The joy of podcast listening is that you can explore a range of different genres depending on your mood, and that can be seen in this week’s Earworms recommendations from industry experts who’ve explored everything from culture and true-crime to politics, history, and career-building.
New releases from this week also include returns of fan favourites such as Dua Lipa’s At Your Service podcast and new releases like BBC Sounds’ latest documentary podcast exploring the life of Walt Disney.
What’s in the industry’s ears?
Milly Botes - Director of product, Acast
I’ve been listening to a lot of Sentimental Garbage, the show by journalist Caroline O'Donoghue that discusses the culture we love, that society can sometimes make us feel ashamed of. It’s brilliant because it re-assesses great women’s writing often dismissed as ‘chick lit’. A personal favourite was a two-hour analysis of Taylor Swift’s Midnight lyrics.
Michaela Hallam - Director of content, Fresh Air Production
I’ve been listening to Filthy Ritual: a clever-on-many-levels original from Global and Novel. Their choice of established true-crime talent as distinctive hosts brings authenticity to the series (as well as an existing audience) and it’s well crafted: a beautifully written script, with a real relationship to the intimate interviews from you-couldn’t-make-them-up characters. I binged it.
Ed Couchman - Head of sales for UK and Northern Europe, Spotify
I love history, so I’m hooked on a few history podcasts including You're Dead To Me - the comedy podcast that takes history seriously - with the fabulous Greg Jenner. It's such a fun and easy listen when I'm commuting into work.
John Rosso - President and CEO, Triton Digital
I listen to a lot of podcasts about politics and current events. My latest discovery (and I know I’m late on this one) is The Prof G Pod from Scott Galloway. He’s smart, insightful, and really entertaining.
Shaaf Tauqeer - Audience and martech manager, easyJet
Lately I’ve been listening to Atomic Habits. It’s about achieving goals, building habits, staying consistent and how that builds your mindset. Last year I had a little health scare with my cholesterol level shooting up, and listening to Atomic Habits helped me in developing a mindset to improve my health by regularly exercising, eating well, finding time and balance to be able to perform at my best level.
Freshly Dropped
Walt Disney: A Life In Films
Disney’s films have been a cultural touchstone for generations, but this series - produced by Novel for BBC Sounds - looks at the man behind the magic, using ten of his most beloved films to illustrate his life story. Presented by Mel Giedroyc, the show launched as a boxset on 29 June.
The Retrievals
The Retrievals is the latest podcast from Serial Productions, the team behind 2015’s breakout true-crime sensation. Presented by This American Life editor Susan Burton, the show looks at a case involving drug theft and the treatment of women’s pain. The show debuted 29 June on all major platforms.
Dua Lipa: At Your Service
Unlike many celebrity podcasts, pop icon Dua Lipa’s show has demonstrated staying power. The third season of Dua Lipa: At Your Service debuted today, and is available for the first time on BBC Sounds, allowing UK fans to listen ad-free, along with all major platforms.
Conflicted
Message Heard’s acclaimed conflict analysis podcast Conflicted returned for its fourth season this week, with the first episode of the season - released 28 June - seeing hosts Aimen Dean and Thomas Small examining why Islamic terror groups have been mysteriously inactive recently.
Richard Wiseman's On Your Mind
Following a successful first season earlier this year, Richard Wiseman's On Your Mindis back for a second. The series is a co-production between Podimo and Telltale Industries, and looks at the complexities of the human mind, launching 28 June.
