Down The Robbie Hole

Modern Life Is Robbie.After ten long years without a (non-soundtrack, Christmas, or re-recording compilation) Robbie Williams album, Robbie surprise releases BRITPOP, his thirteenth studio album. But is BRITPOP a BRITFLOP?Featuring a track from the perspective of Morrissey's obsessive stalker, an unnoticeable Chris Martin cameo, and some of Robbie's most inscrutable lyrics yet, BRITPOP is undeniably an album that lasts for 38 minutes and 13 seconds. Does the album have anything to do with the Britpop movement? How does Robbie feel about the box-office disappointment of his monkey movie Better Man? Why was Robbie recently on the red carpet with Kiefer Sutherland? The Robbie Hole gang solemnly exhume the answers to all these questions and more in this episode right here, this one.The boys also take a glance at Netflix's three-part Take That documentary, before some other stuff happens and then the episode ends, bye!

They finally made a monkey out of him. This time the boys go ape for Robbie's first biopic, Better Man (2024), directed by Michael Gracey of The Greatest Showman fame. You may have heard, but there's a bit of a twist in that Robbie Williams is portrayed by a CGI monkey for the entire film. The fellas start off by gibbon the movie a rating out of 10 before diving into a spoileriffic discussion about the movie, its historical accuracy, and the astonishing events behind-the-scenes that brought this $111,000,000 primate passion project to life. Is the movie a howler (monkey) or did it turn out great (ape)? Why did Gary Barlow turn down the original script? Who is the mysterious Nate? Which death cost the film millions of dollars? Why is Adam Tucker credited on so much of the soundtrack? Are we entering a Year Of Robbie? Chimpanzee for yourself in an episode that's Goodall (i.e. Jane) round! (Recorded in 2024)

We're back with a triple threat! This time the boys tackle the 2023 Take That musical film Greatest Days, the first album from Robbie's dance side project: Visions Volume 1 by Lufthaus, and Netflix's four-part documentary series simply called Robbie Williams. You wait two years for one and three come along at once, typical. The movie sees childhood friends reunite over their love of Take That's music, the album contains roughly one hundred and twenty beats per minute, and the documentary sees Robbie Williams reflect on his career, watching decades of archival footage from his bed. Who are The Boys and what have they done with Take That? What exactly are the lyrics of "Ringo"? Is there anything from the documentary that we haven't covered yet? Find out all this and more in a real bumper of an episode. This episode's good! But the next one's better, man. (Recorded in 2023)

We've got one more in us, and so does Robbie. To celebrate 25 years (give or take) in the music industry, Robbie Williams returns with his 2022 album XXV, a compilation album with a twist, all of his old songs have been newly re-recorded with an orchestra, offering some radical new takes on classic tracks and plenty of surprises. Just as Robbie has been looking at his career with 25 years of hindsight, the boys have had plenty of time to mull over the podcast, this being the first episode recorded since 2020, and get into the Robbie Hole's three-year gestation period now that they're older and wiser. Prepare for a bumper episode with over double the Robbie antics of any other, find out which re-recordings improve on the originals via our handy rating system, and discover tantalising details about the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, directed by The Greatest Showman's Michael Gracey. This is one of the deepest dives into the Robbie Hole yet. What horrifying thing did Robbie do to his own hand? Why did he tweet an advertisement for an animal? Does he have a semi-secret dance music project with two Australian men? What does Iron Man 3 have to do with any of this? Find out all of this and more in the last venture Down The Robbie Hole for a while (we promise this time), as this is the current endpoint of Robbie's discography, episodes will be more sporadic from here on out. Join us next time whenever there is more Robbie to be Holed. (Recorded in 2023)

Our journey Down The Robbie Hole comes to an end. The boys rank Robbie Williams's albums and provide their own top 10 personal favourite tracks, reflecting on the experience of deep-diving into Robbie Williams's discography and examine how their own relationship to Robbie has changed in the process. There are some truly shocking choices in the rankings that you won't want to miss.  From outside the Robbie Hole, looking in, we bid you adieu.

