It’s a lot.

It’s a *lot*.

We’re this close to implementing a one-print-newspaper-a-day and ten o’clock news policy.

Alternatively, put yourself in the safe hands of the podcasters who know what they’re talking about, the ones who know instinctively when nihilist humour is needed and the ones who have the kind of voices you could quite happily have in your ears all day.

Because listen: if you meet those criteria, get good guests and bring the pod in at under 50 minutes, it’s all happening. Even better if the regular hosts have chemistry and do some quick-fire recommendations after the main chat.

Here are Shortlist’s podcast picks to help make sense of / take the edge off... all of that out there.

1. Macro Dose

If we could make one podcast mandatory listening right now, it’d probably be Macro Dose. It’s the weekly sub-20 minute show from James Meadway, an economist and former adviser to John McDonnell, who excels at joining the dots between “Treasury brain”, food prices, inflation and resource security, wars, extractive capitalism and climate change.

With two or three topical stories covered each episode, this might not always be the cheeriest listening but Macro Dose is supremely clear-eyed about where we’re heading and how we got here. Plus Meadway is not short on possible solutions. Deeper dives, some of which are for Patreon supporters only, include interviews and discussions on series like The Curve, The Breakdown and After Order.

• If you like this, try: How We Survive, Politics Theory Other, The Guardian's Science Weekly

2. Past Present Future

If you’re in need of intellectual underpinnings to help to make sense of the current state of politics and geopolitics, David Runciman’s your man.

Runciman taught politics and history at Cambridge until 2024 when he left to podcast full-time. He’s written eight books including The History of Ideas and How Democracy Ends, which gives you a flavour of the ambition and scope of the bi-weekly Past Present Future pod. And come on, he has an excellent podcasting voice.

These are considered hour-long conversations with academics, specialists and authors on endlessly imaginative themed episodes and mini-seasons covering political trials, counter-factuals, nuclear war, ‘films of ideas’ and how to fix democracy. Real ones from the Talking Politics era will be glad to know that Runciman’s one-time cohost Helen Thompson makes an appearance now and again.

• If you like this, try: Revolutions, Working Class History, The LRB Podcast

3. The Rest Is Politics

OK, of course Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart each have their own huge blind spots in the form of the Iraq War (Alastair) and austerity in the UK (Rory) which might mean this one is a no-go. But when it comes to Britain’s place in the world, the minutiae of the politics of European countries, the fate of the Baltics, the potential dangers of Reform and the historical frames for fascism in the US and beyond, The Rest Is Politics has a lot to offer.

The pull isn’t so much that one’s Labour and one’s Tory - they’re both ultimately neoliberal ‘radical’ centrists - it’s more the depth and breadth of their experience, particularly where political figures below the most famous world leaders, in terms of mainstream recognition, are concerned.

• If you like this, try: The News Agents, Jacobin Radio, Pod Save America, Pod Save The World

4. Up First (NPR)

Our fave short, sharp news podcast for keeping up with all the chaos over the pond. Up First is a daily US news pod, it comes in at a tight 11/12 minutes (including ads for non-members of NPR Plus), and features three main headlines across domestic American stories and the rest of the world, read by crisp-accented anchors.

Here’s the real sell: in the UK, Up First doesn’t drop until around lunchtime. One for anyone who agrees with Fran Lebowitz that the distance in time between waking up and when you have to think about Donald Trump each day is a new and rarified luxury.

• If you like this, try: The Guardian’s Today In Focus: The Latest, The New York Times’ The Daily

5. The Economics Show (Financial Times)

Soumaya Keynes is an economics columnist for the FT and author of the book How To Win A Trade War. On her weekly pod, she does this genius thing with her high-calibre guests: her FT colleagues, economics professors and historians, ministers, trade advisers, expert authors. She gets them to start out by putting the news/issue/trend - whether that’s the impact of the Iran War energy shock or China’s industrial dominance - on a scale of one to ten.

Keynes admits it's a little silly but this long-running bit also cuts right through the noise before they dig into all the fascinating details in each episode with straight-talking questions throughout. Some good history rabbit holes and non-fiction reading prompts here too.

