74 episodes
Phones besides plates, elbows on the table and clinking coupes - your guide to table manners
30/07/2026 | 42 mins.It may have been been a scorcher yet again this week, but that’s no excuse to lose control. In today’s Poshcast Cleo and Sophia tackle the thorny issue of table manners.
What matters, these days, and what doesn’t? Do we care about elbows on the table anymore, or is that a fusty old Victorian throwback? Is it deeply common to clink glasses and say ‘cheers?’ From which body part should you eat caviar, and is it ever acceptable to have your phone beside your plate?
Plus they answer a question from a nervous young listener who’s off on holiday with her boyfriend’s parents for the first time and wants to make a good impression (no bawdy chipolata jokes).
They may not have the answer to all Britain’s problems, but Sophia and Cleo can offer strong opinions on knives and napkins — what further encouragement do you need to watch The Poshcast?
You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mbuXBuO_5sE
Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk
Height shouldn’t matter when it comes to matters of the heart, Sophia Money-Coutts: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/relationships/sophia-money-coutts-height-shouldnt-matter-affairs-of-heart/
Video Producer: Carla Mercer
Social Editor: Alex Marshall
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells
Highlights:
Phones besides plates, elbows on the table and clinking coupes
The Poshcast guide to table manners
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Poshcast
01:03 Punctuality Rant
03:15 Airbnb Interior Nightmares
05:58 Height Lies on Dating Apps
09:38 Toilet Break Film Debate
11:11 Clink or Not to Clink
13:23 Champagne Glass Rules
15:08 Miffers Controversy
16:44 Napkins and Cutlery Etiquette
21:27 Bread Roll Etiquette
23:51 Asparagus and Pear Protocol
24:47 Meghan Markle and Pud Debate
27:10 Bathroom Breaks during Meals
29:19 Salt Pepper and Passing Port
32:39 Phones and Bags at Table
34:56 Napkin Rings
36:18 Holiday With Boyfriend's Family
41:31 Final Tips and Sign Off
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.- 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 take the crown, given their association with The King and Queen? Where do shivering whippets rank on the scale, and, crucially, where to The Poshcast dogs – the esteemed Hippo and Dennis – fall on the scale?
Plus, after police had to step in to control behaviour, they discuss the tradition of public school teenagers partying on the beaches of Polzeath.
And Cleo and Soph reveal their most unquestionably un-posh habits.
You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/knuYbqqP9tQ
Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk.
Video Producer: James England
Social Editor: Ruby Borg
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells
Highlights:
How posh is your dog?
The tradition of public school revellers causing chaos in Cornwall
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:29 A Top Dog Excuse
05:14 World Cup Rants
06:58 The Definition of 'Chichi'
08:05 Champong at The Goring
13:40 Posh Cookbooks and Castles
16:23 Engagement Roast Chicken
18:09 Jack Russells Comeback
23:13 Posh Dog League
28:43 Cornwall Teen Chaos
32:54 Poshest Activities
36:35 Unposh Habits
39:49 Sign Off
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. - 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 Wetherspoons pint or champagne cocktail? Should you ever take your shoes off on a plane? And is bringing a wheel of pungent French cheese in your hand luggage completely unacceptable—or surprisingly reasonable?
They also ask whether the man making headlines after donating to Reform UK - convicted fraudster "Posh George" Cottrell - is actually that posh...
You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AWVWNqwCPJY
Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk.
Video Producer: Carla Mercer
Social Editor: Ruby Borg
Producer: John Cadigan
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. - 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 Taylor Swift’s recent wedding at Madison Square Garden to irritating trends like rehearsal dinners, endless speeches, and the horror of "plus ones" who are total strangers.
Plus, they debate a listener’s scorching dilemma: is it acceptable to pack a portable air conditioning unit for a weekend away at a friend's place?
You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RrMgiekMKGg
Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk.
Video Producer: Carla Mercer
Social Editor: Ruby Borg
Producer: Georgia Coan
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. - On this week’s Poshcast, Sophia and Cleo don their whites to discuss Wimbledon – the soothing “thwack” soundtrack, the strawberries and cream and, of course, the slightly squiffy spectators. However, can tennis still claim to be the poshest summer ballsport? Sophia serves up the defence, despite her own lack of racquet skills, and Cleo lobs in a particularly posh tennis memory involving the Princess of Wales.
Plus they debate a listener's question about asking for honeymoon donations as a wedding gift, and they finally crown the Poshcast’s taxidermied mouse mascot.
You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y0UVLekCA64
Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk.
Video Producer: Carla Mercer
Social Editor: Ruby Borg
Executive Producer: Louisa Wells
Highlights:
Is tennis still the poshest summer sport?
Do I have to contribute to my friends' honeymoon fund as a wedding gift?
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Poshcast
00:44 Sophia’s Sex Cruise
03:33 Wimbledon Obsession
05:09 Tennis Shame and Injuries
07:40 Caribbean Tennis with Royals
11:34 How Tennis Got Posh
15:02 Getting Into Wimbledon
18:09 Wimbledon Etiquette and Whites
20:40 Padel Takes Over
22:52 Cricket Jumpers
24:00 Golf Club Snobbery
25:03 Croquet, Boules And Holiday Games
27:36 Football: Posh or Not?
29:55 Wimbledon Crushes
31:03 Honeymoon Fund Etiquette
37:23 Naming The Taxidermy Mouse
38:57 Final Thanks Sign Off
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About The Poshcast
Welcome to The Poshcast, a riotously funny and irreverent examination of modern social norms, what ‘the done thing is’ these days and the dirtiest c-word of all: class. Forget war! Forget energy prices! Forget civilisation burning to a crisp or being taken over by robots! Instead, turn to The Poshcast to debate the real questions that divide Britain. Is yours a shoes-on or shoes-off household? Have the Cotswolds become the naffest place in the country? And is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as basic as a premiership footballer now he has a double-barrelled name? It’s hosted by Sophia Money-Coutts and Cleo Watson, two good pals who met a few years ago at a party and bonded over dogs and writing bonkbusters while knocking back margaritas. After a childhood spent riding ponies, then a spell at Tatler before writing several novels featuring eccentric toffs, Sophia brings her lifelong understanding of the aristocracy to the table; Cleo worked in Conservative politics before writing a couple of very saucy novels not at all based on her experiences of Lords calling women ‘fillies’ or bundling MPs out of strip clubs. Together, with the tally-ho enthusiasm of two Jilly Cooper characters, they will navigate you through the choppy waters of how to behave nowadays. Every week, Sophia and Cleo will discuss a big talking point, ranging from Waitrose to Range Rovers, Dubai to dog breeds, straightforward shooting weekends to Secret Santa. No subject is off-limits in our valiant quest to decode what ‘posh’ really means. And there’ll be listener input, too, because we want to help tackle the country’s thorniest etiquette questions. How do you tell your host in advance that you’re on Mounjaro? Should you dump a man because of his shoes? And how best to navigate the tricky ‘bathroom’ issue on the first weekend away with a new lover? Towards the end of each episode, they will pick their favourite bit of manners mail and offer their helpful thoughts on the subject. Because like it or loathe it, Britain’s favourite hobby remains pretending not to care about class while quietly caring about it very much, judging everything from your kitchen taps to your holiday destination, and whether you say ‘toilet’ or ‘loo’. The spirit of Hyacinth Bucket lives on! Do, please, keep on your shoes, take off your gloves and hold on to your hats for The Poshcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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