Recommendation Engine: Perusing the Past

History podcasts are bit hitters in this week's recommendations

10:00 AM GMT on January 10, 2024

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:

Spotify New & 🔥

Charlotte Runcie in the Telegraph

The Queen’s Reading Room - “There are hints of a bolder podcast wanting to emerge here. I would have liked to hear more about what, in particular, it is about crime fiction, a literary form that ranges from the cosy to the deliciously dark and twisted, that intrigues Queen Camilla. I’d have liked to hear more from the Queen herself in general, and it’s a shame she isn’t doing more of the interviewing."

James Marriott in the Times

Zoe Science & Nutrition - “The hosts’ advice is no doubt as sensible and scientific as they claim. But to the amateur eater who stupidly has been trying to eat less pasta and more broccoli, the complexity of it is bewildering.”

Miranda Sawyer in the Observer

Self Help - “Tramping around remote Scottish countryside talking to himself: unpicking the self-improvement industry, wondering if self-pity might be a good idea, or if going for a walk can be a bad thing.”

The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends

The Traitors: Uncloaked - “Analysis and reaction to the latest betrayals, mind games and manipulations.”
White Devil - “This investigation is a twisty, headscratching journey into a baffling case.”
The Queen’s Reading Room - “An impressively starry list of authors talk about their love of literature.”
An American Scandoval - “Ripe for bingeing, even if you have no idea who the main characters are.”
Ripple - “When a BP oil rig exploded off the coast of the US in 2010, it had disastrous consequences for wildlife and residents of the Gulf Coast… Dan Leone finds a different story: one with far-reaching consequences.”

And in the Guardian’s Guide newsletter

Life Kit - “It serves up compact 15-to-20 minute listens offering achievable advice on everything from managing money to coping with a fear of flying.”

Highlights from the Radio Times

Grey History: The French Revolution - “Embraces all the complexities and nuances of a continent-shaking event with global consequences.”
Uncovering Roots - “A bit earnest, but the first episode soon grabs the attention.”
Rocking Chair; or, Settlement - “Something of an oddity - a horror musical that states its origins stem from New England folklore.”
Comfort Blanket - “Engaging discussions on nostalgic gems.”
Get Answers - “Investigates claims and offers sensible advice, often reacting to the news or topical issues.”

Heat’s Top of the Pods

Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts

Self Help - “A profoundly personal series.”
Trapped History - “Stories include the 160 women who ferried vital military aircraft during World War II, to the history of the Soviet version of the Eurovision Song Contest that took place during the Cold War.”
Farmerama - “They speak to climate scientists, farmers, historians, religious communities and experts about the consequences of eating less and better meat.”
Mind the Gap: Tube 160 - “You even join a driver carriage with Rylan, who turns out to be a huge tube line obsessive.”

In PodPod’s Earworms column

Claire Cottrell, Aurra Studios: The Last Bohemians - “The wild journeys of trailblazing, maverick women from significant eras in culture and the arts.”
Georgie Holt, Telling Media: Diary of a CEO - “I love going back to some of my favourite episodes of the shows I love to get my new year vibes going.”
Richard Hill, eCom@One: Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee - “Often broken down into bitesize mini-episodes.”
Will Ockenden, Prohibition PR: When It Hits the Fan - “Great analysis and advice for comms people.”
Rutger Rosenbord, MIDiA Research: Decoding the Gurus - “Bringing sanity and a bit of humour to an increasingly irrational online world.”