Deck the halls with Holes of Robbie! This time the gang unwrap Robbie Williams's 2019 Christmas album, The Christmas Present, a two-disc collection of classic Christmas covers and new seasonal originals. Featuring Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and for some reason Tyson Fury, this album has much to discuss. The boys get into their personal relationships with Christmas songs, which are their favourites, which are their least favourites, and how retail jobs can eradicate your tolerance for them. How did Robbie use his fame to sell carrots for Christmas dinners? What song was Robbie originally going to perform as a duet with Britney Spears? Who is the mysterious Poppa Pete? Find out all this and more in a truly bell-jingling episode of Down The Robbie Hole. (Down The Robbie Hole was recorded from 2019-2020)

Three's a crowd! The gang are B-side themselves as they examine Robbie Williams's trilogy of outtake compilations, Under The Radar Vol. 1, 2, and 3, released in 2014, 2017, and 2019 respectively, each with cover art that prominently features Robbie's backside. The boys soon realise why these tracks were left off of proper albums in one of the lowest-energy episodes on record. Stick around though for the truly incredible final track of the collection, along with an unexpectedly NSFW discovery made during our Robbie Research. Just like the trilogy of albums itself, this is an episode for the most hardcore of completionists. (Down The Robbie Hole was recorded from 2019-2020)

This is Maximum Robbie.  The boys bob and weave to analyse the flurry of hits that comprise Robbie Williams's eleventh solo album, 2016's The Heavy Entertainment Show. Ten years after Rudebox, Robbie does it again, releasing a truly unhinged masterwork that could have only came from him, featuring the absurd lead single Party Like A Russian, where Robbie sings about oligarchs in a Reggae flow over the Apprentice theme tune. This is just the tip of the iceberg, at this time Robbie, along with his wife Ayda Field, was a judge on the UK X Factor, his sexual exploits were enough to disturb Justin Timberlake, being eventually discussed in Parliament, and an action performed at the World Cup opening ceremony would see him receive international outcry. Which worldwide pop stars wrote songs on this album? What did David Bowie and Morrissey personally think of Robbie Williams? What simple bathtub trick led to the surprisingly high quality of the record? What does it mean to be "hung like a dolphin"? Find out the answers to all these questions and more in this jam-packed episode of Down The Robbie Hole.  (Down The Robbie Hole was recorded from 2019-2020)

Don't hedge your bets, double down! The boys come out of the sandbox to analyse Robbie Williams's tenth solo album, and second Swing album, 2013's Swings Both Ways. Featuring half covers, half original material, and a guest list including Lily Allen, Michael Bublé, and Olly Murs, Robbie takes another swing at the Big Band sound that he first experimented with on 2002's Swing When You're Winning, and reunites with songwriting partner Guy Chambers for the first time since 2004. Much attention is paid to the cheeky title track, a duet with Rufus Wainwright about sexuality, and the nightmarish No One Likes A Fat Pop Star, before a kind of bizarre energy sets in that derails the whole episode. In possibly the strangest episode yet, the gang manage to examine the mentor/protégé relationship between Williams and Olly Murs, the intersection of diet and class in the United Kingdom, and why every single deluxe album looks the same. Allow this episode to swing both ways (into your left and right ears) to find out more. (Down The Robbie Hole was recorded from 2019-2020)

Hey, ho, here we go! The gang give a hearty Millennial Whoop to Robbie Williams's 9th solo album, 2012's Take The Crown. Containing mega-hit Candy and Robbie's answer to Midnight City in Be A Boy, this album sees Williams team up with songwriters Tim Metcalfe and Flynn Francis for some seriously early 2010s-sounding pop music. Reality Killed The Video Star saw Robbie back in the public's good graces, but now he was out to reclaim his place on the pop charts. In this episode, the boys reminisce about their own memories surrounding the album, Candy being an inescapable hit in their formative years, and the album's place in 2012, a memorable year for the UK, containing both the London Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Was the 38 year-old Williams banned from BBC Radio 1 for being too old? When and where did Robbie lose his virginity? What horrifying analogy did he use to describe the birth of his own child? Somehow, all of these answers can be found in this episode. (Down The Robbie Hole was recorded from 2019-2020)