The Fangirl Diaries

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same!" You guess it, we've hopped on the latest Bronte-themed bandwagon and we sat in a PACKED cinema on Valentine's weekend, drinking in the new Wuthering Heights movie. Spoiler - we loved it!! If soaking shirts, gratuitous costuming and a gold tooth aren't your bag then look elsewhere because we're going through all the reasons this film ROCKED - soundtrack, casting, Emerald Fennel's personal take on a Victorian classic and more. While we didn't love every single choice she made, this new version feels super fresh and verrrrrry sexy.

What makes a great Villain? And why do we love to hate them? Today's coffee break episode takes a tour through the most delicious of villains from book and screen spanning 90s Disney, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and more! Who doesn't love Hades, Lord of the Underworld?!

Winter is here! And in these icy conditions Maddie and Alicia have got our their tea and blankets ready to discuss the ending of Game of Thrones. In this second part of our GoT special, we take a deep dive into each of the subplots that drive seasons 5-8 plus give our own BETTER version of the ending. If you still miss The Hound, Arya, randomly saying "Dracarys", Jon Snow and Sansa's Season 7 glow up then this is for you...

It's the big finale! As Christmas approaches, we wrap up our Harry Potter special with this last episode following The Half Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. We remember where we were when the series came to an end, who 'spoilt' what for us both and how bad of a headache remembering all of those Hallows and Horcruxes gave us...But ultimately the magic triumphed and The Battle of Hogwarts can't be bettered.

The adventure continues! We chat Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix as well as the film releases coming out in the early 2000s. Books 4 and 5 are our favourites and who can blame us? Maddie loves the structure and stratagems of The Triwizard Tournament and Alicia always wants to hang out at Grimmauld Place to cheer up Sirius and make all the battle plans!

1997. Where it all began. Alicia and Maddie read a little book about The Boy Who Lived and were irreversibly changed. Today's pod is all about the early years of Harry Potter (The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban). we discuss the Trio, Quidditch, Hogsmeade, the Basilisk and the start of what became THE defining fangirl obsession of our childhoods.

Winter is coming! And as Autumn draws in, we've dug out our top fantasy box sets and settled back down with Jon Snow and Robb Stark. Top of the List? Long-time favourite and definite obsession - Game of Thrones. We re-live our twenties, looking back on the most gasp-worthy moments across a two-part episode (we have a LOT of thoughts on Game of Thrones). It scooped the top prize in our 'badass' category and re-conditioned the way we watched 'appointment TV'. Both of us still carry the trauma from The Red Wedding to this day... A Lannister always pays his debts...

Our album reaction! We obviously had to listen to The Life of A Showgirl as soon as it dropped but we have....mixed feelings...As long-term Swifties, we count down our favourite (and least favourite!) tracks, remember albums past and can't help ingulding in some wedding speculation!

*SPOILERS* "I love you! I will always love you! I think you know that..." And we LOVE this show! We're recording on Season Finale day as we have to face saying goodbye to Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah. We react to Belly's final choice, recap the show's HOTTEST moments, best music picks and theorise about the magic of Cousins and the sheer genius of Jenny Han. What will we do with our Wednesdays now??

“I was in love … like out of my mind in love. What was I supposed to do?” Season 2 takes a TURN people! Susannah is dead (we were shook!), Laurel has been sidelined, who knows what's happened to Cleveland, Conrad is spiralling and Jeremiah is on the uppppp. Oh and Cam Cameron is back. We looks at the three acts of Season 2, the brief snatches of Bonrad, the 'Aunt Julia Problem', and then the dawn of the age of Jellyfish. Maddie gives her predictions for Season 3 and we chat about the series's crowning jewel (as well as the Infinity necklace) - the soundtrack!

Oh boy. Where do we even start? The answer is with Maddie's meticulously crafted spreadsheet (not joking), categorising all her favourite musicals, their overall "score" and we look back on a genre that gave us so many obsessions. On the list are Hamilton, Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, Spring Awakening, Wicked, Les Miserables and oh so many Andrew Lloyd Webber masterpieces...

“I don’t want you to need me. I want you to want me.” Woooooooo and here we go!! It's all happening to Belly on Cousins Beach! Maddie is a new The Summer I Turned Pretty inductee and Alicia is on (another) re-watch. For those of you in the trenches of Season 3 right now, we're doing a full retrospective of Seasons 1 and 2 (see next episode!) looking back at why this show delivers the perfect formula, the perfect script and a certain magic that has us all hooked. Alicia is Team Conrad, Maddie is Team Jeremiah so let the deep-dive begin....

It's taken us roughly twenty years, but we HAVE to discuss Moulin Rouge - because we can can CAN! We disagree, for the first time, about The Thermometer Level, rate our top 3 songs and discuss the film that spawned 1000 prom night themes. Also, Nicole Kidman WAS doing bejewelled bodysuits before Taylor Swift...

It's time for a TV classic this week! With Alicia a long-term fan and Maddie embarking on her first foray into life with The Crawleys, it must be Downton Abbey! We chat through our favourite plot lines, the unforgettable characters, the tragic deaths (some necessary, some truly UNNECESSARY) and the best Lady Violet put-downs.

