Actress Laura Shavin interviews well-known writers about their abandoned projects and writer and comedian Sophie Duker hosts the accompanying podcast for Michaela Coel’s TV series ‘I May Destroy You’.
The British Podcast Awards are nearly here! The awards, hosted by BBC Radio 1’s Clara Amfo and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillion, will be streamed on the British Podcast Awards website on Saturday 11th July at 7.30pm, with the results also announced on their Twitter page.
To see all of the categories and fantastic finalists, just head to the website. A special edition of this newsletter will be in your inboxes next Sunday morning, which will feature all of the winners and little tidbits from the awards, which are (of course) entirely online this year.
By the way, all of the awards have been set in stone, bar one. That’s the Listeners’ Award. You don’t have long to tell us your favourite British podcast of the year, so make sure you submit your favourite before it closes tomorrow (Monday 6th) at Midday. To have a look at the standings as of the 1st July, head to their website.
Here are notable guests on podcasts this week:
- Frank Turner is one of the latest guests on Folk on Foot, a podcast where musicians talk about the landscape around them and what inspires them to create music.
- Ruck My Life podcast, which features LGBTQ+ rugby players and how inclusive teams are being shaped throughout the world, features rugby player Tom Bird Jones in a recent ep.
- The Way We Roll, a podcast that looks into disability, has Tanni-Grey Thompson as a recent guest. She talks about her career, her experiences in the Lords and plays a game of ‘Snog Marry Avoid’ with front bench politicians.
- Tales from the Tannoy, a great little podcast that looks at the anonymous voices you hear every day in places from transport to radio stations, this week features the station voice of Capital Xtra, Rio Attoh-Wood. He talks about his feelings in the wake of George Floyd’s death and inequality within the industry: “I’m not saying there are no opportunities for black people at all, I’m living proof that there is. But you do a hell of a lot. There’s a lot of hurdles to leap.”
We’re always interested in the guests that you have coming up on your podcast, so all you need to do is fill in this short form.
Here are our podcast recommendations for this week:
The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa – I am a bit of a British broadcasting and television nerd (everyone who reads this email: “we know”). So this podcast, that looks into radio’s 100 year history with real depth and insight, is ideal for anyone who is too. What you’ll learn is how this technology, that so many of us rely on every single day, is down to the pioneering work of very few people, many of whom (with the exception of John Reith and Marconi) you would have never heard about before. Don’t expect the BBC to come up in the first few episodes either, there’s an awful lot of history before you hear the pips for the first time.
Obsessed with… I May Destroy You – Lockdown has also resulted in us watching a lot more television than usual (I am not complaining). One of the standout television series this year has been Michaela Coel’sI May Destroy You, which not only tackles issues of sexual consent in an honest and thought provoking way, but also manages to be a love letter to friendships, the cities we live in and accepting our flaws. The BBC has launched an accompanying podcast for fans of the show, delving into each episode and exploring the issues connected to it. Guests include Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff from Gal-Dem and Tolani Shoneye from The Receipts Podcast.
The Offcuts Draw – We all have had ideas that we have never followed through with (when I was at BuzzFeed I had an unfinished post called “What If We Replaced All The News Presenters With Dogs?”). In this podcast Laura Shavin interviews well-known writers about their abandoned projects and the reasons why they didn’t finish them. Some of these stories are entertaining, but it is also an interesting way into discussing the creative process and how failure is a necessary step to a later success. Recent episodes have included Arabella Weir, Jenny Colgan and David Quantick.
NSPCC Learning Podcast – There is obviously a lot of concern at the moment about how schools, children’s services, health care services and social care are going to resume all of their services following the lockdown. The children’s charity has launched a special little podcast series, featuring some of the concerns parents might have and the adjustments schools have taken in response.
The Adventures of Brian Hovis – And finally, if you are a fan of ridiculous storytelling and quick fire gags, this new series by Hywel Evans and Russell Gomer is for you. It’s one of those comedy podcasts where the story doesn’t really matter, it’s the jokes that (constantly) happen along the way.
If there’s a podcast that you think we should be including, let us know by filling in the form.
It has also been a big week in radio, with the launch of Times Radio.
The radio station from The Times and The Sunday Times features John Pienaar, Matt Chorley, Mariella Frostrup, Calum Macdonald, Aasmah Mir, Stig Abell, Luke Jones and others as presenters.
It’s also intriguing as existing Times podcasts, such as Stories from Our Times, will also have a radio airing in addition to being available on demand. It’s an interesting method of podcast distribution, and how integral audio is now seen to be integral in selling printed journalism. For a smart take on the launch, read this post by Matt Deegan.
That’s it! Thank you for reading this newsletter. If there’s someone who you think would want to read this newsletter, ping them this page to sign up.
We’ll be back next Sunday with the British Podcast Awards WINNERS.
