Picks of the week
The List of Absolutely Everything That Might Kill You
Widely available, episodes weekly
Fireworks, bees, volcanoes, theme parks … there are many dangers in life. DJ Matt Edmondson and This Is Going to Hurt author Adam Kay’s new podcast explores just how likely some things are to kill you. While Kay has seen a lot of death as a doctor, his co-host has only dealt with a deceased pet rabbit, so the contrast between the two offers up many moments of comedy. Hannah Verdier
Stiffed
Widely available, episodes weekly
Like a real-life version of TV drama Minx, this series tells the tale of a 70s porn magnate who launched Viva – a feminist porn magazine. It’s a wild tale featuring Anna Wintour as fashion editor and Maya Angelou homages alongside full frontals. Mainly, it aims to reclaim the publication’s reputation from those who chortle about it as being “a joke about dicks”. Alexi Duggins
I Am Story
Widely available, episodes weekly
In 1968, two Memphis sanitation workers were crushed to death by malfunctioning machinery. The resulting strikes drew in the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King; 55 years later, union workers are still protesting some of the same issues. This engaging podcast from one of the US’s largest trade unions looks at rights, politics and how you enact change. AD
Wiser Than Me
Widely available from 11 April, episodes weekly
Veep and Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus (pictured above) rails against the idea of becoming invisible as she gets older in her new podcast, with a brilliant lineup of guests. On her mission to “get schooled on life by women who are older and wiser than me”, she hears from Jane Fonda, Isabel Allende and Diane von Fürstenberg. Good women all round. HV
Tagged: A Social Media Thriller
Widely available, episodes weekly
If you aren’t too turned off by newlywed travel influencers being at the centre of this story, it’s an immersive thriller that’s easy to binge-listen. Karlie (Jessica Plummer) and Tre (Ben Hardy) realise a couple are mimicking them online, which leads to the discovery of an influencer-targeted cult. Hollie Richardson
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Rachel Aroesti chooses five of the best podcasts for Succession fans, from a fast-paced unpacking of each week’s episode to Vanity Fair’s prestige TV show breakdowns
HBO’s Succession Podcast
When it comes to quenching that raging thirst for more Succession content – has an hour ever passed more swiftly?! – the show’s official podcast is the obvious place to start. This is the ultimate insider guide to all the foul-mouthed drama, featuring behind-the-scenes goss from the show’s makers – including creator Jesse Armstrong, writer Lucy Prebble and executive producer Frank Rich – as well as insightful chat with journalists and experts. Host Kara Swisher belongs in the latter category: in 2014, she founded news website Recode, which means she is somewhat au fait with the Roys’ world.
Firecrotch and Normcore
For a sillier, more freewheeling companion to the action, try this twice-weekly podcast from seasoned radio host Geoff Lloyd – best known in the pod world for presenting Reasons to Be Cheerful with Ed Miliband – and his wife, Sara Barron, an American standup who meets her partner’s slick, methodical recapping withloudmouth, Ruby Wax-style energy. The main episodes see the pair riff on all the deliciously odd minor details (what on earth was Ann’s disaster in Maine?), as well as using the developments in the Roy universe as an occasion for some suitably transatlantic marital banter, while the shorter Friday offering features listener correspondence. Props also for the excellent title – AKA the nicknames bestowed on Tom and Shiv by her darling brother Roman.
Still Watching
This series from Vanity Fair recaps a whole host of zeitgeisty shows, drilling down into the likes of The White Lotus, Mare of Easttown, WandaVision and, of course, king of all buzz TV: Succession. This is a podcast designed for those who want a sophisticated and very thorough unpacking of the narrative, with fast-talking and uber-clued-up writers Richard Murphy and Chris Lawson reading between the lines and filling in all the gaps in the show’s notoriously labyrinthine and non-hand-holdy plot. Perfect for anyone who spends most episodes wondering who is trying to buy what and why (and also how).
Full Beast
What hosts Jessie and Bebe Cave lack in contextual expertise (a recent episode saw them spend some time Googling the meaning of the season four opener’s title, The Munsters, to no avail), they make up for in enthusiasm, highly amusing conversational tangents, and the kind of near-the-knuckle sisterly teasing that chimes perfectly with the Roy siblings’ dynamic. The pair’s fan tribute – which you can find in the same stream as their general chat pod, We Can’t Talk About That Right Now – is a mixture of recaps, character analyses, earnest appreciation of the cracking script and some tongue-in-cheek observations about the TV industry (both are actors). Top marks for the title too, which is taken from a Logan Roy rallying cry.
The Sound of Succession
Like Kara Swisher, Jamie East is also something of a media entrepreneur – he created the 00s entertainment website Holy Moly – and here he’s joined by culture journalist Chris Mandle for a show that combines the detail-oriented explainer value of US podcasts with a good dose of British irreverence. It even finds room for (whisper it) a little bit of criticism, which you don’t get in any of the more breathless pods about the series. The best thing about this one, however, is that it is bookended by East singing the pod’s premise flatly and awkwardly over that inordinately catchy Succession theme tune. Something fun to try at home.
Why not try …
Two ex wives rewatch The X-Files in the droll (and smartly named) The eX-Files.
Controversial drug Ozempic, prescribed for diabetes with a side effect of appetite loss, is just one topic under the microscope in a new series of Science Vs.
Rick Rubin, Patti Smith and Cynthia Erivo are among the starry, cultured cast of interviewees in This Little Light, hosted by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea.
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• This article was amended on 6 April 2023 to clarify that Ozempic is prescribed for diabetes, not weight loss, as an earlier version stated. It has a side-effect of appetite loss. Also, the drug is not a pill as had been stated, but rather is administered by injection.
