Endurance has been found! One of the great lost shipwrecks from one of Ernest Shackleton’s greatest adventures has been found off Antarctica, more than 100 years after the boat originally sank. And a British podcaster was onboard the boat that made the discovery too.
The ship was crushed in the sea ice back in 1915, with Shackleton and his crew subsequently making a legendary escape to safety. The ship that discovered Endurance last week, the SA Agulhas II, had Dan Snow from History Hit onboard. The ship, which has been kept in remarkable condition, was found only several days before this new expedition had come to an end: “My heart is beating like a drum. It is incredibly exciting,” Snow told listeners in a voice recording he had made in the middle of the night on the day of the discovery.
In a special episode of History Hit, titled Endurance22: Discovery!, you’ll hear what it was like onboard the day the shipwreck was found. Expect an episode bursting to the seams of anticipation, followed by a mixture of exhilaration and relief.
NOTABLE NAMES ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK
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- Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is the latest guest on 40 Minute Mentor, a podcast that inspires you to achieve higher in business, to coincide with International Women’s Day special. The three time world champion talks about her transition from the track to business, having launched a successful exercise app.
- Yours Sincerely with Jess Phillips did a special episode for International Women’s Day, featuring women who have “changed laws, challenged abuse and fought against prejudice.” Guests included the reality star Zara McDermott, House of Lords member Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and the Times Radio broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika.
- Jimmy’s Job for the Future did a special episode featuring female entrepreneurs to coincide with International Women’s Day, including the CEO and founder of Starling Bank, Anne Boden and Romaine Thomas, the founder of Juggle Talks.
- Folk on Foot, the podcast that celebrates the relationship between folk music and the countryside features the drummer Johnny Kalsi. Host Matthew Bannister and Kalsi have a tour of Southall in West London, which is known as ‘Little India.’
Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead
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Putin – There’s one question about the Russian invasion of Ukraine that cannot be easily answered. What does President Putin want?
The official line from the Kremlin, and from Russian state media, is that the invasion of Ukraine is for the “denazification” of the country. That explanation is baseless and false. So has Putin invaded Ukraine because he wants to cause a greater influence in Eastern Europe and restore Russian power to what it was during the Soviet Union? Is it because he wants to annex a democratic country with free independent media to a country, his own, that hasn’t got either?
This new BBC Sounds podcast, presented by Jonny Dymond, unpacks Putin’s life story and his values, with the help of Russian experts and Kremlin watchers. Whilst he continues to be an enigma, the series will help you work out what he might be thinking and what could possibly happen next. New episodes out weekly.
Where’s My Jetpack? – I’ve probably jinxed it all by saying this in this newsletter, but I doubt that in our lifetime we will all adopt self-driving cars. I just don’t think, even if the technology makes it possible, that we would willingly trust it enough to give up holding the wheel.
I mention this because of a great new podcast, presented by journalist Sarah Cruddas and broadcaster Luke Moore, that tries to work out why some life-changing technology hasn’t arrived yet, from hoverboards to moon bases, with the help of experts who work in these areas. The podcast also taps into why the 60s to 80s had such optimism about such technology and why that optimism has faded away.
My TV Years – Television podcasts have often either been recaps or reviews (and that’s not a bad thing because for the record I co-host a review one called Must Watch). There’s a wealth of material that you can talk about this television and this new podcast, hosted by Mel Giedroyc, revels in the nostalgia that television provides. Each episode features a guest talking about their favourite programmes, the influences television had on them from a very young age and the successes and failures the medium has had over the years. Guests so far include Sanjeev Bhaskar and Hugh Dennis, with more on the way.
Why Mums Don’t Jump – This is one of those podcasts that have a specific purpose, but is there to really help people at a time of need. Created by Helen Ledwick, this series looks at the specific issue of pelvic issues that can develop after childbirth, everything from incontinence, to prolapse, to unexpected lumps and bumps. The ambition is to not only provide support and advice, but also help sweep away the taboo, especially when it happens to so many women too.“[These are] problems that affect millions of women, one in three. I’m one of them,” says Ledwick.
A solo project, in each episode she invites someone on to talk about their own experiences. In the first episode of the new series, she is joined by broadcaster Carina White from the podcast Black Mums Upfront, who talks openly about the 12 years worth of incontinence she has faced after her daughter was born and the hurdles she has had to overcome to find appropriate treatment:
“The reason why it is so important for me to talk about it, is because at first I was really embarrassed about it,” says White. “And then it became a running joke amongst my friends, but then my friends who have had kids, they’re like ‘oh my god, me too.’”
Before we go, if you are a podcaster and you are thinking about entering the British Podcast Awards, powered by Audible, there’s a special free webinar taking place tomorrow (Monday 14th March) at 1pm, packed full of advice of what the judges are looking for and tips to make your entry stand out from the crowd. Matt Deegan, one of the co-founders of the awards, will be hosting the event and will be joined with two previous winners: Helen Zaltzman from The Allusionist and Rayhan Rahman, the producer behind Brown Girls Do It Too.
To sign up for the webinar, all you need to do is head to this website and fill in the form. And keep 1pm on Monday free.
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