Shows
JoyrideEpisode 85: Let’s Go CrazyIan and John return to talk about films and telly: just for a change.
2023-08-2726 min2023-06-1125 min2023-05-1421 min
Headstart EnglishCone Gatherers: 10 MarkersHaving a look at past and practice papers, we discuss the possible themes you might be asked about in the exam.
2023-05-0523 min2023-04-0224 minJoyrideEpisode 81: Play in the SunshineIan and John talk about their emotional relationship with Star Wars.
2023-02-1228 min2023-02-0525 minJoyrideEpisode 79: 2022 WrappedIan and John talk about the World Cup and their 2022 Wrapped findings.
2022-12-0432 min2022-10-3034 minJoyrideEpisode 77: A Tale of Two ToriesIan and John talk about the uncertainty at the top of the UK Government.
2022-10-2333 minJoyrideEpisode 76: Which Hunt?Ian and John reluctantly talk about the turbulent week in UK politics.
2022-10-1635 minJoyrideEpisode 75: Chaos and DisorderIan and John talk about the CONfusion surrounding last week’s Tory Party Conference.
2022-10-0933 minJoyrideEpisode 74: Rubbish SparrowIan and John talk about Liz Truss’ first working week as prime minister.
2022-10-0245 minJoyrideEpisode 73: Boris Johnson RememberedIan and John talk about Boris Johnson’s many achievements as prime minister.
2022-09-0441 minJoyrideEpisode 72: Crisis? What Crisis?Ian and John talk about the latest ‘cost of living’ concerns.
2022-08-2839 min2022-07-3143 min2022-07-0335 min2022-06-1936 minJoyrideEpisode 68: Lovely JubileeIan and John talk about the recent Jubilee, political news and Stranger Things.
2022-06-1241 minJoyrideEpisode 67: Heartfelt ApologiesIan and John talk about Boris Johnson’s response to the long-awaited Sue Gray Report.
2022-05-2939 min2022-05-2240 minHeadstart EnglishBox Room - Liz LochheadA quick analysis of Box Room by Liz Lochhead. Meant for those doing Lochhead as their Scottish Text in this year’s Higher English exam; but can be enjoyed by all!
2022-05-0929 minHeadstart EnglishAunt Julia - Norman MacCaigA quick and painless analysis of Norman MacCaig’s eulogy to his beloved Aunt Julia. Meant for Scottish Text question in Higher English; but could be enjoyed by all poetry fans.
2022-05-0920 min2022-05-0136 minJoyrideEpisode 64: HedgerowsIan and John talk about PartyGate - again - and John’s adolescent memories of adult entertainment.
2022-04-2438 min2022-04-0342 minJoyrideEpisode 62: The Joyful GeeksIan and John ignore the depressing news cycle in favour of embracing joyful geekdom.
2022-03-2733 minJoyrideEpisode 61: Match of the Day 3Ian and John do a football quiz that’s not really about football.
2022-03-1339 minJoyrideEpisode 60: The Squeezed MiddleIan and John chat about politics and telly. You know: the important stuff.
2022-02-1533 min2022-01-3131 minJoyrideEpisode 58: Desperately Seeking Sue GrayIan and John return for the first show of 2022. We will only tell you the content of the show once Sue Gray has concluded her investigation.
2022-01-1636 minJoyrideEpisode 57: PartymanIan and John talk about the grim state of the country as we stand on the precipice of an Omicron tidal wave.
2021-12-1337 minJoyrideEpisode 56: Cop OutIan and John discuss whether or not politicians used COP26 to save the world. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.
2021-11-1435 min2021-10-3128 min2021-10-2429 min2021-10-1028 minJoyrideEpisode 52: Farewell My Summer LoveIan and John mourn the passing of summer as they talk about news and culture.
2021-09-0545 min2021-08-0142 minJoyrideEpisode 50: The Dark AgesIan and John celebrate their 50th episode by pondering the bleak state of the nation right now. Happy times indeed!
