To think Parenting Hell (the podcast) has become really unrelatable?

[DonningMyHardHat]

When it started back in lockdown and we were all struggling with working from home with kids, dealing with toddler tantrums, and navigating the stress and anxiety of unprecedented events; it was great.

However, in recent months I feel like it’s just not relatable to the average parent anymore. Hearing about ‘man of the people’ Rob Beckett’s 28th holiday this year, numerous concerts, trips and PR events for the kids, Josh’s second home in Cornwall etc. is all a bit grating now.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate that if I took umbrage with every piece of media created by someone more well off than myself, I’d be left with very little. (And we aren’t on the breadline by any means). But in a cost of living crisis it’s all starting to look a bit tone deaf. Two blokes complaining about how hard their lives are when the literally have nannies/very supportive families/don’t work 9-5s, and seemingly endless budgets… give me a break.

They seem like lovely blokes and I’m sure they’ve worked exceptionally hard for success, and that’s great. I just don’t necessarily want to hear about it when I’m driving to my 9-5 in my shit secondhand car.

Yes I know, ‘If you don’t like it, don’t listen’. But I can’t be the only one who used to really enjoy it who just feels a bit ‘meh’ now.

Inside Josh Widdicombe’s home with butcher shop tiles and a £6,000 bath

www.thetimes.com/article/7f372ac1-9b78-4663-907d-cac894f93608?shareToken=85a5d3aa452adbd47ce9b675c1963928

I don’t think Robs kids go to private school!
I also thought the Cornwall house was Josh and Roses

I wouldn’t r be so sure about that. There seems to be a lot of clubs etc. for a state school.

Oh I hadn't seen the interview.

I listen to this but not for any parenting advice, mine are teens so I just listen to it for the comedy. Both Rob and Josh are very witty but Josh is so wet and a bit pathetic, it’s amusing. I think it might be a bit of an ‘act’, worrying and practically have a breakdown over next to nothing. I definitely don’t find them relatable but I’m not really looking for that in a podcast.

I do get what you mean. But it’s because of people like you & I loving the podcast that they’ve got so rich, so not in a position to complain really!

I used to love SMA too but that got so samey after a while.

I agree that some of the guest episodes are awful, Gino D’Acampo was a recent one that was really car crash listening. Not surprised that he has been in the news this week regarding other issues….

One podcast that I love listening to is O My Dog with Jack Dee and Sean Walsh, I don’t have a dog but that one is really amusing.

I feel like Rob talks down to Josh which is ridiculous when you think Josh is the one who is on prime time Friday night TV and Robs on Sky TV with Romesh.

I've no problem with Rob sending his kids to private school (you do you) but he's really mean to Josh.

Now it's all "oh it's so hard being away from home on my massive sell out tour needing a driver" bla bla bla.

I also prefer the non celeb interview ones. They've had some truly terrible celebs on recently. For a massive podcast, they could really get some better guests.

The class sizes Rob talks about are too small for state school. (Also I know what school they are at.) Josh is also obviously using private school.

I think listening to it without the expectation that it will mirror your own life much is probably the way to still enjoy it! It still makes me laugh and I like the warmth between them. I did/do prefer the interviews with their friends or people who actually parent. There have been some weak interviews coming out of the promo circuit.

I enjoy it as they are both funny people but agree their lives are not relatable.

The first house Rose renovated in Cornwall is their holiday home/rental.
Rose is now doing another house for a client.

Josh's dd obviously goes to private school, not sure on Robs kids.

I think they both know their privilege as neither of them grew up rich.

Also still enjoy Sma but wish they would cut out the 'what would Rosie eat ' section . It's so dull and repetitive

I’m well out of the knee deep in parenting stage so never really listened to PH for the parenting content, I just like listening to two funny guys chewing the fat and taking the piss out of each other. I prefer the episodes when it’s just them two as well unless it’s a guest I really like.

I detest the ‘Would Rosie eat?’ Section of SMA as no matter what she says, the answer is ‘no’, it’s crap and is taking over the pod. I listen for QftP and we’re getting less than 10 minutes a week 🙄

I loved Parenting hell, it was my favourite podcast for a long time, and went to see it at the o2.

