In Depth Pet Shop Boys Podcast

For their season finale, Graham and Chris go full‑throttle at Electric, the album that jolted Pet Shop Boys back into ‘banging and lasers’ mode — and inspired the Pod Cast Boys to embrace the same rule‑breaking, high‑voltage fun. Following Neil, Chris and Stuart Price’s alphabetical recording method, they present the full A–Z of Electric, diving into its wild mix of influences from Italo disco and Madonna to William Blake and Lionel Richie; duty disco doctors witnessing the birth of Elysium’s unruly twin. There’s the story of how Axis recharged lapsed fans, a headspin into the politics of dancing, and how freedom, faffing and freewheeling joy shaped both the record and this episode. Plus: listener memories, the x2 origin story, and Escape to the Country — a celebration of Pet Shop Boys at their most liberated.” Want to show your love for the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast? Visit our new Crowdfunder - anything appreciated! Get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/cf16f4bc3 Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In the first instalment of what promises to be an occasional Further Listening series, Graham and Chris delve into the Pet Shop Boys’ b‑side and fan favourite The Resurrectionist. Joining them is historian and author Sarah Wise, whose acclaimed book The Italian Boy inspired Neil’s macabre lyric about 1830s body snatching and the grisly trade in corpses. A devoted Pethead herself, Sarah reflects on her fandom while spilling the guts on the chilling history behind her work. Together, they explore how Victorian true crime found its way into pop music - and whether The Resurrectionist might finally resurface at next year’s Obscure shows. 📚 Order Sarah Wise’s The Italian Boy: http://tiny.cc/xywv001 📚 Order her latest book The Undesirables: http://tiny.cc/2zwv001”

It’s the second Disco 5 In Depth episode, and Graham and Chris’s wayward moves take them from the dancefloor to the art gallery - where they encounter orgasm addict Sam Taylor-Johnson and rodent fanatic Wolfgang Tillmans. Meanwhile, at the Disco 5 launch party, it’s time for some difficult questions: would you rather be a live Sex Pistol or a dead Pet Shop Boy? Is Paul Weller gay? What did Olly do next? And are Sleaford Mods for real? It’s like punk never happened! Plus: buckle up for Chris’s tracklist remix, and some speculation as to what life might be like when Disco 6 arrives. Will any of us will be around to hear it? Want to show your love for the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast? Visit our new Crowdfunder - anything appreciated! Get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/cf16f4bc3 Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Disco 5 has landed, and Graham and Chris are remixing everything — even themselves. In part one of this two‑episode celebration, they rewind through the Disco series’ chaotic legacy, spar with Noel, redefine Tina, unmask Claptone, and spotlight Carroll Thompson, Soft Cell and The Hidden Cameras as they uncover surprising connections across Pet Shop Boys history. But - Disco Demolition alert - what would Graham’s remixed tracklist look like?” Want to show your love for the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast? Visit our new Crowdfunder - anything appreciated! Get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/cf16f4bc3 Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In a special celebratory 30th episode, Graham and Chris countdown their favourite 30 Pet Shop Boys songs - each a new excuse to fall down the usual rabbit holes of stories and memories! Girls Aloud, Tom Watkins, Dame Anna Neagle, Zelda Fitzgerald, Trevor Horn, TS Eliot and Kermit the Frog each make an appearance, and there’s also time to reappraise those negative reviews of Behaviour, the collapse of the music industry and - you know you really want it - the actual secrets of sexual attraction. But first - the real challenge: agreeing a joint list! Want to show your love for the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast? Visit our new Crowdfunder - anything appreciated! Get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/cf16f4bc3 Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Graham and Chris celebrate 40 years of Pet Shop Boys fans and fandom with a special Petheads episode of In Depth! Armed with nearly 100 lovingly-completed listener surveys, the stories and memories come thick and fast. From favourite songs and treasured items to fan creativity and real-life encounters with Neil and Chris themselves, they share your thoughts and feelings in a heartfelt first-of-its-kind podcast tribute. But there’s still time to get under the skin of what makes a Pet Shop Boys fan, and a reminder of what we all did to deserve the label Petheads in the first place. Want to show your love for the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast? Visit our new Crowdfunder - anything appreciated! Get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/cf16f4bc3 Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Graham and Chris make a midnight return to the garden shed to unleash the full horror of the In Depth Halloween podcast! As they exorcise the ghosts, vampires, skeletons and will-o-the-wisps haunting the Pet Shop Boys catalogue, unholy guest appearances abound - from Joan of Arc and Ed Gein to Count Dracula and Francisco Goya. Expect a quest to uncover the spookiest PSB album, a chilling tally of all the ways to die in their videos… and the ominous reveal of a mysterious box unearthed from Graham’s loft. What could possibly be inside?” Want to show your love for the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast? Visit our new Crowdfunder - anything appreciated! - Get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/cf16f4bc3 Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

