If you\u2019re looking for some great audio to keep you company this Christmas, you\u2019ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s start with The Allustionist<\/strong><\/a>, a podcast hosted by Helen Zaltzman that delves into the world of language. In this delightful Christmas special<\/a>, the most frequent words in festive songs are investigated, to see whether, taken together, they can make the \u2018ultimate\u2019 Christmas record (well, a song that\u2019s suitable for 2020 anyway).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, Sir Paul McCartney<\/strong><\/a> joined The Adam Buxton Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on his podcast this week, where they talked about McCartney\u2019s love for Homes Under The Hammer<\/em>, Storage Hunters <\/em>and Would I Lie To You? <\/em>Yes. Really. They do talk about other stuff too, such as McCartney\u2019s love for a quesadilla. It\u2019s a wonderful, unpredictable, meandering chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Robbie and Ayda Williams are also back with two new episodes of their At Home With The Williamses<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>podcast. They highlight those who have helped others this year and start with a rant against COVID. In contains *a lot* of swear words, by the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, listen out for Rylan Clark-Neal<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s interview <\/strong>on Grounded with Louis Theroux<\/strong><\/a>. It\u2019s fascinating. It\u2019s a discussion about how he managed to make the transition from reality star to Radio 2 broadcaster. Rylan talks about the legacy of Big Brother from his own diary room, his public persona vs his private self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GUESTS ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have listened to an interesting guest on a podcast and you think other people should know about it, fill in this form<\/a> and it might get featured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want your podcast featured, or you have a great recommendation, all you need to do is fill in this simple form<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Missing<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>– More than 100,000 people are missing across the world at any one time. In the UK, 960 people also go missing every single day. Whilst 99% of them are tracked down, 1% of cases are still unsolved, causing considerable pain to their loved ones as well as, of course, a lack of closure. In this thoughtful new podcast series (presented by Pandora Sykes from The High Low<\/strong><\/a>), a different missing person\u2019s story is featured in each episode, the story made in collaboration with the missing person\u2019s friends and family, with the hope that someone listening might have vital information that can then be used to solve the case. The series also has the backing of the charity Missing People along with the investigators Locate International. It\u2019s a great idea and podcast too. One that can certainly make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Brian Butterfield Pod-Pod-Podcast<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>– An utter joy that Brian Butterfield has now got his own podcast. A comedy creation by Peter Serafinowicz, Butterfield gained a cult following by flogging a series of baffling diet plans<\/a> as well as an international hotel<\/a> (a review of the hotel: \u201che kept referring to it as a hotel, but it was just his office. One of the pillows was made of printer paper\u201d<\/em>). He\u2019s now back with his own interview series. Here\u2019s what the episode notes say: \u201cWrite a brief description of the episode, explaining any interesting elements within it that might entice listeners to subscribe.\u201d It also notes that episodes will be released bi-decadal, which means the next episode will be December 2040. Part of me wonders whether this is a joke, but another part wonders whether it is true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify Podcast of the Week:<\/strong> Spotify have collaborated with The Athletic on their flagship football podcast this week to bring you a story about an American Football coach, Terry Smith, taking over Chester City FC in 1999. He promised European football for the club, and promptly sacked the manager and installed himself. As you can imagine, it didn’t go well. This episode is presented by Mark Chapman and goes through the ups and downs of Smith’s time at the club – listen exclusively on Spotify here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n London Pub Reviews (ft. Tim Key)<\/strong><\/a> – <\/strong>I know. The irony of recommending a podcast about pubs in the same week that many of them have closed as much of the country has entered Tier 3 and 4. Yet this scripted series, based on the book by Paul Ewen and read aloud by Tim Key from Alan Partridge\u2019s This Time<\/em>, is there to give you warm flashbacks to the good old days. It\u2019s also a celebration about why pubs are an integral part of British life. Each episode contains a fictional review of a pub from someone who has had a *few* drinks, the first episode set at the iconic French House in Soho, London. Each episode is only seven minutes long, a blessing. Long live short podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Life In TV<\/strong><\/a> – <\/strong>Alison Hammond has a new podcast where she interviews stars about their favourite television, but honestly the whole thing is just a great excuse to listen to Alison Hammond. She\u2019s such a great presenter because she constantly rips up the rule book about how things should be done. In a recent episode Hammond interviewed Scarlett Moffatt<\/a> about how she landed Gogglebox (\u201cI got a \u00a350 and a free takeaway, bob’s your uncle\u201d) and her love for old favourites like Blind Date. Whilst talking about Ant and Dec on SM:TV Live, she talked about the importance of having someone that shares your regional accent on TV (\u201cthey spoke the same as me and there wasn\u2019t anyone who spoke the same accent as me\u2026 it was always quite posh people really.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are looking for more enjoyable podcast listens for the Christmas period, there are many in the latest episode of Podcast Radio Hour with Amanda Litherland<\/strong><\/a> on BBC Radio 4 Extra. I joined Amanda to share some of my most recent favourites. These include Clara Amfo and Amber Butchart\u2019s Fashioned on Audible<\/strong><\/a>, Samira Ahmed\u2019s interview with Graham Norton on How I Found My Voice.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Dan Snow\u2019s History Hit<\/strong><\/a>, a popular British history podcast, just celebrated their most popular episode<\/a> yet. In the episode, Snow accompanies 80 year-old John Watts to an RAF museum in Cosford, after being told that a bomber from the same squadron that his Dad flew in had been recovered and was being restored. His father, Commander Joseph Watts, died during a mission, shortly before John was born: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan Snow asked John on what it is like to tell his Dad\u2019s story. \u201cAll my life he\u2019s been there, but I\u2019ve had no occasion to talk about him, especially at length, or to make anything of it, or indeed properly to celebrate him,\u201d <\/em>he responded. <\/em>\u201cThis is 80 years ago, he died. I feel hugely pleased and relieved to be here with somebody who cares to listen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have a wonderful and safe Christmas. We\u2019ll be back with another podcast newsletter just before the New Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re looking for some great audio to keep you company this Christmas, you\u2019ve come to the right place. Let\u2019s start with The Allustionist, a podcast hosted by Helen Zaltzman that delves into the world of language. In this delightful Christmas special, the most frequent words in festive songs are investigated, to see whether, taken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n