IT'S RAINING BEN... and Sara Again Again

Declare your income and settle your sins, because it’s raining Sara!

Sara claims her title as most frequent guest prompting Ben to consider renaming the show It’s Saraining Ben. Though he probably won’t. After that brief dalliance the pair discuss unattended bags, undesirable jobs, Donald Trump in relation to Top Trumps, and whether you should choose strong and stable chips for lunch or take the trouble to make something healthy yourself.

Oh, and there’s a dog in the room.

https://ia601508.us.archive.org/35/items/IRBPsara3/IRBPsara3.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... with Sara & Ben B

Shut up your Velux and walk your dog fast because it's about to start raining Sara & Ben B!

Ben is joined by his longest running guests, and run they do in a more than averagely meandering episode. Questions are faced down, from an in depth analysis of hierarchy in the Chipmunks to the matter of mange tout vs. sugar snap peas. But more time is spent discussing Ben A's Krap Kulture Klub and Ben B's new opinions on motorbikes.

Plus Shia LaBeouf gets taken down, physically and emotionally, in a shock turn of role play events.

https://ia601509.us.archive.org/17/items/IRBPsarabenb/IRBPsarabenb.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Lucy

Pop your hood and put your drop top back up, because it’s raining Lucy!

If you’re a fan of old school, two guest, one-on-one, live in the studio IRB, then your desperate prayers have been answered. Matthew & Me’s Lucy Fawcett takes her first dive into the radio pool with talk of dangerous pleasures, growing up rather than straight, and the right way to paint a wall. 

Is Ben back to his brilliant best? No, but he’s still damn acceptable.

https://ia601504.us.archive.org/30/items/IRBPlucy/IRBPlucy.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... Second Raindrop Edition

Many things have happened mid-show on It’s Raining Ben. Worlds have been upended, jobs have been won, and, of course, truths have been told. But this is the first time that a show coincided with the announcement of a snap election. Will it be the last? Probably.

But anyway, Ben had more pressing issues to attend to. Namely, answering questions from listeners who wrote in on Facebook. Plus there’s another story from the archive, and a final thought from friend of show, Montgomery Mackintosh.

https://ia601501.us.archive.org/26/items/IRBSolo2/IRB%20-%20Solo%202.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... Raindrop Edition

Throwing caution to the literal wind, Ben sets out as a solitary raindrop this week. With question balls provided by his compact army of fans, he goes one on one with the goalkeeper of life and tries his best to land a few knowledge goals in the form of answers. Why hasn't Michael Bay rebooted The Biker Mice From Mars yet? Are we living in The Matrix 2? Why did the chicken cross the road? All will be revealed.

Plus there's a story about too many birds and a brief appearance by Montgomery Mackintosh. Who could ask for more.

(the opening 2 mins are missing due to a technical hiccup)

http://ia801508.us.archive.org/28/items/IRBPSolo1/IRBPSolo1.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... with Ella & Other-Ben

Protect your veg plot and reinforce your foundations, because it’s raining Ella and Ben!

IRB continues its triple threat onslaught with the return of both Ella and Other-Ben. It’s an energetic show, packed with advice for the modern soul. We test chat up lines for their acceptability and attractability. We pit guest against guest in a fierce and foxy praise-off. And, of course, we return to the world of cannibal Shia Labeouf.

Buckle your belts!

http://ia601506.us.archive.org/14/items/IRBPBenElla/IRBPBenElla.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... with Sam & Joe K

Gather in the deck chairs and cover up the chips because it’s raining Sam and Joe!

Or is it?

The day is tuesday, the time is morning and the question on everyone's (yes, everyone’s) lips is: will Joe make it in time? It’s the second of our suspense based shows, made all the better by having at least one guest in the studio. So join Ben and Sam as they cover some of the very best questions, uncover some truths about cannibal Shia Labeouf, and bite their nails waiting for Joe.

Will he show? You’ll have to listen to the show.

http://ia601508.us.archive.org/34/items/IRBPSamJoe/IRBPSamJoe.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... with Lizzie & Joe B

Turn up your flares and put up the tent, because it’s raining Lizzie and Joe!

Ben quizzes his guests on seasonal clothing colouring, party positions, and regret. J and L share some thoughts from their recent cycle epic. We’ve got a brand new, regular/probably one-off section by the name of Desert-Island Hotel. And for the role play fans, there’s a pretty grand surprise regarding Shia’s heritage.

