Picks of the week
544 Days
Jason Rezaian is an intensely engaging and buoyant host; so much so that it’s often easy to forget that you’re listening to a podcast about how he ended up in an Iranian prison for a year and a half. As a journalist for the Washington Post, Rezaian was staggered to find himself accused of espionage over his plan to bring avocados (yes, really) into the country. Rezaian, his wife Yegi and others deftly unpack this terrifying tale.
Hannah J Davies
Storytime with Seth Rogen (from 6 Oct)
The new pod from the Hollywood star is a delight, with guests sharing a single moving, revelatory, or generally memorable story. First up is comic Quinta Brunson, who recalls how a chance meeting with Paul Rudd helped her find herself – and ditch her date. Wonderful. HJD
This Is Gay
Kirk Flash’s innovative new pod is billed as “Cunk on Britain meets Blue Jam, but gay” and it covers sex, dating and politics, along with various other topics that no corporate Pride collaboration would dare to mention. Syrus Lowe and Asha Reid are on hand to voice characters such as a cruising forest goblin and a homophobic smart speaker. Hannah Verdier
Bad People
Sofie Hagen and Dr Julia Shaw return with a new season of the true crime pod and their first subject is Peter Sutcliffe. The emphasis is on the sexism that emerged from the case: as Shaw notes, five million hours of police work involved assumptions about victims’ “loose morals” and the horrific judgment that Sutcliffe made a mistake by killing a “respectable” teenager. HV
My Favourite Takeaway
A simple idea for a podcast but one surely close to all of our hearts: each week Tom Craine and Cimran Shah visit a celebrity and tuck into a few portions of their favourite takeaway. Peruvian street food with James Acaster? Antiguan delicacies with Andi Oliver? Bring it on. Phil Harrison
Producer pick: The Cut
Chosen by Danielle Stephens
A couple of weeks ago I forced myself to go for a run on a day when I couldn’t be bothered. Normally, I catch up on the latest daily podcast offering, or tune in to a particularly meaty narrative series on an issue I want to learn more about. That day, I just wanted to be entertained. My friend suggested the latest episode from The Cut, called Smutty TV Has Changed, and So Have We. It turned out to be a fun, intriguing listen on an idea I hadn’t considered before.
BA Parker starts off the show by talking to her mum about the latter’s enjoyment of raunchy scenes in her favourite TV shows, which gave me my first laugh on the run. What followed was a series of interesting conversations with journalists, and show creators (including the maker of Netflix’s recent hit Sex/Life), who spoke about a new type of series – one that wants to explore and promote female pleasure, rather than centring the male gaze.
I did have to stop running to laugh at the conversation about why Sally Rooney’s Normal People is so popular, though.
Talking points
Britain’s leading pop star podcaster Jessie Ware has branched out from her foodie hit Table Manners with a podcast for parents-to-be. Is It Normal? The Pregnancy Podcast? features expert advice from doctors, midwives, doulas and more, with this week’s episode focusing on twins and multiple births.
Why not try: Armored | The Just Enough Family | The Flamethrowers
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