Lately though, I'm not loving it.

I've really gone off of Rob. He's like a dog with a bone, going on about Josh needing to move out of London - he's very 'my way is the best'
I think he needs to get over the fact that although he has working class roots, he's now very, very far away from it.
A few episodes ago he was saying that he'd never get his daughters a pony/horse as all owners are (not the exact wording but along the lines of) privileged pricks. Clearly going to Orlando at least once a year and all the other opportunities his daughters have won't have the same effect then! I also struggle to believe that he gets approached when with his kids enough to mention it as much as he has been doing lately.
I really like Josh still, there doesn't seem to be any pretence there.

I always felt uncomfortable listening to SMA as there's a form of coercive control going on there. Chris openly tells her she's fat and stupid on the podcast, how does he get away with that? He always follows up with it being 'just a joke' but it's not funny and why say it if he doesn't mean it? He's also really condescending if she says something funny, going really over the top in his praise which gives the impression that she so rarely says something clever or funny that she needs 'praise' when she does. Sadly, Rosie comes across as being so desperate to be a celebrity that I think she'd put up with anything. It's quite sad for her really. I hope it isn't worse behind closed doors.

I think Rosie gives as good as she gets but I do think Chris can be quite condescending.

I agree , she's quite strong spirited I'm surprised she lets him get away with it.

Agree. I hate that loud fake laugh he does when she gets a word wrong, or doesn’t know what something is. I think they don’t have so many listeners now - they always used to be top of the podcast charts but now think they’re not in the top 10, so hopefully they’ll realise it’s run its course.

I don't really understand these types of podcast. I love a podcast with a proper theme such as history or sports. It's a great format for niche interests. I think parenting is a bit broad to be interesting.

They often say that they know their work life isn't normal, going out to do a gig at 9pm etc. I'm not sure they ever intended it to be relatable for all parents. It's just 2 mates chatting isn't it 💁🏻‍♀️

I’ve come to this pretty recently so don’t have anything to particularly compare it to but I just enjoy listening to them as I find them very funny talking to each other. I need to be in a certain mood though

I don't think Chris and Rosie Ramsay are funny at all and I can't believe they are only 38 I thought they were in their 40s.

No, not relatable but I have teens so maybe that's why. Jack Dee has the best jokes about living with teens.

I tried to listen to it once but all they talked about was their itchy anuses and skid marks

I find it so distracting to see Josh on TV, he reminds me so much of the news reader Susie Fowler-Watt (for those in East Anglia). They look and sound the same, you would think they are twins.

I really like PH, although I agree some of the interviews are a bit rubbish - Gino, anyone?

Obviously JW and RB are millionaires so they're lives are never going to be relatable in a financial sense, but I find the podcast hilarious and I do find the parenting stuff relatable - unlike some of their guests they do actually seem to spend a lot of time with their kids! My kids are v similar in age to theirs though, so I think that helps a lot with the relatability. I also like how open they are about their mental health/past struggles.

I listened to SMA at the begining but got fed up of it after about 6 months.

I've listened since lockdown days and used to absolutely love it. Kids similar ages to theirs so the stages they talk about are often relatable to my own kids.

However, totally agree that Rob is getting annoying now. He just seems a bit of prick, whereas I still really enjoy Josh. Josh seems more upfront and without pretence. I don't think I can stomach listening to Rob talk endlessly about yet another visit to fucking Disneyland in Orlando. I'm much more of a Josh's holiday type person (he went to Puglia in Italy in a nice villa with friends and RB mocked it for being boring endlessly).

I do have to giggle to myself when they're explaining their "awful morning" which usually involves getting kids ready and fed and having to do the school run in rush hour before joining the pod recording at 9:30am.... meanwhile the rest of us do this daily to get to work and barely even consider talking about it, let alone making it 30mins of pod content! You can tell they're used to having a SAHM pick up a lot of the slack (though appreciate their wives are now working again).