Shouldn't Laugh But...Laura Smyth & Carmen Butcher

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are diving headfirst into the chaos of Inside the Manosphere. From TikTok “alpha males” and seven-hour livestreams, to dodgy money schemes and wildly confident nonsense about women, they try to make sense of a world that is equal parts terrifying and… deeply embarrassing.They also get into why Louis Theroux remains the undisputed king of awkward, and how his calm, softly-softly questioning manages to unravel these “high value men” in about 30 seconds flat. It’s fragile egos, accidental self-owns, and one or two moments that genuinely made them laugh out loud… before remembering they probably shouldn’t.There’s also a chat about rage bait, why being nice is unlikely to make you go viral, and the slightly depressing realisation that the internet rewards whoever shouts the loudest (and worst).Then it’s onto the Beckham universe, where Harper Beckham’s skincare launch opens up a wider conversation about beauty standards, growing up online, and why 14-year-olds absolutely do not need a collagen routine. From family drama to petty social media moments, they unpack the ongoing Beckham saga and ask the big question: if you’re that rich, why are you still being this messy?Plus, Mother’s Day politics, the competitive sport of being “so busy and so tired”, and a genuinely lovely story about an old woman in Nottingham that somehow cuts through all the chaos.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod Laura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

Timothée Shalama-lama-ding-dong (Chalamet) is under fire after sharing his thoughts on opera and ballet and sparking a full blown internet pile on. Laura and Carmen unpack the backlash, the memes, and why the internet loves nothing more than uniting against a rogue celebrity opinion.Plus, The Beckham family saga rumbles on! Laura and Carmen get stuck into the latest birthday post controversy and the internet reaction: should David and Victoria have wished Brooklyn a happy birthday on Instagram or not?And if that wasn’t enough… a dog sitting job turns into a full scale street crossing disaster involving a giant poo, oncoming traffic, and one unfortunate brother who definitely got far more involved than he planned.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod Laura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh Listen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube. Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen dive straight into the chaos that is Britney Spears. From the head shaving era to the conservatorship and the recent internet debate of “maybe we shouldn’t have freed Britney”, they try to answer the impossible question: what does actual support for a mega famous pop star even look like?They also get into Harry Styles’ mysterious ever-changing accent, why British people simply cannot take anything seriously (especially grief), and Raye’s very public “where the hell is my husband?” era which sparks a deep dive into heartbreak, petty revenge and whether men who hurt you ever actually care.Plus, Lily Allen is turning post break up rage into performance art with a dress covered in receipts and a spotlight for unsuspecting men in the audience.And finally, personal updates: Laura has been living the celeb adjacent life at Alan Davies’ birthday party, while Carmen returns from a wholesome Canadian ski trip straight into the gritty reality of New York, where the steaks are good, the arguments are loud, and the crackheads are plentiful.Sleep deprived, slightly feral, and still chasing the dream of becoming podcast millionaires.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week, Laura and Carmen spiral from ski slopes to strip clubs after a listener confession about a half-dressed skiing disaster that ends with an injured stranger… and a three hour plane journey of silent guilt.Then there’s the viral chair throwing incident that backfires spectacularly, starting beef with monkeys in Malaysia, rogue sheep standoffs in Wales and the internet’s newest side hustle: becoming a keynote speaker after getting caught on Coldplay’s kiss cam.But the real cultural debate of the episode? Stand up bum wiping. Send help… or wet wipes.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, one of us is living her best ski life in Canada while the other is glue gunning her way through World Book Day and awaiting secondary school news like it is the Hunger Games.There are rogue ski puns, Winter Olympics overshares and listener stories bringing peak slope humiliation: teenage wipeouts, French ski school casualties, dads shouting “get a room” and an apres ski table jump that results in full resort infamy and the nickname “Table Girl”.Laura and Carmen also cover business class delusions, the healing power of podcast laughter in dark times and why you must always trust your florist.Helmets on. Drinks upright. And absolutely no table dancing in ski boots *cough cough* Carmen Butcher!Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week, Laura and Carmen spiral from blizzards to baked beans as Margot Robbie’s rogue nacho confession sends them into a full blown food combo frenzy. Tuna and cottage cheese. Marmite and tomatoes. Milky Ribena. We are unwell.But the real villain of the episode? The Finger Princess. The group chat menace who asks for details that are literally three messages up. The Facebook poster who could have Googled it. The fully grown adult who still needs someone else to check the sell by date. Heads will roll. Mostly Carmen’s.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod Laura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh Listen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube. Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen spiral gently from wholesome half term fun into full blown cost of living chaos. There’s caravan nostalgia, Center Parcs outrage and the gradual realisation that a two bed in Battersea Power Station now costs about the same as long term peace of mind.We get gig life glamour in Manchester, early circuit flashbacks, Frog and Bucket lore, and the pure serotonin of someone saying “see you on the circuit” for the first time. There’s North South divide discourse, pub flashbacks, eyebrow trauma, and the joy of strangers actually talking to each other.Elsewhere, it’s Lent gone rogue: the man who gave up chairs, the woman who gave up listening to men, the chaos of yoghurt eaten by hand, and a bold proposal to simply stop being polite in emails forever. There’s spring cleaning strain levels that rival competitive sport, winter bodies emerging blinking into daylight, and a pedicure confession that has truly seen some things.Plus: fake tan fears, sunbed scandals, hacked firesticks, TV licence paranoia, supermarket self scan crimes, and the moral grey area of five pence plastic bags.Spring is coming. The hooves are out. And absolutely nobody is paying for full priced wine.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

