follows is a deeply British, mildly Scottish, and increasingly whisky-influenced conversation about what New Year actually means. Hannah explains why Hogmanay is not just a night but a three-day cultural event, why “the bells” are a thing, and why New Year will always feel inherently Scottish to her. James, representing England, admits he has simply been calling it “midnight” his entire life and is visibly shaken by the revelation.

As the whisky flows, so do the confessions. Christmas dinners are reviewed with forensic seriousness. Potatoes are discussed at length. Honey-roasted pigs in blankets make an appearance. Madeira cake is described with such passion that James blurts out “yum yum yum” mid-sentence, sounding sarcastic but actually just being honest and slightly drunk.

The episode then turns reflective. Both hosts look back on a year that, surprisingly, has been one of the best of their lives. Reality TV secrets, weddings, new homes, career highs, financial relief, and the unexpected launch of this very podcast all get unpacked in real time. There is gratitude, pride, and just enough fear that next year might not live up to the hype.

Naturally, this leads to the great New Year debate: can you really change your life at midnight? Should you even try? James and Hannah take to the streets of London to ask real people what they think about “New Year, New Me”, only to discover that almost everyone has quietly opted out. Gym memberships are mocked, meal prep is exposed as a fantasy, and one poor man named Jason becomes the accidental poster child for setting expectations far too high.

Instead of preaching reinvention, this episode gently dismantles the pressure we put on ourselves every January. It questions why we treat self-improvement like a personality transplant rather than a gradual process. It celebrates small wins, lower bars, and the radical idea that it might be fine to stay exactly who you are, just with slightly better snacks and fewer unrealistic promises.

This Hogmanay Special Edition is messy, funny, warm, culturally revealing, and refreshingly honest. It is what happens when two people sit down after a very full year, pour a whisky, and decide to talk properly about endings, beginnings, and why subscribing to the platinum package of life would be quite nice actually.

If you are tired of resolutions, allergic to hustle culture, curious about Scottish traditions, or simply want to hear two friends gently unravel under the influence of Arran whisky, this one is for you.

Happy Hogmanay. Happy New Year. And no pressure to change a thing.

#PoshandSpecs #Hogmanay #NewYearNewMe #PodcastSpecial #NewYear #FYP #SpotifyPodcast

Welcome to the Christmas special that will absolutely ruin your festive peace.

Is Christmas supposed to feel like this?

In this explosive festive special of Posh and Specs, James and Hannah take on one of Britain’s most quietly divisive cultural questions: why does Christmas feel so different in Scotland compared to England, and why does one version feel significantly more insufferable than the other?

From rigid English Christmas etiquette and joyless posh rituals to the looser, louder, more human energy many associate with a Scottish Christmas, this episode pulls apart the unspoken rules that dictate how Britain “does” Christmas. What should be a celebration has somehow become a performance, and nobody seems brave enough to question it.

Why is enthusiasm treated with suspicion. Why are children forced to open presents like they are observing a Victorian mourning ritual. Why does politeness matter more than joy. And why are so many English Christmas traditions defended simply because they have always been done that way.

James breaks down the logic behind classic English Christmas rules with unwavering confidence, while Hannah reacts in real time with disbelief, outrage, and genuine concern for the nation’s festive wellbeing. The contrast between Scottish and English attitudes towards Christmas exposes deeper issues around class, control, manners, and Britain’s obsession with restraint.

This episode dives into:​ Scottish Christmas vs English Christmas culture. Posh Christmas rules nobody asked for. Joyless traditions masquerading as “proper behaviour”. Why enthusiasm makes people uncomfortable in England. Gift opening etiquette that drains the room. Class, control, and the performance of politeness. Why Christmas in Britain often feels quietly miserable. Traditions that survive purely out of fear of change

What starts as festive chat quickly spirals into a cultural reckoning. Expect strong opinions, uncomfortable truths, and moments that will have you pausing the episode just to argue with it.

This is not an attack. This is an observation. And it is going to upset people.

Whether you are Scottish, English, both, or neither, you will recognise someone you know in this episode. Possibly yourself.

🎄 Watch on YouTube for full reactions and chaos🎧 Listen on Spotify and all podcast platforms💬 Comment which Christmas you recognise and prepare to be disagreed with.

Posh and Specs is the podcast where class, culture, money, and modern Britain collide. Hosted by two former Channel 4 reality TV stars, the show tackles social rules, cancel culture, British behaviour, and the things everyone thinks but rarely admits out loud.

This Christmas special is designed to start arguments, revive group chats, and make you rethink everything you thought was “normal” about Christmas.

Festive.

Divisive.

Very British.

You have been warned.

This episode is sponsored by Natural and Noble: https://naturalandnoble.co.uk/

He’s Posh. She’s Scottish. And they’re armed with a "burn book" and a truly terrible cocktail, diving headfirst into the modern minefield of cancel culture.

In this week’s episode, James and Hannah unpack the ridiculous reality of living in a world where everyone is one misunderstood comment away from social exile. Is it a necessary tool for accountability or a digital witch hunt that's gone too far? They don't hold back, sharing their own fears and hilarious confessions about walking on eggshells.

This episode gets juicy as they tackle the big questions:

• Can you separate the art from the artist? Hannah confesses her lifelong love for Harry Potter while grappling with JK Rowling's "dead and buried" status, and James proudly claims his Slytherin allegiance.
• What even warrants cancellation? They delve into the baffling case of Anne Hathaway and the "Hathahate" scandal, where being "too perfect" got her booted from Hollywood.
• Is comedy under threat? The duo defends their love for dark, shocking humour and debates if comedians like Ricky Gervais are pushing boundaries or crossing lines.
• The Street Interviews: They hit the streets of London, where the public reveals they're too scared to even talk about cancel culture. The chaos peaks when James accidentally tells a complete stranger she's "the most cancellable person" he's met, creating a moment you have to hear to believe.

Featuring the return of your favourite segments:

• T of the Week: The shocking revelation that anyone, including you, can be cancelled as "Joe Public" for a decade-old Facebook post.
• Cocktail Chaos: James mixes a Somerset 75 (a "posh" twist on the French 75, made with cider and lemon from a plastic squeezy bottle) that is so acidic it nearly gets him cancelled on the spot.

This is a hilarious, thought-provoking, and deeply cathartic conversation about sensitivity, free speech, and the anxiety of our digital footprints. If you've ever felt like you can't say anything anymore, or worried that a past post will come back to haunt you, you're not alone. Posh and Specs are here to start a revolution against the absurdity.

Join the conversation! We want to hear from you. Who do you think is the most unfairly cancelled celebrity? And what would get YOU cancelled? Let us know in the comments!

Make Your Own 'Somerset 75'

A Posh & Specs Original

Darlings, the French 75 is a lovely fiction. We perfected this in Somerset generations ago. Our stroke of genius? Replacing the vulgar gin with noble, dry Somerset cider for a proper rustic backbone.

You'll Need:

• ½ measure lemon juice (Fresh is ideal; a plastic lemon is... assertive)
• ½ measure sugar syrup
• Dry Somerset cider
• Champagne
• Champagne flute

Method:

1. Drizzle syrup & lemon juice into your flute.
2. Pour in cider to half-full.
3. Top with champagne. Do not stir—the chaos is intentional.

A Word of Warning:

Hannah says it "needs a Gaviscon." I call it reclaiming our heritage from the French. A drink as unapologetically chaotic as our friendship. Cheers!