Unpopped Podcast
Getting serious about the silly stuff. Hayley Campbell & friends examine the biggest pop culture moments of the recent past.
Episodes to download
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Estelle, Jamelia and the Exile of UK R&B
Mon 6 Aug 2018
Why do black, female, UK R&B artists find it so hard to maintain their success at home?
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Stephen King and the Side Effects of Populism
Mon 30 Jul 2018
What drives Stephen King to write and has his popularity altered his critical perception?
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Final Fantasy VII and Redefinition
Mon 23 Jul 2018
What influence did Final Fantasy VII have on video games and wider popular culture?
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Watchmen and the Superhero Concept
Mon 16 Jul 2018
Did the seminal graphic novel Watchmen herald our current obsession with superheroes?
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Eurotrash and Revelation
Mon 9 Jul 2018
What did the TV show Eurotrash tell us about British attitudes towards sex and Europe?
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Now That's What I Call Music and Survival
Mon 2 Jul 2018
Why are Now compilation albums so popular and how have they survived in the digital age?
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Instagram and Artifice
Mon 25 Jun 2018
What effect does Instagram have on our social interactions, our mental health and art?
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Bridget Jones and the Status of Comedy
Mon 18 Jun 2018
Why did Bridget strike such a chord with readers and are the criticisms of her justified?
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One Direction and Conspiracy Theories
Mon 11 Jun 2018
Why does the boyband One Direction attract such a devoted and intense global fanbase?
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Seinfeld and the Tyranny of Endings
Mon 4 Jun 2018
Seinfeld was one of the most popular TV shows ever - so why did it all end so badly?
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Unpopped: Back Soon!
Tue 8 May 2018
Unpopped is taking a little break. Here are a few things we might be tackling in series 2
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David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest and Legacy
Mon 16 Apr 2018
Why has Wallace's beloved, best-selling book become so contentious?
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The Roots of Grime and Representation
Mon 9 Apr 2018
How do you define Grime and what were the roots of the music genre?
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YouTube and Ubiquity
Mon 2 Apr 2018
Why did YouTube become the one of the most successful websites in the world?
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Come Dine With Me and the British Psyche
Mon 26 Mar 2018
Why is Come Dine With Me such a successful TV show and what motivates people to appear?
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Chris Morris and the Darkness of Comedy
Mon 19 Mar 2018
What drives Brass Eye creator Chris Morris to make comedy and who is he making it for?
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Tomb Raider and Indomitability
Mon 12 Mar 2018
What influence has video game Tomb Raider and Lara Croft had on wider popular culture?
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Twin Peaks and Forensic Fandom
Mon 5 Mar 2018
What influence has David Lynch's celebrated Twin Peaks had on the cultural landscape?
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The Spice Girls and Kathy Acker
Mon 26 Feb 2018
What happened when writer Kathy Acker met the Spice Girls at the height of their fame?
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Paris Hilton and the Demise of the Party Girl
Mon 19 Feb 2018
Did Paris Hilton provide the blueprint for the current celebrity obsessed culture?
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RuPaul's Drag Race and Beyond
Mon 12 Feb 2018
“The shaaaaade of it all!" The glorious global phenomenon that it is RuPaul’s Drag Race.
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Welcome to Unpopped
Fri 2 Feb 2018
Producer Dale Shaw and host Hayley Campbell give you a taste of what’s to come.
Is It a Bird? Can You Identify these Obscure Superheroes
Guess the name if the crime-fighter from their description.
How Bridget Jones Are You?
How similar to the Darcy-loving, large-pant-owning, nicotine-chronicling Bridget are you?
The Strangest Musical Conspiracy Theories
Pop culture has always generated crazy stories, here are just a few of them.
NEWSQUENCH!
How much do you know about Chris Morris?
How much do you know about Twin Peaks?
Did the following scenes actually take place in Twin Peaks or have we made them up?
Zig-A-Zig Whaaaaa? It’s the Ultimate Spice Girls Quiz!
Take the quiz and find out how scary your knowledge is…
How RuPaul’s Drag Race Made the World a Better Place
What has the drag icon RuPaul and his globally successful show given to the world?
