Welcome back PodPod readers to another Earworms feature, ready for you to start downloading and listening during yet another bank holiday weekend. This week we’ve got some exciting new industry voices to recommend some of their favourite podcasts including the producer behind the award-winning sex and relationships podcast Brown Girls Do It Too.
There’s also been some very exciting new podcast drops this week including a special mini-series from PodPod with the founders of the British Podcast Awards on how to win and the highly-anticipated launch of Pod Save The UK, right on time before the coronation this weekend.
What’s in the industry’s ears?
Graham Hodge - Co-founder, Cup and Nuzzle
Anyone who knows me who reads this will roll their eyes when I nominate The Blindboy Podcast for my Earworm. That’s because I am constantly telling my team, family and friends how great it is, and have done since it became essential therapy for me in early 2020. A recent episode, The Passion Of Silken Thomas, is typical. A beautifully scripted account of the death of Blindboy's cat -- called Silken Thomas after a 16th century pro-Irish Earl -- becomes a meditation on grief, myth and "Celtic Tiger decking". It's thought-provoking, comforting and funny af. The next episode, a sequel of sorts, is called Why I'm Buying Lion's Urine On The Internet. What are you waiting for?
Zayna Shaikh - Podcast producer, BBC
This week I’ve been listening to The Digital Sisterhood as I just love the manner in which Cadar (the presenter) beautifully and carefully creates an environment where guests feel really safe to share their stories. Each episode feels like a journey where I get an insight into women across the world and end up learning so much. If I had to recommend one episode in particular, it would be Her Name Is Hana but I must give a warning as the content can be distressing to some listeners.
Evangeline Robinson - Marketing manager, Listen
It's an old episode, but I recently discovered the Ologies episode about sharks and loved it. In the "Selachimorphology (SHARKS) with Chris Lowe" episode, host Alie Ward dives deep into the world of sharks with expert Chris Lowe. It's a super fun listen, brought to life by the hosts' energy and passion for the topic at hand. You should listen if you want some great shark facts to impress your friends.
Norma Jean Belenky - Head of events, Podbean
As someone with a deep interest and curiosity for the human experience, I love the Vietnamese Boat People podcast. The host, Tracey Nguyen Mang, offers a compelling exploration of the refugee experience through the lens of those who fled Vietnam by boat after the war and their new season is beautifully produced. The stories shared on the podcast are both heart-wrenching and inspiring, providing a unique perspective on a moment in history that is often overlooked. If you're someone who appreciates podcasts that offer a glimpse into the lives of others and a deeper understanding of the world around us, then Vietnamese Boat People is definitely worth a listen.
Josh Woodhouse - Managing director UK & Ireland, Acast
I've been listening to a lot of the History Hit network podcasts recently. All of their podcasts expertly capture the relevance of current issues and relate them to history, as you might expect! This week Not Just The Tudors has covered the Coronations of Kings Charles I and II, so I've been dipping into that to get some historical background on this weekend.
Freshly Dropped
Tea with Twiggy
Tea with Twiggy, the intimate weekly chat show with British cultural icon Twiggy, is back with a new season from Stripped Media. The first episode debuted on Wednesday this week and features the younger brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, as the first guest talking about his life and childhood as well as his new podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives with Reverend Richard Coles.
Media Storm
Award-winning news podcast Media Storm from The House of The Guilty Feminist is also back for its third season which debuted this Thursday. This season will cover a range of topics across six episodes including criminal justice, fatphobia, homelessness, drugs, sex workers, and ableism. This season will also be offering bonus video content for fans to watch and the first episode discusses the rise of far-right extremism with Exit Hate UK founder Nigel Bromage.
How to win a BPA (PodPod)
PodPod has launched a brand new mini-series titled How to win a BPA ahead of the ceremony which is taking place at the end of September this year. The series features PodPod editor Adam Shepherd as well as the co-founders of the British Podcast Awards, Matt Hill and Matt Deegan. The first episode debuted on Wednesday this week and discussed how to create the perfect entry for the British Podcast Awards.
Pod Save The UK
The highly-anticipated political podcast Pod Save the UK from Crooked Media has officially launched with co-hosts - comedian Nish Kumar and journalist Coco Khan. The adaptation from the hit podcasts Pod Save America and Pod Save The World officially launched on Thursday this week and discusses the monarchy ahead of £100 million coronation taking place this weekend.
Being the King
A new three-part podcast docu-series from The Telegraph titled Being the King launched on Thursday as the UK prepared for its first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years. The podcast is hosted by Simon Heffer and explores three arenas including The King and his crown on why the former Prince of Wales can’t speak his mind anymore, The King and the world on his role as head of the Commonwealth, and The King and his people on what his new style will be within the monarchy.
