Answer Me This!

Welcome to this month's Answer Us Back, full of your feedback and questions provoked by previous episodes of Answer Me This. Today we have:

Look, we recorded AMT421 the day before Tim Curry died, and it was pure chance that we appeared to pay tribute to him by slagging off two of his most beloved films. He’s very good in them! He’s even very good in Olly’s pick for the worst film ever made!

We all want Olly to write a memoir, right? Full of anecdotes about the many times when he almost met celebrities?

Sally has a tip for silencing those musical washing machines before they launch into the full symphony.

Should Olly satisfy his anthropological curiosity about what it’s like to go to a Roy Chubby Brown gig, or does that just make him someone who willingly attends a Roy Chubby Brown gig?

Helena in Aotearoa New Zealand informs us that some of the washing machines of Aotearoa New Zealand play a selection of national anthems. And/or Crazy Frog.

The bidet chat continues to flow: Molly in London asks if it’s ok to wash her bum with the water from her dehumidifier. Erm, best not. But what can you do with that water?

Annie asks the question on behalf of all of you who have been desperate to know since last Answer Us Back: what is Olly’s system for displaying souvenir magnets on his fridge?

After AMT421’s question about the dangers of orchestra conductors’ podiums, Laura from Ottawa, who is a professional violinist, tells us tales of other perils of the orchestra.

In episode we-forget-which-number-but-fairly-recent, Olly spoke of convincing himself not to be annoyed by his father’s snoring. Lola in Seattle can even turn horrible misophonia into delectable ASMR. (And if you are looking for help in navigating misophonia in yourself or people close to you, check out friend-of-the-pod Jane Gregory’s work and book at soundslikemisophonia.com.)

If AMTs 1-421 left you with lingering questions and opinions, share them with us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form, to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com. All new AMT422 will be in your podfeed on 24 September 2026.

Help keep AMT going by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis, where you can get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems, AND access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, and all the Retro AMT episodes.

Answer Me This is sponsored by:

• Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 30% off using our code ANSWER. Also, their Labor Day sale runs 25 August till September 8th!

• Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set.

• Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.
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In AMT421, questioneers want to know about orchestra conductors falling off their plinths, why their washing machine plays a little tune, why humans got into riding horses, and what our favourite camp classic movies are (we recorded this the day before news broke of Tim Curry's death, so our inadvertent tribute to him is being somewhat critical of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Clue. RIP, Tim!)

For more information about this episode, go to answermethispodcast.com/episode421.

Support AMT at patreon.com/answermethis, and in return you get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems – and the highest tier gets access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, the full archive of Bonus Bits of Crapp on the AMT App and all the Retro AMT episodes.

Got questions for an episode, trivial troubles for Petty Problems, or feedback about an AMT old or new? Send them in writing or as voice notes to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com, or you can call 0208 123 5877 to leave us a message. AMT422 will be out 24 September 2026 and the next Answer Us Back will land in your podfeed on 10 September.

AMT is sponsored by:

• Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 20% off using our code ANSWER. • Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online realm. Go to squarespace.com/answer, play around with the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER. • Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set. • Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to this month's Answer Us Back, packed full of your responses to previous episodes of Answer Me This - or as it will soon be rebranded, Could Be True/Might Be Interesting. Today's track listing:

In response to AMT420's question about illegal use of wet wipes, Eileen in Bridgewater, New Jersey sends an impassioned plea for us to consider the bidet! So, we did. We have previously considered the bidet, btw, in AMT361.

A Swedish Person successfully survived their trip to London for which they asked for advice in AMT415 - but it ended up raising more questions, about bus ads for fruit, and being constantly asked about allergies.

BJ, who in AMT414 asked about how to respond to people asking what BJ stands for, has feedback about going on vacations with your family, having listened to AMT420's contemplation of that topic WHILE ON VACATION WITH HER FAMILY. Therefore her suggestions of survival tactics are freshly tested.

