Pick of the week
Stockton Street
This new video podcast from tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams sees the sisters return to their roots. It’s named after the street they grew up on in Compton, California and sees them sitting in armchairs on an empty court for a chat. The debut episode involves them interviewing each other to reminisce about old matches, their upbringing and “whether people thought we secretly hated each other”. Alexi Duggins
X Originals, episodes fortnightly
Country of Dust
Charming personal tales are the stock-in-trade of this look at the people of Armenia. From a Toronto-based family whose VCR of their homeland leads them to discover long-lost relatives to the pioneering drag queen trying to revolutionise their nation, it’s colourful, detailed storytelling with an eye for a great yarn. AD
Widely available, episodes weekly
Joe and James Fact Up
This show from ex-Inbetweeners Joe Thomas and James Buckley is based on them presenting each other with startling facts. But half the show is a rambling chat, encompassing the brief-lived fad for 3D TV sets and an ill-advised comic skit where Thomas shaved a bald patch into his hair. It’s a fun, lively listen. AD
Widely available, episodes weekly
World of Secrets: Death in Dubai
“Monic’s story was reduced to a meme online, but she was so much more than that.” So says journalist Runako Celina of Monic Karungi, the Ugandan woman branded a “Dubai Porta Potty” after her alleged suicide in the UAE. This BBC Eye and BBC World Service podcast is a forensic examination, revealing atrocious sexual exploitation. Hannah J Davies
Widely available, episodes weekly
Tortured Justice With Omar Jimenez
This exposé of policing explores the horrific legacy of Chicago department commander Jon Burge who, with a group of detectives known as “the Midnight Crew”, tortured at least 110 Black men as a means of coercing confessions. The testimony of their victims is brave. Meticulously, Jimenez itemises a tale of systemic racist brutality. Phil Harrison
Widely available, episodes weekly
