We hope you have had a peaceful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year.
We are back with some more of our favourite podcasts of the year, all of which have been featured in this newsletter throughout the year. Thank you so much for reading and for all of your podcast recommendations. We will be back in 2026.
Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane – The best part of Graham Norton’s old Radio 2 and Virgin Radio show is now available as a standalone podcast, where Norton and pal Maria McErlane respond to listener dilemmas with a no-nonsense, outspoken approach. Their chemistry and humour is an absolute delight.
Insiders: The TV Podcast – This new podcast by Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham is a great insider's take on the TV industry, fronted by two people who have decades of experience between them. Mulville is behind Hat Trick, who makes Have I Got News For You and Derry Girls, whilst Fincham is behind the shows The Day Today and Alma’s Not Normal. They share interesting insights and secrets about some of the UK’s biggest shows and discuss their takes on the latest movements within the industry.
The Quilt - Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, the duo behind the upcoming book based on their hit LGBTQ+ podcast The Log Books, returned this year with an engrossing in-depth series that explores queer stories from all across the UK. Produced in partnership with the museum Queer Britain, it aims to amplify LGBTQ+ stories that stretch far beyond the usual places of Manchester, Brighton, and London.
Banned by the BBC – A compelling deep dive into changing attitudes towards taste and censorship, looking at some of the records that have been banned on the BBC in its history, from The Shamen’s “Ebeneezer Goode” to Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax”. There’s a meta delight in the fact that this series is on the BBC itself. There's also a new special episode all about banned songs at Christmas.
Listen here
The Pitcairn Trials – The Pitcairn Islands are a small group of remote islands between New Zealand and South America. In this thoughtful, well-handled true crime series, journalist Luke Jones examines how a Kent police detective was asked to travel 9,000 miles to the island to investigate allegations of a serious crime, only to learn that the case was far from an isolated innocent on an island of only 150 people. You can listen to the series wherever you get your podcasts or on BBC Sounds.
Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast - This news and current affairs podcast, fronted by Andrew Hunter Murray, has been running for a while, but its consistency has now made it an essential listen, with new episodes out between each printed issue. Featuring journalists and contributors from the magazine, you’ll hear stories and reporting that you won’t have read anywhere else, along with the wit and humour in keeping with the style of the magazine. And yes, Ian Hislop does make regular appearances.
Titanic: Ship of Dreams - There are countless documentaries about the sinking of the Titanic (there’s even a new series airing on the BBC between Christmas and New Year). This series stands out because it told me stories and facts about its construction and ill-fated expedition that I hadn't heard anywhere else, brought together with excellent production and Paul McGann’s fantastic narration.
Derailed: The Story of HS2 - An informative ten-part series looking at why the ambitious idea of a high speed railway ended up becoming such a financial and logistical disaster, with ever increasing delays. Episodes are only 15 minutes each, with the whole series available to listen on BBC Sounds.
Listen here
Chasing The Sound - Kirk Flash rose to podcasting fame with his series satirising modern gay life. Now he’s turned to documentary-making with this enjoyable series, which dives into misunderstood music scenes across the world, from India to South Africa. You need to be a subscriber to listen to this Audible series, but it doesn’t use up any of your existing credits.
Listen here
Welcome To Hell – Broadcasting direct from hell, comedians Daniel Foxx and Dane Buckley read out outrageous anonymous confessions sent in from their listeners, which they try to solve…if they can. There’s a strong sense of community between hosts and listeners, alongside plenty of wit from the show’s hosts.
