We Have Notes

Notes on… Lily Allen’s breakup album and Claudia Winkleman & Tess Daly exiting Strictly

Has Lily Allen shared too much in West End Girl, her first album in 7 years? She’s said it’s “not gospel” but it reveals painful details of the breakdown of her non-mononymous marriage.    Has Strictly Come Dancing lost its sparkle now that Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are making their exit? TV critic Scott Bryan shares his thoughts.   Watch full episodes on YouTube - HERE    Liv and Miranda love to share their recommendations, here’s what’s on their radar this week:    Miranda:  Dave’s new album ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’   Liv: Yasmin Lacey’s new album ‘Teal Dreams’   Read more On My Radar recommendations from The Observer’s New Review HERE    Links to everything mentioned ‘In The Margins’:  Grace Wales Bonner ROSALÍA’s new music video ‘Berghain’ Vogue World 2025: Hollywood  Wayward (TV show) The Perfect Neighbour (TV show)   Let’s chat! Send us your voice notes!  @WeHaveNotes_Pod on Instagram @WeHaveNotes_Pod on TikTok wehavenotes@observer.co.uk via email   

Notes on… The Louvre heist and growing up with Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson was the author who carried millennial women from childhood into adolescence. Her books didn’t shy away from tough subjects like depression, abuse and grooming. Now, as she releases Perfect Imperfect, the long-awaited follow-up to her 1997 classic The Illustrated Mum, Liv and Miranda discuss how she mainstreamed taking girlhood seriously.   It’s been a wild week in the art world: a heist at the Louvre, A-listers swanning through a British Museum ball trying to outshine the Met Gala, and the Frieze Art Fair came to London. But behind the Chanel and champagne lies one big question: why does a multi-billion-pound industry have a money problem?   Watch full episodes on YouTube - HERE    Liv and Miranda love to share their recommendations, here’s what’s on their radar this week:  Miranda:  Thorpe Park Fright Night Liv: Pillion (film) Santosh (film) The Stimming Pool (film) I swear (film)   Read more On My Radar recommendations from The Observer’s New Review HERE    Links to everything mentioned in this episode:  Get a copy of Jacqueline Wilson’s new book - Picture Imperfect - HERE    Let’s chat! Send us your voice notes!  @WeHaveNotes_Pod on Instagram @WeHaveNotes_Pod on TikTok wehavenotes@observer.co.uk via email   

Notes on… Victoria Beckham’s new documentary and why most top designers are men

This week, Netflix released a three-part series on Victoria Beckham’s evolution from Spice Girl to fashion designer. Produced by David Beckham’s company, it joins a growing list of self-made celeb docs - from Harry & Meghan to Beyoncé, Pamela Anderson, and Robbie Williams.   London and Paris Fashion Weeks sparked online outrage - with models walking in metal mouth braces, bound arms, bodysuits printed with male genitalia, and trad-wife-style aprons. With major houses like Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and Balenciaga now mostly led by men, Liv and Miranda ask The Observer’s Jo Jones what’s gone wrong.   Watch full episodes on YouTube - HERE    Liv and Miranda love to share their recommendations, here’s what’s on their radar this week:    Miranda:  ‘It Always Was’ (song) by Joshua Idehen ‘Cocksucker Blues’ (documentary)   Liv ‘Dreaming Whilst Black’ (Series)   Cat Burns (!!!) The Assessment (Film)   Read more On My Radar recommendations from The Observer’s New Review HERE    Let’s chat! Send us your voice notes!  @WeHaveNotes_Pod on Instagram @WeHaveNotes_Pod on TikTok wehavenotes@observer.co.uk via email   

