As you can imagine, there are a lot of podcasts talking about Bond now that No Time To Die is (finally) out in cinemas.

To coincide with the film, No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast has released the final episode in their mini-series with an interview with Daniel Craig. He talked about how he reacted when he first told that he got the role: “I got drunk. I bought a lot of vodka and a bottle of vermouth and a cocktail shaker and made myself three or four vodka martinis. I could only do it on my own as I couldn’t celebrate with anyone, as I had to keep it a secret.”

For a deep dive into the latest film from the heart of the fandom, look no further than James Bond & Friends, who did a ninety minute special unpacking their thoughts (it’s long, but not as long as the film). The Guardian’s Today in Focus also looked at the possible future of the franchise with their film editor Catherine Shoard, now that Daniel Craig has stood down from the role (and MGM Studios have been bought by Amazon.) 

Despite its delayed release, Shoard is optimistic that it will be a box office success: “Bond is a communal experience,” she said. “It is all about the big laughs, it is all about the title sequence, it is all about that thrill. It is almost a uniquely theatrical thing.”

For more Bond… The Rest Is History and Dan Snow’s History Hit have released special episodes looking at the past, Screen Time with Ali Plumb have an interview special with the cast too.

NOTABLE NAMES ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK

If you have listened to a great guest on a podcast, let us know by filling in this form and it might get featured in an upcoming newsletter.

  • Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labour party, is on Past Imperfect, a Times Radio interview podcast hosted by the columnists Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson. She talks about being a young carer, her upbringing and how her life has shaped her into being a distinctive personality in British politics.
  • The sixth series of The High Performance Podcast launched last week with an episode with Mark Cavendish.
  • Sebastian Siemiatkowski, the founder of Klarna, joins Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO this week.
  • Tom Ellis, who plays Lucifer in the Netflix series with the same name, was a guest on The Gaby Roslin Podcast. He talks about the phenomenally successful show and his 
  • Christopher Biggins is on The Panto Podcast this week (which is celebrating its 100th episode – congratulations!).

Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead

If you want your podcast featured, or you have a great recommendation, all you need to do is fill in this simple form and might get featured in a future newsletter.

Whose Stories?This enlightening new podcast series, brought to you by Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books and Newcastle University, explores why there is a lack of representation in children’s literature. It follows a concerning report that says whilst more than thirty percent of primary school children in school come from a Black, Asian or multi-ethnic background, only 5% of children’s books have a main character that share the same background as them. 

“It was really rare to find books about children who looked like me,” says the show’s host Rufaro Faith Mazarura. “That lack of representation matters, because when children see themselves in the books they read, they are empowered. And when they don’t see themselves, that absence negates the fundamental sense of belonging that every children needs and deserves to thrive.”

At the heart of the podcast is an initiative to make a national children’s book archive at the Seven Stories Museum that truly reflects the population. You’ll hear from established and up-and-coming authors, illustrations and notable figures within the industry.

The Real Sex Education – The Netflix series Sex Education has been praised for the way it manages to break taboos and stigma around sex. Inspired by the show’s initial  premise, this health and wellness podcast features Diggory Waite delving and explaining various sex and relationship issues, alongside registered therapist Cate Campbell … who also happens to be his mother. 

Each episode is informative, considerably well-researched and has no fuss approach on a myriad of (occasionally awkward) topics. In a recent episode sex therapist Kate Moyle was invited to talk about her job and its role, and she emphasised how important a good sex life is for our overall wellbeing: “Sex can have an impact on everything else in our lives: our mental health, our physical health, our relationships, our careers,” she says. “This knock-on effect from when sex isn’t working can be massive.

“It might not be necessarily just about the act of having sex but how we think and feel about sex as well.”

Spotify Podcast of the Week –Sorted with the Dyers returned for Season 2 this week! Danny and Dani Dyer are back with their hilarious family advice and to help solve your life dramas. In this week’s episode, they relive their summer holiday and share their opinions on this year’s Love Island. Sorted with the Dyers is a Spotify Original Podcast from BBC Studios and Pod Almighty. New episodes on Spotify every Wednesday.’ 

River Cafe Table 4There are a lot of interview podcasts, especially over food, but none of them seem to match the A-list billing that this podcast series has achieved. The River Cafe, an Italian Michelin star restaurant famous for the clientele who eat there as well as the food itself, has just released a new podcast series hosted by its owner Ruthie Rogers. 

She is extremely well connected. This podcast series features fans of the restaurant including interviews with, I kid you not, Victoria Beckham, Paul McCartney, Sir Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Emily Blunt and Cary Joji Fukunaga. The first episode? Jake Gyllenhaal, who talks fondly about his food memories: “They taught me ‘if and when you make your own money, if you are going to spend money on anything it should be a great meal.’ It was good advice, but not great advice,” he said.

As The Season TurnsAs we head into a new month there’s another new episode of this excellent podcast presented by Lia Leendertz. The purpose of the podcast is to point out and highlight all the changes in nature that are happening each month, to encourage you to notice more of your local environment. Like other nature podcasts of late, this series features strong production, good narration and of course, lots of sound recordings of the outside world.

Finally, I thought to give a final recommendation for Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner, who had an interview with the icon that is the actor and broadcaster Miriam Margolyes. Rayner warns at the start of the episode that it is the rudest interview that he has conducted in the history of the podcast and that is not an exaggeration. There’s a joke about ********* in the first few minutes.

“I’ve always been foul mouthed, fascinated by the nether regions, longing to talk about ***** and ***** and all the rest of it. I can’t help myself,” she said.

Get podcast recommendations every week in your inbox by subscribing for free.

Categories: Weekly Picks