It's the end of our Buffy Mini-series! And the most controversial seasons yet - 6 and 7. These mark the shift, both to a different network and to a very different (darker) tone for the show. We discuss The Trio, Dark Willow and the many tragedies of  season 6 before wrapping things up with The Potentials, The First and Buffy's final fight. Whether you're a Spuffy shipper, a long-term Buffy nerd or simply watching along with us for the first time - we hope you've enjoyed the ride!

Bless my soul, Herc is on a ROLL... and we love it!! Looking back to 1997, we revisit what makes this Disney film one of our all time heroes. What's the best part? Meg's dress? Hades' flaming hair? Or the soundtrack to which we still know every. single. word?

Join Alicia and Maddie as they take you on a tour of New Zealand to visit all the places that Peter Jackson and crew scouted to film the epic 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy.

"Glorificus! Your terrifically smooth one, Your creamy coolness, Your Most glamorous yet tasteful one, Oh..." If Clare Kramer is here as Buffy's best ever Big Bad then it must be Season 5! A team favourite: The Scoobies Willow, Xander, Tara and Anya all mysteriously yet conveniently accept Dawn (aka The Key) as one of their own in the battle to save Sunnydale from yet another Apocalypse ("How many apocalypses is that for us now? At least six..."). Giles gets his Magic Shop, Xander gets a twin, Riley gets lost and Buffy gets a new peroxide-haired admirer in the shape of Spike. It's time to go "Out. For. A. Walk. Bitch."

"Players: the time for talk is over!" Or in the case of this podcast - just beginning!! We've had the Season 3 Finale and we're here to dissect it all. From the tragedy of Alexander to the mystery of Claudia Winkleman's fringe...welcome to THE TRAITORS!

We've only waited TWENTY SOMETHING YEARS for this!! Finally the Wicked movie has been released so we took a long-awaited jaunt to see it together after Maddie booked ahead...that's what makes her so nice. Join us as we discuss the all-star performances, transport by bubble and some very emotional cameos...

"Giles has a TV! He's shallow - like us!" Season 4 is ready for a deep-dive and the Scooby Gang have started at UC Sunnydale! Riley is on the scene, Spike's back and Giles is...well, still fired. We chat about The Initiative, Hush, and the introduction of Tara as our Buffy obsession continues...

"If you're a bird then I'm a bird too!" Iconic or non-sensical? Either way, we recap some of the most famous quotes, kisses and costumes from 2004's The Notebook. Not a Nicholas Sparks fan? Where WERE you in the 00's? His romance novels and films were the stuff of every millennial's sleepovers...especially ours! Join us on a trip back to Charleston, South Carolina, with Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as the film celebrates it's 20 year anniversary. God, we're old...

Buffy and the Scooby Gang get ready to graduate in Season 3 of the 1999 hit show. We re-cap the season and run through our favourite fights, the best couples, the most shocking moments (Faith and Xander, anyone!?) and try to contain our excitement that Spike is BACK (yes, yes, and Angel...)

"There you are. I've been looking for you." It's....ACOTAR! And we're coming at this from a slightly different angle this week. One the one hand, we have Alicia, the mega-fan, future wife of Rhysand and Sarah J Maas devotee. On the other, we have Maddie who has...let's just say...mixed opinions about all things Prythian. We talk Tamlin, Amarantha, TV adaptations and try to ensure Maddie gets on the bandwagon for Mist and Fury!

You jump, I jump, remember? And remember we do! Today's podcast topic is James Cameron's 1997 'Titanic'. THE masochistic sleepover movie for all of us in the late 90s. Coming up to 30 years since its release, we recap The Hand Print, iconic red-heads, and debate how there was ENOUGH ROOM ON THAT DOOR FOR TWO!!

Special guest episode! You wouldn't have thought it but we have an even BIGGER Swiftie in our midst - Maddie's husband, Ben! Together we deconstruct the Eras tour, revisit when we first fell in love with Taylor and, of course, round up our favourite outfits...

In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons...she is the SLAYER! Was there ever a cooler show?! Not if you were a kid in the 90s and a teen in the 00s. Buffy is too iconic for us to possibly cover all seven seasons in 1 episode so this is the first of our Buffy specials...covering S1/S2 which gave us The Master, Ms Calendar, Cordi, and DRU!!!! *Spoilers throughout*

In anticipation of our upcoming Buffy, True Blood and Vampire Diaries episodes, we thought our favourite mythical creatures deserved a bit of a prologue....! We explore the origins of Vampire lore and what it was about the late 2000s that saw Vamp Lit/Films/TV explode in teen culture. Of course, we need to spend some time admiring Edward Cullen, Damon Salvatore, Angel, Spike and more....

Maddie and Alicia react to the full length trailer for the Wicked movie... Will it be Popular or Not that Girl?

"You GO Glen Coco!!" Excuse us but who hasn't seen this movie? Anyone?! Mean Girls (2004) is THE satirical teen comedy and it hasn't been bettered in 20 (yes that's 20!) years....We just have alot of feeeelings about The Plastics, Gretchen Wieners, Kevin G and The North Shore Winter Talent Show in everyone's second-favourite Lindsay Lohan vehicle."She's doesn't even go here...."

