# Wikishuffle

Wikishuffle was a UK comedy podcast presented by Jack Stewart, Chris Wallace and Philip Sharman, reliant on the Wikipedia random article button for content.
On 12 September 2015 Wikishuffle was awarded the title of Best Comedy Podcast at the 2015 UK Podcasters Awards hosted by New Media Europe.

## Format

The subject material for the podcast is determined by pressing the random article button in the English Wikipedia. Each episode features between one and four articles discussed by the host, with excerpts read directly from the article and commented upon. New episodes are released every Tuesday with occasional bonus episodes focusing on articles chosen by the presenters, suggested by listeners, or occasionally brought in by guests.
The podcast is hosted by Jack Stewart, who is also responsible for the technical and editing duties. Philip Sharman takes responsibility for reading out the articles, while Chris Wallace provides interjections. The tone is generally humorous, but the show also covers serious articles, such as the 2011 San Fernando massacre, and discusses political and current affairs topics in the context of the random articles that are selected.
The show also features more general news items in relation to Wikipedia and advocates the importance of the site as an educational and societal resource, and encourages listeners to donate to the Wikimedia Foundation.
The format is dependent upon a high level of listener interaction, with communication encouraged via social media and through the post.
Various running jokes have been established, including the prevalence of moth articles, the disproportionate number of articles covered which make reference to Scranton, Pennsylvania and Sharman's age and inability to keep up-to-date with modern technologies and culture.

## History

Stewart and Wallace began podcasting in early 2015, with a podcast called Not This Again, recorded in Stewart's spare room The show was interview based and, after the pair began to find difficulty in securing a regular supply of interviewees, they started to look for an alternative format to differentiate them from the large number of independent podcasts available.
Philip Sharman had been a guest on Not This Again and spoke with Stewart and Wallace about an idea he had for developing a Wikipedia podcast. The initial idea was for a serious, documentary style podcast, using the random article button to seed stories. However, it became clear that the three presenters were better suited to a more lighthearted approach, resulting in the development of the current format.
The first three episodes were released together on 14 April 2015, hosted by the Swedish podcasting service Acast.
In August 2015, the recording of the podcast moved from Corby to a dedicated recording studio in Kettering, Northamptonshire, referred to in the podcast as Wikishuffle HQ.
The 50th episode of Wikishuffle was released on 2 February 2016. On 24 January 2017 the podcast celebrated its 100th episode with a special 2 hour long entry featuring articles selected by the presenters. In episode 101 it was announced that Jack would be leaving the podcast indefinitely to go find himself in Asia. Two more episodes were released with friend of the show Ruth Bradley filling in for Jack, and a two year hiatus then followed the release of episode 103 on 28 March 2017. In 2019, a compilation episode was released, entitled Wikishuffle: The Best Bits. This contained over 90 minutes of clips from previous episodes, interspersed with Jack providing context for some of the clips, as well as explaining that various attempts had been made for the 3 to record together but had been unsuccessful.
In May 2020, the 104th episode was released. This was recorded during the UK's first COVID lockdown, and was described during the episode as a "one-off special", and "probably" the final episode. Jack, Philip and Chris updated the listeners on their lives, and covered an article on Wojtek, a bear who had been adopted by a Polish army corps during World War II. The article was selected by Chris, as one of the show's running jokes involved Chris' fondness of "animals with jobs".

## Critical response

Wikishuffle has received favourable reviews from an international audience.
On 12 September 2015 Wikishuffle won the Best Comedy Podcast category at the inaugural UK Podcasters Awards hosted by New Media Europe sponsored by Spreaker. The award was accepted by Wallace and Sharman at the ceremony which took place at the Midland Hotel, Manchester.

