Ed Sheeran’s new songs hint at cracks in his seemingly perfect, previously ultra-private marriage, while Jessie J has had to set the record straight on her breakup with Channing Tatum. So just how literally should we take pop stars’ lyrics? Also this week, we’re diving into the BBC’s Gossip Girl-style mother-daughter thriller Wild Cherry, the so-called “female Adolescence", David Szalay’s Booker Prize-winning novel Flesh and 2025’s Word of the Year. Plus, the surprising news that we’re technically teenagers until 32, reports of wild parties from the set of Rivals, and, finally, our (spoiler-free) review of Wicked 2!We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuppod too!Recs/reviews:Wild Cherry, BBC iPlayerFlesh by David Szalay Shuggie Bain, Douglas StuartIgnore the pessimists – we are living through a literary golden age, New StatesmanHow to Stop Time, Matt HaigThrew it Away, Jessie JPlay, Ed SheeranStraight Up behind the music miniseries ep with Ed Sheeran’s manager Stuart CampAdolescence lasts into your 30s, major new study on brain development finds, The IndependentWicked: For Good, in cinemas now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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