Quote · Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe
S12 EP46: Laura Smyth (The Return)
Where this was said
The BLADS Campaign: Practical Safety Tips for Men
At 11:11 · chapter starts 9:15
Rob reads out a campaign sent in by listener Poppy Murray called BLADS (blads.co.uk), which stands for Be visible, Ease tension by making a phone call, Look away don't stare, Active bystander, Distance yourself, and Suggest walking a friend home — six practical steps for men who find themselves walking near a woman alone at night and want to avoid causing alarm. Rob and Josh immediately role-play the scenario: Rob is instructed to drop back, cross to the lit side of the road, and call his wife Lou for a warmly domestic phone conversation ('Hi Lou, what's for dinner?'). There's a running joke about Rob's rural celebrity status — walking down a country lane and being recognised diffuses tension instantly, so 'Be Famous, if possible' becomes the unofficial seventh step. Both hosts agree the phone call tip makes sense but Rob admits he'd panic about what to say. The segment ends with an unresolved query about 'active bystander' — neither host is entirely sure what it means in practice, but they recommend the campaign nonetheless. It's a warm, funny treatment of a genuinely useful topic.
Laura Smyth rocks up to the world's top comedy podcast in fake Chanel she bought at an Irish festival and a knock-off handbag from Istanbul. Her rule: you can't justify an eight-grand Chanel handbag until you own bricks and mortar. Same goes for real Chanel necklaces.
Rob Beckett paid €5 per bottle for water at Tenerife Airport. €15 for three bottles. The trio spiral into a wider rant about inflated prices at minibars, airport shops, service station petrol, and cinema snacks — the universal experience of knowing something is overpriced and paying it anyway.
Rob Beckett paid €5 per bottle for water at Tenerife Airport, totalling €15 for three bottles.
Laura Smyth had her eldest daughter Rosie at age 20; Rosie is now 23 and studying Interior Spatial Design at University of the Arts London.
Laura Smyth has three children: Rosie (23), Bonnie (10), and Alfred (8), with significant age gaps between them.
