Best Week In Atrocitys Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 14: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead 56:35

1y ago56:35

56:35

In the final episode of The Circus Upstairs, Matt and James sift through the aftermath of the Becchetti regime – via a date in court where Orient face a winding up order for the second time and a mysterious text message allegedly sent to a "Magnificent" seven fans from a potential buyer. We talk to Matt Porter and incoming Interim CEO Marshall Tayl…

1
Episode 13: "F**k the EFL" 38:18

1y ago38:18

38:18

In this episode Orient fans take matters into their own hands and invade the pitch during the season’s penultimate game against Colchester United. Matt and James talk to the players and staff involved that day and go off on a tangent about Waitrose Hummus. Then - with relegation confirmed - it comes to Orient’s last game in the Football League, dur…

1
Episode 12: Can Pay, Won’t Pay 44:33

1y ago44:33

44:33

In this episode Francesco Becchetti simply decides to stop paying all players and staff. This makes things particularly difficult for manager number 11 of the regime, Omer Riza – especially when he gets a red card 45 minutes into his first game in charge. That leaves the Orient team – now largely populated by youth players, with the seniors boycott…

1
Episode 11: An Atrocity in Plymouth 42:59

1y ago42:59

42:59

In this episode Orient’s chances of avoiding relegation out of the Football League are dealt a vicious blow when captain Liam Kelly is banned for six games after dealing his own vicious blow to a 17-year-old Plymouth ballboy. And when Matt and James say “vicious blow” they mean “light shove”. More importantly, it emerges that Francesco Becchetti ha…

1
Episode 10: “Mr Becchetti has great charisma” 52:07

1y ago52:07

52:07

In this episode Matt and James spend quite a long time dissecting hapless CEO Alessandro Angelieri’s jaw-dropping statement in which he blames the catastrophic performances of the team on Francesco Becchetti’s absence from the training ground. Meanwhile we burn through three managers, including the short-lived reign of 60-year-old Italian journeyma…

1
Episode 9: Happiness is a Warm Gun 47:37

1y ago47:37

47:37

Matt and James are back to tell the story of the 2016/17 season, in which Francesco Becchetti completely loses the plot and tries to sink the club through a lethal mix of spite, incompetence and Valpolicella. In this episode the President graciously agrees to a Q&A session with fans, although does bring a man with a gun just in case. Andy Hessentha…

1
Episode 8: Roberto Rides Again 44:16

2y ago44:16

44:16

In this episode former translator and handsomest man in football Roberto Gagliardi returns to the club first as Head of Recruitment, then as goalkeeping coach. We find out from Lee Harrison and Andy Hessenthaler exactly what Gagliardi was up to on his mobile phone in the dug out of a Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile manager number six in Becchetti’s r…

1
Episode 7: A £40,000 Kick Up the Arse 39:19

2y ago39:19

39:19

In this episode Francesco Becchetti decides to attack assistant manager Andy Hessenthaler on the pitch following a victory over Portsmouth. Matt and James examine the incident in forensic detail, with contributions from Mathieu Baudry, Lee Harrison, Dave Victor and – of course – Andy Hessenthaler himself. We also wonder why the club chose to appoin…

1
Episode 6: Banged up in Waltham Abbey 31:57

2y ago31:57

31:57

In this episode Francesco Becchetti decides to imprison the entire squad in a Marriott hotel for a week following a defeat at Hartlepool. We hear from those on the inside, including assistant manager Andy Hessenthaler, goalkeeping coach Lee Harrison and captain Mathieu Baudry, who tells us of the desperate visit he made to Becchetti’s Mayfair mansi…

1
Episode 5: “We made some mistakes” 41:21

2y ago41:21

41:21

Matt and James are back to tell the story of the 2015/16 season in which Francesco Becchetti appears to have learnt from his mistakes of the previous campaign. At least for a few minutes before trying to pick the team himself again. Assistant manager Andy Hessenthaler, goalkeeping coach Lee Harrison, captain Mathieu Baudry and community liaison off…

1
Episode 4: The Mole and the Stolen Honey 38:25

2y ago38:25

38:25

In this episode things get really weird: Matt and James talk to stadium announcer Phillip Othen about the time he had to make a half-time announcement sarcastically thanking striker Darius Henderson for turning up late to the game. We discuss Andrea Dossena's arrest for allegedly stealing a pot of honey from Harrods and find out from captain Nathan…