## Articles covered

The following Wikipedia articles have been covered by Wikishuffle:
| No. | Episode Title | Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | Article 4 | Release Date | Notes |
| 001 | Pilot | List of civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2011) | Coleophora berdjanski | A77 motorway (Netherlands) | - | 14 April 2015 | No Longer Available |
| 002 | Down 'n' Dirty | Wendy Richard | Kelly Bell | - | - | 14 April 2015 | - |
| 003 | Shuffle it Again, Sam | Play It Again, Sam (film) | Gust of Wind | - | - | 14 April 2015 | - |
| 004 | Okay, Mother | 1950–51 United States network television schedule (weekday) | - | - | - | 21 April 2015 | - |
| 005 | Bruce Chickinson | Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson | The Iron Maidens | Sible Hedingham | - | 28 April 2015 | - |
| 006 | Other Buttons | Dump digging | Scripps National Spelling Bee | - | - | 5 May 2015 | - |
| 007 | Double Bogey | Amber Leaf | Charles Lynch (judge) | Relentless (Jo O'Meara album) | Hole in One (2010 film) | 12 May 2015 | - |
| 008 | Man Don't Give a Fuck | Robin Friday | - | - | - | 15 May 2015 | Bonus episode – Jack's selection |
| 009 | The Flabbergasted Traveller | Queen of Sheba | You've Got a Friend in Me | - | - | 19 May 2015 | - |
| 010 | The False Prophet | Eevee | Demob suit | 2005 in England | Hervé This | 26 May 2015 | - |
| 011 | But then there's this | 2011 San Fernando massacre | Bambi II | - | - | 2 June 2015 | - |
| 012 | Phil 'em Up | K.C. Rivers | Marvin Mitchelson | List of Arab Astronauts | List of celebrity appearances in video games | 9 June 2015 | - |
| 013 | Keith Ferrari | Ghostwatch | - | - | - | 12 June 2015 | Bonus episode – Chris's selection |
| 014 | D-I-V-O-R-C-E | Mr. Snuffleupagus | Underachiever | Wanda Ramey | - | 16 June 2015 | - |
| 015 | (Television Carpenter) | National Bingo Night (U.S. game show) | Æthelred of Wessex | - | - | 23 June 2015 | - |
| 016 | On Board with the Nazis | List of number-one hits of 1996 (Germany) | Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead | - | - | 30 June 2015 | - |
| 017 | Juicy | Brian Kendrick | Peter Moore (businessman) | - | - | 7 July 2015 | - |
| 018 | Ode to Bin Laden | The Landt Trio | Samantha Lewthwaite | - | - | 14 July 2015 | - |
| 019 | Got Blood? | List of sexually active popes | - | - | - | 17 July 2015 | Bonus episode – Phil's selection |
| 020 | All Aboard HMS Blazer | 47th Primetime Emmy Awards | Ben Fogle | - | - | 21 July 2015 | - |
| 021 | No Marine Biologists | Vandellia | Jazmin's Touch | - | - | 28 July 2015 | - |
| 022 | Goths Really Love Puns | Hot blast | The Sick's Sense | - | - | 4 August 2015 | - |
| 023 | ConCATenated | Oscar (therapy cat) | Adamski | - | - | 11 August 2015 | First episode recorded at Wikishuffle HQ |
| 024 | Into the Void | Toby Terrier | Eliza Winston | Vantablack | - | 18 August 2015 | - |
| 025 | Dave Days & Lemonade Mouth | Josias Philip Hoffman | Who Says (Selena Gomez & the Scene song) | - | - | 25 August 2015 | - |
| 026 | Cowboys and Antmen | Head spade | George Scarborough | Ant (comedian) | - | 1 September 2015 | - |
| 027 | Marvel Universe Phase Nine | Goldballs | Nela Zisser | February 2010 Lower Dir bombing | - | 8 September 2015 | - |
| 028 | Love Buffet | Parfait Tic! | Anthomyia | Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday | - | 8 September 2015 | - |
| 029 | Too Cool for Poole | Poole | Danny Orleans | Nasal septum perforation | - | 22 September 2015 | First episode after winning UK Podcasters award |
| 030 | Hairy Hat Men | Letterland | Pinnated Bittern | The Beggar's Benison | - | 29 September 2015 | - |
| 031 | Fifty Shades of Pink | Lin Wang | Shades of pink | Sinchon massacre | - | 6 October 2015 | - |
| 032 | Chitterling Chatter | Donkeyskin | Black pudding | Goldeneye (estate) | - | 13 October 2015 | - |
| 033 | S Club 0.2857 | Brum (TV series) | Seth Neddermeyer | Negotiate with Love | - | 20 October 2015 | - |
| 034 | Toilegami | Friday the 13th (1989 video game) | Hotel toilet paper folding | Betty Boop's Big Boss | - | 27 October 2015 | Halloween Special |
