And welcome to the first of two specials containing enjoyable festive specials from your favourite British podcasts.
If a podcast you love has done a festive special and it hasn’t been featured, all you need to do is fill in this form and it might make next week’s edition.
SOME FESTIVE PODCAST PICKS
Shrine of Duty Christmas Special – Shrine of Duty has been an essential listen to guide you through the twists and turns of the plots of both Line of Duty and Vigil. Presented by superfans Brendan O’Loughlin, Hannah O’Connell and Rebecca Shelkton, they have two Christmas specials this year. One is with Craig Parkinson, who was revealed to be *** ***** (that’s a spoiler) and Maanuv Thiara, who appeared in series five. Of course, if you’re watching any of the episodes over Christmas, feel free to skip back to previous episodes of Shrine of Duty to hear their analysis and predictions.
The Euro Trip Podcast / Eurovision – A podcast that celebrates all things Eurovision, whilst also looking ahead to the 2022 competition taking place in Turin, Italy. There’s two special interview specials out over the Christmas and New Years period. The first is with Karin Gunnarson, the producer of Melodifestivalen, a much-loved song competition that helps choose the Swedish entry (and one that I think that the UK should personally follow). The second is with the former Executive Supervisor of the EBU, the legendary Jon Ola Sand, who will talk about his involvement in the contest. Take it away!
Radio Lento – I don’t need to tell you how anxiety-inducing the past few weeks and months have been, and one thing this year many readers of this newsletter have found very reassuring has been podcasts all about nature. This is simply because nature has been proven to calm our nerves, but also because it reminds you that the world is still turning. Radio Lento provides uninterrupted audio from beautiful places all over the UK. Over the Christmas period they have released a batch of new episodes, including a Suffolk wood from dawn until dusk. There’s even ‘sleep safe’ episodes, made specifically for those who want to nod off. Finally, a podcast that you won’t get guilty if you nod off whilst listening.
My Dad Wrote A Christmas Porno 6 – One of the biggest (and filthiest) British comedy podcasts has come back for their annual two-part festive special, this time recorded at Abbey Road Studios to celebrate their 90th birthday. This also means that the same room where Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ was recorded is the same location as a podcast consisting of a guy reading his Dad’s badly written pornography to two of his friends. In case you were wondering, these festive specials are also standalone stories to the main series.
Spotify Podcast of the Week: Rob Brydon – ‘Dawn French joining Rob is everything you want and more for a perfect Christmas episode. They reminisce about working together and sharing a beautiful moment on the set of Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse, and chat about their experiences of working with Sir Kenneth Branagh (who also guested on last week’s episode). Dawn discusses why she turned to writing novels, and how she sees herself as a functioning introvert rather than an extrovert. This is a Spotify exclusive podcast, produced by Rob Brydon in partnership with the Talent Bank and Folding Pocket.
Off Menu – The much loved food podcast has a Christmas special out, so expect discussion on all aspects of the Christmas. The winner of Taskmaster, the comedian Sarah Kendall, joins Ed Gamble and James Acaster and chooses their fantasy starter, main, side dish, dessert and drink.
The Rest Is History – The chatty and conversational history podcast by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland (note: this is not the Spiderman actor) have a very Christmassy special, exploring Britain’s most Christmassy churches. They are also delving into the history behind A Christmas Carol, working out how Charles Dickens got inspiration for the tale. Personally I wish they did a special on The Muppet Christmas Carol but you can’t have everything.
Building Queertopia – In each episode, Shane Jenek and Chelcee Grimes ask a special guest what idea they think would improve the world for LGBTQ+ people and their allies, be it the silly or the serious. This Christmas they welcome along their first ally to the show, the Irish comedian Alison Spittle, who shares ideas based on her own childhood and tries to get Shane and Chelcee in the Christmas spirit.
Get Sleepy – And finally, the popular meditation and sleep podcast has got a couple of festive (sleepy) specials this year. One includes an audio guide to a train ride through an imaginary wintery landscape.
That’s all for the podcast newsletter this week. We will be back next week with even more festive listening suggestions. If there’s any that you think we should feature, please do let us by filling in this form and it might make the list.
Thanks for reading. We’ll be back next week with another edition.
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