1
Episode 3: Leyton Orient - The Reality Show 31:19

2y ago31:19

31:19

In this episode Matt and James focus their gaze on the ill-fated TV show – filmed in Albania and broadcast in Italy – in which 12 hopefuls competed to win a contract with the club. We speak to Alessandro Ugo, who directed the show, and hear from captain Nathan Clarke, who was forced to go to Albania to appear on it. We find out what happened to the…

1
Episode 2: The Manager Merry-Go-Round 35:56

2y ago35:56

35:56

In this episode we burn through three Orient managers in the space of weeks and introduce a key character in the psychodrama: CEO Alessandro Angelieri. We hear from his predecessor Matt Porter on how Angelieri got the job and commercial manager Tom Jeffes on some of the hapless CEO’s brainwaves (“Close the club shop!”). Digressions include the biza…

1
Episode 1: The Iron Pact of Inviolability 40:02

2y ago40:02

40:02

In this episode Matt and James look at the early days of Francesco Becchetti’s takeover and talk to outgoing CEO Matt Porter, club captain Nathan Clarke, commercial manager Tom Jeffes and the voice of Leyton Orient, Dave Victor, about how initial optimism quickly turned to alarm. Includes digressions on an ill-fated attempt to sign a Premier League…

1
Trailer: The Circus Upstairs 4:15

2y ago4:15

4:15

Coming soon: The Circus Upstairs! The story of how Italian billionaire Francesco Becchetti (almost) put Leyton Orient out of existence. In this new podcast series Orient fans Matt Simpson and James Masters talk to the people on the inside of the club during Becchetti's catastrophic reign. Over three seasons we saw: • Two relegations • An ill-fated …

1
055 - The Cliven Bundys of Stare Decisis 1:29:42

6y ago1:29:42

1:29:42

Guest host CHARLES STAR and RANDOLPH BRICKEY recap June's Supreme Court madness beginning with: A judge who loved the troops and playing games too much ... THEME ... GAMBLE v. UNITED STATES: Separate sovereign, double jeopardy and the criminal president ... Larry Krasner again ... RBG on dual-sovereignty and individuals ... Double jeopardy, Blockbu…

1
054 - The Monster Idiot Fog 1:32:47

6y ago1:32:47

1:32:47

Guest host CHARLES STAR and RANDOLPH BRICKEY break down THE MUELLER REPORT, up to and including: The part everyone loves ... THEME ... Charles' intro ... A light 400 pages of high crimes ... No Collusion Section ... Cheating ships passing in the night ... Carter Page: Sincere Russophile ... Unanswered Page pitch emails ... Two Russian Paths: Hackin…

1
053 - Jerry Lundegaard's Basta Move 1:25:07

6y ago1:25:07

1:25:07

CHARLES STAR and RANDOLPH BRICKEY return for: Michael Avenatti's Empire Records ... THEME ... Speeding someone to their death ... Dunn (Alabama DOC) v. Domineque Ray: When your resources are out of imams ... Five days is a fast-enough legal response ... Uniform bipartisan condemnation ... Murphy v. Collier (Texas DOCJ): No judicial resources for Bu…

1
052 - Our Precious Judicial Resources 1:10:08

6y ago1:10:08

1:10:08

CHARLES STAR returns and RANDOLPH BRICKEY appears for the first time for: Talking book ... THEME ... No collusion ... Wrong Garza ... Garza v. Idaho ... Case summary ... Screwing up a good deal for a bad plea ... Judicial resources ... A perfectly silent court of appeals ... BREAK ... Clarence Thomas's dissent continued ... Client self-immolation .…

1
051 - Two Dads Talk Thanksgiving, Vol. 5 1:22:34

6+ y ago1:22:34

1:22:34

Deadspin founder WILL LEITCH appears for the fifth installment of "Two Dads Talk Thanksgiving" and: Eponymous, not titular ... Layered flooring in apartments ... Load-bearing parlor ... Thanksgiving plans ... A sudden Thanksgiving death ... An active family Thanksgiving ... Cursed places ... Died in the guest bedroom ... Things have happened betwee…

1
050 - America's Wang Meets Herbert the Masturbator 1:06:13

7y ago1:06:13

1:06:13

ROBERT WHEEL returns for more mid-term election thinking and: Ted Cruz's relentless "Sexy Beto" ads ... The wave phenomenon is reversing of 2010 ... Will there be a surprise surge of unreliable voters? ... College-educated voter GOP exhaustion ... The 2016 anxiety hangover, the Parkland kids, miscellany constituencies ... The Florida Gubernatorial …

