UnPlanned

It has been a very long time since the four got together and it shows: a characteristic inability to focus on the topic at hand pervades; there is some slurring; talk of punching fish; and much mispronunciation of town names. There is also a concerning amount of foul language. There is no guest but there are descriptions of UK holidays, reflections on the new world of remote and blended events; and yearning for grilled seafood. The hat comes from the very western edge of these isles.

Becky is away and the boys are sad, but Gail Stoten, heritage expert witness extraordinaire, offers some historical perspective to their angst; the team discuss preparing for cross-examination (both doing it, and having it done to you) and open their bags of lucky rabbits’ feet to reveal their superstitions and coping mechanisms. The hat is beautiful but not fit for purpose.

Sticking with the disruptive approach, none of the four barrister hosts were prepared to step down and miss out on meeting planning blog galactica Nicola Gooch, so the 3-2-1 thing is still a mess. This may be mitigated in part by a very fine hat; and some origin stories from the team - who also discuss the changes they would make to planning policy or law, which (it turns out) is mainly about biscuit provision. The hat comes all the way from Miami, Florida - but won't say who it will vote for...

The pleasing 3-2-1 pattern is disrupted as all four barristers turn up to meet Maisie, and her owner Laura Percy of Chelmsford City Council; they cover getting the best from the barrister you instruct, good advice, and Liverpool losing to Ipswich. Topic choice is brought to you by a middle-aged cyclist’s man-hat.

In this week’s instalment, Joe, Zack and Becky are joined by Women in Planning superstar Charlotte Morphet; they talk about planning post-COVID, get serious about engagement, and share their best days on the job. Phil is missing (but he will be back next time); this episode features a hat made of 100% paper.

This instalment's randomly-generated topics are 'Preparing team for a planning inquiry'; and 'Career in Planning versus Having Children: Only One Winner?'. Zack, Becky, Joe and Phil discuss those topics - and stray into others - in a 30-minute ramble. This episode features a child's bicycle helmet as the hat.