CBeebies Parenting Helpline (CBeebies) - “Presenters Holly Hagan-Blyth, from Geordie Shore, and Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges are jolly and sweet, with young children of their own and the empathy that comes from that.”

Fiona Sturges in the FT

Dream Space (Factory International) - “Interview shows may be ten-a-penny in podcasting, but this one stands out in not asking the usual biographical questions. Instead, it is interested in art, its impact and how it is made. You couldn’t ask for a better person to unravel its mysteries than Abramović, whose deep voice and rhythmic intonation are immediately hypnotic (though perhaps the producers could turn the volume down on the ambient soundtrack, which often feels loudly intrusive).”

Patricia Nicol in the Sunday Times

Strong Message Here (BBC Radio 4) - “It returns on September 18, but if you want to go back, then the summer special Strong Recommends and Weird Turkish Barbershops (with Stewart Lee) are worth going back to.”

James Marriott in the Times

Instant Classics (Vespucci) - “The podcast really finds its feet in the second episode, which asks: “What was a day like at the ancient races?” Beard says that a Roman emperor seen answering his correspondence at the races was thought to be behaving very badly. It was a sign of disrespect to the people — like Prince William answering emails on his smartphone at a cup final. Beard has a gift for making such striking modern analogies, which work well on podcasts.”

★★★★☆

Rachel Cunliffe in the New Statesman

Strong Message Here (BBC Sounds) - “The best place to start is with the final episode of the last series, on a year of Labour government messaging. If you puzzled over what Keir Starmer meant by ‘the tepid bath of managed decline’ or scratched your head trying to work out what the ‘national health recovery mission champion’ really does, you’re not alone.”

Gerard O’Donovan in the Daily Telegraph

Star Trek: Khan (Star Trek) - “Naveen Andrews is terrific in the lead, ably supported by Wrenn Schmidt as Lt Marla McGivers and Trek veteran George Takei as Sulu.
The History Podcast: The Fort (BBC Radio 4) - “Graphic eye-witness accounts by soldiers who were on the ground give a vividly true-to-life feel to this series about an extraordinary action by British forces during the battle for a key Taliban bastion.”
Pride and Prejudice (Audible) - "Featuring a cracking cast and a unique interior narrative from heroine Elizabeth Bennet’s perspective.”

Unicorn Girl (Apple TV+) - “Webster begins the first episode with a disclaimer: no matter how convoluted and confusing the facts may appear, she promises that all these disparate threads will be gathered together by the end. She seems to take particular pains to ensure everything is crystal clear. But rather than letting the testimonies of Rivera’s friends and enemies speak for themselves, Webster tends to repeat without enlightening. The clunkiness of the podcast’s delivery is further hindered by the addition of intrusive and distracting muzak which has an unintended effect of feeling like you’re stuck on hold to your banking provider.” ★★★☆☆

Kristen Amiet in The Australian

Unicorn Girl (Apple TV+) - “Some listeners have expressed concerns online about the way Webster handles the many, many claims about sex trafficking and abuse allegedly peddled by Candace Rivera over the course of her ‘career’ in the non-profit sector. There are those who say the series perpetuates harmful myths about sex trafficking instead of correcting them, while others say it’s a story about an alleged scammer who happened to operate in the trafficking sphere, and therefore doesn’t bear that responsibility.”