Encarta & Chill | A 90s Podcast

E10 | You've Got Mail

You wrote in so we're reading out! It's time for a trip down memory lane of this trip down memory lane podcast as we revisit previous episodes on the back of your electronic mail.
 
In this special correspondence episode we'll be digging deeper into the origins of the Windows 95 start-up jingle, learning that Poliwhirl really was a big deal in the 90s (but apparently not as a big as butlers) and new evidence comes to light regarding Smoky Beckham crisps.
 
Plus, make sure your Walkman has fresh batteries because it's time to uncover the secrets of everyone's favourite German-Ugandan lothario as we unearth 'The Lou Bega Tapes'.
 
Thank you to everyone who has listened to this nonsense over the last 10 episodes. We will now be taking a short break but Encarta and Chill will return in February!

E09 | The Millennium

At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2000, the world erupted into complete chaos. Planes fell from the sky, Tickle Me Elmos turned on their masters and Robbie Williams realised his ode to the new century had accidentally been released two years too early.
 
Luckily Tom and Tomek lived to tell the tale and are here to ring in the new year by talking about things that happened (or didn't!) 25 years ago. From the Bug to the Dome, it's time to revisit the most giddy changing of a calendar planet earth has ever witnessed... the dawn of the Millennium.
 
Hope you like Jools Holland because Mum says you can stay up for this one!

E08 | Christmas

There's millions of Toms all under one pod... Well, there's two and if you're looking to bore your family with the CORRECT lyrics to the Toys 'R' us advert this Christmas, they've got you covered.
 
'Tis the season for people claiming Coca-Cola invented Santa, crackers filled with curly fish and Kellogg's Ricicles. Only two of those things are true but you can rest assured that all three will be discussed in unnecessary detail.
 
The Argos catalogue autumn/winter 1990 serves as a portal into Christmases of 90s past in this festive special of Encarta and Chill so get ready to circle those Furbys, Tamagotchis and Power Rangers and revisit a time when December really was the most wonderful time of the year.

E07 | Television Adverts

"Oh hello, I'm looking for a podcast on fly fishing..."
Your boi J.R. Hartley is in da house as Tom and Tom dust off the old TV/VCR combi for a re-watching of some classic British TV ads from the 90s.
In a time before 'skip ad' buttons, the 90s saw the British public tortured and treated in equal measure to some of the most iconic commercials of all time. At their worst, they infected us with eternal ear worms. At their best, they were better than the programs they were sandwiched between.
From truck-eating cars to car-flogging Papas this episode is guaranteed to have you pining over a product that probably no longer exists.
WARNING: Not suitable for those with an aversion to stop motion skeletons.

E06 | Video Games

Stop playing that SEGA Mega Drive (Mum says it'll give you square eyes and turn you to violence) and listen to two people talking about SEGA Mega Drives instead. [WARNING: May give you square ears and turn you to violence]
 
In this episode Tom and Tom recall having their underdeveloped brains blown by a minimal number of pixels and reputations are put on the line as they bravely confess their biggest virtual crimes from cheating their way to a meeting with the final boss to removing the swimming pool stairs on The Sims.
 
If that doesn't sound high-octane enough, they'll also be analysing the politics of playing Goldeneye and Mario Kart with your pals, scrutinising the dark pasts of Timon and Pumba and recalling the most baffling lines of commentary from International Superstar Soccer.

E05 | The Mandela Effect

'The Mandela Effect' may sound like a celebration of the sociopolitical impact South Africa's first black President had on his country, his continent and the world... but in actual fact it's a colloquial term for when a bunch of 90s kids remember the Monopoly man's drip incorrectly.
 
This week, Tom and Tom MISremember crisps, cartoons and cornucopias before exploring the urban legends and playground rumours that helped fuel the phenomenon...
 
Could those gooey aliens really have babies?
Did Sunny Delight really send a child yellow? 
Where are they hiding the Playstation prototype complete with VHS player?
 
Ready to face the truth? Grab a packet of Smoky Beckham crisps and tuck in!

E04 | Family Holidays

***BONG*** Passengers, please store your Virgin Colas in the overhead compartments because we will shortly be arriving at our destinations. Disney World, Center Parcs and the Polish skiing town of Zakopane look forward to keeping you mildly entertained for the next 40 minutes.
 
Get ready to cruise at 3,000 feet (...apparently) as Tom and Tomek ponder the highs and lows of holidaying with your parents in the 90s.
 
They’ll also be attempting to answer the burning question of who was more gross… the caricature that Tomek had commissioned on holiday or E.T. the extra terrestrial? 

E03 | Autographs

Woolworths, Thorntons and an equestrian extravaganza are just some of the locations to provide the backdrop for celebrity gossip and scandal in Tom and Tom's latest trip down memory lane.
 
This episode - dedicated to the lost hobby of autograph hunting - sees the integrity of not one, not two but three celebrities put under the (partially redacted) spotlight so here's hoping the podcast hasn't become a commercial success by this point.
 
There's also time for the duo to share an insight into life as a Build-a-Bear mascot, confess their secret Spice Girls obsession and assassinate the character of Lou Bega.

E02 | Primary School

All hail our new robot overlords... or so the teachers would have you believe. 
 
This episode sees Tom and Tom revisit primary school and - as fully grown adults - are now free to bypass all the maths and dive straight into the good stuff: packed lunches, Pepsi can pencil cases and the sensation of sheer dread experienced upon hearing certain theme tunes on a Sunday night. 
 
There isn't time to have an additional discussion on their most quintessential sounds of the 90s but you better believe they're going to do it anyway.

E01 | Nostalgia

Fire up your Freeserve CD-ROM, pour yourself a glass of Sunny Delight and let Tom and Tom be your guides as they embark on a journey of rediscovery across the most bombastic decade of all time.
 
The pod's maiden voyage sees a well-intentioned study on the concept of nostalgia quickly descend into a ramble about Capital FM DJs in exile, what to do if you turn into a dog and Sonic the Hedgehog fan fiction.
 
DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a podcast dedicated to the defunct encyclopedia software Microsoft Encarta... although this episode does feature 12 solid minutes on the subject.