Talking points
Serial will return for a third series later this month and will focus on the criminal justice system in Cleveland. Sarah Koenig sat in on cases in the Ohio city for a year and followed trials and stories she found compelling and thought summed up the problems with the US justice. Koenig got the idea after reading a book (Steve Bogira’s Courtroom 302). “He spends a year inside a courtroom in Chicago,” she told Elle. “We all read it, and we were like, ‘It’d be cool if we could do something like that for radio.’ So that’s kind of what we set out to do … what would we learn?”. We’ll find out on 20 September.
Rachael Bland, the host of You, Me and the Big C died this week. She created the hugely popular podcast that followed her battle against breast cancer, which was diagnosed in 2016. The 5Live podcast offers “a candid look at cancer” and follows the story of Bland and her co-hosts Lauren Mahon and teacher turned journalist Deborah James. ““We wanted to create a space where you feel like you’re sitting down with girls like you, having a cup of tea, talking about it like it’s EastEnders,” Bland told the Observer. “Because when you have a conversation about it, you normalise it.” The podcast will continue with James and Mahon hosting.
Picks of the week
There’s nothing hit podcast The Thread can’t link within six episodes: previous seasons have taken listeners from the murder of John Lennon to Vladimir Lenin and whipped through a history of #MeToo. This time around, the theme is a history of nonviolence, beginning with Martin Luther King. Host Sean Braswell gives a fascinating insight into the key players of the movement, from South Africa to Alabama, proving that it’s not always the loudest voices who shape history. HV
Is NXIVM a humanitarian community, a life-coaching scheme or a dangerous cult? CBC’s new investigative podcast explores the inner workings of the organisation that attracted millionaires and celebrities but has been accused of manipulation and abuse. Host Josh Bloch interviews his childhood friend Sarah Edmondson about her experience of joining a “secret women’s group” then spending 12 years with NXIVM, going from star recruiter of “slaves” to a woman desperate to escape its dark side. HV
Your picks
Swindled covers high-ranking cover-ups and meticulously outlines notorious white-collar crimes, with stories ranging from defective medical devices to deadly chemical spills.
Recommended by Melissa Erickson
A brilliant retro gaming podcast that offers a fascinating insight into the life of a different icon of Retro gaming; be it a programmer, artist, mogul or musician.
Recommended by Mark Johnson
Guardian pick
Science Weekly
This week’s Science Weekly investigates and asks, could there be life on the other side? 95% of the universe is invisible or ‘dark’. Scientists have been searching for it for decades but haven’t been able to detect it. This month, an experiment called Padme is being switched on to see if they can detect this ‘dark’ force. Ian Sample investigates with UCL’s Andrew Pontzen and the University of Illinois’ Jessie Shelton.
If you’ve got a podcast that you love, send your recommendations to podcasts@theguardian.com