2021-07-2539 minJoyrideEpisode 49: The Johnson VariantIan and John give their thoughts on the week’s current events.
2021-07-1133 minJoyrideEpisode 48: Better than VinylIan and John talk about music, collecting and being men in a state of arrested development.
2021-07-0428 minJoyrideEpisode 47: Matt Hancock (a-ha!)Ian and John discuss the Matt Hancock scandal and the first two weeks of the Euros.
2021-06-2742 minHeadstart EnglishLanguage QuestionsI give a general overview of how to approach Language Questions in an RUAE.
2021-06-0606 minJoyrideEpisode 46: Michael Jackson (Part 2 of 2)Ian and John talk about the news then discuss MJ’s post Dangerous output.
2021-05-3040 minJoyrideEpisode 45: Michael Jackson (Part 1 of 2)Ian and John talk Michael Jackson - from Off The Wall to Dangerous.
2021-05-2337 minHeadstart EnglishWinter - Edwin MorganI manage a quick but thorough analysis of Edwin Morgan's bleak meditation on life and death. Find me on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/HSETutoring/.
2021-05-1521 minJoyrideEpisode 44: Britannia Waives the RulesOn exactly the first anniversary of this podcast, Ian and John get a bit angry talking about this week’s news. Sorry!
2021-05-0233 minJoyrideEpisode 43: Mother of PrinceIan and John mourn five years without Prince and celebrate the joy of ‘Line of Duty’.
2021-04-2540 min2021-04-1140 minJoyrideEpisode 41: TV TimesIan and John get their nostalgia hats on again as they reminisce about music and TV of yesteryear.
2021-04-0441 minJoyrideEpisode 40: Crossing the StreamsIan and John talk about the new Alba Party. John also talks about the joys of protest live-streaming.
2021-03-2838 minHeadstart EnglishHotel Room, 12th Floor (feat. John)I talk to my friend - another former English teacher - about Norman MacCaig’s classic poem, ‘Hotel Room, 12th Floor’.
2021-03-2136 minJoyrideEpisode 39: A Pessimist is Never DisappointedIan and John really do try and look at the brighter side of the news this week.
2021-03-2131 minJoyrideEpisode 38: A Right Royal MessIan and John talk about the big royal interview and Ian’s vaccine experience.
2021-03-1444 minJoyrideEpisode 37: The Chart ShowIan and John talk a bit about the news and then about the music charts of yesteryear.
2021-03-0727 min2021-02-2842 min2021-02-0737 min2021-01-3147 min2021-01-2443 minJoyrideEpisode 32: Traces of ZoomIan and John experiment with Zoom to talk about lockdown and BBC drama, ‘Traces’.
2021-01-1740 min2021-01-1029 min2021-01-0331 min2020-12-2736 minJoyrideEpisode 28: Merry Little XmasIan and John discuss all the recently announced festive changes.
2020-12-2028 min2020-12-1335 min2020-12-0636 minHeadstart EnglishSentence StructureSome advice on how best to tackle sentence structure questions in an RUAE. I even mention ‘parenthetical insertions’!
2020-12-0411 minHeadstart EnglishTone QuestionsHopefully this will explain how best to tackle tone questions. No contemptuous or effusive tones used here!
2020-12-0411 minHeadstart EnglishConclusion QuestionA quick word about how to tackle conclusion or introduction questions on the eve of the exam.
2020-12-0405 min2020-11-2936 minJoyrideEpisode 24: A Priti Quiet WeekIan and John talk about Indiana Jones and The Pritster of Doom.
2020-11-2331 minJoyrideEpisode 23: Princess Nut NutsIan and John talk about all the fun news from the last two weeks.
2020-11-1527 minJoyrideEpisode 22: Video Shop KidsIan and John discuss the latest Covid developments before chatting about the lost joys of video shop rentals.
2020-11-0133 min2020-10-2530 minJoyrideEpisode 20: Fears for TiersIan and John chat about the new Tier-system that Boris has implemented: presumably to confuse coronavirus.
