Why women should never say I love you first: The Barbara Cartland Special

Why women should never say I love you first: The Barbara Cartland Special

Author: The Telegraph September 10, 2026 Duration: 49:28

Welcome to a very special, pink-hued episode of The Poshcast! This week, Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson are running wild in Hertfordshire. They've parked their bottoms on the hallowed velvet sofa of Camfield Place—home of the undisputed queen of romantic fiction, Dame Barbara Cartland.


To help us unpack the intriguing, outrageous, and thoroughly exhausting paradox that is Dame Barbara, Cleo and Sophia are joined by writer Matthew Sweet, author of a new biography, The Great Dictator. Together, they dive nose-first into her eccentricities: why did she use Meltonian shoe cream instead of mascara? How did she rack up 49 proposals? And was she really as much of a prude about sex as she may have seemed? 


From travelling across America with a stuffed Pekingese under her arm to her legendary, claws-out television showdown with Jackie Collins, no pink feather is left unturned.


And because we're obsessed with what 'the done thing' is, Sophia and Cleo leaf through Dame Barbara's vintage etiquette tips to see if they hold up in the 21st century. Get ready for some serious home truths on interior decorating, dietary fusspots, and praising your husband’s lovemaking… 


So hold on to your hats for a riotously funny look at the 20th century's most magnificent romantic force, the Great Dictator herself, Dame Barbara Cartland. 


📧 Email us: theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk

📸 Instagram: @theposhcast


The Great Dictator by Matthew Sweet is out now.

To order your copy for £19.99, call 0330 173 0523 or visit Telegraph Books.


📰 Read: ‘Women should be like pretty chocolate boxes’: The bizarre world of Barbara Cartland


Video Producer: Carla Mercer

Social Editor: Ruby Borg

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells


Highlights:


  • Should women ever say I love you first?
  • The Barbara Cartland Special

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
Back to (Boarding) School [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:15
September has arrived, which means one thing for a niche cohort of the British population: it’s back to boarding school. As Prince George heads off to Eton, Sophia and Cleo dissect the bizarre world of public school educ…
Why posh people think Scotland is the best place to be in summer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:32
August is upon us, and you know what that means: the annual migration of the upper classes to the Highlands. This week on The Poshcast, Sophia and Cleo are dusting off their tweed, ignoring the blood-sucking midges, and…
Boat Shoes and Bloody Marys: Your festival survival manual [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:13
Whack out your wellies: In today’s Poshcast Cleo and Sophia delve into the muddy topic of festivals.From wet-wipe-filled endurance tests to carefully curated weekends of glamping and glitter, we’re debating whether festi…
Upper-crust canines and Cornwall beach chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:33
Nothing gets the people of Britain more animated than man’s best friend, so this week on The Poshcast, Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson are debating which pooch can hold the title of posh top dog. Can the Jack Russell…
Are tracksuits ever acceptable? Your airport etiquette guide [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:45
Planning your summer holiday? This week on The Poshcast, Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson debate the biggest summer travel etiquette questions and the unwritten rules of flying.When is it acceptable to have your first…
Why the Americanisation of weddings has to stop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:18
On this week’s Poshcast, Sophia and Cleo tackle the minefield of matrimony. They celebrate why Brits do weddings best, while questioning the creeping influence of American imports - from the over-the-top spectacle of Tay…