Before we get going with this week’s podcast recommendations, just to let you know that some of the people behind the British Podcast Awards have just announced Podcast Day 24

It’s a special event bringing together some of the biggest names in the podcast world, with lots of special talks covering all of the latest and interesting podcasting trends and revealing secrets behind some of the most successful podcast shows. And the event is called Podcast Day 24 because it literally runs for 24 hours, with similar events also taking place in New York and Sydney on the very same day.

The first wave of speakers have already been announced. They include Jess Phillips from Yours Sincerely, Shivani Dave and Tash Walker from the fantastic award-winning LGBTQ+ history series The Log Books and Namulanta Kombo, host of this year’s British Podcast Award ‘Podcast of the Year’ Dear Daughter

The Europe strand of the event takes place on Tuesday 4th October in London. To register now for the first wave of tickets head to the Podcast Day 24 website!

NOTABLE NAMES ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK

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Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead

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The Game Changers Following on from England’s historic win at the Women’s Euros 2022, what other sports deserve equal billing and greater recognition?

This series, hosted by Sue Anstiss MBE, looks at trailblazing individuals in women in sport who are breaking athletic achievements whilst also breaking stigma and assumptions. Each episode looks at a different sport, from rugby league to golf, featuring stars such as Olympic swimmer Alice Dearing and golfer Meghan MacLaren.

The Frost TapesDavid Frost hardly needs an introduction. The journalist and interviewer was at the heart of both the British and American entertainment and political worlds for decades; admired equally for his warmth and his knack in asking difficult but necessary questions (even by the people he was asking these difficult questions to.)

David Frost died in 2013, and in the years since his son Wilfred Frost has been going through his vast interview archives. In this podcast, which has now returned with a new BBC Radio 4 run, you’ll hear excerpts of his interviews with some of the biggest entertainment names from the 20th century. These interviews include Muhammad Ali, Jane Fonda, Sammy Davis Jr and Elton John.

What is fascinating about this podcast is not just hearing David Frost’s phenomenal interviewing technique. It is also how these conversations provide a rich and intimate portrait of people you thought you already knew. Frost’s career longevity meant that he spoke to the same people across decades, including members of The Beatles sixteen times. It is rare to hear snapshots of the same interviewee across their life being asked questions by the same interviewer. It’s a bit like a celebrity Seven Up!

The whole series is a cracker. If you’re looking for a good episode to start, I would recommend the excellent Michael Caine episode. 

Dua Lipa At Your Service – Summer Series A few months ago we featured the surprisingly deep celebrity discussion series hosted by the pop sensation Dua Lipa. At a time when celebrity interviewing series have become a bit stale (simply because half the time the interviewer and interviewees don’t have anything particularly interesting to say) Lipa’s stood out because she always asked fantastic questions and featured guests you wouldn’t have heard anywhere else. 

During the summer and before the debut of series two, she has returned with a special mini series providing something a little bit different. There’s guided meditation to bring you back into the present moment as well as instructional audio yoga class for you to follow along at home, all voiced by her. The series is an ideal listen for fans of hers, because it provides something intimate yet also not self-indulgent. 

EmpireFrom the team behind The Rest is Politics comes this new podcast delving into the complicated legacy of Empire. It is presented by the Scottish historian William Dalrymple and the television and radio presenter Anita Anand.

They hope to provide more insight and context into a topic that has become so fiercely debated in recent years as well as provide more facts and insight into a topic that is still often skipped in the classroom syllabus.

“I think it is a very interesting moment to think about Empire,” says Dalrymple at the start of the series. “It feels like a subject that got tucked away in an attic in 1947. The British moved on, they joined the European community. They like to feel that they have left their Imperial past behind them, they turned into a different sort of nation … but they certainly forgot about the most important things the Brits ever did in world history.”

The starting point is the Raj in India (ending with the Partition of India that took place 75 years ago this month), as it is a specialist subject of both of the show’s presenters. The podcast will then branch into looking at Empire in a myriad of different ways, from slavery and colonialism to how its legacy of Empire influences our political culture. 

Their fact based approach is refreshing and the podcast is one to look out for.

Thanks so much for reading.

We’ll be back soon with another edition next Sunday.

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Categories: Weekly Picks