There’s an end-of-term feel to the In Depth season finale as Chris subjects Graham to the full technicolour horror of the Pet Shop Boys “Colours” quiz! With his co-hosting position on the line, Graham comes out fighting with some of his brightest, boldest Pet Shop facts to date. But with Chris moving the goalposts (“that’s indirect!”) and Graham getting increasingly desperate (“I’m going colour-adjacent!”), will he end up with a gold medal or a red face? From Brother Brown to Pink Noise, Purple Zones to Little Black Dresses, why not brush up on your own Pet Shop Boys colour-related facts and play along at home? Just be prepared for some shady interpretations! To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In the second half of our Discography double bill, we dive “Double In Depth” into the remaining nine tracks. The Introspective singles take us raving with Frankie Knuckles and the dawn of Acid House, while Behaviour sees us smoking about cigarettes and harping on about harps. There’s even chance for us to show off Graham’s amateur percussion skills, and Chris’s even more amateur language pronunciation skills. C’est la vida é! But can we squeeze in a countdown of the top 10 longest Pet Shop Boys song titles?” To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Graham and Chris celebrate the blue vinyl reissue of double album Discography by going “Double In Depth” to trade some of their most obscure facts yet. From the first record alone, they unearth early draft lyrics, an old BBC Two documentary, an Elvis TV special, the 1988 UK singles chart, and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine - while also examining the roles of both the saxophone and Pink Floyd in the Pet Shop Boys canon. But who knew Enya was stalking Neil and Chris’s every move? More next week! To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Whether it’s a catastrophe or a bourgeois construct, Pet Shop Boys have much to say on love. And so do Graham and Chris - first putting their own love for the band under the microscope to try and uncover where love becomes obsession. Then comes the lyrical deep-dive, unpicking all the ways Neil “Man of Mystery” Tennant crafts a love song, before Chris “Intense Urges” Lowe derails things and we all need to go for a cold shower. Plus: there’s a high-stakes middle bit where two straight middle-aged men talk about sexuality, and a more familiar climax where they compile the ultimate Pet Shop Boys love album: Slush. To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In their second Actually episode, Graham and Chris unearth the stories behind some of Pet Shop Boys’ most loved songs, with tales of paranoia, privatisation, puppets and Pavarotti. There’s a comprehensive breakdown of inspirations and collaborators - from Bobby O and Ennio to Cameo and Gazebo - and analysis of everything, including the kitchen sink. By the time the last train pulls out of King’s Cross, they’ve uncovered the album’s major themes, and things are looking bleak. Thankfully love is discovered in a pair of Heart singles. But - own up - who forgot to book the orchestra?” To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In the latest of their album deep-dives, Graham and Chris rewind life’s cassette to summer 1987 to set the scene for the arrival of Actually. Graham’s teenage diary shines new light on the headlines and music charts of the day, before the album’s upfront singles are comprehensively unpacked, with a little help from Jonathan King (boo!) and Ed the Duck (hurrah!). After deconstructing the sleeve and mourning the memorabilia they’ve lost to Pet Shop Boys heaven over the decades, it’s fantasy setlist time, with Chris pitching his ideas for the Actually tour which never actually happened. Part two next week! To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com You can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Graham and Chris turn TV hosts to present a special edition of This Is Your Life, calling out Pet Shop Boys’ 10 greatest achievements from the famed Big Red Book. Career highs recalled include having their first 12” available in Soho’s Record Shack, rescuing Dusty and aiding the drive to pardon Alan Turing, as well as subverting UK institutions and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty. There’s also In Depth analysis of Hallo Spaceboy’s cut-up lyrics and Neil’s only published poem, while guests lining up to pay tribute include Bobby O, Madonna, Sammy Davis Jr, Es Devlin, Emily Eavis and Jimmy Tarbuck himself. But will Neil and Chris accept their knighthoods for services to pop? There's only one way to find out...

