Recommendation Engine: Happy birthday Facebook

Welcome to this week's Recommendation Engine from Podcast Rex, rounding up the week in podcast reviews. Get this in an email each week by signing up to be a supporter of Podcast Rex from £3.99.

Apple Podcasts New & Noteworthy:

• Patient 11
• Joel Golby’s Book Club
• Queer the Music
• Untold: The Retreat
• Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast

Spotify New & 🔥

• The Louis Theroux Podcast
• Why Do You Hate Me?
• Queer the Music
• For the Love of Rugby
• Offstage: Inside the X Factor

Fiona Sturges in the FT

• The Gatekeepers - “This year marks 20 years of Facebook, which doesn’t feel like cause for celebration. And yet the tale of a social network cooked up by Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm, and which would go on to stoke societal divisions and has been shown to be damaging to some young people, is one already exhaustively covered by journalists, documentarians and, yes, podcasters. As origin stories go, this one has already been done to death.”

James Marriott in the Times:

• The Gatekeepers - “The risk of any exploration into the origins of social media is going too obvious or too obscure. On the evidence of the first couple of episodes, Bartlett is doing a valiant job of trying out original angles on this all-too-familiar territory. Perhaps as he gets closer to the present the story will become weirder and less familiar.”

Miranda Sawyer in the Observer

• Queer the Music - “Jake Shears’ openness and desire to drill into the creation and context of these brilliant records makes Queer the Music a lovely addition to the many music analysis/interview shows out there.”
• Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative - “Occasionally, she labours her points, but this is a refreshing and interesting series, made better by the involvement of the subjects.”
• Ellis James and John Robins - “I loved their old show, and the new stuff is pretty much exactly the same.”

Patricia Nicol in the Sunday Times:

• Black History, For Real - “A lively and refreshing look at black history.”
• The Divorce Social - “Baines started the show when she was going through her own divorce and wanted others to feel less alone, and it certainly hits the spot on that note.”
• Committed - “In an unashamedly emotional series Jo Piazza talks to couples who have survived challenges.”

The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends

• Late Fragments - “This introspective, thoughtful show interviews octogenarians about politics, religion, sex and money.”
• Drink Champs - "A lively, laughter-filled journey into hip-hop’s golden era."
• Black History, for Real - “The excellent first episode focuses on the women of the Black Panther party.”
• The Hidden 20% - “A podcast to change people’s perceptions of the 20% who don’t fit the neurotypical bracket.”
• The History of Curb Your Enthusiasm - “A must listen for diehard fans.”

And in the Guardian’s Guide newsletter

• Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative - “This series serves both as a documentary and a critique of documentaries.”

Highlights from the Radio Times

• For the Love of Rugby - “The more mundane the details, the better we like it.”
• Who Was Michael X? - “Hamza Salmi asks why we know so little about one of Britain’s most important black activists.”
• Brown Girls Do It Too - “Entertaining and emphatically adult.”
• How to Fail - “The 20th series of Elizabeth Day’s hit podcast.”

Heat’s Top of the Pods

• How to Fail ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Love Island: Heat’s Under the Duvet ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts

• Undercover: Spy Cops - “Absorbing and engrossing.”
• Joel Golby’s Book Club - “A simple format that can be traced back to his book recommendations on Instagram and each episode lasts for a zippy twenty minutes.”
• The Tax Factor - “Very helpful and very clear.”
• Countdown to the BAFTAs - “Delves into each of the nominees for Best Film featuring interviews with its stars and creators.”

In PodPod’s Earworms column

• Becky Lamb-Pritchard, This Is Distorted: Disabled and Proud - “Positive and invaluable.”
• Alice Pukhova, WMH&I: The Silt Verses - “Truly unique and leaves a lasting impression.”
• Mark Kelly, tms: Script Apart - “Solid, thoughtful and insightful.”
• Katy Wright, FCB London: Diary of a CEO - “He’s shone a light on subjects where he freely admits he might have no knowledge.”
• Fiona Fraser, PowPR: Making Money Online - “Super down-to-earth and practical advice.”

And on Podcast Rex, I’ve found some super podcast episodes to keep you healthy in body and mind.