Mid-season Bonus: Ride-along 2: Carlectric Cargaloo
The Lawmen Podcast's mid-season bonus episode, 'Ride-along 2: Carlectric Cargaloo,' is a chaotic, self-aware comedy drive through Leicester and back, narrated by hosts Alistair Beckett King and James Shakeshaft. The duo recount their bittersweet journey to the Leicester Comedy Festival, where they were nominated for 'Best Online Thing'—only to lose to the Marvel vs. Marvel podcast, a win they mock as absurdly easy. Amidst the banter, they play absurd games like the 'Pub Game' (counting legs on pub signs), the 'Car Rainbow Game' (spotting cars of rainbow colors), and a surreal 'superhero origin' improv session where James claims he can detect salt by taste. The episode spirals into meta-commentary on podcasting, with the hosts dissecting a real BBC Sounds documentary about a man whose house vanished from a remote island—only to find it hilariously reassembled nearby. The show’s tone is a mix of wry self-deprecation, linguistic play, and absurdity, culminating in a surreal revelation: James’s father’s 1970s sofa was made of breeze blocks. It’s less a narrative and more a live-wire improvisation of comedy, ego, and the absurdity of being a 'loser' in the comedy awards race.
The Lawmen lost a comedy award to the Marvel vs. Marvel podcast, which they mock as a 'concept' win, highlighting the absurdity of online comedy recognition.
James Shakeshaft’s father had a sofa made entirely of breeze blocks in the 1970s—a real, unironic construction that defies comfort and logic.
The 'Pub Game' is a fictional drinking game where players score points based on the number of legs depicted on pub signs, with James scoring zero due to lack of visual legs.
The hosts critique a BBC Sounds documentary about a man whose house disappeared from an island, calling it unintentionally comedic due to poor acting and inconsistent storytelling.
James claims he can detect salt by taste alone, triggering an involuntary cough—a superpower that makes him weak to 'too much salt,' a humorous twist on classic superhero tropes.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Welcome to the Ride-along: Lawmen in the Car
The hosts introduce the bonus episode as a chaotic, self-aware car journey, riffing on film drivers (Drive, Taxi Driver), the theme tune of The Sweeney, and their own identity as 'lawmen' who are more losers than law enforcers.
The Leicester Nomination and the Breeze Block Sofa
“He had a breeze block sofa. What a hard man. And they made cushions to go on it, but it was still made out of stone. It was still made out of bricks, basically.”
The Pub Game and the Car Rainbow Game
The hosts play the 'Pub Game' (counting legs on pub signs) and the 'Car Rainbow Game' (spotting cars of rainbow colors), both of which descend into absurdity and linguistic debate, especially around the correct order of rainbow colors.
The Documentary That Wasn’t Taken Seriously
“I couldn't listen to the whole series because I found the pilot episode so funny and then I felt really bad because it was about a man who lost his house, but in a literal sense.”
The Superhero Origin Game and the Salt Detector
“If you see someone carrying a lead-lined briefcase, two fingers, assume it's filled with kryptonite, hold it closed. Yes. As soon as the villain's got a lead-lined briefcase, closed. Get rid of that. Problem solved every single time.”
“He had a breeze block sofa. What a hard man. And they made cushions to go on it, but it was still made out of stone. It was still made out of bricks, basically.”
“I recommend listening to it, but I couldn't listen to the whole series because I found the pilot episode so funny and then I felt really bad because it was about a man who lost his house, but in a literal sense.”
“I feel so guilty because we could not take it seriously because the problem is that it's a documentary essentially but with actors reconstructing it and they're being directed by people with no background in drama.”
Hosts
James Shakeshaft
person
Alistair Beckett King
person
Teesside
place
Leicester Comedy Festival
organization
The Sweeney
media
Marvel vs. Marvel podcast
media
Durham
place
Warwickshire
place
BBC Sounds
organization
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