With the tour that nearly never began now threatening never to end, Graham and Chris don their robo-tuning-fork-rabbit-ears to consider what Pet Shop Boys fans really want from a greatest hits show. Deep cuts are welcome - unless it’s to the singer’s thumb. Stories are shared from Hull, Rome, Koko and Funny Girls, and there’s talk of theme parks, toilet breaks, inflatable beds and popstar dreams. Plus, in a dream sequence inspired by Neil’s Marvel Comics days: Is Pet Shop Boys’ career simply one long journey through a multiverse of overlapping Dreamworlds? And - for an encore - Graham and Chris get their dream call to curate the setlist for ‘Dreamworld 2: Return To Dreamworld’!” If you would like to share your own PSB stories and by possibly be part of a future 'fans' episode - please complete our fans survey. https://forms.gle/tBRi5C5aX2XJZfyw9 To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or visit our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com You can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In the second part of their Nonetheless double-bill, Graham and Chris go track-by-track, meeting a cast of characters along the way including James Ford, Rudolf Nureyev, Oscar Wilde, Les Petites Bon-Bons, Bowie, Cardi B, Brandon, Kylie, Putin, Ted Lasso, Kraftwerk, Tracey Emin, Spitting Image, and Taylor Swift. There’s also time to discuss first plays, formats and nudity in PSB lyrics, before getting down to the really big questions - what do Pet Shop Boys songs smell like? and how does Nonetheless rate in the Pet Shop Boys canon? You can get additional content on social media via our Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz To support the podcast you can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

In the first part of a new album double-bill, Graham and Chris inadvertently go so In Depth talking about Nonetheless, they don’t even have time to talk about Nonetheless. Nonetheless, there’s loads to say on life since Hotspot and the excitement of the campaign build up, including Pet Shop Boys on both big and small screens, singles, artwork, fonts, photos, titles, labels, haircuts, Johnny Marr, and the sheer joy of seeing a crate of old demo cassettes. Plus, Chris wows Graham with his PSB sporting knowledge, while Graham boards the clean air hybrid electric bus to quiz Chris on their transport connections. You can get additional content on social media via our Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz To support the podcast you can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

“Let’s do it, let’s break the law!” In an In Depth first, Graham and Chris leave the (un)comfort of the garden shed to take the train to London on a Very Big Pet Shop Boys adventure. Visiting places immortalised in PSB history and song lyrics, the podcast pair stop off at classic PSB landmarks to nurse their blisters, download their journey and recall London gigs and events attended over the years. “Highlights” include the world’s worst PSB pub crawl and a failed attempt to recreate the Home and dry video. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

Graham and Chris set the controls to 1999 to immerse themselves in one of Pet Shop Boys’ most polarising releases. Echoing Nightlife’s celebration of both night owls and homebirds, Chris’s nocturnal flashbacks cover Creamfields and culottes, while Graham settles down to experience a total (solar) eclipse of the heart. Fright wigs, goths, vampires, insomnia, early internet fandom and the small matter of a musical… all get surfaced as In Depth’s gruesome-twosome exhume the Boys’ spookiest 12-tracker. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

Graham and Chris answer the killer question “who’s your favourite Pet Shop Boy?” by attempting to curate a complete history of “early Neil”. From a hatred of football to a love of the theatre, In Depth gets under the skin of Neil’s childhood influences which helped shape the PSB sound and attitude. Plus: Beatles! Bowie! Zithers and whimsy! Never-ending redundancy money and what were the key factors which informed Pet Shop Boys’ first Camden studio sessions? You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com