Picks of the week
American Hostage
Widely available, episodes weekly
Jon Hamm is a soundbite-spouting radio host with silky tones in this scripted podcast based on a true story. It’s 1977 and Fred Heckman (Hamm) is feeling disillusioned (“I don’t know if the news lost me, or I lost the news”) when a huge story breaks. He dives in and gets on the phone with a man holding a hostage at gunpoint. As the pressure and adrenaline build, can Fred keep his cool for a live interview to end the 63-hour standoff? Hannah Verdier
Ki & Dee: The Podcast
Widely available, episodes weekly
For the singletons and sex-deprived of lockdown, Chiara Hunter and Diana Vickers recorded Instagram songs that were all too relatable: “Those were the worst days of my life, back in the summer of no 69s.” Topics have since included Jack Grealish’s thighs and “live love laugh” signs. They continue to share these ditties for this podcast, alongside the sort of fun chats you’d have with pals. Hollie Richardson
Stories of the Stalked
Audible, all episodes out now
Film-maker Lily Baldwin was touring the world as one of David Byrne’s backing dancers when she started being stalked. In this often-chilling podcast, she relates the 13-year battle, including the time police warned her she should fear for her life. It’s candid, thoughtful and deeply troubling. Alexi Duggins
Call Me Curious
Widely available, episodes weekly
Do aphrodisiacs work? What’s the deal with intermittent fasting? Should you buy crypto? Bubbly host Nikki Boyer and sidekick Mr Malone unravel life’s little mysteries and drop the word “lust-sack”, with plenty of giggles. But it’s not all fluff: Boyer also brings in academic experts who provide some very well-informed answers. HV
28ish Days Later
BBC Sounds, all episodes out now
“A day of hot reds” is how journalist India Rakusen describes the first day of her period in this podcast about menstruation. Each 15-minute episode deals with topics including the way hormones “play and dance through the cycle” and “all the ishy, squishiness” that’s been misrepresented throughout history. AD
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Rachel Aroesti chooses five of the best bite-sized podcasts, from a tense drama to bring thrills to your commute to an intriguing daily dose of science
Short Wave
Released daily, these 10- to 15-minute scientific explorations are nothing if not diverse. In March alone the show looked at the science behind sourness; climate change; the failings of the US mental health system; recovering from bad pandemic habits; and the work of groundbreaking female physicist Chien-Shiung Wu. Each episode of the podcast – made by NPR and hosted by Emily Kwong, who recently spoke about her marathon-training experiences for the show – manages to find an intriguing, accessible and, frequently, rather amusing hook for its highly intellectual subject matter: brain food that’s both enticing and satisfying.
Motherhacker
Podcast drama tends to work best in small, easily digestible chunks – especially when the plot is this nail-bitingly tense. With the kind of cast you might expect from a glossy HBO drama – Carrie Coon, Lucas Hedges, Alan Cumming, Pedro Pascal and Tavi Gevinson – the show’s compulsively thrilling and impressively atmospheric 10-minute episodes tell the story of Bridget, a mother who is already struggling financially when she is conned into giving away her kids’ college fund. Desperate to claw back the money, she tracks down the hacker, who duly forces her to join the identity theft business – and quickly discovers Bridget’s innate talent for scamming.
One To One
These sub-15–minute tête-à-têtes from Radio 4 are as concise as they are insightful: with no time for small talk, the continually rotating roster of presenters and interviewees get into the nitty-gritty of their chosen subject immediately. Episodes revolve around the host’s personal interest: recently the actor Tuppence Middleton spoke to clinical psychologist Dr Gazal Jones and Pure author Rose Cartwright about OCD. You can delve into the considerable archive for Clive Myrie on immigration and Guardian journalist Tim Dowling on the nature of ambition.
The Rob Auton Daily Podcast
Stand-up comedian and one-time Glastonbury poet-in-residence Rob Auton combines surreal, lyrical monologues with dry, down-to-earth humour and incredible dedication: at the beginning of 2020, he committed to putting out an episode of this podcast every single day. Unbeknownst to the Yorkshire comic, it would turn out to be the perfect year to embark on such an endeavour. But the project was also made manageable by the extreme brevity of the episodes. Many last for just one or two minutes – plenty of time for listeners to soak up their evocative, imaginative strangeness.
Modern Love
Since its 2004 debut, the New York Times column – a series of short essays on love’s less explored avenues – has spawned three books, a two-season Amazon Prime anthology drama (featuring Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel and Kit Harington) and a long-running podcast. The audio show relaunched this year with a new presenter, Anna Martin, but continues its original MO: broadcasting essays on everything from “solo polyamory” to relationship deal-breakers and sibling bonding in the midst of a divorce. At the end of every 20-minute episode, Martin chats with the writer, and often supplements the story with related tales from her own love life.
Why not try…
Immigrantly, a smart, stereotype-busting podcast about the experiences of migrants and their children in the US. This season focuses on love
Explosive donor-baby investigation BioHacked: Family Secrets
Comic Lou Sanders’ warm, loosely hug-themed pod Cuddle Club
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