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 & 🔥
Anna Leszkiewicz in the New Statesman
- Wiser Than Me - “This second series has just as impressive a roster: episodes to come will feature Billie Jean King, Patti Smith, Ina Garten and Julie Andrews. The first conversation, with actor Sally Field, ranges through sexism and ageism in Hollywood.”
Fiona Sturges in the FT
- Let the Kids Dance! - “Alive with the testimony of those who were there, this carefully researched, insightful series outlines nearly two decades of tension and resistance. It is, in many ways, an age-old tale of moral panic and generational discord. But it also captures a pre-internet moment in time when youngsters were united by the music they loved and in standing against those who sought to outlaw it.”
Jude Rogers in the Observer
- Strike - “Interviewing friends and people from his parents’ generation, Jonny Owen makes this history feel powerfully recent and explores the terrifying camaraderie of the pit brilliantly, every clank and echo of the coalface ringing in our ears.”
- Wiser Than Me - “Dreyfus is a warm, non-sycophantic host, as brashly funny as her old Seinfeld character, Elaine Benes.”
Clair Woodward in the Sunday Times
- The Magdalenes and I - “Steven O’Riordan, a film-maker, explains how he became a leading light in the campaign for justice for the survivors of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.”
- Business Wars - “In Taylor Swift Vs The World, host David Brown looks at her feisty business sense.”
- Unreliable Witness - “The headline-grabbing case of 19-year-old Ellie Williams, who spun an elaborate web of lies.”
- Great Company - “Future interviewees include Jo Brand, Trinny Woodall, Dynamo and Elizabeth Day.”
Plus the new series of Serial prompted Josh Glancy to consider Guantanamo Bay.
The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends
- Kicking Back with the Cardiffians - “‘I’m Cardiff-born, Cardiff-bred, and when I die I’ll be Cardiff dead.’ So opens Charlotte Church’s new show.”
- Finally! A Show About Women That Isn’t Just A Thinly Veiled Aspirational Nightmare - “Each episode is a 30-minute insight to a different life, with a crematorium worker, an 83-year-old nude model and a singer with a day job.”
- She Has a Name - “An immensely brave and personal story.”
- The Curious History of Your Home - “A detail-packed foray into the origins of everything from washing up to fridges.”
- George Orwell’s 1984 - “You might think we don’t need another retelling of the perennially relevant surveillance thriller, but with a mega-cast and production like this it is classic storytelling at its finest.”
And in the Guardian’s Guide newsletter
- Serial - “Koenig’s energetic presenting style brings a note of brightness to a tough subject.”
Highlights from the Radio Times
- Modern Wisdom - “If you’re the owner of a son who doesn’t tell you what he’s thinking about, you could do worse than eavesdrop on former Love Island contestant Chris Williamson.”
- Unreliable Witness - “Reporters have access to Williams’ mother, sister and employer as they try to work out her motives.”
- WikiHole - “A fun, Wikipedia-fuelled game show.”
- Love Lives - “Aimed at fans of the likes of Elizabeth Day, Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton.”
Heat’s Top of the Pods
- How Was it for You? ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Great Company ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts
- Legacy - “Each series of this history podcast hosted by Afua Hirsh and Peter Frankopan is a deep dive into a life story of a well known individual and the legacy they have left behind.”
- Lucy & Sam’s Perfect Brains - “It’s beautifully obscure and surreal.”
- National Trust Podcast - “Part documentary / part radio play.”
- Conversations We’ve Never Had - “This new podcast aimed specifically aimed for survivors of child sexual abuse (as well as their loved ones).”
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