Howzat? 2.9 / 6

True crime podcasts. For as long as they have been around, the genre has always been the ‘apex saecula’ of the podcasting world. Think the ground-breaking Serial from This American Life; firm fan favourite Crime Junkie; and Dateline NBC, a podcast wrapped up in so much drama that even the Kray Twins would find it uncomfortable listening.

And speaking of the Kray Twins, here saunters into play the hosts of the Drunk Women Solving Crime podcast, Hannah George (English) and Taylor Glenn (American): two heavy hitters who don’t give a flying peanut about what they say, or the consequences thereafter, and by the sounds of it, drink just as much alcohol. One hopes that they are more violent, if anything. 

The premise is fairly simple on the whole: the gang get pissed and one host quizzes all present on the timeline of a true crime story, or character, that usually ends up in frivolous barbs and general banter. And if you like the vibe of people talking over each other, then this show could be one for you. 

In this particular episode, we welcome in two more Americans to the drunken fold – Kerry Ipema and KK Apple from musical parody show ‘Six Chick Flicks‘ – who couldn’t be more on board with the drinking and the ‘crime vs levity’ aspect, as they follow the salacious life of mobster Virginia Hill.  

Oddly, for such a light-hearted format (minus the alcoholism), the first question the guests are faced with is the dramatically sombre, ‘have either of you been a victim of a crime?’ Jeeez! 

Now, this could go either one of two ways, especially as it is asked with such gravitas by Taylor. However, luckily for everyone involved, the answers we are greeted with involve being ghosted by a young man with a gigantic penis (LOLs) and being catcalled in the streets of New York City (LOL?)

On first listen, as the episode unfolds, it sounds like you’re listening in on a village society’s ‘after hours’ social event, where the club’s chairperson – a stiff-upper lipped kinda fella, probably called Barry – lets his fellow members know what he really thinks after a glass or four of sherry. As in Drunk Women Solving Crime, Barry’s had a few too many, but it’s vaguely entertaining nevertheless.    

All-in-all, not bad – I now know a bit about a dangerous(ly sexy) mobster. But generally, this podcast remains way off the dizzy heights that the true crime genre has previously reached.

SM