The Podcast

Dive head first into a pic’n’mix of hilarious (and occasionally sinister) mediocrity.

Browse our archives to search for specific guests, topics and stories.

If you want to browse by category – click here.


There are currently 396 episodes in our WFF archive, browse through them all here, subscribe to our RSS feed here , or have a search...


Ep 63: Jon Dryden Taylor – World’s Worst Opening Ceremony Sunday, March 25th, 2018

Tan-tan-tara-tara splutter splutter cough… This episode reaches you with a dribbly fanfare, a shambling parade and a few dubious musical acts, like all the very Worst Opening Ceremonies Yep, this week we’re talking to actor and writer Jon Dryden Taylor about those very arcane mixed-bags which have preceded great events We visit Hollywood in the dark days of the late 80s, Olympics and World Cups rife with scuffed penalties and roasted doves, and learn why the Magic Kingdom was a lawless wasteland on its opening day Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @JonDryTay @podnose Worst Foot Forward is part of Podnose:...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Miscellaneous, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 63: Jon Dryden Taylor – World’s Worst Opening Ceremony

Ep 62: Tez Ilyas – World’s Worst Centre Back Monday, March 19th, 2018

It's back to one of our favourite Sunday afternoon pub conversations this week as we go searching for more terrible footballers for our all-time worst XI This week, we fill the centre-back spot and there are a rogues gallery of misfits, cheats and actual criminals all jostling, badly, for the spot Our guest is football fan, Blackburn Rovers fanatic and tremendous stand-up comic Tez Ilyas We discover the story of the farcical Combination League - a precursor to the Football League in the 1880s which lasted less than a season, how and why the Madagascan champions lost 149-0 and who exactly was a "bastard's bastard" during the 1970s Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @tezilyas @podnose Worst Foot Forward is part of Podnose:...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Podcast, Sport, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 62: Tez Ilyas – World’s Worst Centre Back

Ep 61: Stevyn Colgan – World’s Worst Policeman Monday, March 12th, 2018

Hullo hullo hullowhat have we got here then Why officer, it's an episode all about the worst coppers of all time We invited on QI elf, novelist, lateral thinker and ex-policeman with over 30 years service Stevyn Colgan to join us in settling the subject As you'd expect, there's plenty of disreputable plods and dastardly inside jobs including brothels, speed cameras, three-card tricks, cross-dressing, lollipops and a very enthusiastic revolutionary Have a listen and we're sure you'll agree it's a fair cop Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @stevyncolgan @podnose Worst Foot Forward is part of Podnose:...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, History & Politics, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 61: Stevyn Colgan – World’s Worst Policeman

Ep 60: Spring Day – World’s Worst Family Tradition Monday, March 5th, 2018

We’ve a spring in our steps and a Spring in the studio this week as Brooklyn’s sharpest wit Spring Day is with us to talk about the World’s Worst Family Traditions We mine the murky world of Reddit and our very own listeners for pranks and Stacks, we shove vicious insects into various items of clothing and we put so many babies in peril So many babies… Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @springdaycomedy @podnose Worst Foot Forward is part of Podnose:...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, History & Politics, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 60: Spring Day – World’s Worst Family Tradition

Ep 59: Helen Arney – World’s Worst Element Monday, February 26th, 2018

It's time to get out our Bunsen Burners and boil everything down to its most basic constituent parts: if we can work out what the worst element in the world is, perhaps we can uncover the secrets behind all heroic failure Joining us this week is breathtakingly smart and multi-talented chanteuse of the science world Helen Arney Part of the Festival of the Spoken Nerd, Helen has appeared on TV and Radio as both a science communicator, madcap experimenter and dab hand with the ukulele Together we navigate through the tricky quarries full of Kryptonite (all 22 varieties), sinister red mercury, dull old Boron and the phoenix-like astatine Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @helenarney...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Podcast, Science & Nature, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 59: Helen Arney – World’s Worst Element

Ep 58: Felix Trench – World’s Worst Day Monday, February 19th, 2018

It’s a beautiful day! Our guest this week is the actor Felix Trench, star of the podcast sitcom ‘Wooden Overcoats’ (http://wwwwoodenovercoatscom) and history graduate who thumbs through the Worst Foot Chronicles to look for the World’s Worst Day There are quite a few to choose from… Felix gives us a worldwide tour of the year 1556, Ben harks back to the day the 20th Century began and Barry does a double-take as he discovers his calendar has a February the 30th Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @felixtrench Worst Foot Forward is part of Podnose:...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, History & Politics, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 58: Felix Trench – World’s Worst Day

Ep 57: Matt Stellingwerf – World’s Worst Punishment Monday, February 12th, 2018

We're joined this week by award-winning Kiwi comic and former criminologist Matt Stellingwerf to cover a seriously grisly topic: the world's worst punishment This episode comes with a serious content warning as we delve into the depths of human behaviour to discuss capital punishments with the sort of inventiveness normally reserved for Wallace and Gromit Our search takes us from medieval Spain to Enlightenment Sweden, with nods to Greek myths, Greek history and depressing American present You'll learn a lot in here and hopefully come away not too depressed about the nature of humanity Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @M_Stellingwerf...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, History & Politics, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 57: Matt Stellingwerf – World’s Worst Punishment