• If you like this, try: Slate Money, The Economist’s The Intelligence, Planet Money

6. If I Speak (Novara Media)

This high-low pod from leftie media org Novara Media will make you genlol out loud on the bus. Hosts Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean are the kind of cool girls you’d actually like to go have a dance with. They get into all sorts of knotty topics, ‘Big Theories’ and listener dilemmas around culture and society - think dating, the manosphere, careers and ambitions, flatshares, tricky families and friendship, social media, the ethics of internet slop...

In amongst the overshares, Sarkar and Lothian-McLean dissect these au courant cultural trends and help to situate them with nods to theory, politics and the work of writers and artists active today. The highest praise we can give If I Speak: it’s thought-provoking *and* fun.

• If you like this, try: The Polyester Podcast, NPR’s It’s Been A Minute, Slate’s ICYMI

7. Arts & Ideas (BBC Radio 4)

Other than shoring up British democracy, this is what we choose to believe our license fee is funding. Arts & Ideas is Radio 4’s mind-expanding, academic-made-accessible show which takes as a starting point a theme - humility, say, or taste or working-class creativity or Scottish Kingship - and brings in thinkers, writers and researchers with something new to say.

Matthew Sweet, Anne McElvoy and Shahidha Bari keep things humming with an often wide-ranging panel of experts but the mode here is curious rather than combative and, while it’s not a news-led show, certain topics can end up being weirdly relevant when you zoom out. Lots of surprise and delight to get the synapses fizzing.

• If you like this, try: The New Yorker’s Critics At Large, New Statesman’s The New Society, BBC Radio 4 Front Row, Novara Media’s ACFM

8. Uncanny Valley (WIRED)

WIRED’s latest iteration of its flagship tech podcast is a neat mix of insider-y scene stories from Silicon Valley, DC and beyond, ‘Big Interviews’ with founders, CEOs and high-profile names plus a weekly round-up of news and scoops around what OpenAI, Elon Musk, Polymarket, Palantir and the rest are up to now. (Sigh).

WIRED’s posture these days is to get all up in tech evangelists’ grills rather than take the data-coated-utopia visions at face value. Hey, we’re not in the 90s anymore kids. Required listening given where the power currently lies.

• If you like this, try: Slate’s What Next: TBD, The Vergecast, Trashfuture, NPR’s Short Wave

9. The New Statesman’s Daily Politics

If you just want one 30-minute round-up of UK politics news and a few lighthearted curios, you could do much worse than Will and Anoosh’s weekly roundup on the New Statesman’s Daily Politics feed.

That’s Britain editor Anoosh Chakelian, who always does superb reporting on life outside Westminster, and Will Dunn, the NS’ business editor, who skips back and forth between digging into the very unfunny facts around wealth taxes or water company vandalism and doing these dry, very funny bits on politicians, speeches and yeah, supermarkets. One of those takes-the-edge-off options.

• If you like this, try: The Guardian’s Politics Weekly, Novara Live, If Books Could Kill

10. The Big Picture

The beloved Big Picture achieves many things. It’s a movie news and review show for the Letterboxd crowd with Top Fives, Hall of Fames, Movie Drafts and filmmaker interviews. It’s a fun hang between LA-based hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins and their buds - shout out to Chris Ryan - where regular listeners get to know everyone’s very particular tastes and bugbears.

It’s also a podcast with big, well thought-through ideas about what the future of cinema and pop culture could be: what’s happening with AI and Hollywood; the importance of minting new movie stars and celebrating auteurs; physical media vs streaming; what Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros means and yep, why theatrical windows matter. Because the enterprise of making and sharing art is very much tangled up in everything else right now. A delight - you’ll get addicted.

• If you like this, try: Little White Lies’ Truth & Movies, The London Theatre Review, Slate’s Culture Gabfest, Cannonball, Prestige Junkie

11. Death, Sex and Money (Slate)

Staying on top of the personalities, policymakers and even the systems that govern us is well and good but what about the goddamn people all around us?

