We’re back with another week of Earworms, with many new launches arriving following the long bank holiday. We’ve spoken to a number of industry experts about their recent favourite podcasts, from publications like Tortoise Media to brands like NatWest.
We’ve also put together a list of the many recent podcast launches and new seasons of well-loved shows that have premiered this week, including a new line of podcasts from the makers behind the ultimate earworm - the infamous Baby Shark jingle.
What’s in the industry’s ears?
James Wallis - Marketing lead, NatWest Business
This week I’m (still) listening to Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO. As a podcaster myself, who is fascinated by what makes people tick, this podcast has it all. The line of questioning and production style truly makes you feel like you’re a fly on the wall as Steven fires pointy questions at his guests - there’s laughter, joy and sometimes tears too. The perfect companion for my commute.
Lily Ames - Head of production, Chalk and Blade
I’ve been listening to The Prestige TV Podcast from The Ringer. At the moment, it’s my number one stop for Yellowjackets and Succession TV companion podcasting, and my favourite companion podcast for American prestige TV in general.
Claudia Collins - Head of marketing and membership, Tortoise Media
My current go to is The World's First Podcast. Hosted by sisters Sara and Erin Foster, tonally, it’s wry and honest and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Being similar in age to the hosts, I can usually relate to the topics of conversation (career, family, fertility, dating) and value the insights from both the Fosters and their expert guests.
Faye McDowall - DAX strategy director, Global
I’m just back from maternity leave so I listened to many, many podcasts as I walked around and around the streets. One of the podcasts that got me through long walks with a sleeping baby was Annie Mac’s Changes. Annie Mac has a really gentle way of asking questions and letting her guests tell their stories. It’s compelling listening. The episode with Anne-Marie Duff is particularly good; it made me laugh, cry and ponder some of life’s truisms.
Roger Gowdy - Director, Castmastery
A staple podcast in my feed is Tape Notesfrom In The Woods. It’s a prime example of engaging, long form audio content that sits perfectly in podcast form. Hosted by music industry legend John Kennedy, each episode reunites a recording artist with their producer and features a DEEP dive conversation about an album they created together. For an audio nerd like me it’s a chance to peek behind the curtain on the creative and technical processes that formed the music I love.
Freshly dropped
Inventing Bond
This week marked the 70th anniversary of when cultural icon James Bond was introduced to the world and in celebration of that, a new miniseries under History Hit’s Patented: History of Inventions podcast has launched. The miniseries, titled Inventing Bond, is hosted by Dallas Campbell who will be spending the next few weeks uncovering the “inventions that made Bond, James Bond”. The first episode debuted 12 April and featured author of MI9: Escape and Evasion Helen Fry talking about the mastermind behind the Bond franchise.
Pinkfong
From the makers of YouTube’s most-watched video and song Baby Shark, comes an original slate of podcasts both in English and Korean. Pinkfong, the company behind the viral song, launched three new kids' podcasts in English available exclusively on Apple Podcast on 10 April, including The Best Pinkfong Baby Shark Kids Storyand My Favourite Pinkfong Musical Story for free, and Pinkfong Baby Shark Book Adventure for premium subscribers.
Have A Nice Future
WIRED magazine debuted the first episode of its new weekly original podcast Have A Nice Future on 12 April, hosted by the publication’s editor-in-chief Gideon Lichfield and senior writer Lauren Goode. Each episode, the hosts speak to top technologists, creators, and authoritative figures about how they are shaping the future that the world is heading into, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed in the first episode.
Long Shadow
History podcast Long Shadow, under Long Lead and Campside Media, premiered its second series on 12 April this week, looking at the rise of the American far right and how it eventually led to a riot on the steps of the US Capitol in January 2021 after the defeat of U.S. President Donald Trump. The first episode looks at how the movement was born from the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Texas.
Decoder Ring
The latest season of Slate’s cultural analysis podcast Decoder Ring launched on 12 November. Hosted by Slate television critic Willa Paskin, the series starts with a multi-part story looking at TV detective Columbo’s role in reaching out to Cold War-era Romania.
Hi-Phi Nation
Another show from Slate, philosophy podcast Hi-Phi Nation is back for its sixth season this week. The new season focuses on ‘the ethics of our digital futures’, starting with an exploration of how digital technology is affecting the grieving process, which debuted 11 April.
Pack Your Bags with TUI
Travel company TUI has this week launched a new podcast, Pack Your Bags, hosted by comedian Russel Kane. Created by ad agency Leo Burnett and podcast company Chalk and Blade, the show explores the joy of travelling through the stories of celebrity guests including historian Bettany Hughes, Olympic athletics champion Greg Rutherford MBE, and TV’s Dr Zoe Williams. The series consists of ten episodes, with the first landing 12 April.
