Rusty Nails, Colonics & Cornflakes
Rambling Retro Nonsense
This week starts off sensibly with a chat about vitamins… ......and somehow ends with samurai, school reports, enemas and Anne Diamond tattoos. We dive head-first into the weird and wonderful world of health fads, from Victorian women sucking rusty nails for iron (yep, really) to 90s miracle drinks, vibrating belts and flushing your insides out with a hose. Along the way, things go wildly off-road — as they always do. In This Episode: Why Victorians were encouraged to suck rusty nails Cod liver oil, vitamins and the supplement explosion Aqua Libra – the 90s drink that made you feel...
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Movies We Definitely Shouldn’t Have Watched
Rambling Retro Nonsense
This week we ask the important question: What did you watch as a kid that absolutely ruined your sleep for years? Hayley confesses to secretly watching A Nightmare on Elm Street (and feeling like the police were about to burst through the door), while Duncan relives the trauma of Salem’s Lot… including a jump scare that nearly ended him. Tommy, meanwhile, somehow escaped horror films but was emotionally scarred by being taken to Lawrence of Arabia at the age of eight. Because parenting was different then. Things quickly spiral into: Why Jaws made swimming pools terrifying 🦈 Real-life...
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Obsessed with Modern Life
Rambling Retro Nonsense
In this episode, Tommy, Duncan and Hayley explore the quirky and sometimes absurd habits of modern life that we never needed, but now can’t live without. From carrying oversized water bottles everywhere and obsessing over step counts, to fitness trackers, loyalty cards, and texting kisses, they reflect on how technology, wellness trends, and social comparison have transformed everyday life. Through humour, nostalgia, and personal stories, they discuss: How hydration became a 24/7 requirement and the commercial push behind it. The rise of fitness trackers and social media-driven comparisons....
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Strange Meats & Surprising Delicacies
Rambling Retro Nonsense
Topics covered Haggis at New Year Tripe, chitterlings, gizzards, sweetbreads & forgotten cuts Oxtail, mutton and cheap cuts becoming trendy Guinness, stout and Nigella’s iconic Scotch egg moment Chips with curry sauce (Duncan’s new obsession) School memories: mufty day, signing shirts & reunions Best bits “I’ll have your gizzards out!” Nigella eating a Scotch egg Cocktails saving a dull hotel dinner Chickens carrying gravel Duncan discovering curry sauce Join the Conversation What’s the strangest thing YOU’VE ever eaten — and would you eat it again? WhatsApp:...
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First Suits, Black Cabs & Legendary Encounters
Rambling Retro Nonsense
In this episode of Rambling Retro Nonsense, we take a delightful stroll down memory lane, starting with our first suits and the awkward, itchy outfits of childhood weddings. From Dorothy Perkins frills to Miami Vice–inspired blazers, we explore how these rites of passage shape our sense of style and adulthood. We wander further into nostalgic territory with stories of classic train buffet trolleys, cheese shops at Victoria Station, and the small joys of black cab rides across London at sunset—complete with the sounds of The Kinks and Sinatra setting the scene. Of course, it wouldn’t be a...
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Retro Christmas & New Year Memories
Rambling Retro Nonsense
Join Tommy, Duncan, and Hayley as they take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reliving the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas and New Year past. From paper chains and foil garlands to brandy butter and festive chaos, this episode is packed with laughs, quirky family traditions, and the bittersweet charm of the holidays. In This Episode: Tommy recalls the classic Christmas decoration struggle: pastel paper chains, sticky loops, and the eternal battle with blue tack. Hayley shares her bargain-hunting tips for Christmas decorations, including cheap finds at B&Q. Duncan confesses his...
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Christmas, Cabbage Patch Kids & Childhood Magic
Rambling Retro Nonsense
In this episode, Hayley takes us back to the golden age of 80s toys, from Cabbage Patch Kids and My Little Pony to Care Bears and even a few unexpected Star Wars figures. While parents queued for hours to secure the must-have gifts, kids simply soaked up the magic. Tommy reflects on never being one for “butch toys,” while Duncan enjoys the nostalgia trip. Hayley also shares what it was like growing up with both Hanukkah and Christmas — gelt first, then presents. The food contrast is strong: Hanukkah meals were simple and comforting, while Christmas brought big flavours and even bigger...
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Bending Spoons to Bananas
Rambling Retro Nonsense
This week, Hayley, Duncan and Tommy take a wonderfully weird wander through the world of bending spoons, double glazing, draughty windows, and banana-related childhood trauma. From Uri Geller’s “psychic” tricks to 80s wallpaper paste ads and Christmas cigar jingles, the gang ramble their way through memories of adverts, awkward dances, dodgy dinners and the strange magic of growing up in Britain. In This Episode Uri Geller & the power of persuasion: Duncan has his suspicions, Tommy blames magnets, and Hayley diplomatically settles on “entertainer.” The lost household art of...
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Walkmans, Wires & School Disco Woes
Rambling Retro Nonsense
This week, Hayley, Duncan and Tommy tune into the sounds of the past — from Sony Walkmans and clunky cordless phones to school disco slow dances and tuck shop treats. What starts as a chat about forgotten gadgets soon unravels into stories of radio legends, first crushes, and those painfully awkward teenage moments that everyone remembers (but wishes they didn’t). Expect laughter, nostalgia, and a few “did that really happen?” tangents along the way. In This Episode: Memories of talk radio icon Mike Dickin — and the myth of the flying telephone. Retro gadgets: clunky cordless phones,...
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Sideboards, School Days & Strange Soups
Rambling Retro Nonsense
In this delightfully nostalgic episode, Hayley, Duncan and Tommy rummage through the sideboards of the past — unearthing everything from dusty board games and awkward pamphlets to windfall apple soup and pheasants full of lead shot. Along the way, they revisit school assemblies, embarrassing sex education lessons, and the lost art of metalwork, all with the usual mix of warmth, wit and “did that really happen?” moments. In This Episode: The mystery of the week’s random objects — all leading back to the humble sideboard. 70s and 80s living rooms: whiskey bottles, best china, and that...
info_outlineTommy, Duncan, and Hayley are back with another generous helping of retro rambling – this time dishing up memories of tin-can cuisine, 80s dinner party disasters, and the perilous art of recording the telly without missing Bullseye.
Hayley kicks things off with a creamy confession (spoiler: it involves cheese on toast and squirty cream), while Tommy fondly recalls being ID’d for a Black Forest gateau in Waitrose. From there, it’s a trip through the golden age of vol-au-vents, fondue forks, and why British pizza in the 80s didn’t come with dip – unless you were in Croydon.
Then it’s on to the tech trauma of VHS timers and SCART leads, with listener Kev sharing the horror of being the designated “recorder” during a family holiday. Duncan's opinions on electrical sockets and we discover the terrifying reason why you shouldn’t trust a whispering Alexa.
Also covered:
Spaghetti in a tin, school dinner pink sponge, and Arctic Roll etiquette
Pizza: fancy cheese on toast or something more sacred?
The bomb plot that involved a VHS recorder
Top Cat vs. Boss Cat, and the mystery of Yogi Bear’s rebrand
Favourite lightbulbs and the secret life of halogen fittings
And fondue parties that feel oddly… sensual
Hosts: Tommy Boyd, Duncan Barkes, and Hayley Hayes
Get in Touch with Us!
Still traumatised by a fondue fork injury? Ever programmed a VHS successfully? Can you still taste that tinned spaghetti? We want to hear from you!
WhatsApp: 07405 341500 - leave us a voice note, go on you know you want too!
Email: ramblingretrononsense@gmail.com
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