Death, Sex and Money is one of those wonderfully unique podcasts that manages to have deep and meaningfuls with celebrities and regular people alike on all manner of touchy subjects including everything from student loan debt, IVF, chronic pain and divorce to chatbot relationships, evictions and moving house and the despair of Gen Z job hunting.

Host Anna Sale is a truly singular interviewer with the power to open up conversations about everything that mysteriously doesn’t quite make it onto the gram.

• If you like this, try: BBC World Service’s The Documentary, Modern Love, This Is Uncomfortable, American Life

12. Poetry Unbound

There is a category of podcasts that we hold in our heads, in which we know there is going to be little to no mention of current affairs and world events.

These podcasts are precious. We must protect them. Maybe they’re running down the chart history of an 80s pop band or interrogating saucy medieval literature. Whatever it is, it’s the opposite of the doomscrolling diet.

One such pod is On Being’s Poetry Unbound. Each 10-20 minute episode features host Pádraig Ó Tuama, a poet, theologian and conflict mediator, reading out a poem, exploring its meaning and resonance with empathy and heart and on cosmic timescales that put everything in perspective, and then reading it out again to close. Magic.

• If you like this, try: The LRB’s Close Readings, Slate’s Hit Parade, DGA The Director’s Cut, Pilot TV, Hear Me Out, Broken Record

• 10 must-read non-fiction books

True crime dukes it out with comedy as the most popular podcast genre.

Listen to a true crime podcast and it's not hard to work out why. These are mystery stories of real-life events, where we often get to hear first-party accounts from those involved at the time.

They can offer a look into the wider human psyche, and act as an intricate puzzle for you to get your head around, episode by episode.

In more recent years there's been something of a true crime backlash surrounding the ethics of the true crime genre, charging it with glamourising horrific crimes. We tend to think this becomes more of an issue in televisual true crime rather than the podcast form, though, which can often border on straight documentary with a little added personality.

So whether you want something a little more light hearted (like something off our best crime dramas list), investigations into murderous surgeons, or in-depth looks at cold cases, this is a breakdown of the very best true crime podcasts available right now.

Just maybe check the backseat of your car before hitting play? Just to be safe.

Best true crime podcasts

Additional reporting: Paul Cunliffe

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

• In need of new headphones to enhance that podcast experience? These are the best true-wireless earphones

The popularity of podcasts doesn't seem to be waning. Which means more and more people are deciding to branch out and create their own shows to entertain the masses and push their personal brands – including many celebrities.

There are so many celebrities these days, so many podcasts and so many people who have become celebrities due to their podcasts that the idea of creating a guide filled with the best celebrity podcasts is a little hard to define. But we've decided to pick the podcasts that were started after the host in question was already considered to be a celebrity.

• The best true crime podcasts, revealed

There's something appealing about the best celebrity podcasts. The high-profile standing of the host makes for some pretty interesting (and at times obscure) conversations and other celebs tend to open up even more to those who know the ins and outs of their industry.

So if you'd love to find out more about what it's like to work behind-the-scenes, how to make great art or just find out more about the day-to-day lives of famous people, the best celebrity podcasts will keep you entertained.

The real question is, which ones do you rate highly enough to click subscribe on? Upvote your favourites below.

Best celebrity podcasts

Additional writing: Becca Caddy

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

The best political podcasts aren't recommended if you want a calm, soft and easy life. But if you're interested in the latest political developments, then they're one of our favourite ways to stay on top of the news – much better than actually watching the news, most of the time at least.

Whether it's the repercussions of Brexit in the UK or the mounting presidential bids currently in the US, the best political podcasts will ensure you know what's going on with plenty of analysis and some of them manage to give you a few laughs along the way as an added bonus.

The best political podcasts may not help you make any sense of the world around you, but perhaps it’ll all seem a little bit less mad if nothing else.

Upvote your favourite political podcast below, and suggest any other politically-charged podcasts that you think we should add at the bottom.

• These are the best crime podcasts you need to listen to

Best political podcasts

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

It's essential that you have a few of the best comedy podcasts at your fingertips for whenever you need a pick-me-up. We know that listening to funny stories and hearing laughter – no matter how low you might feel – can have a positive impact on your mood.