1
049 - Top Two Through the Disease Door 1:01:36

7y ago1:01:36

1:01:36

ROBERT WHEEL returns to talk primary races and: Canadian hockey misery ... California's top-two primary and what isn't working ... California's 48th and replacing Dana Rohrabacher ... A bro-tastic stem-cell company ... Weak party machine policing meets rich-guy dependency ... California's 39th and Gil Cisneros ... More self-funding, fewer problems …

1
048 - Demolition Man (A Very Special Episode) 1:13:46

7y ago1:13:46

1:13:46

JESSE FARRAR and ROBERT SCHOBER return for the classic Demolition Man and: Children yelling at a machine, the future is now ... Demolition Man bona fides ... Dude, you need a VCR and racecar ... Caring for VHS ... Europe's at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell ... Future possible ... Concept cars ... Is this a dystopia? ... You need more world…

1
047 - Dave and Jeb Aren't Mean #009 - Good Luck with The Wine Clown 1:30:41

7y ago1:30:41

1:30:41

KEITH BUCKLEY presents Hallmark's Lucky in Love (2014), with Jeb Lund, David Roth and guest Jessie Opoien, for: April Fool's bona fides ... Jessie's slide into Hallmark fandom ... Dave's "Lucky in Love" meet-cute ... Plot in 60 Seconds ... Good "Hallmark bad" ... Inventing MySpace ... Land without contact info ... Proto-MRA: "I love you, children's…

1
046 - Good Kids, Bad City 1:10:08

7y ago1:10:08

1:10:08

KYLE SWENSON of the Washington Post talks about the role of race, policing and the justice system in his upcoming book about the wrongful murder conviction of three young black men in Cleveland, in 1975, and his role in the 39-year fight to exonerate them.

1
045 - MacArthur Park (Extended Version) 1:09:41

7y ago1:09:41

1:09:41

ROBERT WHEEL returns for: UVA heartbreak (interlude) ... Don't learn which athletes are Trumpkins ... Aubrey O'Day, Donnie Jr. and Tiffany's single ... Claude "TrueFactsStated" Taylor and the Trump d*ck pic that does not exist ... Rolling back the Cambridge Analytica freakout ... This IS Facebook's business model ... The GOP is *the* long paranoid …

1
044 - Amy's Pad Thai, "Dead Putting Society" 1:11:01

7y ago1:11:01

1:11:01

JESSE FARRAR is taking the odds on: A new segment called A New Segment ... What the F*ck Are You Feeding Me? ... Nut allergies ... The best of ersatz pad thai ... Water chestnut BS ... Noodle King ... The Fat Economist ... Uncle Jesse Has To Watch His Sodium ... Gut Check ... The Lunchroom Coach ... Who Would You Feed This To? ... Episode summary! …

1
043 - Cocaine Nights 1:23:33

7+ y ago1:23:33

1:23:33

CHARLES STAR returns for: Logrolling in our time ... How many things can Trump be impeached for right now? ... "The problem with the Hatch Act is that we don't see this as a crime at all." ... Not even lying as craft ... Comic sans everything ... Lebowski interlude ... Michael Cohen and David Dennison's personal Stormy Daniels adventure ... Donald …

1
042 - The Summer Cannibals 52:31

7+ y ago52:31

52:31

DAVE WEIGEL of the Washington Post joins for: Pruitt moment ... Letterman prelude ... Filler words ... Bueller and Ben Stein ... Email your groans! ... When does exhaustion set in? ... Tired of people "tired of politics" ... Palace intrigue, clone-stamped rage takes and finding the sweet spot ... Conservative anger unmoored from economics ... The G…

1
041 - 50 States of Anxiety 1:17:53

7+ y ago1:17:53

1:17:53

ROBERT WHEEL joins us for a rundown of winnable seats for Democrats in 18, including: The prescience of the Unabomber ... Social media dunking for the powerless ... Roy Moore's descendants as pretenders to the throne ... Why compile this voting data? ... Conspiracy Twitter accounts ... Needed Democratic numbers ... Florida House races ... The hands…

1
040 - Casual Male XL, Girl XIV 1:10:51

7+ y ago1:10:51

1:10:51

CHARLES STAR is back for: Roy Moore, fruit salad ... Alabama Special Election predictions ... Poll paranoia ... The unlivable exhaustion of cynicism one-upmanship ... "The most manageably corrupt version of any Trump story" ... Paul Manafort's bail and copy of Microsoft Word ... Pardons on the head of a pin ... Michael Flynn's useless son's dad's p…

