Encarta & Chill | A 90s Podcast

E25 | Computers

Where do you want to go today?
If your answer is “back to a time when an overly fancy screensaver could blow up your computer,” then join Tom and Tomek as they set off in search of rolling hills, seductive Clip Art, and cryptic MSN Messenger screen names.
But beware - this journey isn’t without peril. You might end up trapped in an educational CD-ROM, devoured by a Yeti, or, worse still, subjected to Pauline Quirke endlessly rolling her eyes at you.
David Byrne, one-third of the Friends cast, and Richard from PC World are tagging along too, so throw on your best billowy shirt and get ready to party super awkwardly on stage with Bill Gates.

E24 | The Eclipse

Jamie Theakston has the navy on standby, Philippa Forrester's owl may or may not do something and Patrick Moore is ready to go full Crash Bandicoot if this darn cloud cover doesn't clear.
It’s all about to kick off as Tom and Tom revisit the high-octane celestial phenomenon that was the total solar eclipse of 1999. But was it really that impressive - or did the teacher from the Jaffa Cakes advert do it better?
There’s no need to call the South West National Farmers' Union Eclipse Helpline to find out, because Encarta and Chill has all the sound scientific reasoning you need. One thing’s for sure: it was certainly intriguing enough to get two characters from Coronation Street down to... LONDON!

E23 | Newsagents

This week, Tom and Tomek are popping down to the humble newsagent's - a place where adults can catch up on global conflicts, stay informed on economic trends and even glimpse into the future by finding out which member of the Di Marco family is set to clash with Grant Mitchell next week (spoiler alert: it’s Beppe!).
For the youth, however, it’s so much more: a distributor of glow-in-the-dark T-Rex vertebrae, a gateway to the cult of Ant and Dec and quite possibly a vendor of Tudor tomes...
Unconventional Pogs, unpopular confectionery and unacceptable Slush Puppy flavours await in the latest episode of Encarta and Chill.

E22 | You've Got Mail II

Your continued correspondence has been so good, it's had us scrambling to open emails like children receiving postcards from their French pen pals.
But instead of puzzling over how best to tell Pierre - in very limited French - that we enjoy swimming at the weekend or whether we prefer cats or dogs, we’ve been invited to relive a One-2-One advert with Mike.
Sophie has a shocking digital pet confession to make, Jonathan has inadvertently refreshed the format of choreographed wrestling, and Aaron has us questioning everything we thought we knew about S Club 7.
Then, just as we thought there was no more ground to cover on Lou Bega, you went and found some water…

E21 | Now That's What I Call Music

Hiya, listeners. Wanna go for a ride? Jump in!
In this episode of Encarta and Chill, the Tommy boys from a '90s world, board the Vengabus back to a time that was both plastic and fantastic - a little blue (Da Ba Dee), and, in the case of Shanks & Bigfoot, entirely made out of chocolate.
The subject is music and Gary Barlow is advised not to listen, as all the fictional characters who topped the charts ahead of him are out in force. But if he does, he might finally realise that all he had to do was release a song in which Take That sing about their own names.
Was René from Aqua the one true Indiana Jones? Is the Lighthouse Family’s back catalogue actually just one long song? Who would win in a fight between Jay Kay and Godzilla?
As ever, Tom and Tomek promise to explore all of the above in tedious detail - without actually settling on an answer.

E20 | Pranks

Blobby. Blobby. Blobby. Yes, the time has come for Tom and Tomek to come face-to-face with a certain creature - unconventional in hue - that The New York Times once described as "proof of Britain's deep-seated attraction to trash."
But a far worse fate awaits our hosts, as the 90s' equivalent of Doctor Frankenstein also lurks in the shadows - coiffured mane gleaming, bag of tricks at the ready, prepared to deceive an entire Queens Park Rangers squad for a full four minutes.
At what point does a hilarious misunderstanding cross into questionable public endangerment? That’s for neither you nor Jeremy Beadle to worry about. Simply sit back, grab yourself a stick of unbranded spearmint gum, and discover how the 90s was a decade so simple that it had a woman from Dorset genuinely believing an alien had popped round for tea.

E19 | Britannica & Repose: An 1890s Podcast

Today is the day Encarta and Chill changes forever. It's still the 90s... but not as you know it.
Join Thomas and Tommy as they fire up the penny farthing, pour themselves a tot of gin and embark on a journey of rediscovery across the most spiffing decade of all time... the 1890s.
The phonograph's maiden voyage sees a well-intentioned study on the concept of nostalgia quickly descend into a prattle about hoops, sticks, Penny dreadfuls and Notts County's Albert Iremonger.
DISCLAIMER: This is definitely not an April Fools prank.

E18 | The Paranormal

It's the final years of the 20th century, and the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one… apparently. So why is young Tomek going to such extremes to prevent himself from being abducted?
Meanwhile, Tom is being chased up the stairs by a sinister presence. With a bit of luck, Neil Buchanan will show up any minute to dismiss it as nothing more than a swarm of midges.
Keep the lights on for this one as they dive into all things paranormal - from The X-Files and Goosebumps to ghost condoms and haunted trains (sorry, engines).
But nothing made Britain’s collective blood run colder in the ‘90s than a certain glory hole-dwelling spectre named Pipes. Are you brave enough to pay him one more visit?
Seriously though, keep the lights on - because if you're one of those people who likes to fall asleep to podcasts, you won’t want to be lying there in the dark when the Are You Afraid of the Dark? theme tune kicks in around the 40-minute mark…

E17 | Pets / Digital Pets

Before they became stars of memes and viral videos, there was a time when cats and dogs did nothing more than eat from bowls, chase balls, and curl up for long naps. Yes, the ‘90s were a pretty sweet time for our furry friends… until they were all suddenly replaced by keyrings boasting 16-pixel LCD screens in 1997.
This episode pays tribute to late 20th-century Animalia - from Sabrina's zesty feline with an attitude problem and Sam Neill’s prehistoric travel companion with a burger addiction to others that may or may not resemble Bill Clinton.
So PAWS what you’re doing, slip into your dandiest pantaloons, and cozy up by the fire with your two faithful companions, Tom and Tomek. Just don’t stroke their hair backwards. They hate that.

E16 | Swimming

Yeah, buoy! This week, the Toms are spreading their water wings and diving headfirst into what Tomek's dad once called "The Golden Age of Council Swimming Pools."
From the thrill of the wave machine to the terror of the deep end, it's time to revisit those chlorine-scented childhoods spent cheating death at Croydon's Water Palace and basking in the glory of sewing a Pool Frog 3 badge onto a manky old Garfield towel.
Will they ride the tide of memory like seasoned swimmers or sink like a slippery black brick? Take the plunge and press play now to find out!