11 Podcasts To Listen To This Month
A Cuppa Happy
Happiness is arguably one of the most mysterious of all the human emotions. It’s elusive, fleeting and often unappreciated until it’s gone. But what exactly is it, and how do we find it? Each week Joss Stone speaks to a host of guests – from deep thinkers to cultural figures – in an effort to find some answers. Expect outlandish theories, occasional disagreements and a whole lot of laughs. Having launched new episodes at the start of this year, we can’t wait to tune in to the latest instalments.
Episode Highlight: Mo Gawdat – Positivity in the face of loss
Author Mo Gawdat joins Joss for a chat about positivity, even in the face of overwhelming tragedy. They discuss his formula for a happy life, divine mathematics, and taking control of our happiness. Could there really be a formula for happiness? Find out in part two of the chat, entitled ‘Don't confuse success with happiness.’ The broad discussion asks whether we can separate our thoughts from our identity, how we mix up success and happiness, and what we can learn from rom coms.
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This Is Paris
Hot on the heels of her eye-opening documentary, Paris Hilton has now released her own podcast. Join the businesswoman and reality icon each week as she speaks candidly with her friends and family, as well as some of the biggest names in film, music and television. Expect edgy, in-depth conversations with surprising and unanticipated questions. The chat is honest, fun, open and inspiring – much like the YouTube doc we recommend you watch first, to get a better idea of Paris 2.0.
Episode Highlight: Paris Gets Engaged
Okay, so we admit the timing is a little suspicious that Paris recently got engaged to year-long love Carter Reum in February, and their engagement story happens to be the focus on the inaugural episode. Even so, in this instalment, Paris reveals all about the proposal, the engagement, the ring and the future for the very first time. With fiancé Carter by her side, they both let you in on every juicy detail – plus, Carter decides to let Paris interview him and neither hold anything back.
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Against The Odds
Humans are resilient. In our toughest moments, we fight, we struggle, and we triumph… often against the odds. In this immersive series from Wondery, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol share some of the most thrilling stories of survival. From the daring rescue of a soccer team trapped in an underwater cave in Thailand to a woman taken hostage by Somali pirates, these stories made headlines around the world. It will make you feel as though you’re living these experiences with our heroes as they push themselves to their limits.
Episode Highlight: Thai Cave Rescue | Lost
In 2018, 12 young football players and their coach were exploring a six-mile caving system in Thailand when they got trapped inside by heavy rain. Local authorities attempted to rescue them, but it took an international effort by some of the world’s most expert divers to get them to safety. Be sure to tune in to the second part of this story, entitled ‘Chaos’, which focuses on the boys’ struggle to stay alive inside the cave.
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Alan Carr: Life’s A Beach
Life’s A Beach sees comedian Alan Carr give Judith Chalmers and Michael Palin a run for their money as he invites a famous guest each week to discuss their favourite places in the world. Bursting with anecdotes, laidback chat and laugh-out-loud travel tales – if this podcast was a suitcase, you’d have to sit on it. Frankly, it’s all the escapism we need right now.
Episode Highlight: Michael McIntyre
At SL, it’s no secret Michael McIntyre is one of our favourite comedians. And yes, just as you might expect, his time with Alan is a laugh-a-minute. In this episode, the two discuss losing their beach bodies over the festive period, and how they tackle the embarrassment of getting from the swimming pool back to their towel with minimal exposure.
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Duchess
In Duchess, the Duchess of Rutland explores the historic homes of Great Britain and meets the inspiring women who lead them today. Fans of Bridgerton, The Crown and Downton Abbey will love the audible tours of these stately homes, many of which were built by the finest architects, adorned with treasures and surrounded by breath-taking landscapes. You’ll also get to hear some chilling ghost stories, as well as heart-breaking tales of romance, all the while getting to know the inspiring, powerful women that work to find the delicate balance between preservation and transformation.
Episode Highlight: Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill of Blenheim Palace
In the third episode, the Duchess of Rutlund sits down with Henrietta Spencer-Churchill at Blenheim Palace. We hear the amazing story of how the palace came to be, and how one particular woman was fundamental to its construction. The two also discuss Henrietta’s distinguished lineage and her memories of Winston Churchill, before embarking on a tour of the incredible architecture and interiors of Blenheim.
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Fluid
Fluid explores narratives throughout history that have positioned the queer community as abnormal, and probes questions at wider notions of "who" and "what" society thinks we, as humans, should be. Ultimately, the show asserts that fluidity is important for everyone, both queer and straight. Join host Nic Desborough to explore queerness and fluidity in the technological age, touching on issues such as mental health and the wider political issues affecting our generation.
