Recommendation Engine: McCartney, Keaveny & Young

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:

• Shaun Keaveny’s Daily Grind
• After Dark
• The Trial: Ashling Murphy
• Merryn Talks Money
• World of Secrets

Spotify New & 🔥

• Russell Howard’s Wonderbox
• Shaun Keaveny’s Daily Grind
• After Dark

Anna Leszkiewicz in the New Statesman

• Heavyweight - “Every now and then, Goldstein’s own life becomes the centre of the show, with episodes about his father, his aborted attempts to become a rabbi, and his first love.”

James Marriott in the Times

• Uncharted with Hannah Fry - “Uncharted defies my prejudices and actually works as a series of little audio gems glinting with insight. And you can listen to all ten episodes back to back on the BBC Sounds app, creating a monstrous 150-minute-long mega podcast — a Podcastosaurus rex.”

Miranda Sawyer in the Observer

• Young Again - “Young Again is just another celebrity interview show, like Louis Theroux’s, like The Diary of a CEO. A high-class one, hosted by a superb interviewer – but the flimsy format means it’s occasionally wobbly.”
• The Today Podcast - “With the best will in the world, only the highly politically engaged will want much of this nitpicky governmental shenanigans.”
• McCartney: A Life in Lyrics - “Whenever I hear him, I’m always a bit surprised by the leisured pace at which McCartney speaks. He likes to reminisce, and he knows the stories he wants to tell.”

The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends

• Shaun Keaveny’s Daily Grind - “Fans of Keaveny’s now defunct 6 Music breakfast show will have a good idea of what to expect from his new daily podcast.”
• MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries - “If you’re in the mood to hear chilling stories about what happens when your body lets you down, MrBallen has the goods.”
• Koreaboo - “Gorgeously escapist.”
• The Salvation - “Bakare’s believability elevates the thriller and gives it depth.”
• Rescue - “The sort of voice that would calm you down if you were stuck in a tense situation.”

Also in Hear Here, Lauren O’Neill chooses five of the best podcast on untold life stories

• Sound Barrier: Sylvester - “Does justice to a musical giant and an icon of queer culture.”
• Unobscured: Grigori Rasputin - “An unexpectedly gripping listen.”
• Knowing: Robin Williams - “Conversations with those who knew and loved him.”
• Bad Gays - “each episode takes a different culturally prominent ‘bad gay’ and explores their biography through the lens of sexuality.”
• You Must Remember This: Charles Manson’s Hollywood - “Diligent research and enthralling storytelling.”

Also mentioned: How to be Fine, Beef, Pop Off.

And in the Guardian’s Guide newsletter:

• Have You Heard George’s Podcast? - “Words can’t quite do it’s widescreen, kinetic style justice.”

Radio Times reviews

• McCartney: A Life in Lyrics - “The speaking voice of Paul McCartney, now 81, still sounds so youthful.”
• The British Broadcasting Century - “Informative, entertaining and educational.”
• Time & Again - “They tell depressingly similar tales of deprivation, crime and prison, and how they are determined not to return.”
• A Positive Life: HIV from Terrence Higgins to Today - The series explores Terry’s life and the battle against stigma that resulted in that ‘Don’t die of ignorance’ campaign in 1986 and, much later, effective treatments.
• 28ish Days Later - “Personal and approachable.”
• Who Killed Daphne? - “A tangled web of shady deals and organised crime.”
• Wooden Overcoats - “An audio sitcom that’s actually funny.”
• ‘Willy Willy Harry Stee…’ Charlie Higson’s History of the Monarchy - “Never fusty or pompous.”

Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts

• Where’s Home Really? - “Back for a second series, after a win at the British Podcast Awards, the first guest is the chef, author and broadcaster, Andi Oliver.”
• Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast - “the whole thing sounds like a slightly more laid back audio offering of Have I Got News For You.”
• Distracted - “It  taps into your lived experience if you have got ADHD.”
• Sherlock & Co. - “This is a delight.”
• Lolly Adefope: Fanmail - “A podcast that delightfully spoofs talent podcasts that seem to be all the rage at the moment.”

In PodPod’s Earworms column:

• Catherine Carr, Talking Politics: Wilder - “Leftfield, feminist and brilliant!”
• Joel Emery, Holy Smokes Audio: American History Tellers - “Well written, great breadth of subjects and cool sound design.”
• Adam Zmith, Aunt Nell: The Banksy Story - “The reporting was top class.”
• Pauline Moore, Talking Derry Girls: Trendy - “All about trends, social attitudes and what shapes political opinion.”
• Mark Steadman, Bramble: Uncanny - “I love the production on the show.”

In “Freshly Dropped” they mention Sherlock & Co., Vishal, Jen & Dottie Do… Parenting, Wonderbox, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story.