Life is hard and serious so much of the time it's nice to be able to switch off and escape into comedy sketches, funny stories and other forms of merriment.

UPDATE:Our best comedy podcast list has hit 18, with lots of great comedy shows to choose from. Whether you are into funny interviews, rude readings or just some good ol' stand-up - these are for you.

We have some top suggestions for you below. Want long, rambling funny stories? We have those. Want simple comedy and quickfire jokes? They're here too. There are even podcasts about the craft of stand-up comedy. And hilarious interviews with some of the funniest people in the world.

If you think we've left one of the best comedy podcasts out, then let us know in the box below. And upvote your favourites.

• Still after something funny? These are the funniest books of all time
• And if you want peace and quiet, then give the best true-wireless earbuds a listen

Best comedy podcasts

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

When was the last time you heard a truly revealing interview? One where you actually learned something about the interviewee? If it was recently, the chances are it was on a podcast. Which is precisely why we've created a list of the best interview podcasts around.

With more and more constraints, TV and radio - with their tight schedules and strict formats - no longer allow journalists to get more than a shallow insight into their subject.

Podcasting changed all that. The more informal atmosphere and relaxed time constraints lead to some truly invaluable advice and insights from the world’s most interesting people.

Some of these podcasts you may well have heard of, whilst others you’ll wish you had sooner. Here’s our pick of the best deep-dive interview podcasts out there. Our links are to Apple Podcasts but obviously other podcast platforms are available.

Best interview podcasts

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

• These are the best true crime podcasts you need to listen to.

The best podcast 2019 results are in. Yes, it's time for us to reveal which gripping podcast offerings have found themselves upvoted by fans and crowned your favourite podcast pick of the year.

The world of podcasting has exploded over the past few years, with an incredible number of new offerings arriving on the scene. It's also safe to say the range of formats, topics covered and original material on offer has reached an all-time high.

It goes without saying that as podcast fans, we've spent countless hours trawling through the various platforms on the hunt for the ultimate entertainment - whether that be true crime, celebrity, political, interview based or plain old comedy. Our picks have then been up and down voted by you, the listener, and the cream has well and truly risen to the top.

UPDATE:If you're looking to help support a great charity in vital need of support whilst having a good old giggle a the same time, look no further than CALM charity's Friday Night Lock-In. The charity has teamed up with a host of celeb pals including Off Menu's Ed Gamble and comedy overlords Kurupt FM for a night of laughs, lyrics and all-round merriness. Supporting the charity's hotline which has seen a 37% increase in calls relating to suicide and loneliness since the Covid-19 lockdown,

Providing an impressive 7 hours of free entertainment from the world’s funniest, most musically adept and downright joyful personalities, the event takes place between 5pm and midnight (the opening hours of CALM’s hotline) on Friday 3 April and is set to be broadcast on Instagram Live.

We've skimmed each category, picking the winner and the runner up to join this elite podcast power-list. And as if that wasn't enough, we've selected a handful of offerings we really think you ought to try. Shortlist certified.

So, without further ado, these are the podcast worth listening to right now:

• Looking for something a little more musical? Discover our pick of the best Spotify playlists or maybe check out our pick of the best in-ear headphones around.

Shortlist recommends

As the UK’s lockdown continues, sheer boredom is forcing more and more people to take up new hobbies simply to pass the time.

And it seems the rest of the world feels the same because Seth MacFarlane is definitely bored in self-isolation - he’s just released a podcast hosted by Family Guy’s Stewie and Brian.

The show’s creator shared the podcast on his Instagram, along with a sketch of the characters recording the COVID-19 podcasts (masks and all).

In the podcast, the pair share what they’ve been up to in isolation, which seems to include playing a lot of Trivial Pursuit and Sorry.

They also shared some advice and life hacks on how to keep ourselves entertained while we’re stuck indoors, including some not-so-handy tips on what to do when you run out of toilet roll.

Before adding a more heartfelt message of encouragement: “Our goal is to help remind people that we can get through this with cooperation and togetherness.”

And okay, Brian and Stewie may not have the most practical advice but any distraction is welcome right now, even if it’s a five-minute long podcast from a fictional talking dog and toddler.

