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“What’s going on?” Adam Hills is one confused stranger who, despite not knowing what’s going on, still has a ball in Harry Hill’s daft new comedy. Who else would pull out a giant tongue doll to lick strangers? Or the viral star Simon from Morley’s store in Bexleyheath? Not to mention Sarah the AI bot who likes to give celebrity profiles and distribute chocolates. The film is so surreal that it’s the best of its kind – and the podcast we’re talking about is rare.
The Guardian’s true crime series drops a series of bombshells as it tells the story of murdered policeman Clifton Lewis and a convicted felon. In 2011, Lewis was working as a security guard at a mini-mart when two men walked in and shot him. The following case saw a man named Alex Villa jailed – despite always denying his wrongdoing. Investigative reporter Melissa Segura He has not been able to stop thinking about the case since then. In these seven episodes, they look at the 12 years of legal action that follows, as Villa fights to clear his name, and fills the gaps in the legal proceedings. It is mandatory compliance, looking at wrongdoing, confessions made and omitted, and what he calls “a sure way to keep (Villa) there no matter what”.
From Radio 4 Host of Woman’s Hour Anita Rani, this is a new interesting and entertaining interview series. Rani loves a rebellious woman – just look at Sky’s amazing documentary last year, Sisters of Disruption, where they celebrated the Brontë sisters for being punks. In each episode, she sits down for in-depth conversations with those who have broken boundaries and expectations, including Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri and feminist icon Gisèle Pelicot. His opening talk with Meera Syal generated a lot of interest, with a moving discussion that touched on homeless shelters, divorce in South Asia and, of course, the success of Syal’s sitcom Goodness Gracious Me.
This successful North American spin-off of A History of the World in 100 Objects, from BBC Studios and SiriusXM, sees Roman Mars’ feted design pod 99% Invisible look at the minutiae of today. Everything from coins to long-forgotten Civil War records have been scrutinized, as a means of explaining US shame and triumph. Historians like Jill Lepore (also a Pulitzer-winning author) provide the history, while an Avengers-esque slate of podcasters set to appear – among them Dan Taberski of Richard Simmons and Latif Nasser of Radiolab – make it one of the most star-studded events of the year.
What happens when a group of unlikely generations form a podcast club? These lovely, relaxed stories from The Rest is History co-host Dominic Sandbrook and his TRIH producer Tabitha Syrett, where new books are as welcome as old ones. So far they’ve had insightful chats on everything from Wuthering Heights to A Court of Thorns and Roses, Mrs Dalloway and Famous People. The kind of club bookworms dream of being a part of.
These 10 intimate stories introduce us to Michael Thompson – the assassin and one-time leader of the Aryan Brotherhood who rejected the white terrorist movement – and I’m listening deeply. Is Thompson a mysterious soul who chose violence out of necessity and is now completely reformed? Or a pathological liar and manipulator? Built on years of interviews, this often feels like sitting at a psychiatrist’s bedside with a completely different person, and it also doubles as a fascinating study of a lifetime in prison.
Journalist Lucy Greenwell has never been able to shake her childhood memory of a newborn baby found on a country road near where she grew up in Suffolk. Decades later, he tracks down the baby – to find the older Jess to adopt him – and in doing so opens up a world haunted by secrets, lies and abandonment. This is a series full of twists, turns and jaw-dropping twists, but its real success is its subtlety in exploring the treacherous, complex and sometimes heartbreaking stories.
New York Times columnist M Gessen had always suspected that his pompous, pompous cousin, Allen, was an idiot – or, in his words, “an arrogant ass”. But when Allen is accused of ordering the hit of his ex-wife, Gessen dives deeper into his story to uncover a dark world of theft and fraud. Although technically true crime, this avoids common pitfalls and cliches. Instead, it takes a subtle and intuitive approach to exploring this troubling history – and the power that comes with their family being tied to it.
You wouldn’t think that the most interesting thing to watch a bird would be a decapitated person in Game of Thrones. But Sean Bean is at his best as the host here, as he enjoys the wildlife garden he’s created at his home and offers glorious descriptions of nature. I have interviews with experts and celebrities whose descriptions border on comedy – Johnny Vaughan reminiscing about boyhood ornithology, Will Young on bird song – but Bean’s warmth turns them into something more endearing. Pure, comforting joy.
Popular hip-hop artist MF Doom – described here as “your favorite rapper” – died in 2020, shocking many people that he died in a hospital in Leeds. Hip-hop leader Adam Batty, along with DJ and broadcaster Afrodeutsche, explores how the New York artist who changed the world of hip-hop, ended up living out his final years in West Yorkshire. With many guests featured along the way – such as fan favorite Romesh Ranganathan – this is a fascinating journey into the pioneering artist and his legacy as it is a quest to find out how he changed his life.
