Adrift (Apple Original) - “Gripping, if excruciating, listening.”
This Life of Mine with James Cordon (Lemonada Media) - “Love him or hate him, James Corden is an unusually talented interviewer. He is freshly returned from his spell on late-night American television and his new show is a cut above the usual insufferable bilge in which the host simpers over how mahhhvellous each new sleb interviewee is.”
Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane (Listen) - “Norton and McErlane’s engagingly spiky advice podcast is another exception to my otherwise iron rule that all celebrity podcasts are nonsense to be avoided at all costs. The pair are at ease with the inconsequentiality of their project. They take listener questions and provide witty and sometimes stinging feedback.”
The Pitcairn Trials (Always True Crime) - “This is grimly compelling, but not for the faint-hearted.”
Coining It (Global) - “Hosted by the preternaturally charismatic Lewis Goodall of The News Agents fame, is a cut above the rest.”
Talk ‘90s to Me (Podmasters) - “Having to listen to people talk about the 1990s — that mysterious time of stable politics, low house prices and cultural optimism — is always tough if, like me, you mostly missed out on them. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm of the journalist Miranda Sawyer alleviates some of the pain in this podcast, which looks back affectionately at what was probably one of the best decades in human history to be alive. Oasis, Trainspotting, raving and more.”
Heavyweight (Pushkin Industries) - “The much-loved Heavyweight was a podcasting classic that was inexplicably axed by Spotify (a characteristically stupid decision) a few years ago. It has been resurrected by Malcolm Gladwell’s company Pushkin. The host, Jonathan Goldstein, delves into regrets and mysteries in ordinary people’s lives.”
Waldy and Bendy’s Adventures in Art (ZCZ Films) - “Here is another happily resurrected classic. Waldemar Januszczak and Bendor Grosvenor’s art history podcast got me through the pandemic … then mysteriously disappeared. I was devastated. Well, Lazarus-like, they are back and better than ever. Grosvenor and Januszczak are full of fun and knowledge as they chat about some of their favourite paintings and poke around scandals and crises in the contemporary art world.”
Instant Classics (Vespucci) - “Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins bring the ancient world to life. Sometimes the one beneath our feet, as with the recent live-recorded episode Life, Death and Gladiators in Roman London, which surveyed the city’s Roman remains. Other compelling episodes include their double-header on Boudica. Might help to furnish keen-minded kids with facts to win over snooty relatives.”
Interesting Times with Ross Douthat (New York Times Opinion) - “The conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat’s interview podcast has proved good value so far. Douthat is willing to go where his more squeamish woke colleagues fear to tread.”
Sea of Lies (CBC) - “For Canada’s CBC, Sam Mullins (Wild Boys) narrates a madly unlikely tale of international deceit and murder.”
Pride and Prejudice (Audible) - “Lulu Raczka’s four-and-a-half-hour adaptation for Audible Originals is such a treat. When I listened, I eked out tasks to hear more.”
What’s My Age Again? (Bauer Media) - “Katherine Ryan’s entertaining podcast has a bold gimmick. Before being grilled about their lifestyle, each of her celebrity guests undergoes a blood test assessing their biological age — then receives the results on air. These can be a fascinating listen, as often you are hearing famous figures at their most vulnerable. ”
The Mishal Husain Show (Bloomberg) - “This weekly Bloomberg interview show, fronted by the former BBC star, addresses global issues for an international audience. Think Venezuelan opposition leader-in-hiding María Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel peace prize, on the necessity of US pressure on her homeland’s illegitimate leader; Salman Rushdie on free speech; or the legendary US documentary-maker Ken Burns on why the American Revolution remains unfinished.”
Articles of Interest: Gear (Ind.) - “Avery Trufelman’s absorbing (though quick-dry, obvs) account of how the outdoors clothing industry has been shaped by the military would be ideal. Technically, this is not a new podcast, but a new season of this hugely respected, meticulously researched fashion design-history series.”
The State of It (The Times) - “The scoop-tastic Sunday Times political editor, Caroline Wheeler, and her Times counterpart, Steven Swinford, have the inside track on Westminster — now they are sharing their insights in this gossipy and informative weekly podcast, which has the enjoyable irreverence of early Newscast shows. ”
Radical with Amol Rajan (BBC Radio 4) - “Taglined “Conversations for tomorrow, from Today”, the best episodes of this interview show are invigorating. For anyone anticipating (or indeed craving) intergenerational festive friction I recommend the engrossing episode with the historian Eliza Filby, author of Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad, about a society shift from income to assets.”
Shadow World (BBC Radio 4) - “Try Sue Mitchell’s The Grave Robbers, about criminal gangs stealing inheritances (and while you’re gathered together why not check your relatives are on the land registry). Katie Razzall’s penetrating Anatomy of a Cancellation, about the shameful scapegoating of the writer Kate Clanchy, also revealed generational rifts. Both might provoke some interesting debate. ”

Lucy White in the Irish Independent

Beyond the Bathroom (Ind.) - “Three cheers for Sali Hughes for launching the third season of her body-image podcast Beyond the Bathroom (Apple, Pocket Casts, Spotify, YouTube), with the glorious guest Siobhán McSweeney. Whether stealing scenes in Derry Girls, Pottery Throwdown or the Irish Traitors, McSweeney is a breath of fresh air.”
The Rest is History (Goalhanger) - “The Beatles: The Band That Changed the World…Dominic Sandbrook has been subbed with US talk show host Conan O’Brien who has paired up with stalwart Tom Holland (the historian, not the Spider-Man actor) to discuss the cultural impact of the band. O’Brien’s over-enthusiasm is a bit of a gear change for the long-running history podcast – more fandom, less rigorous debate than usual – but therein lies its point, as “a special”.”
Music Makes Us (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) - “Hanna gets a backstage pass with mould-breakers such as Chaka Khan and Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers, while digging into sartorial archives of the B-52’s Kate Pierson and Tina ‘Talking Heads’ Weymouth.”