On a more serious note, MacFarlane did put in a mention to go to the World Health Organisation’s website if you are worried about the virus and feel like you need some guidance.

• Suddenly got a lot of free time? Here are the best comedy podcasts, best interview podcasts and best celebrity podcasts to keep you busy

Spotify Wrapped is back. Yes, it really has been 365 days since we last saw our (occasionally) cringeworthy streaming habits deconstructed and laid out in front of us as cold, hard facts.

UPDATED: Spotify has finally released Wrapped for everyone, so check your Spotify now to see what you have been listening to most over the course of the year.

But fret not, for combined with the superior listening tastes of an entire nation, the constant streams of our 35-strong Cheeky Girls playlist will be watered down by some of the biggest names in pop.

It also means that every listener’s individual year in music wrapped stats are about to drop - and not even the private session button can’t save you from that infographic.

According to stats provided by the streaming giant, Post Malone tops the list as the most streamed artist globally, followed closely behind by Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran and Bad Bunny.

Given those stats, Arianna Grande naturally tops the list of global female acts, followed closely by Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Sia and queen bee Beyoncé.

Given the decade is about to come to a close, Spotify has also announced the ‘most streamed artists of the decade’ list - and it makes for some pretty interesting reading. Three guesses which singer has topped the list (armed with a cell phone).

What’s also intriguing is that Eminem makes a sneaky appearance at number five. No biggie you’re probably thinking. But given Eminem’s most recent album, Kamikaze, dropped all the way back in 2018, it’s a bit of a curveball.

We’re also convinced clueless swathes of the globe Googling the word Stan might well have a part to play in those figures.

It’s also pretty interesting to see how the UK’s streaming habits differ from the rest of the world. According to the stats, it’s a pretty similar affair but in a rejigged order, with Bad Bunny being swapped out for Drake.

And then comes the most streamed singles list.

In an unsurprising turn, Scottish supremo Lewis Capaldi has topped the order with the ultimate earworm - ‘Someone You Loved’. Stormzy’s ‘Vossi Pop’ also makes an appearance at number four, slightly ahead of Arianna Grande’s ‘7 rings’.

Spotify's recent escapade into the world of podcasting also sees a podcast category added to the round-up.

The list is intriguingly topped by The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal - followed by a host of podcasts that wouldn't normally stand out as chart-topping offerings. One reason might well be the slow take-up by listeners already streaming via independent podcasting apps.

Over the years, Spotify has come out with some pretty entertaining ways of throwing streaming facts at us.

You might remember those 2018 Goals billboards - “Exercise more conventionally than 46 people who put 'Slow Hands' on their running playlists - Niall Horan" - we may or may not have been one of those people.

Spotify has also revealed the personal “Wrapped” stats so head to the app and find out if you really are that addicted to Taylor Swift.

• Our pick of the best Spotify playlists might throw a few new listening suggestions into the mix.

• While you're at it, check out our list of the best interview podcasts for in-depth chat.

You don’t have to care about football to know who Gary Lineker is. The former footballer, now sports commentator, has transcended his sport to become a national TV treasure.

From a football career spanning 17 years (and never once getting booked), to presenting Match of the Day in which the former England captain shares his expert analysis on the games of the day, Lineker has been on our screens for decades.

Even when he’s not on our TVs, Lineker can be found sharing his knowledge and the odd Brexit musing (spoiler: he’s not a fan) on his Twitter.

And just when you think ‘oh that’s probably enough to be getting on with’, Lineker has released a book inspired by his Number 1 podcast Behind Closed Doors.

In Behind Closed Doors: Life, Laugh and Football, Lineker and his podcasting partner Danny Baker take it in turns to share heart-warming and hilarious anecdotes of their time following - and in Lineker’s case - playing the great game.

Image credit: Behind Closed Doors, Gary Lineker and Danny Baker, £20, Century, out now

Talking about the book, Lineker says readers should not expect a “tell-all autobiography” or him “digging the dirt on various people”. Instead he simply describes it as “stories with real affection”.