Laura and Carmen dive straight into the chaos after, former Prince, Andrew’s birthday arrest, the unforgettable car photo, and a PR machine working overtime. From London Fashion Week to carefully timed royal appearances, nothing escapes scrutiny.Plus David Beckham’s birthday tribute to Cruz raises eyebrows with one pointed phrase (we’re assuming towards Brooklyn Beckham), and suddenly we are knee deep in questions about loyalty, authenticity and the kind of family chaos that makes you feel slightly better about your own.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

It’s Carmen’s first Friday as a forty year old and the birthday debrief is still in full swing. From candle blowing sabotage and middle child gift politics to traumatic mascot memories and the cultural dominance of Mr Blobby, Laura and Carmen unpack the chaos that seems to follow any celebration.Plus, a listener’s thirtieth spirals from classy Turkish dinner to violent taxi sickness and a missed surprise party delivered via blank pub screen and disembodied apology. Add in hamster funerals, beer fear, and ski trip anxiety, and it is proof that sometimes the party is not the problem, the morning after is.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including sexual assault, that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to.This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, it’s the aftermath of Carmen’s 40th and the debrief is as chaotic as the dancefloor. There are hotel lobby rolly-polies, luxury Four Seasons cake carnage, fish and chips that looked… anatomically confusing, and an escalating late night chant of “City Lounge” that very nearly derailed the entire evening. Laura arrives already hungover after a boozy appearance on Saturday Kitchen, only to wake up the next morning as a fully fledged tabloid star thanks to some extremely dramatic headline writing.From there, things take a turn. Off the back of the brand new America’s Next Top Model documentary, the girls dive headfirst into the glossy, deeply unhinged world of the show itself. What starts as nostalgia quickly spirals into discussions about toxic producers, moralising meltdowns, ethically questionable photoshoots, reality TV villains and Tyra Banks’ almost supernatural ability to dodge accountability while delivering a life lesson.As if that wasn’t enough, it’s Pancake Day, the start of Ramadan, Chinese New Year and we are officially entering the Year of the Fire Horse, which apparently means bold moves, big energy and absolutely no half measures. Goodbye Year of the Snake… shedding old skin, shedding dignity, shedding the booze for Lent. New beginnings all round.All wrapped up with birthday gratitude and the firm belief that if you show up properly for your childless friend’s 40th, the universe will reward you.Additional support:If you've been affected by anything you've heard in this episode, please take a moment to read the resources listed: Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, Victim SupportEmail us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

From tooth fairy trauma and Friday the 13th paranoia to valentines gone wrong, Laura and Carmen are riding a romantic rollercoaster with zero brakes. There’s boiling water mishaps, forgotten fairy duties, and a heartfelt email that proves sometimes you just know when you’ve found a good egg.But don’t worry, it’s not all hearts and flowers. We’ve got a Valentine’s bouquet of listener chaos: a florist working ex who spectacularly fumbled the bag, a bedroom bloodbath that left one flatmate deeply concerned, and a passionate spank that went catastrophically off target. Add in quiet red wine dads, party prep panic, and the looming birthday bash of the century, and you’ve got one very messy love story.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen lean fully into Valentine’s Week!There’s birthday chat galore as Carmen gears up for her 40th, conspiracy theories, rage baiting and the creeping realisation that no one seems to be in charge of anything anymore…Valentine’s chat obviously divulges into full celebrity chaos, from blood vial jewellery and aquarium dates, to Kenny G logistics, oily sexy sax men, olive trees, billionaires who simply will not stop shopping and the deeply important question of are Daniel Radcliffe and Megan Thee Stallion actually dating?!As if that wasn’t enough, the Winter Olympics arrive with gnarly commentary, figure skating obsession, Cool Runnings nostalgia and a late breaking rumour involving ski jumpers, hyaluronic acid and medically questionable aerodynamic choices.All wrapped up with a love letter to friendship, Galentine’s, chosen family and the radical idea that love doesn’t have to be romantic to be worth celebrating.Happy Valentine’s Week. Please leave five stars. Consider it your Valentine gift to us <3Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

