BBC Sounds and YouTube have launched a new weekly podcast titled Please Don't. The series is hosted by writer Raven Smith and columnist Joel Golby. Reduced Listening produced the series for the BBC Sounds platform. Episodes are released every Thursday and focus on current cultural trends and social media topics.
The debut episode features discussions on Amelia Dimoldenberg, Olivia Wilde, the Bayeux Tapestry, and an A24 trailer regarding Elizabeth Holmes. Raven Smith is a columnist for Vogue and author of Raven Smith's Trivial Pursuits and Raven Smith's Men. Big Talk is currently developing a television adaptation of Raven Smith's Men. Smith also served in the writers room for the Netflix comedy series Too Much, created by Lena Dunham.
Joel Golby writes for The Guardian, The Observer, and Vice. He is the author of Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant and Four Stars. Golby is currently writing his first novel. Both hosts are based in London. The podcast format involves the hosts creating lists of cultural recommendations and prohibitions.
The series is available for streaming on the BBC Sounds app and the BBC YouTube channel. The first episode premiered on 17 September. Raven Smith's second book was published in 2022.