Laura and Carmen are back and absolutely flying, fuelled by cold weather holidays, points chaos and the kind of tech anxiety that makes your palms sweat before you have even opened the laptop.

There is festive drama too, as matching Christmas pyjamas spiral out of hand, and the girls debate whether parenting twenty somethings is basically inviting them to things they have no intention of turning up to.

Carmen unveils a brand new reason to visit Amsterdam which sends them into a full meltdown about bikes, brain freeze and imaginary medicated ice cream. Naturally.

Plus, the buttheads deliver a belter consisting of a toddler, two separate trips to A and E and one very determined piece of fuzzy felt. Parenting at its finest.

The girls also dive into the wild world of live streamed births, discuss what should probably remain private and accidentally create a new moral category: Should not do.

It is unhinged, warm and absolutely ridiculous. Exactly what you are here for.

Get involved in the show, BUT HEAD! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.

Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

In this episode of “Shouldn’t Laugh But…”, Laura is convinced her husband Ali might secretly be a psychopath-because who chooses to wear jeans indoors? And if that wasn’t enough, she's lost all respect for herself after forgetting her keys.

Carmen, meanwhile, brings an embarrassing potluck confession to the table and reveals the moment she dated a man whose dad boldly declared, “IF A PLANE IS FALLING, YOU BETTER HOPE THE PILOT IS A MAN.” Ahh mate.

Plus! A woman buys herself a full-blown dating billboard to announce she’s single, and another proudly watches Ratatouille every night-totally normal behaviour and definitely not concerning at all.

Expect chaos, oversharing, and the kind of stories that make you say, “We really shouldn’t laugh… but we will.”

Get involved in the show, BUT HEAD! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.

Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

Laura’s turned up to the record looking full Ferris Bueller - sunglasses, cool attitude, the lot - except there are no days off when it comes to this podcast.

She and Carmen are currently knee-deep in DIY, attempting to plaster walls and it's pretty funny.

Plus, a listener writes in after finding herself laughing uncontrollably at willies, which somehow sends the girls into a deep dive on the most Essex compliment ever: “You’ve got a fit womb.” Now that’s poetry.

And in classic Shouldn’t Laugh style, Laura and Carmen confidently confuse Duo Lingo with Dua Lipa. Same thing, right?

It’s all happening this week!

Get involved in the show, BUT HEAD! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.

Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

It’s Laura’s birthday, and she’s fresh back from a solo weekend in Edinburgh - meanwhile, Carmen’s got a bejeweled gift and a lot to say about people who actually take the time to write reviews.

This week on Shouldn’t Laugh But, the girls get into the bizarre case of a woman arrested for sending farts via text to her boyfriend’s ex (yep, that’s a thing), and the fact that 6-7 has somehow been crowned Word of the Year. What does it mean? Can they make 8-9 happen? The answer… is a firm no.

If you’re a George Michael stan you’ll love this

Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.com

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth

Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have officially thrown in the Strictly Come Dancing towel… and two podcast hosts (cough Laura and Carmen cough) are suddenly VERY interested in a new side hustle.

Also this week - a listener writes in about her child’s absolutely unhinged tell-tale sign she’s lying (it’s iconic), and the girls unpack the newly released Top 40 Combos of all time. Where do Laura and Carmen rank vs Tom & Jerry? Is fish & chips really that high? And can we all stop chanting “MAC AND CHEESE” like we’re in Ohio? We’re not American, babes.

It’s chaos, it’s niche, it’s a bonus. Enjoy.

Apologies in advance to Laura’s mother-in-law.

Laura is spiralling about what to do for her 10 year wedding anniversary with Ali and Carmen has a fresh blow-dry and is reminiscing about turning 18 - specifically the moment her Hungarian mum Gigi had a couple of drinks and broke into Stevie Wonder. Naturally.

Also this week: Scrotox. Yes. A cosmetic procedure for men. They go there.

And the woman who literally made Guinness World Records for giving birth to NINE babies in one go.

It’s “Shouldn’t Laugh But” - and we’re just saying, you probably will.

Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.com

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth

Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

“There’s nothing SpoO0kier than a sh*t husband" - Laura Smyth 2025.

In this spook-tacular bonus episode of Shouldn’t Laugh But, Laura and Carmen are serving ghosts, ghouls, and questionable life choices.

Laura reveals her costume plans (is it sexy… or a work of modern art?), Carmen’s got a foolproof hack to keep the trick-or-treaters far, far away, and somehow Elon Musk and Teslas make it into the mix - because what’s scarier than Elon?

Plus, one listener writes in after her son’s “sincere” letter to his dodgeball club turned out to be powered by ChatGPT… and the results are terrifyingly funny.

Grab your pumpkin spice and press play - it’s Halloween chaos, Shouldn’t Laugh But style

Get involved in the show, BUT HEAD! Email Laura and Carmen your Shouldn’t Laugh But... moments at lauraandcarmen@global.com. You can also DM them on Instagram: @shouldntlaughpod.

Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday on Global Player and YouTube.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday

Laura’s been fighting alligators for centuries - mate! - while Carmen’s latest battle is with gravity after dropping her phone on the train tracks (where, apparently, the rats are now making calls).

This week, cue the Pink Panther theme because there’s been a heist at The Louvre! Laura and Carmen dive into the art of the steal, questionable life choices, and why this robbery has everyone talking. Expect chaos, questionable logic, and plenty of giggles in a show that definitely lives up to its name: Shouldn’t Laugh (But We Do).

Shouldn’t Laugh But… with Laura Smyth and Carmen Butcher is a Global Player Original Podcast. You can listen, watch and subscribe to the podcast now on Global Player, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us your ‘Shouldn’t Laugh But...’ Moments! lauraandcarmen@global.com

Follow Shouldn’t Laugh But on all social platforms: @shouldntlaughpod

Laura - @thatlaurasmyth

Carmen - @carmenshouldntlaugh

Listen to Main Episodes every Wednesday, and Watch Main Episodes every Thursday.

Bonus Episodes are available every Friday