When Jeff Bezos quit his Wall Street job in 1994, packed up his Chevy Blazer, and headed to Seattle, few could have imagined that his risky idea for an online bookstore would one day become Amazon, one of the most powerful companies on Earth. In this episode of Talk2TheHand 90s, we explore the unlikely beginnings of a company that started in a garage with a spray-painted sign and a dream of selling books online.

We’ll trace Bezos’s journey from his childhood tinkering in New Mexico to his Ivy League education and early career in finance, where he first spotted the potential of the internet. With MacKenzie Bezos supporting him on the road trip west, his vision for a new kind of business took shape: a bookstore that could carry millions of titles, accessible to anyone with a computer and a modem.

Listeners will hear how the scrappy early days of Amazon—packing boxes by hand, celebrating each order, and racing to build trust in online shopping—set the stage for its explosive growth. By 1995, “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore” was already reaching all 50 states and 45 countries, forever changing the way people thought about buying and selling online.

The episode also digs into Bezos’s relentless focus on customers, his long-term strategy of reinvestment, and his belief that Amazon was never just a retailer but a technology company. From weathering the dot-com crash to launching Prime, Kindle, and AWS, Amazon’s story became one of adaptability, ambition, and an unwavering appetite for risk.

Finally, we reflect on how Amazon grew from a scrappy startup to a global powerhouse that reshaped shopping, entertainment, and even cloud computing. Love it or hate it, Amazon’s influence on modern life is undeniable—and it all started with one bold leap in the heart of the 1990s.

Talk2TheHand is an independent throwback podcast run by husband and wife, Jimmy and Beth. Obsessed with 90s nostalgia and 90s celebrities, we'll rewind the years and take you back to the greatest era of our lives.

New episodes bursting with nostalgia of the 90s released on Tuesdays.

Please subscribe to our podcast and we'll keep you gooey in 1990s love.

Find us on Twitter @talk2thehandpod or email us at jimmy@talk2thehand.co.uk or beth@talk2thehand.co.uk

In this episode, we dive into the world of Dawson’s Creek—the teen drama that redefined television when it premiered in 1998. From the picture-perfect backdrop of Capeside to the heartfelt and often poetic dialogue, the show gave a generation of viewers characters who felt real, messy, and unforgettable.

We explore the iconic love triangle of Dawson, Joey, and Pacey, Jen’s emotional journey, and Jack’s groundbreaking coming-out storyline that changed TV forever. Along the way, we revisit memorable locations, the soundtrack that became a cultural touchstone, and the behind-the-scenes stories that made the series so special.

More than two decades on, Dawson’s Creek continues to resonate—not just as a nostalgic classic, but as a bold, honest, and deeply human story of growing up, making mistakes, and searching for meaning. Whether you were Team Dawson, Team Pacey, or just loved the creek itself, this episode will remind you why the series remains one of the most beloved teen dramas of all time.

Talk2TheHand is an independent throwback podcast run by husband and wife, Jimmy and Beth. Obsessed with 90s nostalgia and 90s celebrities, we'll rewind the years and take you back to the greatest era of our lives.

New episodes bursting with nostalgia of the 90s released on Tuesdays.

Please subscribe to our podcast and we'll keep you gooey in 1990s love.

Find us on Twitter @talk2thehandpod or email us at jimmy@talk2thehand.co.uk or beth@talk2thehand.co.uk

In this episode of Talk2TheHand, Beth and Jimmy take on one of the most infamous sagas of 90s and 2000s British television—the meteoric rise and public fall of John Leslie. Once the charming face of Blue Peter, Wheel of Fortune, and This Morning, Leslie seemed destined to remain a fixture of daytime TV. But a single slip of the tongue on live television would drag him into a scandal that never let him go.

They explore how Matthew Wright’s accidental naming of Leslie during the Ulrika Jonsson controversy ignited a media firestorm. Allegations poured in, court cases followed, and though Leslie was never convicted of a crime, the damage to his reputation was irreversible. Beth and Jimmy highlight the relentless tabloid culture of the era, examining how accusations became headlines and headlines became lasting stigma.

The discussion also dives into Leslie’s personal life, particularly his volatile and highly publicised relationship with Abi Titmuss. Once a nurse, Titmuss stood by Leslie during his darkest days in court, becoming an unlikely tabloid heroine. But as the press dug deeper, their relationship spawned sex tape scandals, leaked party stories, and a tidal wave of gossip that reshaped both their lives forever.

Beth and Jimmy trace how Abi Titmuss turned scandal into reinvention. From a tabloid staple and glamour model to an actress and later a nurse in the US, Titmuss’s arc shows a resilience and adaptability starkly contrasted with Leslie’s retreat from the spotlight. Together, their intertwined stories paint a picture of loyalty, betrayal, survival, and the brutal reality of living life under constant scrutiny.

Ultimately, the episode is a reflection on celebrity culture at its most unforgiving. John Leslie’s downfall and Abi Titmuss’s reinvention remain one of the most notorious tales in modern British TV history—a reminder that fame is fragile, reputations are easily destroyed, and the glare of the spotlight can both elevate and obliterate.

Talk2TheHand is an independent throwback podcast run by husband and wife, Jimmy and Beth. Obsessed with 90s nostalgia and 90s celebrities, we'll rewind the years and take you back to the greatest era of our lives.

New episodes bursting with nostalgia of the 90s released on Tuesdays.

Please subscribe to our podcast and we'll keep you gooey in 1990s love.

Find us on Twitter @talk2thehandpod or email us at jimmy@talk2thehand.co.uk or beth@talk2thehand.co.uk