Recommendation Engine: Sixteen Sunsets

10:00 AM GMT on November 13, 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 & 🔥

Fiona Sturges in the FT

Sixteen Sunsets (TellTale/Antica) - “The roar from that first launch is remarkable. I initially listened through crummy laptop speakers but then put on headphones and replayed it. The second time it felt like an earthquake.”

Miranda Sawyer in the Observer

The Hidden 20% (ind.) - “Interviewees range from the humongously famous (Kit “Game of Thrones” Harington) to the not at all (the most recent interviewee, Abigail Agyei-Jones, is an ex-civil servant turned adviser for inclusion). In all cases, Branson is thoroughly positive and pleasant, without pushing the ever-tricky idea of neurodivergence being a superpower.”
Begin Again (Flight Studio) - “Opened with an almost unctuous interview with Fearne Cotton, both women cooing over each other’s strength and general fabulousness. Ugh. But over the next two episodes, McCall is much better.”
The Joe Rogan Experience (Spotify) - “You came away with the impression that: oh, these people aren’t monsters. They’re human. They just think they’re right about absolutely everything.”

Clair Woodward in the Sunday Times

The Factory Next Door (ind.) - “It’s a charming study of British business.”
Extrasensory (AppleTV+) - “The actor Will Sharpe presents a look at the case of the alleged reincarnation of two sisters.”
The Bunny Trap (Novel) - “Ellie Flynn presents a series that follows her long inquiry into troubling allegations within the glamour industry.”

The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends

The Sunshine Place (Audacy) - “Valerie was one of the US teenagers who claim they were forced into the Straight Inc drug rehab programme in the 80s and abused, tortured and brainwashed.”
Unfit for Service (Wavland/Vespucci) - “When Randy Taylor joined the US military, it was the era of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, so he had to keep his sexuality secret.”
The Bunny Trap (Novel) - “It is eye-opening to learn how the industry works and inspiring to hear the brave women fighting for justice.”
The Cotton Club Murder (Wondery) - “Dramatic-to-the-point-of-parody voiceovers and a lurid determination not to spare any grisly details.”
Strangers on a Bench (ind.) - “What happens if you start talking to a random person on a public bench? This charming series of rambling chats aims to find out.”

In the Guardian’s Guide newsletter

The Sunshine Place (Audacy) - “Attenders allege that the programme, which promised a tough love attitude towards teen addicts, soon descended into torture, brainwashing and all manner of other cultish behaviour.”

Highlights from the Radio Times

The Bunny Trap (Novel) - “Very explicit content.”
Object Diaries (ind.) - “Weiss goes in search of people’s stories arising from an object that captures a key moment in their lives.”
Question Everything (KCRW/NPR) - “Navel-gazing on a grand scale or a long overdue outbreak of self-criticism?”

Heat’s Top of the Pods

Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts

Frank Off the Radio (Avalon) - “‘Well, it was either this or Panto,’ says Frank Skinner at the start of the return of his podcast.”
Objeks & Tings (Message Heard) - “There’s a guest popping by for a meal each episode, starting with chef Dom Taylor, winner of the Netflix series Five Star Chef. Still to come are the DJ Jamz Supernova, the radio presenter Richie Brave and the celebrated chef Maureen Tyne.”
The Animal Sensemaker (Tortoise) - “Sticking to the ten minute episode format, each episode looks at a different animal, from pangolins to lemurs, and the people who dedicate their lives to protecting them.”
Rainbow Mums and Dads (ind.) - “A podcast that looks LGBTQ+ parenting, the similarities, the differences and the bonds that are created between parents along the way.”