RECENT EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS - December 2023

DEATH OF A CODEBREAKER

Episode 1 // The Cursed Genius // Nov 2023

Occasionally, the world of spycraft heaves up a mystery which feels like it’s been shaken loose from the pages of a particularly lurid spy novel. The death of Gareth Williams in 2010 was exactly that: he was found in the bath in his flat in Pimlico, his body inside a red kitbag which had been locked from the outside. The keys were in the bag. There didn’t seem to be any sign of another person in the flat. What happened to this precocious young man? Dr Sian Williams investigates.

ANTHEMS

Juno Dawson x Nicola Dinan | Responsibility // Nov 2023

The latest iteration of Broccoli’s iconic show returned with a short injection of five episodes for Trans Awareness Week. The monologues have become duologues this time, and we get to hear the affinity between activists, trailblazers and creatives. This episode pairs writers Juno Dawson and Nicola Dinan as they talk about the importance of approaching writing with authenticity. The title references the responsibility that writers - both cis and trans - have to serve their characters and audience.

HAVE YOU HEARD GEORGE'S PODCAST?

30 // Lumumba Pt. 1 // Oct 2023

Perhaps the most critically lauded British podcasts of them all returns for a fourth space-bending, free-thinking series, and this time looks out to Africa for a run of episodes under the banner of ‘After Empire’. Ghana’s struggle for freedom from colonial rule features, but the exploration of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s former dominance of African music – and how it ties into the country’s economic dysfunction – is a typically imaginative way into storytelling from George the Poet.

WRIGHTY'S HOUSE

Ian Wright turns 60 // Nov 2023

We've sung Ian Wright's praises in the past for championing new voices in the world of football podcasting, but for this special episode of Wrighty's House all focus is on the main man himself. Musa Okwonga joins Ian to celebrate his 60th birthday by discussing his journey so far, gathering his thoughts on family, grief, faith, legacy, and, of course, football. For a man who is always (to coin one of his favourite phrases) handing out flowers to others, it's a joy to hear him receive his own.

MCCARTNEY: A LIFE IN LYRICS

Let It Be // Oct 2023

Longtime Macca-watchers may feel that they've heard the story of how Paul wrote ‘Let It Be’ more times than they’ve heard ‘Let It Be’ itself. It’s a well-worn yarn with his mum speaking to him in a dream, but more layers are uncovered here. While putting together the book McCartney: A Life in Lyrics last year, the poet Paul Muldoon chatted with McCartney about dozens of songs. Those conversations were never meant for broadcast – but now they’ve been refashioned into a refreshingly unguarded interview pod.

THE CONFLICT

Inside the Al-Shifa Hospital // Nov 2023

Over more than 30 years Lyse Doucet has been in conflict zones all around the world for the BBC, and she helms this sober daily update pod about the ongoing war in Gaza which puts an emphasis on on-the-ground reporting and expert analysis over empty punditry. BBC Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson joins Doucet for this episode as they invite listeners into the Al-Shifa hospital, the main hospital in Gaza City. New, up to the minute episodes are released every few days.  

SHRINK THE BOX

Jamie Tovell - Top Boy // Oct 2023

Ben Bailey Smith, whose work as regular super-sub for Simon Mayo on 5 Live you might have heard, talks to psychotherapist Sasha Bates about the psychological dynamics at play in the minds of the characters at the heart of the biggest TV shows. Omar from The Wire, Shiv from Succession and a deconstruction of Mike from Ghosts with Kiell Smith-Bynoe have all been highlights, and this Top Boy-inspired exploration of emotional contagion in gang culture and grief driving recklessness is fascinating.