Journalist Hattie Crisell visit homes of notable writers, Fun Kids Radio launches a new soap opera for children, Giovanna Fletcher talks to The Duchess of Cambridge and journalist Afua Hirsch looks at the complicated legacy of the British Empire…

In case you are wondering why your favourite podcast is a bit late this week, it might have been down to the fact that they either forgot to press the record button (no lie, this once happened to me) or it was because they were frantically editing their entry for the British Podcast Awards, the deadline being next Friday. 

The nominees will be mentioned in this newsletter in the coming weeks. So keep an out to see if your favourite has made it in.

Here are some podcasts to look out for the next week:

In Writing With Hattie Crissell – There’s something so intriguing in learning how a creative person does their job, even though it might be as messy and as unproductive as ours. In this engaging new series, journalist Hattie Crisell visits the homes of notable writers (David NichollsAndre AcimanWendy Cope among others) and asks them how they get it done. It’s illuminating to not only hear them talk about the necessary, yet usually painful, step in getting feedback, but also how important it is to set your own standards. “Your agent’s job is to sell the book, your editor’s job is to just get you to finish the book,” says Sathnam Sanghera. “When it comes to the quality it’s just you. You are the person who decides how good it is going to be.

There are anecdotes that are relatable to anyone, such as this from Black Mirror’s Charlie Brooker: “There was one episode that I rewrote completely in 48 hours in a panic. It turned out to be one of the best ones we’ve done, I think.” Nice to know this stuff happens to the best of us.

The Space Programme – A new radio space soap opera for kids was launched (no apols for the pun) this week, and it’s worth a look. The Space Programme consists of two entrepreneurs deciding that a small island in Scotland should be the home of a new mission, with one of its residents chosen to be the very first child in space. The twenty episode series will follow the quest, each cleverly written with a cliffhanger at each end. It’s interesting to see so much time and investment not only in audio drama, but particularly kids drama in our ever growing podcast world. Episodes will drop on Fun Kids, the children’s radio station on Fridays at 4.30pm, with episodes then being available to listen as a download shortly afterwards.

Happy Mum, Happy Baby – Out of all of the celebrity guests that have been mentioned in this newsletter, I think it is safe to say that this is the biggest. In the latest episode of this podcast about parenthood, Giovanna Fletcher talks to The Duchess of Cambridge about parenthood, and how the earliest years of our childhood have a profound impact on the health and happiness for our lives.

It was really shocking to see how challenges that we see in society, how so much of that is connected through poor mental health and then looking back onto, actually, often traumatic experiences in early childhood,” says Kate. “It felt like such an important period to really look into, pre having children. I suppose it’s only emphasised more now being a parent myself.”  

It’s surreal (yet delightful) to hear Kate chat so candidly. It’s also rare to hear her, even though we all see and read so much about her. To take part in the survey that is at the heart of this podcast episode, head to the 5BigQuestions website.

We Need to Talk About The British Empire – In a new Audible series, the writer and journalist Afua Hirsch looks at the complicated legacy of the British Empire, a legacy that is still being felt today. 

I learned almost nothing about the British Empire at school,” Hirsch says. “But what I did learn focused on how it spread infrastructure … culture, christianity, the English language and democracy. All described as forms of enlightenment. But when it came to the ideology on which the Empire depended, the structural racism it left behind, the economic exploitation, the denial of people’s dignity and self-determination. On that, there was only silence.

This six-part series provides a fascinating portrait into how our current mindset is based on assumptions on our history, periods of history that we may have never been even taught. By the way, you will need to be an Audible subscriber to listen to this podcast.

If there is a podcast that you think this newsletter should be looking at, let us know and it might feature in a forthcoming newsletter!

Here are some guests on some podcasts worth keeping an eye out:

  • Military Wives: The Official Film Podcast launches this week, hosted by Gaby Roslin, ahead of the film’s release next month. Upcoming guests include Dame Kristin Scott ThomasSharon Horgan and director Peter Cattaneo.
  • At The Sauce, a podcast profiling notable people within the food world, interviews Alissa Timoshkina, a food author who runs the Kino Vino supper club, influenced by her childhood in Siberia.
  • The Frontiers Podcast, a podcast about business and cultural leaders has returned for a new series. Upcoming guests include Jamie MortonKit Kemp and Emma Gannon.

If you have a podcast, tell us about your guest! No matter if the name is a well-known name or not. All you need to do is fill in this form.

Have a great weekend, weekends that seem to be us staying indoors protecting ourselves from the relentless wave of storms.

Get our podcast recommendations in your email every Sunday for free

Categories: Weekly Picks