| 035 | It's No Joke Living in Barnsley | Round the Bend | Ferret-legging | John Titor | - | 30 October 2015 | Bonus episode – listener selection |
| 036 | A Bit Gamesy Thronesy | Robert Barclay Allardice | Nepalese royal massacre | - | - | 3 November 2015 | - |
| 037 | Viva von Babenhausens | Adrian Carton di Wiart | - | - | - | 5 November 2015 | Bonus episode – listener selection |
| 038 | Bronze Beaver | Goldy Gopher | Rattlesnake Annie | - | - | 10 November 2015 | - |
| 039 | The Bollock Hurdle | Smut (fungus) | GAZelle | John Rann | - | 17 November 2015 | - |
| 040 | Spiteful Conkling | Roscoe Arbuckle | Alfie and His Secret Friend | - | - | 24 November 2015 | - |
| 041 | Chocolate Lady Mousse | Boab Prison Tree, Wyndham | Naked Jungle | - | - | 1 December 2015 | - |
| 042 | Sinking Ship | Benjamin Guggenheim | Aqua (band) | - | - | 8 December 2015 | - |
| 043 | For the Good of Mankind | 1998 Hell in a Cell match | Jamie Vardy | - | - | 15 December 2015 | 2015 Christmas special 1 |
| 044 | The Perfect Blend | Gold Blend couple | Unit 731 | - | - | 22 December 2015 | 2015 Christmas special 2 |
| 045 | Ya Still Tickle Me | April O'Neill | The Notorious B.I.G. | - | - | 29 December 2015 | 2015 Christmas special 3 |
| 046 | Tropical House: A Beginner's Guide | List of mentally ill monarchs | Jolly Jack's Lost Mine | - | - | 5 January 2016 | - |
| 047 | Runaway Twain | BonBon-Land | Derek Hersey | The Naked Woman and the Gun | - | 12 January 2016 | - |
| 048 | Welcome to the Hippo Campus | Martin van Butchell | Death from laughter | - | - | 19 January 2016 | - |
| 049 | Henry Maar's Sinister Twisting | Roy Mackal | Thankful villages | Balloon modelling | - | 26 January 2016 | - |
| 050 | Lying to the Pizza Man | Victorian mourning dolls | Blobfish | Sentinelese people | Bernard Matthews Ltd | 2 February 2016 | - |
| 051 | All You Can Diddle | Habbo | Titus Young | - | - | 9 February 2016 | - |
| 052 | The Lizard Layer | David Icke | - | - | - | 12 February 2016 | Bonus episode with Alex Haddow from the-pool.com |
| 053 | Unsolicited Dick Pics | The Joy Of Text | The Tale Of Tsar Saltan | – | – | 2016-02-16 | – |
| 054 | Death By Orange Soda | Paul is dead | Denver International Airport | – | – | 2016-02-19 | Bonus episode with Alex Haddow from the-pool.com |
| 055 | Some Indecent Proposals | List of scandals with "-gate" suffix | Thousand-yard stare | – | – | 2016-02-23 | – |
| 056 | AKA Buster | U2charist | Gatsby (sandwich) | Sunday Sport | No Scrubs | 2016-03-01 | – |
| 057 | Box Hunt with Des O' Connor | Lisa Niles | Pole Chudes | – | – | 2016-03-08 | – |
| 058 | Chubby Little Despots | Kaspar Hauser | Superman curse | – | – | 2016-03-12 | Bonus episode with Owen Hughes from failedcritics.com |
| 059 | Thinky Box Brain House | Intracortical encephalogram signal analysis | Blue Peter pets | – | – | 2016-03-15 | – |
| 060 | Work on Bank for 1 Money | The Terror | The Samsonadzes | Phubbing | – | 2016-03-18 | Bonus episode with Owen Hughes from failedcritics.com |
| 061 | Poor Little Eoghan Quigg | Zayn Malik | MegaChip | – | – | 2016-03-22 | – |
| 062 | One of the Least Sexy Cancers | Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo | A Horse for Mandy | – | – | 2016-03-29 | 2016-03 |
| 063 | The Three Seashells | Cryonics | – | – | – | 2016-04-05 | – |
| 064 | Cricket With Gary Barlow | Living statue | Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It | – | – | 2016-04-12 | One year anniversary |
| 065 | Guinea Pig Shaving | Stanley Green | – | – | – | 2016-04-15 | Bonus episode with Keith Clark |
| 066 | Iustus id Somnus | Polo neck | Seasteading | – | – | 2016-04-19 | – |
| 067 | Wax Lacks Whack Slacks | List of animals with fraudulent diplomas | Heroes of Wrestling | Grunge speak | – | 2016-04-25 | Bonus episode with Keith Clark |
| 068 | Lifehack Your Lagging | Pool noodle | Disconnection | – | – | 2016-04-26 | – |
| 069 | The Gems of Azamore | The Mystery at Lilac Inn | Ghettopoly | Colin the Caterpillar | – | 2016-05-03 | – |
| 070 | Floaty Sex Dirt | Nepenthes jamban | H. L. Hunt | - | - | 2016-05-10 | – |
| 071 | Vadge Bishop | Masturbate-a-thon | | | | 2016-05-13 | Bonus episode with Stacey Taylor from Stacey's Pop Culture Parlour |