An innocent debate about wiping technique spirals into apologies, trauma, and one unforgettable Spanish water park incident.Laura and Carmen dive headfirst into listener embarrassment, public toilet shame, tits out disasters, and the real reason you should never trust an enclosed flume. There’s owl impressions, Valentine’s chat, co-sleeping confessions, and proof that once you’ve shit yourself in front of someone, you’re friends for life.Listener discretion advised. This one absolutely ponged.Get involved in the show! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But... there’s a heartfelt goodbye to comedy royalty, a brief moment of wet eye, and then straight into celebrity dating discourse as Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton go public and somehow just make sense.Laura and Carmen do a deep dive into the Take That documentary, from boyband hysteria and Gary Barlow redemption to nineties nostalgia and MTV memories.Elsewhere, Carmen attends a murder mystery party where she accidentally becomes the murderer, while Laura navigates a sticky gig with drunk front row aunties.And then things get horny. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s aggressively sexy press tour sparks a debate about secure relationships, visor hands, flirting as performance, jealousy, work wives and why being Australian makes you instantly cool.All in all, a reminder that everyone is confused, everyone is jealous, everyone is online too much and laughing is still the best coping mechanism.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Tuesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday.

This episode of Shouldn’t Laugh But is a full body immersion into the chaos of leisure centres, from flumes that should absolutely be age restricted to the deeply cursed realisation that Leisure World is one of those places that hits very differently as an adult. Laura and Carmen unpack childhood water park joy, vending machine culture, plasters in the pool, and the horror of realising you are now the entertainment on a flume.There’s also a listener debate that truly splits the nation on how you wipe your bum, including power stances, wall leaning, and why some habits should never be passed down through generations. Plus, the girls get stuck into the Ryanair versus Elon Musk beef, social media pile ons, and how you have to be a very specific kind of prick to make the CEO of Ryanair look like a legend.Flumes, arses, airlines and billionaires getting owned. A lot is covered.Get involved in the show! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are riding high after accidentally making the Daily Mail, spiralling into full hun culture chaos and asking the only question that matters: is Nigella Lawson about to make Bake Off unbearably sexy?From Spice Girls reunion delusions and Traitors obsessing to soggy bottoms, flirt offs and why Paul Hollywood will simply not survive the Nigella era, the girls unpack the biggest TV gossip of the week.Elsewhere, there’s winter sun in Morocco, fake Chanel sunglasses, buffet blindness, one on one parenting revelations and the emotional rollercoaster of discovering your ten year old has the playlist of a gay man in his forties.And just when you think it couldn’t get more unhinged, Steven Bartlett enters the chat with gene pools, incels and unsolicited womb opinions, prompting a collective scream into the void and a reminder that absolutely none of this is our responsibility.Come for the Bake Off filth and celebrity nonsense, stay for the parenting confessions, relationship resentment, existential dread and permission to laugh at things you definitely shouldn’t.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This episode of Shouldn’t Laugh But tackles the question no parent is ever prepared for: when your kid asks what 69 is. From kitchen chats about consent to likening the act to the Bermuda Triangle, Laura and Carmen unpack why 69ing is far more admin heavy and far less glamorous than the films ever suggested.Meanwhile, Heated Rivalry has Carmen mentally rehearsing what she’s absolutely going to shout when she sees ice hockey IRL on her upcoming Canada trip, and the girls deliver the final word on the sexiest accents. Essex takes the crown, but the Russian accent is… dangerously fit.Get involved in the show! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are serving piping hot tea because there is only one thing anyone cares about: Brooklyn Beckham's angry Instagram post to his parents David and Victoria!From blocked family members and missing birthdays to those Insta stories that sent the internet into meltdown, the girls deep dive into the Beckham family drama and ask the big questions. Is it a brand implosion? A marriage defence of Nicola Peltz? Or just what happens when family beef goes fully online?Plus there’s big dog energy in real life, admin nights that absolutely do not need to exist, baffling 2016 throwback trends and the quiet rage of watching everyone else overshare.Come for the celebrity chaos, stay for the existential dread, unhinged takes and permission to laugh at things you probably shouldn’t.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carms are back in the studio and feeling all the feelings. From a genuinely emotional listener gift, to Pammy Watch updates and a chaotic rant over posties.Expect stories of stolen coats, missing fizz, extortionate socks that don’t even heat, and a ranking of sexy accents that leaves the girls deeply, deeply rattled.Spoiler alert: Kiwi at number one does not go down well.Get involved in the show! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

On this week’s Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are back! Carmen is fully embracing January with no drinking, cosy nights in and shopping for all the ski gear, while Laura is deeply mourning the loss of twiglets and Baileys.There’s a big catch up on all the latest Traitors drama, plus a New York jewellery feud that feels like a film but absolutely is not.Consider this your permission to stay in, judge strangers and laugh through January.Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.comFollow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpodLaura - @thatlaurasmythCarmen - @carmenshouldntlaughListen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.Bonus Episodes are available every Friday