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Hello!
Welcome to the final regular newsletter of 2023. The next two editions, which will go out between Christmas and New Year, will feature ten of the very best podcasts we have featured on Great British Podcasts over the past twelve months.
And we’ve reviewed a lot of podcasts over the past year - more than 250 - with another 500 getting mentions! So I just want to say thank you for reading this newsletter and for all of your recommendations too. It makes such a difference. If you enjoy getting it, do become a supporter (or suggest someone buys you a supporting membership for Christmas!) as this helps to pay for writing it and sending it each week.
If you’re looking for podcast Christmas specials to make you all festive, Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster have just released a special episode with Dawn French. The Financial Times’ Life & Art has a festive music special looking at the best and worst of the genre. And for some Christmas related spooks, Uncanny has a haunting at Daisy May Cooper’s house.
Once again, Santa Daily has been dropping daily episodes informing younger ears about how his preparations are going for the big day. CBeebies Radio have been airing specials of some of their most popular shows all week and Story Quest have been publishing festive stories to get everyone in the mood. |
What we've been listening to this week: |
If you have a podcast recommendation that you think everyone should know about, or you want to suggest your own podcast, all you need to do is fill in the forms on our website. |
Change Your Tune: The Christmas Carols Special |
Christmas is coming and, even if you haven’t uttered a note all year, you might find yourself bursting into song. You probably know classic carols like O Come All Ye Faithful and Away in a Manger – but where do they come from and why do we sing them?
Choral music is everywhere - you can find it in movies, adverts, TV shows, sports events and computer games. At this time of year you might find it on your doorstep or end up taking part in it yourself. In the seasonal finale of The Bach Choir’s podcast, Change Your Tune, Musical Director David Hill investigates these questions with the help of classically-trained-singer-turned-comedian Lloyd Griffith and one of the world’s most prolific carol composers, John Rutter.
Listen now - we bet you’re more into choral than you think. |
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Hot Money: The New Narcos |
Last year the Financial Times did an interesting (and rather, let’s say, unexpected) deep dive into the economics of the porn industry. Now, in a new series, reporter Miles Johnson is reporting on a shadowy organised criminal network controlling a multi-billion dollar cocaine empire.
This newspaper is exploring this issue because drug supply chains and organised crime groups have the ability to overthrow governments and fuel weapons trafficking and war. Yet, despite having huge economic and political consequences, these systems are rarely explored in the financial papers.
“Crime is a business,” says Johnson. “And modern organised crime groups are increasingly run like multinational companies. They have thousands of employees, complicated logistical supply chains and even investment portfolios.”
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As awareness and diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) symptoms have continued to rise, so have the number of podcasts that have given attention to this often misunderstood topic.
Classic FM presenters Katie Breathwick and Sam Pittis, who both have had ADHD diagnosed in the past two years, have a new podcast where they explore the topic. And there’s a lot to discuss too. There’s an invesitgation into whether music can help those with ADHD concentrate and a deep dive into how it can affect memory.
There’s also an interesting discussion into whether ADHD, like other forms of neurodivergency such as dyslexia, could be considered to be a superpower.
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The great thing about Your Next Podcast is it means every week you've got a brand new show ready to listen to without doing any work. That's what the host Lauren Layfield does.
This week it's Carrie Jade Does Not Exist, the story of how one woman, who took on over six different identities.
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A podcast that connects people who are currently experiencing loss. In each episode host Rosie Gill-Moss speaks to a guest about their experiences of widowhood and the experiences in their life that came thereafter. There’s an emphasis is that no experience is the same.
It’s a helpful and welcoming space, with a recent conversation tapping into how intensive the upcoming festive season can be for those grieving.
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One Direction: A Fan Story |
Our final podcast recommendation for this week is an unapologetically upbeat look back at the rise and dominance of One Direction in the middle of the 2010s, through the perspective of their fandom. Why did this band resonate more than others? And how are the diehard One Directions fans looking back at this era now that many of them have reached adulthood?
There’s also bizarre stories along the way, such as the fact that Louis Tomlinson cut his foot on a sea urchin during Judges Houses and was taken to hospital.
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