Picnic etiquette, bad Father’s Day cards, and is Ascot now a little bit naff?

Picnic etiquette, bad Father’s Day cards, and is Ascot now a little bit naff?

Author: The Telegraph June 18, 2026 Duration: 40:38

Ascot: posh pastime or plain naff?


Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Poshcast with Cleo Watson and Sophia Money-Coutts, your favourite group-chat in podcast form.


Join Sophia and Cleo as they delve into the murky world of modern social norms, class anxiety and all matters that generate furious online opinions. 


This week we are donning our hats (never fascinators) to talk Ascot - how to say it, the dress-code minefield from jumpsuits to compulsory socks, and why the whole thing can feel like a pricey, performative logistical nightmare unless you’ve arrived by helicopter.


Plus we’ll wade into picnic politics (Scotch eggs, leaking deli tubs and Fortnum hampers), discuss the apparently atrocious standard of Father's Day cards these days, and ask listeners to christen The Poshcast mouse-mascot with a suitably befitting title.


You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CyEqqzeY6BM


Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk.


Ban ‘picky bits’ and pre-mixed cans: My rules for the ultimate picnic, Sophia Money-Coutts: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/13/my-rules-for-the-ultimate-picnic/


BBC Archive 1983: What’s your perfect picnic?: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZEwjeKgAgI/?igsh=aDB1OWtkaG9tMHQ3



Video Producer: James England

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells


Highlights:

  • Is Ascot now a little bit naff?
  • Who is buying these crude Father's Day cards?


Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to The Poshcast

05:42 Bath Weekend Confessions

08:47 Picnics and Picky Bits

11:03 Picnic Practicalities

15:03 Prince George School Scoop

16:27 Ascot Hats and Pronunciation

18:48 Should You Even Go

20:32 Car Park Picnic Culture

23:48 Flat vs Jump Racing

25:05 Dress Codes Explained

30:29 Listener Fathers Day Dilemma

38:08 Taxidermy Mouse Mascot

39:22 See you Next Week


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


In Bryony Gordon's Mad World, conversations unfold with a rare honesty, moving beyond simple soundbites to explore the real texture of living with mental health challenges. Hosted by Bryony Gordon and presented by The Telegraph, this podcast sits at the intersection of health, fitness, and mental wellbeing, treating the topic with the complexity it deserves. Each episode is an intimate dialogue, a space where guests-from well-known figures to everyday individuals-share their personal journeys of getting unwell and the nuanced, often non-linear path of getting better. The focus here is on raw openness and vulnerability, dismantling stigma through the power of ordinary and extraordinary stories alike. You'll hear candid conversations that prioritize depth over platitudes, where laughter and tears coexist naturally. This isn't about providing easy answers but about sharing experiences that resonate and connect, reinforcing why these discussions are so necessary. Tune in for a podcast that approaches mental health with compassion and unflinching truth, creating a sense of shared understanding one conversation at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Poshcast
Podcast Episodes
Introducing Imposters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:13
Have you ever felt like a fraud? That you don't belong in the room? That you could get found out at any moment? You're not alone - and we have a podcast to help you. As this series of Mad World comes to a close, Bryony G…
Fearne Cotton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:35
Fearne Cotton's voice is instantly recognisable, whether from TV or the radio waves, or now on her Happy Place podcast. Like Bryony, she's dedicated her recent career to continuing the conversation around mental health -…
Rory O'Connor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:53
Content warning: This episode contains discussion of suicideProfessor Rory O'Connor has dedicated himself to research into suicide and suicide prevention for over 25 years, and his new book, When It Is Darkest, aims to u…
Rosena Allin-Khan MP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:09
Shadow Minister for Mental Health, MP for Tooting and an NHS doctor working throughout the pandemic: it's safe to say Rosena Allin-Khan has had a busy year. She manages to find time to join Bryony to discuss why we need…
Scarlett Moffatt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:25
Scarlett Moffatt and her infectious giggle burst onto our TV screens back in 2013 when her and her family featured on Channel 4's Gogglebox. But while she was becoming an on-screen favourite, she was also battling with h…
Hunter Biden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:11
Being an addict is a difficult thing for anybody to navigate - but Hunter Biden’s struggles with addiction were put under worldwide scrutiny when his father, Joe Biden, was running for president. Now he’s taking control…
Vex King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:08
Bestselling author Vex King has made it his goal to make talking about trauma accessible to everyone. After a difficult start in life, he now uses his immensely popular Instagram account and self-help books to try to giv…
Stacey Solomon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:51
Can anyone light up a room like Stacey Solomon? She's brought joy to millions by sharing her positivity and beautiful family on her incredibly popular Instagram account. So it might be a surprise to many that she, like a…
Douglas Stuart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:28
Winning the Booker Prize is a serious coup for any writer, but for author Douglas Stuart the achievement is personal as well as professional: successfully channeling childhood trauma into art. The result is his debut nov…