Investigation podcasts appear to be having a moment in podcasting right now, with a lot of great series being released at the same time.

Jamie Bartlett, behind the hugely successful Missing Cryptoqueen, is back with a new series called Believe in Magic. It is about a charity fronted by a young woman called Megan, who said that she was experiencing a life threatening brain tumour. Launched to raise money for other sick children, she received support from celebrities such as One Direction. But then some parents started to realise that not everything was adding up. Could it be that Megan was making it all up?

The whole series is available on BBC Sounds, but new episodes are available to listen to on other podcast platforms. Meanwhile, Londongrad: Iran’s Hit Squads, by Paul Caruana Galizia and the podcast platform Tortoise, looks at the assassination attempts of Iranian nationals on British soil. There’s also Unprecedented, a new series by Global, looking into what it was like to work within Number 10 during Brexit, Covid lockdowns and the chaotic weeks that led to Boris Johnson’s resignation. 

NOTABLE NAMES ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK

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Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead

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Dara Ó Briain’s Timewasters – A new podcast that celebrates the things we have wasted our time on, such as never skipping the opening titles of a television show we’ve seen many times. In each episode Dara Ó Briain asks two comedians to share the most time wasting life choices they most regret, but it isn’t the format that keeps you listening. Ó Briain, as with anything he hosts, is a delightful broadcaster and keeps the guests sharing witty and interesting anecdotes.

Just so you know, you need to be an Audible subscriber to listen to this podcast, but it doesn’t use any of your existing credits.

A Life More Wild The third series of the much loved nature podcast launched this week. Christopher Wilson-Elmes helps you realise the stunning world of nature just beyond your front doorstep. 

Join Strictly winner Hamza Yassin on a tour of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula as well as Charlotte Church in a tour of her favourite peaceful retreat in Wales. 

Doomsday Watch with Arthur SnellLast year we featured Doomsday Watch, a podcast that explores all of the threats facing humankind, from our warming climate to dangerous countries’ nuclear weapons. I know, not the most uplifting hours of audio, but it was fascinating to hear about these subjects with expert guests so comprehensively.

They have now launched a new spin-off series looking at the war in Ukraine, from the runup Putin’s failed invasion to how it has reshaped Europe. There’s a trove of guests, from analysts, to campaigners to policy experts. 
PubcastPoliticsJOE have built a name for themselves with ridiculously effective social media videos that cover the ins and outs of Westminster. Now the man behind these videos, Oli Dugmore, has launched his own podcast where guests look back at the big stories of the week, with their latest looking back at the arrest of anti-monarchy protests during The King’s Coronation with Ben Smoke from the website Huck.

Categories: Weekly Picks