1
Dave and Jeb Aren't Mean (Teaser) 9:40

7+ y ago9:40

9:40

A quick look at our Patreon-exclusive series "Dave and Jeb Aren't Mean," in which Jeb and frequent co-host David J. Roth break down the kind, well-meaning and extremely Christmasy films of the Hallmark cinematic universe: movies made for the gentlest of people. Head to Patreon.com/ThisWeekInAtrocity and chuck $3 at us for the full episodes.…

1
039 - The Impossible Man 1:14:44

7+ y ago1:14:44

1:14:44

MARIN COGAN is back for: Garrison Keillor's roaming hands and narrative ... Can Trump even calculate his racism? ... Capitol Hill reporters and harassment ... It's not the industry, it's the power ... Franken, the unnamed and politicizing the response ... Partying with Breitbart and fascist-tourism journalism ... Some sources aren't worth it ... A …

1
038 - Two Graves In Every Garage and Boiled Seas Overfished 1:12:22

7+ y ago1:12:22

1:12:22

JESSE FARRAR is back for Simpsons S2E4 and: MacGruber ... The gig economy ... Rejected for customer service jobs ... TV dinner flashback ... Episode rundown ... Getting a billionaire creep candidate right and unavoidably wrong ... Deplorable Forever! ... Burns, Bush, Dukakis? ... Marie Callender's Roasted Garlic Chicken, Penne Pasta and Geriatric S…

1
037 - Potter Stewart's Home Pornopticon 1:12:17

7+ y ago1:12:17

1:12:17

CHARLES STAR returns to learn: How is your kidnaped prime minister doing? ... Jared Kushner's ever-amending documents and Jeff Sessions' disappearing-reappearing memory ... Trump's bumbling his own transgender ban ... Sovereign citizen Jared Fogle meets Antonin Scalia ... Larry the Interdictor's asset forfeiture update ... Roy Moore's bozo attorney…

1
036 - Memories of the Space Age 1:09:04

7+ y ago1:09:04

1:09:04

DAIVD ROTH is back for: How was the World Series? ... Siri superstitious ... Vertically challenged Astros ... Old dead ballplayers ... Brazzers Presents: Chase Utley ... The Heart Is A Lonely Pitcher ... Joc Pederson's lovely family ... I need you to narrow that beard down ... Tryhard Dodger fanning ... Brandon McCarthy owns ... F*ck inevitability …

1
035 - The Overloaded Manafort 1:18:23

7+ y ago1:18:23

1:18:23

CHARLES STAR is back for: The Manafort indictment rundown ... Incorrect indictment predictions ... Generic rental dads as cover for money launders ... Is there really pressure on Robert Mueller? ... Deep dive on the baffling Cosby ex-District Attorney lawsuits ... Who is the most fun Trump family member to indict? ... Russian spies must hate these …

1
034 - The Best Team Money Can Buy 54:54

7+ y ago54:54

54:54

MOLLY KNIGHT joins for: Vindicating your own book ... Our first World Series Games ... Kershaw as one of the good guys ... In a weird place about Taylor Swift ... F*ck Trevor Bauer ... Believing you are the fittest survivor ... 'Wow, I'm experiencing joy' ... Sports as refuge and redemption ... What about the Astros is scary? ... What Peak Puigness…

1
033 - Hungry Are The Damned 1:33:20

7+ y ago1:33:20

1:33:20

JESSE FARRAR returns for The Simpsons' first "Treehouse of Horror," Chili's fajita bowls, Halloween and: Value Vision … 'NO' on Halloween and seasonal decorations … Chain restaurants changing menus … Food review! … The ideal Chilis BOLD commercial … Treehouse Part 1: Amityville … Treehouse Part 2: Meet Kang & Kodos! … Treehouse Part 3: The Raven … …

1
032 - Strained and Oblique 39:50

7+ y ago39:50

39:50

DAVID ROTH is back for a World Series preview in: The rattling old car of your dying body ... Kicking the Yankees' corpse ... Ryan Gosling's bullpen face ... Every year Brian McCann's in the majors is one he's not a police officer ... Farewell to Cubs sympathy ... 27 Rings ... Glorious Puigness ... The redemptive sight of elite failure ... The soli…

1
031 - Hell in a Cell 1:01:19

7+ y ago1:01:19

1:01:19

MARIN COGAN joins for: Halloween convictions ... Skittle bag lady ... Too-clever costumes ... Smart phones make you dumber ... Creating digital (in)dependency ... Learning to fear the phone ... Normalizing the Lie Cycle, 2012-2016 ... Should journalists have seen this coming? ... Tribalism and believing sexual harassment ... "Separating art from ar…

