Picks of the week
Welcome to Our Show
It’s official: “millennial TV show rewatches with the original cast” is the podcast genre du jour. We’ve had The OC, Scrubs and Sex and the City – now it’s time for Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris to reminiscence over every minute detail that went into the making of Emmy-nominated New Girl. With seven seasons to revisit, this is one for Deschanel fans in search of a weekly hit of nostalgia to plug into. Hollie Richardson
Feast is Feast with Big Zuu
This food-based podcast from bubbly chef and grime MC Big Zuu is as upbeat and fun as you’d expect. Celeb-packed guest interviews see Craig David talking about his habit of eating two Boost bars on childhood bus journeys and Jermaine Jenas explaining his hunt for places to eat great Caribbean food. Alexi Duggins
Female Pilot Club
The team behind this podcast challenge the male dominance of TV comedy writing with a night that stages readings of uncommissioned pilot scripts written by women. Here, they bring you the hilarious highlights of those shows, with the likes of Robert Webb and Tracy-Ann Oberman reading work from talent whose credits include having written for Succession. AD
Seventeen: Conversations with My Teenage Self
Laura Leigh Abby turned 17 in the heteronormative world of 2002, with its acceptable cruelty and AOL messenger chats, so opening her diaries brings up a whole load of feelings. With Y2K nostalgia all around, she doesn’t always look back fondly as she’s confronted with the darker side of her teenage experiences. Hannah Verdier
Normal Gossip
Pandemic phone conversations made Kelsey McKinney miss gossip. Not the celebrity type, but those little morsels that you share about your workmate’s sister. So she launched a podcast celebrating damage-free gossip with guests who share tangled tales about neighbours and the backstory of pandemic boyfriends. HV
Producer pick: Dr Gilmer and Mr Hyde
Chosen by Madeleine Finlay
Recently I went back to This American Life, having not listened in a good few years. It felt a little bit like returning to the town you grew up in, as even now, so much of the way podcasts are narrated and constructed – from the music to the “I’m just going to switch my recorder on, is that okay?” b-roll tape – originates from This American Life. Luckily, the episode I happened to click on, Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde, would definitely be described as a This American Life classic.
Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde tells the story of two doctors; Dr. Vince Gilmer, who worked at a rural clinic in North Carolina before killing his own father and going to prison, and Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, who later joined the clinic only to discover he shares his name with the previous physician. As Benjamin learns more about his predecessor’s kindness and generosity, he finds it harder and harder to understand. How could this man have committed murder? Joined by reporter Sarah Koenig, they try to investigate who Vince really was, and what really happened. The result is a fascinating and surprising journey into a small town, medical diagnoses within the justice system, and how one man’s life can radically change another’s.
The episode is actually a repeat, first broadcast in 2013. This is pre-Serial Sarah Koenig, although it will sound very familiar to any Serial fans. But, there’s a good reason to listen now – almost a decade on there’s been an update on Vince’s case (I won’t spoil it for you).
Talking points
Don’t read anything into Cate Blanchett’s recent role as a blithe TV anchor in climate crisis satire Don’t Look Up. She’s about to launch a podcast devoted to her love of the environment. Climate of Change sees her team up eco entrepreneur and activist Danny Kennedy and will launch on Audible in April.
Why not try: Hit Parade | DeepMind
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