Notes on… Taylor Swift versus Charli XCX and the death of clubbing

Taylor Swift’s new, record-breaking album The Life of a Showgirl is dividing a once-faithful fandom. Following the success of the epic Eras tour, Swifties are breaking cover to critique the star for the first time - particularly over one song which seems to pick a fight with Charli XCX.   Two major London clubs, G-A-Y and Corsica, announced their closure this week, marking another blow to the city’s nightlife. Miranda came of age in the 1990s Manchester club scene; Liv did the same in South London in the 2010s. At this rate, traditional clubs it looks like could disappear entirely by the end of the decade. What happens if clubbing culture goes extinct?    Liv and Miranda love to share their recommendations, here’s what’s on their radar this week:  Miranda:  Yushy - Section 63 (book) Free Party: A Folk History (documentary) Liv: Jewel’s Catch One (documentary) Curse of: America’s Next Top Model (podcast series)    Read more On My Radar recommendations from The Observer’s New Review HERE    Read Kitty Empire’s review of Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl - HERE   Let’s chat! Send us your voice notes!  @WeHaveNotes_Pod on Instagram @WeHaveNotes_Pod on TikTok wehavenotes@observer.co.uk via email    Clubs mentioned:   G-A-Y (London) Corsica Studios (London) KIKI (Manchester) VOID (Manchester) Tribeca (Manchester) Proud Bar (Somerset) Queer Junction (Sheffield) Chic (Birmingham) Jumbi Peckham (London) La Camionara (London) Coven (London) Blitz (London) Cream (Liverpool) The Haçienda (Manchester) Fridge (London) Trade (London) Ritz (Manchester) The PSV (Public Service Vehicle) Club (Hulme) Babes (London) Pxssy Palace (London) Bongo’s Bingo (UK) Jewel's Catch One (LA, US)   Watch full episodes on YouTube - HERE   

Notes on… House of Guinness and what’s next for Chicken Shop Date

Why is Irish culture having such a moment? Netflix’s new blockbuster House of Guinness is the latest in a run of Irish TV hits following Normal People, Derry Girls and Bad Sisters. Musicians CMAT and Kneecap are breaking out, Nicola Coughlan and Paul Mescal are dominating screens, and writers like Sally Rooney and Claire Keegan continue to top bestseller lists. Amelia Dimoldenberg has awkwardly ‘dated’ top A-list guests like Billie Eilish, Louis Theroux, and, of course, Andrew Garfield on her viral YouTube show. This week, Chicken Shop Date turned 10 - where does she go from here? Liv and Miranda love to share their recommendations, here’s what’s on their radar this week:  Miranda: The Irish Passport  The Blind Boy Podcast Baxter Dury - Allbarone album  Liv: Four Mothers  Read more On My Radar recommendations from The Observer’s New Review HERE  Let’s chat! Send us your voice notes!  @WeHaveNotes_Pod on Instagram @WeHaveNotes_Pod on TikTok wehavenotes@observer.co.uk via email    Watch full episodes on YouTube - HERE   

Notes on… JADE breaking the girl group curse and our true crime problem

Former Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall has just dropped her debut solo album and it’s already reached number three in the charts. For decades, women leaving girl groups have struggled to replicate their success on their own. Has Jade finally broken the curse?   The podcast industry was built off the back of true crime, but the genre has now spread to every corner of the media: Netflix docu-series, ITV dramas and blockbuster book deals. But can these stories ever be told ethically?    Liv and Miranda love to share their recommendations, here’s what’s on their radar this week:    Miranda’s recommendation - You Had to be There by Jodie Harsh  Liv’s recommendation - CKTRL - Spirit Read more ‘On My Radar’ recommendations The Observer’s New Review HERE    Follow us on Social Media and send your voice notes to @WeHaveNotes_pod on Instagram and TikTok  

Introducing...We Have Notes

The week in culture, annotated. Writer and journalist Liv Little and Observer critic Miranda Sawyer get notes from editors all the time - now it’s their turn to hand them out. Every Wednesday morning, Liv and Miranda weigh in on the latest cultural happenings, from reality TV meltdowns and art house films, to gallery openings and TikTok trends. Smart, funny, and full of sharp observations. We Have Notes is culture with commentary.