Episode Highlight: Laying The Groundwork with Randolph Trumbach
This show is best started at the beginning. In this introductory episode, Nic explores the history and changing relationship regarding sexuality in Britain, with the help of historian Randolph Trumbach. Probing questions around what is considered “normal”, you can catch a glimpse at the constantly evolving societal norms that shape queer people’s lives. Nic also explores her relationship to fluidity, and explains how this is important for everyone, queer or not.
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Sliding Doors
Have you ever really thought about those moments that shaped your life? Those decisions that could have gone either way and the opportunities presented to you? What if you had taken that job, or told that person how much you liked them? Sliding Doors is the podcast that delves into those decisions and moments that build the path of our lives. In each episode, host Jennie Becker chats to people from all walks of life about their sliding door moments, and how things might have looked if they had never happened.
Episode Highlight: Sliding Doors with R
Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey are the co-founders of Rixo, one of the most sought-after fashion brands around. After starting the brand from their London living room five years ago, their success is only just getting started. In this episode, they discuss how their meeting at fashion school really did lay the foundations for the brand and the bond they have today. They also pick out some key moments from their journey so far and reflect on how important it has been for them to grow with the brand.
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The Jab
New from The Economist, this podcast unlocks the science, data and politics behind the most ambitious inoculation programme the world has ever seen. Alok Jha, The Economist’s science correspondent, hosts with Natasha Loder, their health-policy editor. Each week the magazine’s reporters and data journalists join them in conversation, along with scientists around the world to inject the perfect dose of insight and analysis into the global effort to escape the pandemic.
Episode Highlight: How well will vaccines work?
Another one best started from the beginning, the first episode follows the race between infections and injections as it hits its most crucial phase. What life will be like on the other side of the pandemic depends on three things: how well vaccines work, whether there are enough and how many people take them. Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist who has advised President Biden, explains that the world stands at an inflection point. Then, after getting his jab in Jerusalem, the magazine’s local correspondent says the vision of the future Israel offers other countries is not as rosy as it first seemed. Finally, James Fransham from The Economist’s data team unpicks the vaccination numbers so far.
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The Olfactory
The Olfactory explores the elixir of scent and time and attempts to unbottle those scents that effortlessly conjure some of our most treasured memories. Listeners are encouraged to share their stories to help shape future episodes, while special guests feature each week to share a memory and special scent of their own.
Episode Highlight: Mum’s Perfume
Many of us have a distinct memory of our mother’s perfume, and in this fourth episode, the team explore the spicy and fiery scent submitted by Fun Kids radio presenter and host of the Getting Emotional podcast, Bex Lindsay. She explains what the scent means to her, and how it’s tied to some of her most treasured memories.
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This Is A Token
Finished Annoushka Ducas’ My Life In Seven Charms? This Is A Token with Alex Monroe is a podcast that celebrates all things jewellery. Having spent half a lifetime designing and making jewellery, what really interests Alex is what it means to other people. Every week, he explores the relationship between his guest and their favourite pieces of jewellery. Together they uncover the moving, fascinating and often surprising stories tethered to each piece, and the emotional connections they just can’t do without.
Episode Highlight: This Is A Token with Beanie Feldstein
In this episode, Alex is joined virtually by US actor Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, Booksmart). On it, Beanie talks Alex through three of the 12 rings she wears every single day and the stories behind each one. Listen in as Alex and Beanie, with an appearance from Alex’s daughter Connie, discuss relationships and teenage awkwardness, getting to know the Wolverhampton accent and how her jewellery connects her to her magnificent style-icon mum.
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Relatively
For most of us, our relationships with our brothers and sisters are the longest lasting of our lives, sometimes spanning 80 or 90 years. For some, sibling relationships come before friendships or romances, and usually outlive any links with our parents. On Relatively, host Catherine Carr brings siblings together to talk about the connections they have with each other as adults, as well as what it was like growing up. But she'll also talk to them separately, to get a private take on the relationship. Expect nostalgia, honesty and lots of teasing.
Episode Highlight: Johnny & Lillie Flynn
Johnny Flynn (Emma, The Dig) has a little sister Lillie (nickname Squirtface) as well as four much older half-siblings – and the performing gene, inherited from their dad Eric Flynn, runs strong in all of them. As children, Johnny and Lillie were thick as thieves: he loved nothing more than making her laugh, so winning a choral scholarship to boarding school at eight and leaving her was a real wrench. In this episode, they talk about living together as drama students, searching for peace after their dad's death and performing on stage together in Johnny's band, The Sussex Wit – plus, there are some great music clips to enjoy along the way.
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