In the words of John ‘Ray’ Raymond, hold on to your butts.

https://ia801505.us.archive.org/0/items/IRBPJoeAndLizzie/IRBP%20-%20Joe%20and%20Lizzie.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... with Rowan & Ziggy

Double up your flood defences and slip on a second sou'wester, because it's our very first threeway!

When Ziggy and Rowan were asked to double team Ben, they understandably leapt at the chance. And you'll soon see why. It's a show tinged with sadness, marking the impending departure of Rowan and the at-some-point-soon departure of Ziggy, but the tinge is largely pushed aside as our heroes discuss DIY verses paying someone else and what it means to be more than welcome. Plus there's an extended and almighty period of role-play featuring "Dr" Gillian McKeith.

In every ending, a new beginning.

http://ia601605.us.archive.org/33/items/IRBPRowanZiggy/IRBPRowanZiggy.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Jeremy

Gather your water-prone goods and cover your fragile crops because it’s about to rain Jeremy.

This week Ben is joined by current interior designer and future author, Jeremy, for a rather different kind of show. Ever since we took on the task of solving the world’s problems, here at IRB, we’ve tackled some weighty topics. We’ve ruled on high-scent foods on public transport, the number of ways it’s possible to skin a cat, and whether John Legend is really a Legend. But for once we thought we’d take it easy and discuss the power of conscious consumerism and the devaluing of the term ‘sustainability’. Just for poops and giggles.

Don’t worry, we do some role playing with magic fish at the end.

https://ia601503.us.archive.org/16/items/IRBPJeremy/IRBP%20-%20Jeremy.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Sam again

Ladies and Gentlemen you'd better dress for precipitation, because it's raining Sam!

Or is it?

In our most daring episode yet, we discover what happens when the show starts and the co-host is still in bed. Will Sam make it to the studio in time with nothing to aid him but his feet, his legs, and his diehard enthusiasm for radio? You'll just have to listen in to find out.

What we can guarantee is that Ben will be doing his best to fill time by solving listener's problems, sent in live through social media. Were dinosaurs and pelicans alive at the same time? Is John Legend really a Legend? What are Ben's top ten safe words and how does he rank them? All will be revealed.

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/27/items/IRBPSam2/IRBP%20-%20Sam%202.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Sara again

Get on your knees and pray to Zeus because it's raining Sara!

In another one of their unprepared specials done mostly because another co-host had to drop out, the pair talk about Trump, touch on the subject of Trump, consider the details of Trump, and find a little time to mock Piers Morgan.

What did you expect?

https://ia601509.us.archive.org/17/items/IRBSara2/IRB%20-%20Sara%202.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Shaun

Find your mother and dive for cover, because it's raining Shaun!

For the first show of 2017, Ben has recruited designer, beard wearer, and man, Shaun East. Together the two tackle some questions big and some questions small. Shaun brings us a short history of 'cool' and asks wether the word has lost its meaning. Ben, for his part, asks Shaun four questions about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and three about sandwiches.

Not only that, but the weekly battle with Shia Labeouf takes an exciting turn as we venture out of the woods and come across a small village with a very high cost of living.

Gadzooks.

https://ia601509.us.archive.org/27/items/IRBPShaun/IRBP%20-%20Shaun.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... New Year Special!

Prime your pumps, because it's a special storm this week.

Never one to let an opportunity pass him by, Ben rounded his New Year's party pals into a radio ranch and recorded the whole thing. Expect made up songs, surprise call ins, high end cultural commentary, a teenage story about 9/11, another round of roll play, and as always plenty of final judgements.

You're welcome.

https://ia801502.us.archive.org/15/items/IRBNewYearSpecial/IRB%20-%20New%20Year%20Special!%202.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Josh again

Duck for cover and cover yourself in ducks, because for the second time it's raining Josh!

In a show conceived and performed through a fug of winter illness, Josh and Ben attempt to set the world's wrongs right. Given the season, we've laid the debate table with a feast of good topics and even better metaphors. Can you take the Christ out of Christmas? Can you paint with all the colours of the wind? Is jelly to be encouraged? Nothing escape the coruscating gaze of our two host.

