Top choices of the week

Hear Me Out

Episodes are released on a weekly basis and are easily accessible.

The latest series of this talkative theater podcast, hosted by Lucy Eaton, offers a glimpse of multiple actors’ impressive acting skills. In each episode, a guest chooses their favorite monologue and performs it while engaging in a personal conversation, creating a similar atmosphere to Desert Island Discs for the stage. In the first episode, Mark Gatiss delivers a powerful rendition of Hamlet’s well-known “To be or not to be” soliloquy, as featured in Jack Thorne’s play The Motive and the Cue. (Comment by Alexi Duggins)

Dead River

Available for a wide range of people, new episodes released every week.

This distressing story explores one of the most destructive environmental disasters in the past: the 2015 Mariana dam collapse in Brazil. This event has resulted in the largest class action lawsuit in UK history, with 700,000 individuals seeking compensation. The impact of the incident is expressed through emotional music and the accounts of locals who feared for the health of the damaged dam. AD

The Fault Lies with the Notoriety: Milli Vanilli

Episodes are released on a weekly basis and are readily accessible.

It is possible that you are familiar with the tale of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, however Amanda Seales of Insecure shares the origins of the duo in an amusing podcast. When German producer Frank Farian requested that the flashy pop pair make a deal with the devil, it ultimately resulted in their downfall and heartache as their true identities were revealed.

The item being stored for future retrieval is a silver chain, known as a Time Capsule.

Commonly accessible, new episodes released every week
The 1970s swinging scene is the stuff of myth and legend, so when Paul Ditty heard that secret club The Silver Chain had left a stash of newsletters in a safety deposit box he couldn’t resist an investigation. His brilliant unlocking of the mysterious Minnesota club starts with a simple question: how did they find time for all that partner swapping? HV

Preview the full-screen image.

If I Speak

Episodes are released every week and are easily accessible.

The journalists from Novara Media, Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean, take a break from discussing politics to explore personal topics like whether it’s possible to be friends with your boss, the current status of dating apps, and the idea of giving an allowance to one’s mother. According to Sarkar, this is a space where they can freely share their most curious and unfiltered thoughts without fear of criticism.

There is a podcast available for that.

This week, Robyn Vinter highlights five educational comedy podcasts, featuring Chase star Paul Sinha’s comedic trivia game and an exploration of urban legends within black culture.

Do Go On
It’s surprising this Australian podcast isn’t better known, given its longevity. Hosted by incredibly likable Melbourne comedians Matt Stewart, Jess Perkins and Dave Warneke, each week one of them chooses a topic to report back on – recent episodes have included the history of monopoly, the pirate queen of Ireland and Eurovision. Unlike a lot of other long-running podcasts (Do Go On is going into its ninth year), the inside jokes are easy to pick up and there’s a genuine and infectious enthusiasm from the trio. A rare podcast that is laugh-out-loud funny and full of fascinating tales.

Paul Sinha’s Perfect Pub Quiz

Renowned for his role in The Chase, Paul Sinha is highly acclaimed as a touring comedian as well. He skillfully blends these two passions in his witty BBC Radio 4 podcast. Picture a reference book delivering a well-crafted 20-minute standup routine, and you will come close to the dynamic energy of this show. In its second series, Sinha showcases his extensive knowledge by quizzing locals from Ipswich on their notable political figures and Manchester on their tallest structures. With little time to ponder, listeners must respond swiftly with their answers.

My mother advised me.

The hosts of this comedy podcast, Langston Kerman and David Gborie, explore the realm of black conspiracy theories, superstitions, urban legends, and old wives tales. They share stories they’ve heard from their “jeans-wearing uncle” and are often joined by entertaining guests. After almost 300 episodes, they show no signs of running out of content.

View image in fullscreen

The Big Flop
The newest of the lot with only a handful of episodes to date, The Big Flop is a show centred around things that went wrong, from the laughably awful movie Cats to the banned Four Loko, an alcoholic energy drink invented by frat boys. It is hosted by actor, singer and TikTok star Misha Brown, and made by pod giant Wondery. Two guests each week – mostly US standups and performers – bring freshness to each episode and it is well researched and nicely produced, thanks to an experienced behind-the-scenes team.

There is no creature known as a fish.

It may be challenging for individuals who enjoy comedy podcasts to have not encountered No Such Thing As a Fish. This popular podcast is produced by the same writers of the long-standing BBC show QI, and was launched in 2014. The writers of the podcast discovered interesting and humorous facts during their research that were not shared on air, leading to the creation of the podcast. With over 500 episodes, No Such Thing As a Fish has become a staple in its genre and is proudly geeky but also accessible for those who are not from an Ivy League background. The podcast has received numerous well-deserved awards and has even expanded into books. For those who enjoy sharing unique tidbits at the pub table, No Such Thing As a Fish is a must-listen.

Why not try …

• In the eight-part series Show on the Road, celebrities are taken out of the studio for a personalised road trip around the places that shaped them with presenter and seasoned podcaster Alex Legouix in the driver’s seat.

• The ultimate Will & Grace rewatch podcast is Just Jack & Will, featuring Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack.

• Who is the hero? And who is the villain? Alphabet Boys uncovers the covert operations of the FBI, DEA, ATF, and other governmental agencies in the United States.

Source: theguardian.com