Culture The Evening Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The summer holiday months are upon us and it’s the perfect time to settle back and soak up some of those rays – more than likely abroad – while listening to a podcast .
But what to listen to? The podcasting world has exploded over the past decade, and with new shows released almost daily, it can be hard to know where to find the ones worthy of your ears. That’s where we come in, with our round-up of the best new releases. Plug in and sit back.
This show serves up fascinating stories of spycraft that are well worth tuning in for. Most recently, the show (with different stories narrated by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey) has examined the life of Aimen Dean, an Al-Qaeda jihadist who turned informant for the UK and helped stop multiple terrorist attacks – with a final episode interviewing Dean himself. Listen here A spinoff of the beloved podcast Sentimental Garbage, CG is a series about travel and films that feature travelling in which hosts Jen Cownie and Caroline O'Donoghue discuss everything from Eat, Pray, Love to Before Sunrise, and go off piste to take in Taylor Swift’s newest album and whether stripy v-necks will ever disappear from our wardrobes.
And don’t worry, the laughs are very much still there. Listen here In 2021, Jasmine Hartin (the daughter-in-law of Tory peer Michael Ashcroft) shot dead a police officer in Belize. What unfolded afterward is a sinister story of corruption, bribery, shifty dealings in dark corners and several plot twists you certainly won’t see coming.
An interesting deep dive into the power that money can buy. Listen here This Novara Media podcast sees hosts Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean sit down to discuss some of the weirdest stuff society is obsessed with. Should you ever shag a Tory? Why are people so angry these days? And why is skinny back in fashion again? Complete with eye-opening interviews (guests include Shon Faye and Chimene Suleyman) Listen here X-Factor contestant turned TV host Rylan has been on quite a journey in the past few years – and now he’s rounding up a list of celebrities (pals and otherwise) to chat about the trials and tribulations of fame.
With guests including Ainsley Harriot and Jameela Jamil, it’s an eye-opening look into just how toxic the limelight can be, but also how to thrive in it. Listen here Michael Sheen flexes his skills as an investigative journalist in this sobering BBC Radio 4 investigation. Joining up with hosts Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor to investigate the environmental legacy of Monsanto, an American chemical plant which ended up dumping much of its surplus product in landfills around South Wales.
.. only to cause horrific birth defects and a ticking time bomb for its residents.
Listen here Comedian Joanne McNally dives head-first into what she has dubbed the ‘Avril Lavigne Replacement Theory’: the idea that the pop-punk singer has for several years now been replaced by somebody called Melissa Vandella. This obviously isn’t true, but it provides a springboard for McNally (and some celebrity pals) to do some very amateur sleuthing at a variety of Lavigne-related places. Listen here Lily Allen shares husband’s reaction to selling photos of feet on OnlyFans Jeremy Clarkson, Lily Allen and Brian May among stars reacting to Labour victory The best Glastonbury sets to watch on BBC iPlayer: from Dua Lipa to Seventeen Make the most of the summer of sport in London Singer Charlotte Church takes to the microphone for this series celebrating all things Wales and Cardiff.
It’s a very personal view into what makes her area tick: there are conversations with the landlord of her local pub, the Robin Hood (where she met both of her husbands), her 86-year-old grandad and her best friend, who talks about the days in which their nights out made tabloid headlines on the regular. Listen here Alice Levine is becoming quite the podcasting guru: her latest collaboration with Wondery sees her narrate the true story of ex-Bunny girl Jayne Gaskin, who sells her home in order to move her family to a remote island in Nicaragua. A Channel 4 TV crew follows them out there, but they’re all in for a nasty shock when it turns out (surprise) that this dream opportunity is maybe not quite what it first appears.
Listen here Lifelong friends Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver team up for this filthy, frank and very funny podcast series in which they discuss pretty much every topic under the sun, including their first times having sex, stories from within the music industry and tales about the paranormal. Listener involvement is very much encouraged: the overall vibe is sitting down with your best mates in a pub for a long and slightly drunken chat. Listen here Remember podcasting mega-hit The Teacher’s Pet? Well, Australian broadcaster Hadley Thomas is back to examine another long-buried cold case: this time, that of Bronwyn Winfield, who mysteriously vanished from her home in Byron Bay in 1993.
She left her two young children, and ex-husband, behind – what happened to her? Thomas investigates. Listen here This rather lovely podcast by Jake Sheers examines the queer dancefloor anthems that have shaped peoples’ lives, and interviews the artists behind them. The resulting lineup is impressive – ranging from Self Esteem to Olly Alexander – and the chats are informative and surprisingly intimate.
Listen here Good news for fans of the cancelled Channel 4 show Green Wing: it’s back, in podcast form! Seventeen years after the TV show ended, the original cast – including Olivia Colman, Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan return – for a new audio series. Of course, the medics of East Hampton hospital have aged disgracefully, and hijinks abound. Listen here Memes: they’re a laugh, aren’t they.
But what does it do to the people who (unwittingly or not) become them? This fascinating pod takes to the streets to interview those who were immortalised on Tumblr, Twitter and TikTok and find out what that brief glimpse of fame did to their lives. What do you do when you get more attention and judgement than any one person is built to handle? Listen here The hard-working staff at Polyester Mag. Ione Gamble and Gina Tonic turn a feminist lens on modern society in their discussions of all things pop, which veer between their secret love of Jojo Siwa to why Saltburn perhaps isn’t everything it’s made out to be.
“Have faith in your own bad taste!” the tagline reads, and it’s a real hoot. Listen here Create a FREE account to continue reading Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism. Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.
Your email address Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number You must be at least 18 years old to create an account * Required fields Already have an account? SIGN IN By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in MORE ABOUT Have your say.
...