1
030 - The Enemy at Home 1:15:42

7+ y ago1:15:42

1:15:42

DAVID ROTH returns for: Donald Trump's trip to Home Depot ... Shondaland with #queen ... Beefy Boy Matt Albers ... Cubs-Nats Game 5's gorgeous meltdown ... The liberatory nature of mass borking ... Postseason jankiness ... All libido to the Astros ... Fun Yankees still aren't underdogs ... I AM DA PLAYOFFS ... Who's your team and do you know them? …

1
029 - Subsidized Air Calamities 1:16:27

7+ y ago1:16:27

1:16:27

CHARLES STAR returns for: A brief PSA ... Trump: the ultimate test of Occam's Razor ... More hurricane aftermath ... Municipal disability ... Irma should've killed Limbaugh ... First class on FU Airways ... Pruitt's false flag ... 'I don't care about the mysteries of the cosmos, I came here to stare at gold' ... Mnuchin's grotesque face/life ... Pr…

1
028 - You Are So Buffalo To Me 1:17:26

7+ y ago1:17:26

1:17:26

JESSE FARRAR returns to P. Piggly Hogswine's Super-Smog for: Listener letters ... Reversing the rules of analogy ... "My butt is already in the throes of death" ... When Tim Allen's TV dinner is unsettlingly good ... Meal rating! ... Fuck Berkshire Hathaway ... The greatest danger at the China Super Buffet ... How much to f*ck the macaroni? ... S02…

1
027 - P. Piggly Hogswine's Super-Smorg 1:16:07

7+ y ago1:16:07

1:16:07

JESSE FARRAR joins the show for TV dinners and S2E01 of The Simpsons ... Why are you a Simpsons fan—or not? ... What is The Whammy's motivation and gender? ... LET'S MEET THE MEALS ... Season One is off-limits ... A steak that eats like a mirror ... The TV dinner "foodness" spectrum ... Why buy Kobe's drink? ... "Bart Gets an F" ... Jesse's hatin' …

1
026 - Equestrian Statue for a Reverse Centaur 1:14:28

8y ago1:14:28

1:14:28

CHARLES STAR returns to meet Buff Davis and talk: Quoting Robert E. Lee ... Pricing Confederate statue demolition ... Former MAGA CHUDs cashing in on rejecting Nazism ... EXTRA: Jeff Sessions Does Job! ... How liberals weaponized "Alt Left" ... The Bannon Farewell Roast ... "Being There" with Seb Gorka's mind geode ... Judge Tandy 5000 hands over y…

1
025 - When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth 1:28:44

8y ago1:28:44

1:28:44

Mr. PAUL F. TOMPKINS gets political about: Exquisite moustaches ... The fandom/apology cycle ... When RTs are endorsements ... "These Things I Believe" ... MAGA hatred OKs teeing off ... White-poverty safari thinkpieces ... How we learn about politics ... Let the left swing for the fences ... Steal from work ... Screw the Q-Rating ... Epic eviscera…

1
024 - The Horse Whisperer 1:15:33

8y ago1:15:33

1:15:33

DAVID ROTH and CHARLES STAR welcome you to unemployment and The Horse Whisperer ... 2:50:00 ... Mount Potato ... Discourse of Whisperer ... Horse synopsis, montage, torture, research ... Landline ... Tina Brown's Horse corpse road trip! ... ScarJo Sullenness ... Weep Day ... Land's End ... Hallmark Hall of Fame ... No subtext, just text ... The act…

1
023 - The Dead Man Who Answers The Phone 57:16

8y ago57:16

57:16

DAVID ROTH returns for: People like a carving station ... White Alan! ... Hit the serotonin button for one (1) comedy unit ... Mike and the Mad Dog set the template for bickering assholes ... Nimby and the Blaze! ... Devour time for me ... Knights On White Sofas ... The Horse Whisperer ... Chris Christie hosting on WFAN ... What do YOU despair-eat?…

1
022 - Grappling with Oblivion 1:00:53

8y ago1:00:53

1:00:53

Operation Acoustic Toddler ... GLOW is great, the GLOW doc, 80s nostalgia ... Prestige drama discomfort ... Jeb's wrestling-fan nitpicking ... Trump's wrestling tweet ... Selling the Stunner ... Women's wrestling's slow progress ... GLOP heel turn ... Writing for Joe Scarborough's newspaper ... Joe, Mika and Trump: Happy ... Trump baffled by AHCA .…

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