The Inaugural Irish Podcast Awards took place last weekend! As it is the sister awards of the British Podcast Awards, who also help run this newsletter, we thought to open this week’s newsletter with a rundown of some of this year’s notable winners.

There was a triple win for one show. Podcast of the Year, Best Documentary Podcast and the coveted Moment of the Year went to The Witness, an engrossing true story about James O’Callaghan, the youngest person ever in Ireland to enter the witness protection programme. The Best Sex & Relationships Podcast went to Assume Nothing: Rape Trial, which looks at how the aquittal of two men who had been charged of rape resulted in outrage and an overhaul of the criminal justice system.

Best Arts and Culture went to Talking Derry Girls, where three close friends from Derry reviewed episodes of the iconic sitcom set in the city. Book of Leaves, presented by Cerea Carney, looks at different ways that we could all live a more sustainable life. 

Best Factual Podcast went to the storytelling podcast Yarn, whilst the Best True Crime Podcast went to The Northern Bank Job, which explores the fallout of one of the biggest bank heists in history.

Also Alan Partridge fans … you’ll be pleased to hear that after a wave of controversy on This Time, he’s returned to the Oasthouse for a second series. You need to be an Audible subscriber to listen, but the episodes are free once you’re in.  

NOTABLE NAMES ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK

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Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead

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This is History: A Dynasty to Die ForHistory podcasts are all the rage at the moment and this newsletter has certainly featured a fair few of them. This new series presented by the historian Dan Jones is a welcome addition though, simply because of the way it uses language in its storytelling. 

Despite looking at Middle Ages history, Jones uses conversational and modern day terms to bring the story to life, so you get a bit more absorbed in the characters he introduces. You’re also not distracted by the fact that the events that he talks about happened a long, long time ago. 

The first few episodes also explore a dysfunctional family who spent many years at war with itself. It’s material that certainly might be appealing to House of the Dragons fans. 

Hoaxed If I mention the company Tortoise, you’ll likely think of their hugely successful investigative podcast Sweet Bobby, which looked at the destruction caused by one of the most notorious catfishers. Now Alexi Mostrous and his team have launched a new investigative series called Hoaxed, which looks at how troubling accounts of abuse told by two young children at a London police station ended up becoming seized by conspiracy theorists and ruined people’s lives in North London. They then look at how this conspiracy theory shares similar threads to many other

“The Hampstead case galvanised a generation of conspiracy theorists and brought violence ricocheting back into the community,” says Monstrous, “whilst the social media companies silently let the flames spread.” New episodes are out weekly, but subscribers of Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts can receive episodes before general release.


If you like sport, you’ll love the Upshot – a weekly email newsletter dishing out gossip, controversy and tittle-tattle from the world of British sport.

Every Friday they send you a three minute hit of the funniest stories in sport: from drunken antics to dressing room squabbles.

In the words of Jamie, one of their subscribers: “The Upshot always makes me laugh and often gives inside scoops – don’t know anywhere else you can get such an insightful roundup of sporting gaffes, bad behaviour and general mayhem in one place. It’s like Private Eye for sport, but more light-hearted. Essential.”

The Upshot is free, and you can unsubscribe any time you like. Try it here.


Battleground: Ukraine –  In a week when President Putin warned of a dangerous escalation of the War of Ukraine after a breakthrough by Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv and the surrounding areas, the podcast Battleground has been releasing regular episodes providing in-depth analysis and some historical context into the relations between Russia and Ukraine. There’s six episodes so far, roughly an hour each, presented by Patrick Bishop and Saul David.

The World According to Tubsey & Hyder – You might recognise them from the hugely successful Big Zuu’s Big Eats. Now friends Tubsey and Hyder, the chefs from the double BAFTA award-winning show, have got their own podcast recorded from their flat.

It’s an engaging listen because, even though the conversation might feel loose and unstructured, they weave in well-considered and interesting talking points. One episode starts with a discussion about recent British politics, then delved into an interesting discussion on the politics of Iraq and the legacy of the war (Tubsey was born in Iran and Hyder has family roots in Kurdistan). 

Also not a British podcast, but certainly worth mentioning in this newsletter this week. Serial, the investigative journalism podcast that has inspired countless others, created global headlines this week. Adnan Syed, who was the subject of the first series, was sensationally released from prison after his conviction had been overturned. 

Make sure you listen to a special episode that talks about what led to his release.

Thanks so much for reading.

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Categories: Weekly Picks