Plus two Christmas songs, one that you probably won't have heard on the radio and one that you definitely won't have heard on the radio (because Ben wrote it)

https://ia801508.us.archive.org/0/items/IRBPJosh2/IRBP%20-%20Josh%202.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Jay

Strip off and run naked through the town because it’s raining Jay!

IRB arrives in December with new purpose. After four months of bumbling around we finally know what we’re doing: trying to save the world. To that aim, Ben and Jay pass judgement on public transport snacking, national birds and flowers, and the ideal three fictional characters to take to a desert island. Add in the finest Single Use Jingle to date, a tight Question Section, and yet another voyage into the endless woods of actual cannibal, Shia Labeouf, and you’ve got a recipe for radio success.

Darn Tooting Bec.

https://ia801504.us.archive.org/28/items/IRBPJay/IRBP%20-%20Jay.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Sara

Dig out your boots and stitch up your seams because it's raining Sara!

Trying their best to avoid a "couple's show", real life live-in partners Ben and Sara waste no time in tackling some big topics in today's Question Section: Cable ties or gaffa tape? Puppy or kitten? Chocolate or cheese? Puppy or kitten? Young forever or a lifetime supply of happiness? Puppy or kitten?

No stone is left unturned.

After those wars are won, Sara demands that artists stop working for exposure, the pair answer some listener's questions, and Ben takes Sara to the woods to face off with Shia LaBeouf.

It's a certified hoot.

https://ia801506.us.archive.org/5/items/IRBPSara/IRBP%20-%20Sara.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Mik

Lock up your locks and batten down your hatches because it's raining Mik!

Forget everything you know about IRB, because Mik is taking it to a new and more terrifying place. Within the hour he proves beyond all doubt that life is a simulation, god is unreachable, news cannot be trusted, and your lightbulbs will turn against you. Ben attempts to lighten the mood by taking Mik into a wood with a cannibalistic Shia LaBeouf. Oh, and we discover, once and for all, that there actually is no point.

Enjoy.

https://ia801500.us.archive.org/10/items/IRBPMik/IRBP%20-%20Mik.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and another Ben

Get to a safe spot and don’t stand under trees because this time, it’s pouring.

We’ve heard it rain Ben with Ben, and we’ve even heard it rain Ben without him, but for the first time it’s raining double Ben. After the initial thrill of coincidental christian name crossover has past, the two Bens get down to sort-of-answering some serious questions. Car vs. motorbike, smart technology vs. old fashioned conversation, sleep vs. staying awake: no topic is off limits.

But first names aren’t the only firsts this week. We hear the first instance of live listener interaction, as a question comes in mid episode via Facebook. We also hear Ben premiere his latest item, taking t’other Ben on a role playing adventure with a cannibalistic Shia LaBeouf. The quest continues next week, where it will inevitably earn itself a jingle.

**SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS BENS**

https://ia801500.us.archive.org/9/items/IRBPBen/IRBP%20-%20Ben.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Chris

Put down your parka and get rid of your goretex, because it's raining Chris!

This week we ask the question: can a glut of new jingles make up for a paucity of preparation. The answer, as I'm sure you'll agree (post, and during, and possibly even pre, listen) is a resounding "heck yes!". Ben quizzes Chris on the origins of Guilty Pleasures Totnes, and ask if any pleasure can really be guilty. Chris brings IRB its first musical exclusive, in the form of Albert Jones, and tackles the buzzing topic of snakes.

We also come very close not mentioning the US election which is happening as I type and might mean that this description comes to you through a fog of fallout or as some web-cached relic of a forgotten world.

Or things will just carry on as normal because two-party politics rarely changes anything. We shall see, and you, in the future, will have already seen.

https://ia801509.us.archive.org/4/items/IRBPChris/IRBP%20-%20Chris.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Rowan

Shake off your shelter and jump out of your PVC jumper, because it's raining Rowan!

After the mellow tones and mild controversy of last week's show, this edition of IRB takes a different tack. Prepare yourself for a medium-to-high level of energy and a slightly increased level of controversy. Rowan asks Ben whether ignorance is bliss and if a benign dictatorship might be better than an ill-informed democracy. Ben asks Rowan for his 3 favourite things about Donald Trump and whether a wooden board is a suitable substitute for a plate.

