11 Podcasts To Listen To This Month

Bestsellers 

In this new podcast series, Phil Williams and Natalie Jamieson interview 20 of the world's bestselling fiction, non-fiction, sport, cookery, children's and biography authors. Even better, each episode features the author reading an extract for their latest book, and sharing their top reading recommendations. With the first three episodes available now, listen as  Michael Connelly describes his creative slump during the coronavirus pandemic, while Lynda La Plante expands on her relationship with notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, how he helped her write The Governor TV series and what her son thinks of her writing. Finally, David Nicholls discusses the legacy of One Day, the perils of writing about sex and why he's not a fan of Wuthering Heights. 
 
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Forest 404

This immersive sci-fi drama from BBC Radio 4 is set in the 24th century, following a data crash called The Cataclysm and in a world where forests have been erased from history. With original music by Bonobo – the nine-episode series follows protagonist Pan, a young woman whose job it is to delete old sound files that survived the crash. There, she uncovers a set of sound recordings of rainforests from the early 21st century. Feeling compelled to hunt down the truth about how the forests of the old world died, she soon finds herself pursued by the agents of the new world’s ruling powers. Not only will the drama provoke you to imagine the world we know today as a thing of the ancient past, it’ll force you to picture a scenario where all we have left of the earth’s ecology is a few audio files. 
 
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Lavender Language 

In honour of Pride month, we couldn’t think of a better time to get into Lavender Language – a series of conversations between queer and LGBT+ artists working in varying mediums, discussing their creative process, inspirations and maintaining a career in creative fields. From English choreographer Amy Bell to performance artist and poet Travis Alabanza, expect in-depth heart to hearts about what it means to be creative in a world where you often feel misunderstood or marginalised. 
 
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Hot Girls

This new podcast looks to tackle the gender gap in rap music, by introducing and celebrating female artists. Throughout the series, join hip-hop DJ Lex on the Decks as she talks with artists, producers and DJs about their favourite musicians, as well as exploring the life of iconic artists to understand how they broke through. From dedicated ‘history’ episodes on Lil Kim, Missy Elliot and Gwen Stefani, to discussions about what success looks like and the cultural importance of Megan Thee Stallion's ‘Savage’, it's an uplifting and varied listen. 
 
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Katherine Ryan: Telling Everybody Everything 

If candid chat, phone calls and some serious stuff thrown in sound like your ideal show, this is the podcast for you. Having only launched at the beginning of April, comedian Katherine Ryan refuses to shy away from the big topics: think sperm donation, cancel culture and even sexual fetishes. But with episodes coming in at roughly 30 minutes or under, each one if perfectly digestible for those without much spare time. The latest episode, ‘Get Less Dumb’, focuses on how to accept criticism when it comes to white privilege and acknowledging that racism persists – timely to say the least and something we can all learn from.  
 
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Look On The Bright Side 

Now, more than ever, it's important we all take a moment to look on the bright side to help us through the ongoing coronavirus crisis. To help, this podcast brings you the good news stories to put a smile on your face and help remember that there is good in the world – no matter what else is going on. It also aims to shine a spotlight on some seriously good causes, including 'Look After' – an initiative connecting professionals who may be furloughed or out of work, with charities or companies that need their help. Plus, find out how hypnotism could help you deal with heightened anxiety and why a group of people coming together online in Switzerland might hold the answers to some of the questions posed by the virus.
 
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The Doorstep Kitchen 

Calling all foodies. Each week, join cook Kat Holbrook as she chats to the people who are inspiring her by cooking or producing incredible things. Together, the two discover new ingredients, learn how to eat with the seasons, and come up with imaginative ways to use local food. In the first episode, Kat is joined by James Chase from Chase Distillery, with Sarah Wyndham Lewis from Bermondsey Street Bees, Great British Menu chef Roberta Hall and James Whetlor from Cabrito among the first season guests. Only three episodes in, there’s plenty of time to catch up on the series so far. 
 
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The Happy Vagina

This hugely popular podcast is back, with a mini-series dedicated to looking after your sexual health in isolation and lockdown. Join Mika Simmons and sexologist Kate Moyle as they discuss lockdown romance, intimacy and sex – from how to do it, doing it safely and why, right now, it is so important. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, they cover all bases, including how to maintain sexual satisfaction when you live alone, to exploring a virtual romance in the era of limited social interaction.
 
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Thinking Out Loud 

If you’re not already familiar, this is the podcast where there are no stupid questions. Every episode, Konnie Huq and her best friend Liz Owens pick a big topic, and share what they know (or what they think they know) before inviting an expert into the studio to correct their mistakes, answer questions, and teach the listeners some interesting facts. From bitcoin to outer space, the human brain to the gender pay gap, the show only launched in April, so it won’t take you long to catch up. Last week, the ladies delved into mental health, and specifically how different cultures treat issues surrounding depression. Informative.
 
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True Spies 

Actress Hayley Atwell narrates true stories from the real spies behind some of the world’s greatest espionage operations. What do they know? What are their skills? And what would you do in their position? The first instalment (which only launched at the end of April) looks into a fake diving resort that saved the lives of hundreds of refugees from Ethiopia, with Mossad operative Gad Shimron – the story behind the Netflix movie The Red Sea Diving Resort – while the latest episode shares what went on during 9/11 inside The Vault, the CIA's top secret bunker, with Tracy Walder, a rookie operative who was there on the ground. Compelling stuff. 
 
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What We Coulda Been

Chelcee Grimes is a singer/songwriter who has written for some of the biggest names in music – from Dua Lipa to Kylie Minogue and many more. At the age of 16, she had to decide between being a footballer with Liverpool Ladies, or music. She chose music and, clearly, it was the right choice. Here, she meets talented people in all sorts of careers and finds out what they could've been if they'd made a different choice. With guests including Rio Ferdinand and Little Mix’s Jade Thirwell and English footballer Lucy Bronze, this new podcast examines the coulda, woulda, shoulda we all sometimes feel – no matter our current success. 

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