Episode 56b: The World’s Worst ‘Best Of 2017’ Episode Monday, February 5th, 2018

This week on Worst Foot Forward we are celebrating joining Podnose, the UK’s leading independent entertainment podcasting network To mark this, we’re looking back over our first year (and a bit) of trivial silliness and awful achievements We’ve picked out some of our favourite facts and fripperies from episodes 1 to 53, featuring some of our very best guests and very worst worsts, including understudy dogs, delicious seagull wine, Sexy Pac-Man and #goatballs If you’re a longtime listener or are tuning in for the very first time, this should give you a good idea of the sort of nonsense we peddle week in, week out Wooden spoons at the ready Dig in Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @podnose Worst Foot Forward is part of Podnose:...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Best of the Worst of the Best, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Episode 56b: The World’s Worst ‘Best Of 2017’ Episode

Ep 56: Laura Lexx – World’s Worst Tea Monday, January 29th, 2018

Anyone for tea Following on from speaking to the quintessential British rapper last week we cover the most classic of all British topics this week: tea Joined by award-winning comedian and host of the CineMastermind podcast Laura Lexx we settle a debate that goes all the way back to the very first cuppa that was stewed a little too long and severely displeased a Chinese emperor As well as getting very annoyed at Fortnum and Mason for the most expensively pretentious teabag on the planet we reveal tales of daring disguise by swashbuckling colonialists, the hitherto little known practice of tea duelling and the astonishing number of different digestive systems posh people like to have their tea leaves past through before they actually drink the stuff Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde @lauralexx...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Food & Drink, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 56: Laura Lexx – World’s Worst Tea

Ep 55: Professor Elemental – World’s Worst Hip-Hop Album Monday, January 22nd, 2018

Pull up a turntable and join us as we cut through the hardy thickets of undergrowth that make up the choices of the world's worst hip-hop album Joined by the indomitable Professor Elemental - the finest exponent of chap-hop and owner of the world's only monkey butler - we listen to music so asinine, offensive, badly produced and inappropriate that it should be banned by the Geneva Convention All so you don't have to On the way we discover the tragi-comic tale of Vanilla Ice, the potty-mouth Little Yachty and why hip-hop stars should never visit Stoke Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Music, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 55: Professor Elemental – World’s Worst Hip-Hop Album

Ep 54: Will Seaward – World’s Worst Pirate Monday, January 15th, 2018

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of Cointreau, it’s time for these salty seadogs to tell ye a tale! Gather ye round as Cap’n Will Seaward, comedian and storyteller of yore, is piped aboard the good ship Worst Foot Forward by Cabin Boy Van der Velde and Able Seaman McStay Avast and away, they set sail in search of treasure, namely the World’s Worst Pirates But beware! For there be many dragons along the way, including a pirate monk, a man who it is said ate his enemies hearts and even the man who is the reason we wannabe pirates do be talkin’ like this Take comfort in stories of pirate gayness, hat-bandits and the origin of the word barbecue AAAARRRRGGGHHH! Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, History & Politics, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 54: Will Seaward – World’s Worst Pirate

Ep 53: Andrew Doyle – World’s Worst Sequel Monday, January 8th, 2018

This week's episode sees us paint with broad brushstrokes as we discuss the world's worst sequel, along with our guest - comedian, writer and Jonathan Pie co-creator - Andrew Doyle If you've ever loved something and been crushingly disappointed by the follow-up (parents with two offspring will know that feeling) you'll love this episode We discuss every possible type of sequel: from books to films to popes to wars, political parties, musicals and more Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Miscellaneous, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 53: Andrew Doyle – World’s Worst Sequel

Ep 52: Iszi Lawrence – World’s Worst Poet Monday, January 1st, 2018

Merry new year to one and all! For our first episode of 2018 we've donned berets, waxed our beards and grabbed the nearest set of tom-toms to share stories of the worst poets in history Naturally, the king of bad poetry William McGonagall is heavily featured, but we also meet a the Canadian James McIntyre who was quite unreasonably obsessed with cheese and Theophilus Marzials, a man who heard about onomatopoeia once and clearly thought it was the only thing that ever mattered in poetry We are joined by the erudite Iszi Lawrence - host of the tremendous Z List Dead List podcast and owner of her own tame poet, the marvellous Mr A F Harold Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde...


Filed Under: Art & Literature, Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 52: Iszi Lawrence – World’s Worst Poet

Ep 51: Allan Scott Douglas – World’s Worst Santa Monday, December 25th, 2017

Ho ho ho - but enough naming our garden implements, it’s time for the Worst Foot Forward Christmas Special! Santa himself joins us on the show - or at least, his official body-double does Yes, actor and professional Father Christmas Allan Scott-Douglas is our guest to tell us wintry tales of the World’s Worst Santa Allan relates some true tales from backstage at the grotto, Barry takes us through the history of the real Saint Nick and his various hideous European mutations, and Ben introduces us to a goat in sexy red hot pants Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde...


Filed Under: Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, History & Politics, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 51: Allan Scott Douglas – World’s Worst Santa

Ep 50: Sam Lebens – World’s Worst Messiah Monday, December 18th, 2017

It's our fiftieth episode, our golden anniversary and to celebrate, Ben and Barry have got a real rabbi to bless their union Sam Lebens joins the boys to pray for the coming of the World's Worst Messiah Barry puts his Jesuit education to good use with stories of Micronesian 'cargo cults', Ben gets down and dirty amidst some Reformation orgies and Sam brings an academic eye to the question 'what makes a good Messiah anyway' Tune in for fake Moseses, cannonball catching and sexually-transmitted Antichrists Follow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay...


Filed Under: Art & Literature, Barry McStay, Ben Van Der Velde, Podcast, Worst Foot Forward

Ep 50: Sam Lebens – World’s Worst Messiah