Picks of the week
The Other Latif
Radiolab’s new podcast about Guantánamo Bay detainee Abdul Latif Nasser has been three years in the making. Reporter Latif Nasser came across his namesake when he was procrastinating at work, discovering a man accused of being one of Osama bin Laden’s advisers but maintains his innocence. In the first episode, Nasser’s attorney Shelby Sullivan-Bennis reveals he was cleared for release in the last days of the Obama administration, but remains stuck in detention due to President Trump’s inaction. Hannah Verdier
Mortem
Photograph: Adam Gerrard/Daily Mirror
With the true crime podcast now a ubiquitous genre, tales of gruesome murders and heinous acts of violence often feel overly trivialised. How, then, to make a true crime podcast without verging into voyeurism? Anatomical Pathology Technologist Carla Valentine uses fictional cases but real science in this fascinating show, which mixes drama and documentary to tell the story of how people die. First up: can a crime scene show exactly how a fire started? And what clues can a corpse provide as to the cause of death? Hannah J Davies
Producer pick: Americast
Chosen by Esther Opoku-Gyeni (Audio Producer)
If you’re anything like me (slightly obsessed with the US but with a limited understanding of what the heck is going on politically) then Americast is for you. Fresh off the back of the massively successful Brexitcast (now Newscast), the BBC have brought together some of their other heavy-hitter journalists – Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel – to help steer us through the maze of US politics in an accessible way as we head towards the November election. It’s only a few episodes in, but I suspect it will quickly become a go-to source when you want to do more than nod, smile and blink when your friends talk about what’s happening in the US.
Talking points
You’ve heard about podcasts becoming TV shows, but what about podcasts becoming films? Cynthia Erivo – recently nominated for an Oscar for Harriet – is set to adapt her hit audio drama, Carrier, for the big screen.
Why not try: My Dog’s Favourite Podcast | The Travel Diaries | Motive
