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 & 🔥
- Shut Up I’m Talking
- Binge!
- The Life of Bryony
- We Need to Talk
- Joanne McNally Investigates… Did Furbys Spy on Us?
Fiona Sturges in the FT
- Cursed (RAW/Audible) - “The series spans 10 episodes and it’s a reflection of the superior writing and reporting that none of them feel like filler.”
Patricia Nicol and Clair Woodward in the Sunday Times
- Autocracy in America (The Atlantic) - “So far, this series has been fascinating, rigorous in its analysis, but also empathetic. You listen with dismay to the damage done to trust and institutions. And the toll on individuals.”
- Pop Top 10 (BBC Radio 2) - “Rylan and Mills are a joyous, funny duo who know pop inside out and aren’t trying to be achingly cool.”
- Kiri’s Comedy Club (BBC Radio Wales) - “The comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean’s Radio Wales show focuses on Welsh comedy, but casts its net wider, with interviews and performances.”
The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends
- Joanne McNally Investigates… Did Furby’s Spy on Us? (BBC/What’s the Story Sounds) - “She speaks to stars about their origin stories, including Kate Nash, Harlan Coben, David Schwimmer and, in episode one, Anna Wintour.”
- Question Everything (KCRW/NPR) - “It’s inspired by the response to S-Town, which saw him having to prove in court that his podcast counted as journalism.”
- Night Shift (Sony Music/Campside) - “Adelstein delivers the story without exploitation.”
- The Road to Joni (SHEROES/Talkhouse) - “It’s affectionate and cheerfully digressive; a fine tribute to an utterly singular artist.”
- Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators (ind.) - “Fancy a pay rise? Take a tip from expert negotiators who share their 'cool deals' with host Jim Sebenius.”
In the Guardian’s Guide newsletter
- Question Everything (KCRW/NPR) - “Admirably, it opens with a frank discussion between Reed and one of S-Town’s biggest critics, Guardian Australia journalist Gay Alcorn.”
Highlights from the Radio Times
- The Funny Comics Fan Club (ind.) - “Begins with an episode dedicated to Jackpot, from an era before concerns about juvenile obesity made it inadvisable to offer readers the chance to win their weight in crisps.”
- The Lion and the Sun (ind.) - “It’s 45 years since the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and his replacement by an Islamic republic. But how did it come to pass?”
- Extremely American (NPR) - “An alarming and compelling pre-election eye-opener.”
Heat’s Top of the Pods
- Origins with Cush Jumbo (Sony Music) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Sara and Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club (Plosive) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts
- Joanne McNally Investigates… Did Furbys Spy on Us? - "Unpacks why while Furbys don’t record us (probably), many of the devices we use on a daily basis actually do.”
- What’s Wrong With Democracy? - “Why do we end up with the leaders we have? Why is trust in politicians at a record low? And what is responsible for the sudden rise of populism across the world?”
- Time Team - “In each episode broadcaster Martyn Williams asks Dr Helen Geake asks listener questions about archeology and the duo look at recent discoveries, such as the discovery of a stage that Shakespeare once stood on.”
- Who Owns the Clyde? - “If you ever visit the Clyde you’ll see huge bits of infrastructure and well-known buildings, such as the Hydro or the headquarters of BBC Scotland, next to vast swaths of empty land or abandoned buildings adjacent to the river. A hangover of Glasgow’s post industrial decline, it isn’t exactly clear or transparent who owns these areas, which can make new development tricky.”