Seriously, prepare yourself.

https://ia801509.us.archive.org/25/items/IRBPRowan/IRBP%20-%20Rowan.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Ziggy

Tear off your goggles and sacrifice your sou'wester because it's raining Ziggy!

Join us, if you dare, for possibly our most controversial episode to date. Ziggy asks whether Elon Musk is secretly evil, while Ben makes several attempts to handle the hot topic of racism and gets his hands rightly burned.

Ziggy claims that Britain is best summed up by a pub, while Ben overuses the word immigrant then labels all larches as dissidents and Lana Del Rey as a nuisance.

Before the hour is out, both make plans to monetise picnics.

It’s a delightful disgrace.

https://ia601506.us.archive.org/17/items/IRBPZiggy/IRBP%20-%20Ziggy.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Ella

Put your mac in its sack and throw caution to the autumn, because it's raining Ella!

Ben is joined by illustrator, club master, and previously Australian lady, Ella. The two talk about increasingly-unstable-Britain's future in an increasingly-unstable-world and ruminate on the potentially impending world-war. It's also a bumper harvest for features as Ella builds the, now permanent, 'Biscuit Corner' and Ben debut's his new item, "Single Use Jingle".

Hold out for the final few minutes when Sara walks in for a chat about hair dye.

Who is Sara? What does she think about hair dye?

There's only one way to find out.

https://ia601509.us.archive.org/30/items/IRBPElla/IRBP%20-%20Ella.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Sam

Kick off your galoshes, throw out your dubbin, and leave your umbrellas at home because it's Raining Sam!

Join Ben and his first-time-but-not-last-time-co-host Sam as they chat an hour away. We get to know the new kid by way of some unhelpful questions, we learn who Ada Lovelace was, and that Ben was very confused about who Ada Lovelace was, three excellent jokes are exchanged in the IRB Culture Market, and two stories are exchanged about foreign wallet losses. AND, for the musical fans out there, the boys sidle up to that comic goldmine, “blank would make a good band name”, and attempt to knock it out.

Hooray!

https://ia801504.us.archive.org/14/items/IRBPSam/IRBP%20-%20Sam.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Tom

After more than month of blue skies, you'll be glad to know the clouds are gathering again. And this time it's raining Tom.

Tom is a professional Ranger, and as such the ideal all round man. He works in the woods with powerful, deadly machinery; nurtures small plants and fuzzy creatures back from the brink; and get his hands dirty on a very regular basis.

Together they discuss keyboards, stalkers, the failure of Esperanto, and the existence or non existence of free will.

You won't wanna miss this!

https://ia601503.us.archive.org/25/items/IRBPTom/IRBP%20-%20Tom.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Josh

After a week of it raining Ben without Ben, Ben's back! And not only that, he's brought a friend with him.

Josh has little to no radio experience but he makes up for that with a sharp mind, a delightful taste in music, and the ability to tolerate Ben constantly undermining him. Together they talk alternatives to democracy, caring for an accidentally adopted child, and Pokemon Go.

Strap yourselves in.

https://ia801506.us.archive.org/1/items/IRBPJosh/Irbp-Josh.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... without Ben

Sudden love has kept Ben out of the studio this week, so his shoes are ably filled by his great grandfather, Montgomery Mackintosh. Grasping around for topics to kill airtime, Montgomery answers listener's queries on the paranormal, reveals the location of Emilie Sande, and reminisces about his time as a young actress in Borneo.

By gosh is it fun.

https://ia601502.us.archive.org/5/items/IRBPWithoutBen/IRBP%20-%20without%20Ben.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Tristan

Star of the We Got Better podcast, Tristan, joined Ben for some chit and some chat. They discussed the dangers of teleportation, bands with animal related names that imply something unpleasant, and gardening.

Hooray!

https://ia601503.us.archive.org/12/items/IRBPTristan/IRBP%20-%20Tristan.mp3

IT'S RAINING BEN... and Charlie

Ben is joined by veteran DJ, future barrister, and current musician, Charlie Hogan. They discuss personified biscuits, enforced wearing of tinted spectacles, and explain why Dartmoor ponies are small and Devon soil is red. Plus Charlie gets his first real lawyer job live on air!

Get your umbrella girls, because...

No, I'm not going there.

https://ia801507.us.archive.org/7/items/IRBPCharlie/IRBP%20-%20Charlie.mp3