Since we're discussing vacations, Sarah from Plumpton in East Sussex wants to know whether you can count yourself as having been to a country if you've just stopped off at the airport there. And the question to which we allude, about what constitutes sex, is in AMT267.

Rich in Oxford is an airline captain, so swoops in with The Actual Facts regarding AMT420's question about whether commercial planes have keys and would be easy to steal.

In AMT419, Dan in Pennsylvania asked about which British produce he could grow on his farm in Pennsylvania; this continued in the last edition of Answer Us Back; now, Alyssa in Indianapolis supplies a great suggestion, plus a recommendation for a recent episode of Gastropod about when blackcurrants were illegal in the USA.

And Margaret requests an update on the storied family houseplant which Olly mentioned all the way back in AMT258.

If AMTs 1-420 left you with lingering questions and opinions, share them with us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form, to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com. All new AMT421 will be in your podfeed on 27 August 2026.

Help keep AMT going by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis, where you can get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems, AND access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, and all the Retro AMT episodes.

Answer Me This is sponsored by:

• Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 30% off using our code ANSWER. Also, their Labor Day sale runs 25 August till September 8th!

• Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set.

• Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In AMT420, questioneers want to know whether airplanes have keys, what the G stands for in g-string, and why hotel rooms have one solitary chair staring at the bed. Plus: Olly wonders if all the switches in the plane cockpit really do something; Helen maintains that going on vacation with your family is not vacation; and Martin the Sound Man guides us into the manosphere.

For more information about this episode, go to answermethispodcast.com/episode420.

Support AMT at patreon.com/answermethis, and in return you get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems – and the highest tier gets access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, the full archive of Bonus Bits of Crapp on the AMT App and all the Retro AMT episodes.

Got questions for an episode, trivial troubles for Petty Problems, or feedback about an AMT old or new? Send them in writing or as voice notes to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com, or you can call 0208 123 5877 to leave us a message. AMT421 will be out 27 August 2026 and the next Answer Us Back will land in your podfeed on 20 August.

AMT is sponsored by:

• Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online realm. Go to squarespace.com/answer, play around with the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER

• Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 20% off using our code ANSWER.

• Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set.

• Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every edition of Answer Us Back features your responses to/observations upon previous episodes of AMT, some of them many many years old - but today's episode is packed to the rafters with what you had to say about our most recent episode, AMT419!

Detta has baked a version of the Tom Cruise coconut-white chocolate bundt cake - "A lot of faff, but worth it."

Anonymous from the Allusioverse has actually eaten a cake gifted by Tom Cruise! Not the coconut bundt though - a lemon one, strong enough to taste "remarkably like having your taste buds bashed out". Mmm, great.

A different Anonymous writes about the practice of film stars buying end-of-shoot gifts for all the crewmembers.

Alastair in Kilmarnock gives some fun Scottish examples of stadiums being corporately renamed...

...and Mark tells us some of the creative approaches that stadiums have taken to cover up their usual corporate logos during the World Cup.

Meagan in Oakland CA wonders when, if ever, it would be OK to wear her Houston Astros shirt from 25ish years ago which has the Enron logo on it?

On the topic of which fun British vegetables Dan in Pennsylvania could grow on his farm, Emily in Canada is screaming, "King Edward potatoes!!!"

Dan himself writes back, noting the ladybird fu**fest that was mentioned in AMT419.

As well as buying ladybirds to sort out her garden's aphids, Isabel treats herself to a few praying mantis egg sacs, to enjoy a miniature horror show when they hatch.

And Erica responds to the previous Answer Us Back, where we mused upon the potential disappointment of seeing one of us audio podcasters in the flesh.

If AMTs 1-419 left you with lingering questions and opinions, share them with us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form, to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com. All new AMT420 will be in your podfeed on 30 July 2026.

Help keep AMT going by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis, where you can get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems, AND access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, and all the Retro AMT episodes.

AMT is sponsored by:

• Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 20% off using our code ANSWER.

• Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set.

• Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices