Let’s start with some more nominees from the British Podcast Awards that you can listen to right now. In the Best Entertainment Category this year there’s Table Manners with Jessie Ware (where Jessie and her mum Lennie invite a guest, usually virtually, over for dinner) and 6 Degrees from Jamie and Spencer (where Spencer Matthew and Jamie Laing try to prove that we are all six degrees from a celebrity by tracking one down in just six calls).
There’s also James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds (where the comedian tries to prove that 2006 was the greatest year for music), A Gay and NonGay (James Barr and and Dan Hudson explore LGBTQ+ issues with a well-known guest) and Stars in Your Ears impressionist Jess Robinson speaks to other comedians). Finally, No Ideas Just Vibes (where Ilaria and Lizzie ask each other how they managed to get through the week).
If you’re going on a long family car journey, it’s worth checking out the shows that were nominated for the Best Family Podcast. There’s Greg Jenner’s Homeschool History, the science podcast Fun Kids Science Weekly and the experimental Maddie’s Sound Explorers.
In World Wise Web, teenagers meet the inventors of devices that have changed our lives. History Story Time features Ellie (aged five) and Sophie (aged seven) delving into history with interesting stories and facts. And finally there’s the story podcast Bottle Ship Adventures, set on the magical land of Dilstonia.
To see (and of course, listen) to more of the nominees, just head to the British Podcast Awards website.
GUESTS ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK
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- Save Your Game, a new gaming podcast by Red Bull, launches this week. The first guest is Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez, G2 Esports Founder and CEO.
- Broadcaster Sara Cox joins Alan Carr on Life’s A Beach, a podcast where guests talk about their favourite trips.
- Seven Pillars with Alan Davies, a podcast where the actor and comedian Alan Davies asks a guest about their “personal pillars of wisdom” (aka. The things that have influenced them in their life) this week features Jo Brand as guest.
- My Time Capsule, a show where guests choose five things that they would put into a time capsule, has just celebrated their 100th episode, with Ross Noble.
- On Jackie Weaver Has The Authority (yes, she has her own podcast) is Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury.
- Historian Sir Ian Kershaw is on The Rest Is History podcast with Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, in a two part discussion on Hitler.
Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead
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Tan France’s Queer History – There have been some really interesting LGBTQ+ history podcasts of late, from The Log Books to Shon Faye’s Call Me Mother. I’ve find them engrossing simply because, as someone who is queer, I’m learning about these stories for the very first time.
Tan France, who you will likely recognise from Queer Eye, has now launched his own series where he explores LGBTQ+ trailblazers through history. There’s a profile on Dr Evelyn Booker (a celebrated ally who scientifically proved that homosexuality was not a mental disorder back in the 1950s) and Bobbie Lee Bennett (a trans woman who campaigned fiercely in the 1970s to improve trans rights). However, it is not just a history show. It goes right up to date, with a Esan Regmi, who is fighting for rights for intersex people in Nepal.
This podcast is an Audible Original, you need to be a subscriber to listen to this podcast series. However, their podcasts do not use up any of your credits if you are a member.
All The Small Things – A weekly podcast series, hosted by Venetia La Menna, where she speaks to well-known names about the rituals or habits that have contributed to their success. The range of topics have been particularly interesting, from mental health ambassador and author Poorna Bell talking about how the habit strength building helped her cope with grief to Paris Lees talking about how she was able to build a structure into her new memoir, which took seven years to write.
I enjoyed listening to a chat with author Candice Braithwaite, who talks about the pitfalls of being an influencer and why Black British women will always remain front and centre in her storytelling. She also gave advice on why authors shouldn’t pay attention to the opinions people make of them: “You have to trust that the voice you have been given, the gift you have been given in the way you communicate, is just what it is.”
Spotify’s Podcast of the Week is Who We Be Talks. The fourth season of the show kicks off with a visit from Deborah and Jamel, stars of the reality TV sensation Blue Therapy, who talk to Henrie and Harry about their experiences on the show and unpack their relationship. We hear about everything that’s happened since they appeared, and play a game to see how well the pair actually know each other. Who We Be Talks is exclusively available on Spotify.
Arts Work – This is an ideal podcast for younger listeners who are starting to think about what they want to do in their future careers. Presented by Ankur and Phoebe, it consists of them interviewing those with interesting roles in the arts, asking them how they got their job and what advice they would give others to get where they are today.
I particularly enjoy how specific the roles that are featured are in each episode, from advice to being arts fundraiser, to being a social media manager and stage manager.
The Skewer – Jon Holmes, one of the hardest working men in podcasting, has returned with a new series of his surreal BBC Radio 4 comedy series. He remixes news reports over the last week into making it seem like leading figures in the news were saying something totally different (one news report is repackaged so a newsreader says “Kate Winslet has saved the Health Secretary Matt Hancock from the jaws of a crocodile by punching it in the face.”) You have to listen to it to believe it.
By the end of each episode, you wonder how much Jon Holmes had actually slept.
Also, just a reminder that tickets are still available for the British Podcast Awards. Taking place at Brockwell Park in London on Saturday July 10th, the awards are an opportunity to celebrate the best in British podcasting alongside all of the nominees. Tickets are £50, which includes a picnic full of snacks and a complimentary drink.
To purchase a ticket, all you need to do is head to the British Podcast Awards website. There you’ll find all the info on COVID rules, arrival times and more.