2020-10-1833 minJoyrideEpisode 19: Sure ThingIan and John talk deodorant. And Lockdown. Apologies for sound-syncing issues.
2020-10-1131 minJoyrideEpisode 18 - The Phantom LockdownIan and John despair as the country begins new Covid restrictions.
2020-09-2736 minJoyrideEpisode 17: John RantsIan and John capture the mood of a nation by getting angry about the current state of things.
2020-09-2034 minJoyrideEpisode 16: The Rule of SixIan and John discuss the latest Covid news and how it is impacting on the different parts of the UK.
2020-09-1332 min2020-09-0632 minJoyrideEpisode 14: Office SpaceIan and John talk about the further loosening of lockdown measures; and Billie Piper.
2020-08-3029 minJoyrideEpisode 13: Lessons LearnedIan and John talk about exam results and differing degrees of lockdown.
2020-08-1636 minJoyrideEpisode 12: View from the EastIan and John talk about lockdown weddings and Covid precautions in the East and North.
2020-08-0930 minJoyrideEpisode 11: John Does Like To Be Beside The SeasideIan and John talk about mandatory face coverings and visits to the seaside.
2020-07-2634 min2020-07-1241 minJoyrideEpisode 9: Pub Crawl with The LadsIan and John talk about Super Saturday, super tv shows and one not-so-super tv show.
2020-07-0537 minJoyrideEpisode 8: Strawberry Anfields ForeverIan and John chat about Beatles music, football’s return and the penultimate (thankfully) episode of The Loch. (Music by Ian)
2020-06-2141 minJoyrideEpisode 7: Sherry HellIan and John talk about sherry glasses, protests and the worst episode of The Loch. Apologies for the slight sound issues. Blame the technology! (Music by Ian)
2020-06-141h 01JoyrideEpisode 6: Covid NegativeIan and John talk about Ian’s antibody test, great pop songs and, of course, episode 3 of The Loch. (Music by Ian)
2020-06-0748 minJoyrideEpisode 5: Prince Dominic 4 JusticeIan and John have a jolly chat about Prince, Dominic Cummings and a current news story. We also analyse the second episode of The Loch. (Music by Ian)
2020-05-3150 minJoyrideEpisode 4: Cummings and GoingsIan and John discuss the week’s news and begin their deep dive into STV’s ‘The Loch’. (Music by Ian)
2020-05-2346 minJoyrideEpisode 3: Schools and Crime StoriesIan and John discuss the current effects of lockdown on education. They also discuss their favourite crime shows. (Music by Ian)
2020-05-1743 minJoyrideEpisode 2: VE Day History LessonsIan and John chat about changing names, monumental historical moments and Twilight. (Music by Ian)
2020-05-0937 minJoyrideEpisode 1: An IntroductionIan and John give Zoom a try. John goes a bit robotic and glitchy at times, but it WILL get better. (Music by Ian)
2020-05-0229 minHeadstart English8 Mark Question - SailmakerWe look at how to tackle the 8 mark question on Sailmaker in the Scottish Text paper.
2019-12-0513 minHeadstart English8 Mark Question - MacCaigWe look at how to answer the 8 mark question at the end of the Scottish Text paper.
2019-12-0511 minHeadstart EnglishBrooklyn CopI do my best to bring this rather violent and grim poem to life. We look at the themes and the language used in this powerful Scottish Text.
2019-11-2624 minHeadstart EnglishNational 5 PrelimI quickly explain the different parts of the National 5 English prelim so you all know what you actually need to prepare for! Find me on Facebook at: https://m.facebook.com/HSETutoring/
2019-11-2210 minHeadstart EnglishVisiting Hour: NotesI endeavour to bring this rather depressing poem to life. Plenty of notes and commentary. Find me on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/HSETutoring/
2019-11-2122 min
Headstart EnglishThe Cone Gatherers: Chapter NotesDetailed synopsis of The Cone Gatherers. Chronological notes and analysis of all the events of this classic novel.
2019-03-2828 min