Dauntless, the Fringe, the "pure"...it's everyone's favourite Theo James vehicle: Veronica Roth's 'Divergent'. Join us for a chat about its place in the YA canon, our agreed reverence for Shailene Woodley's performance and the perpetual mystery of why Kate Winslet agreed to do these movies. Ultimately, our opinions may start to diverge but hey...that's the point, right?!

We're back! And here to kick off Season Two with a deep-dive in to the Denis Villeneuve films from the Dune franchise. If you've not seem them (what are you doing?!?) Please note there are spoilers as we discuss Timothée Chalamet in a cloak, Jason Momoa on fine fighting form and Florence Pugh slaying in every outfit they put her in....

It's our Season Finale! And what better way to mark the end of the first season of The Fangirl Diaries than by talking for 90 minutes about the most EPIC move of all time - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Join us, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam and the whole gang in the epic conclusion to Peter Jackson's trilogy. Is this the greatest movie of all time? If you judge by how often Maddie cries, then yes. Yes it is.

Cadets, welcome (back) to Basgiath. Yes, it's our Iron Flame episode! We loved it, BUT we may have some notes... In today's episode we chat through a whole new host of characters and locations, runes, gryphons, and the fact we want to knock Xaden and Violet's heads together!

Captain Oats, Chrismukkah, the Pool House ... welcome to the OC b*itch! This 2003 - 2007 show takes us back to poker-straight hair, The Killers, and Harbor High School. Before Gossip Girl, this was our mid-2000s teen drama of choice. Anyone else?

It's HERE. The eyeliner, the fingerless gloves and studded belts: it's Emo. If you remember 2005/6, take a trip back with us as we revisit 30 Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Fall out Boy and the era of the ever-so-popular side fringe...

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not!"It's HERE - Alicia's favourite film of.all.time.It's The Two Towers and her Birthday episode is (unsurprisingly) the longest episode to date. Could you really expect anything less to get through Helm's Deep, Aragorn's wet-look hair, Eowyn's skills with a blade and, of course, The Last March of the Ents.

"Will SOMEONE get this walking carpet out of my way?!"Long ago in a galaxy far far away, Maddie and Alicia first encountered the original Star Wars Trilogy. Despite being children of the 90s they couldn't escape an obsession with Han Solo and have waaaay too much love for some non-verbal droids...

It's Christmas! At the most wonderful time of the year Maddie and Alicia reminisce over Christmukkah, Doctor Who Christmas Specials and the greatest Christmas movie of all time - Love Actually! Sit back, relax and join us with a cosy cup of coffee this Christmas Day.

DURRRN dun dun dun dun durrrrn. In sleep he sang to me (us), in dreams he... erm, anywaaay. Yes, we're chatting about our 2004 obsession with Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, featuring the world's most famous lighting equipment, Emmy Rossum's glances and Gerard Butler's iconic cloak swish!

It comes in PINTS?! Maddie and Alicia kick off their all-time favourite trilogy (The Lord of the Rings) with Peter Jackson's 2001 masterpiece. Featuring Merry (not Maddie's cat), Pippin, Aragorn's brooding and their Year 8 attempt to learn runes...

Grab a cup of coffee and your crossbow as Maddie and Alicia review their favourite Fantasy Action heroines and return to where it all began: The 1990s over at Disney! Up for discussion are Mulan, Buffy, Lara Croft, Sansa Stark, Bella Swan, Violet Sorrengail and Katniss Everdeen to name a few…!

May the odds be EVER in your favour! On the eve of the newest Hunger Games film, Maddie and Alicia revisit Panem, explore why Katniss Everdeen is THE ultimate action heroine and pay MVP Effie Trinket her due respect.

Cadets - welcome to the Fourth Wing! Join us in the sparring gym as we explore the newest fantasy blockbuster, debate how to pronounce 'Sgaeyl', and what type of podcast Xaden Riorson would host.

"I'm Chuck Bass." Yes, yes he is. And he'll be discussed alongside Dan, Serena, Blair and our other favourite Upper East Siders in the show that dominated school corridors from 2007.You know you love us... xoxo Maddie & Alicia

Drive along in your Impala and listen to Maddie and Alicia fangirl over Dean (sorry, Sam) and admit that even THEY were ultimately defeated by the 15 season CW epic Supernatural. #SavingPeople #HuntingThings #TheFamilyBusiness

"BUT WHY IS THE RUM GONE???" In this episode Maddie and Alicia revisit the eyeliner, corsets and wooden eye balls that made Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl their summer obsession of 2003. You best start believin' in ghost stories...

"How long have you been seventeen...?" Oh GOD. It's here. Sit down, strap in, and get a glass of wine because Maddie and Alicia are revisiting their unconditional, irrevocable love for Forks. Yes, it's Stephanie Meyer's Twilight!!

This episode is brought to you by bubble! Join Maddie and Alicia on a journey to the Emerald City as they revisit the 2003 Broadway smash musical WICKED.