9 Podcasts To Listen To This Month
All About Sound
In All About Sound author and poet Lemn Sissay – if you haven’t read his bestselling memoir My Name Is Why we recommend you do – delves into the sound collection at the British Library, with some special guests to discover how language, voice and sound has shaped us, our world and our identities. What does love sound like? Which phrases transport us home? What are the sounds that matter to you? From a chorus of seals recorded under arctic ice to speeches that have saved lives, together Lemn and his guests listen to it all.
Episode Highlight: Monica Ali On Love
From stories about star-crossed lovers to heartfelt poetry, as humans we’re enamoured with the idea of love. But how do we capture what love feels like in language? In this episode, novelist and Booker prize nominee Monica Ali joins Lemn to explore affairs of the heart through the sound archive. Even better, all sound clips are listed in order in the show notes, so you can go back to see where, when and who they came from.
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Comfort Blanket
In this podcast, Joel Morris talks to a series of guests about the album, TV show or film they think of in the same way as comfort food. Subjects so far included Frasier, The Terminator, Made in Chelsea and even the cartoon strip Peanuts, but there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure here. Instead, listeners can expect smart and enthusiastic analysis peppered with occasional glimpses into the guests’ lives – some of which is humorous, some of which is moving.
Episode Highlight: Frasier – with Zarah Hussain
‘Your parents were right about Frasier’ might have been trending on TikTok for a while now, but in this episode, artist Zarah Hussain talks about finding comfort for herself (and her kids) in sophisticated 90s sitcom Frasier, and the universal lessons that lurk beneath the surface of Seattle snobbery.
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Crushed
The premise of this show couldn’t be simpler: funny people talk to podcaster and actor Margaret Cabourn-Smith about their unrequited loves in all their intense and embarrassing glory. From the power of a crush to lusting after pop stars, if you’re in need of a laugh, this is the show for you.
Episode Highlight: Dolly Alderton
It was no surprise to see Dolly was Margaret’s first ever guest. In the episode, however, it soon comes to light that Dolly would find it difficult to deny some of her most outrageous lovesick behaviour – as Margaret has witnessed most of it. She talks about DM-ing her favourite celebrity crushes and remembers falling for her dance partner in a school production of West Side Story.
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Hot Money
When Financial Times reporter Patricia Nilsson started digging into the porn industry, she made a shocking discovery – nobody knew who controlled the biggest porn company in the world. Now, Nilsson and her editor, Alex Barker, have figured out who the guy was, along with plenty of other shocking and sordid details. Their reporting reveals a shadowy power structure that includes billionaires, tech geniuses and the most powerful finance companies in the world. A great one for true crime fans.
Episode Highlight: Porn Meets OnlyFans
As the investigation deepens, Alex and Patricia track down the family behind OnlyFans, the site that has transformed online porn by shifting power back to performers. Many have hailed it as a conduit for female empowerment, while others decry its influence on young people looking to make their fortune. Together, Alex and Patricia soon discover there is a whole other side to the OnlyFans story.
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I'm Grand Mam
We first fell in love with this heart-warming, funny and candid podcast last year, and now, the boys are back for a second run of episodes. Two lads, originally from Cork in Ireland have moved to London, and in each episode, they have a cuppa to catch up on the events of the week. Join Kevin and PJ as they navigate their way through the virtues and vices of city life – all while battling with the internal struggle that every Irish person deals with when living away from home – ‘What would mam think?’
Episode Highlight: Back with a Bop
If you missed last year’s episodes, this is where to start. The boys will get you up to speed on some of the things that have changed since the last time they recorded – among them the fact PJ’s now based in Dublin. They also talk about how obsessed they are with ABBA Voyage (despite the Black Mirror feel) and debut their new single, Fast Lane. Prompted by their new-found vocations as pop stars, they also discuss the merits of faking it until you make it. Laugh-out-loud and touching in equal measure.
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The Big Move
The Big Move is hosted by Em Roberts – content creator, founder of Monday Network, and friend of SL. It might not be new, exactly, but it’s inspired by women around the world making moves both professionally and geographically. With guests like Marianna Hewitt, Estée Lalonde and Zanna Rassi Roberts, she shares their success stories and 'big moves' to inspire audiences to do the same.
Episode Highlight: Georgia Day
Okay, now it becomes clear – we had to give SL beauty contributor Georgia a shout out. Listeners will get the chance to know Georgia better, as she discusses her career and time spent working for Marie Claire, Glamour and Elle. Previously Head of Editorial & Content at SpaceNK, she also talks about joining SheerLuxe – where she now writes on everything from beauty musings to motherhood. Oh, didn’t we mention she’s also a mother of three?
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Video Archives
Esteemed film director Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary invite you to become a customer at Video Archives, the store that started it all. Together, they’ll travel back in time to revisit old classics and discover new favourites, pulled from the actual VHS tapes that Quentin and Roger used to recommend to customers at the original Video Archives store in Manhattan Beach. From controversial James Bond films to surprising exploitation flicks, the duo will help you discover movies you didn't know you'd love, give awards to their top picks, and of course, rate the quality of the video transfer.
Episode Highlight: Dark Star / Cocaine Cowboys
This podcast is pretty much brand new, so there are only two episodes to catch up on. The first sees Roger and Quentin revisit one of Roger’s favourite films – the 1974 cult classic Dark Star. Originally created as a student film, it follows a group of scientists on a mission to destroy unstable stellar bodies. Then, Quentin and Roger head back to 1979 with Ulli Lommel’s Cocaine Cowboys. A rock band is on the brink of superstardom, and all that stands in the way is a lost bag of cocaine worth $2 million dollars. Starring Jack Palance, Tom Sullivan, Suzanna Love, and Andy Warhol, Quentin and Roger reveal the truth behind the scenes, Andy Warhol’s influences and how this true story made it to the big screen.
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Visible Women
Caroline Criado Perez has spent years investigating the gender data gap, and how women are simply forgotten in a world designed for men. In this new 12-part series, she’s hunting down the missing data, getting into fights with manufacturing companies and, with the help of expert guests, trying to figure out how to solve such a giant problem.
Episode Highlight: The curious case of Percy Pig and the missing pocket
In this episode the Visible Women team try to get to the bottom of one of the world’s most trying problems: the paucity of pockets in women’s clothes. Caroline speaks to a pocket historian, learns to make her own pocket, and takes on some troubling mysteries to get the bottom of it. The results might just surprise you.
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Who Cares Wins
Join model and activist Lily Cole as she unearths different climate solutions and speaks to people who are putting thoughts into action. Lily has spent nearly 20 years exploring different environmental and social solutions around the world, and discovered amazing ideas in the process, which is what she’s hoping to share here. But don’t expect the usual ‘woke’ attitudes – Who Cares Wins embraces a range of perspectives on which climate solutions are best, to help encourage guide listeners through the complex landscape of living in such challenging times. We love how each week ends with a ‘Reasons To Be Optimistic’ five-minute bonus episode, featuring big-time names such as Jane Goodall and David Attenborough.
Episode Highlight: Chelsea Clinton & Vanessa Nakate: Impact on the ground
In this episode, Lily speaks to two globally influential women, including Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hillary, and now a global health advocate. Together, the two discuss the impact of climate change disaster on existing gender inequalities in the US, before Ugandan youth activist Vanessa Nakate – whose country is hugely impacted by the effects of climate change – shares her perspective on what needs to be done by those with power to change it.
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