“I feel immensely fortunate to have had the life in football that I have had - both when I was a player and now as a broadcaster,” he added. “I am aware of the good fortune I have had. It has been nice to share some of my reminiscences.”

So, what else could we ask Lineker about, than for him to share some of his favourite moments playing the game - touching on everything from winning his first cup final, to the time former Leicester City manager Jock Wallace pinned him up against the wall and called him “a lazy English…” - well, you get the idea.

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1. Winning his first cup final

“My first memory is really winning my first cup final when I was about 10 or 11 playing for Caldecote Junior School. I had already started scoring a few goals and we got to the final and won 2-1.

“My brother scored the other goal. That’s my first memory and then after that, it was just a lot of goals. I scored a silly amount of goals as a kid. It was actually a lot easier then than it was when you become a professional.”

2. Being told he'll never make a living playing football

“My early memories are a lot of playing football in the winter and cricket in the summer - usually with my brother in the garden. I was absolutely obsessed with football and cricket. I didn’t really want to do anything else.

“I don’t think it helped my school work very much. The last report when I left school was that ‘he focuses way too much on football and he’ll never make a living of that’. Hey ho, they don’t always get it right.”

3. Meeting Jock Wallace

“In the book I tell the story of the first time I met the new manager Jock Wallace. I think I was 17. There was a game and he came in at half time, he was effing and blinding.

“He was a huge man, scary individual, and I could not really understand what he said in his gravelly, Scottish voice. But, he was looking in my direction and eventually pinned me up against the dressing room wall. He was saying ‘you lazy English’ this and ‘you lazy English’ that. I wouldn’t have minded but I had scored two goals in the first half.

“Needless to say I didn’t perform well in the second and when he called me into his office the next morning, I just thought he was going to kick me out. I thought my career was over before it had really begun.

“I waited outside his office for 15 minutes before eventually being called in and he just said ‘you were superb last night’. He was just like ‘I just want to keep your feet on the ground’ and I thought ‘crikey, that’s a nice way of doing it’.”

4. That 1986 World Cup Match Against Poland

“Poland was a life-changing experience. Prior to that I had gone five or six England games without a goal, we had not done particularly well in the first two matches. I thought Bobby Robson would probably leave me out but he stuck with me.

“In the first half we were playing in 40°C and it was unbearable but I had managed to score three goals in the first half. It changed my life. From there on, a couple more and a couple after that.

“During that world cup, Barcelona had started to get interested and they bought me after it. I went from starting to make my name in English football to being known right throughout the world and playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football.

“It was just such a massive game and one game can change your life in football and it was certainly that one for me.”

5. Playing alongside heroes like Peter Shilton

“We all have heroes. I still have them now. I’ve done a number of crisp commercials with [Lionel] Messi. All four of my boys are all massive fans of Messi. He was lovely with them and spent a bit of time so it was good for him to do that. You’re never too old to get starstruck.”

“I had different heroes when I was a kid. Frank Worthington, Pete Shilton. When I first got in the England squad, I got to meet Bryan Robson and Pete Shilton who were both real heroes of mine. It was quite daunting in many ways. You start to think what the hell am I doing here with these heroes?

“Then you finish your career and they are still great players that you admire. You realise they were so much better than you were - even though you’ve done reasonably well in your career.”

If you believe the old adage, everybody has a book in them. Whether or not it’s a book that anybody would want to read is another matter, of course, but it’s a nice thought.

Is the same true of podcasts? It looks like Spotify intends to find out. Prolific app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who routinely reverse engineers app preview code to look for features still in testing, has found a button that’s pretty hard to misinterpret. It simply reads: “Create podcast.” The subheading reads “Make a podcast with Anchor.”

Obviously that makes it sound quite a bit simpler than it actually is. If you want your new podcast to be any good, you’ll need to actually script, rehearse and plan it, but it’s nice that Spotify is finding ways to make the technical hurdles as non-intimidating as possible, at least.

It’s no real surprise that Spotify has added this feature, given it spent $340 million to buy both podcast production tool Anchor and podcast studio Gimlet Media earlier this year. The company clearly wants the Spotify app to be the go-to place for podcasts, and has even been experimenting with a recommendation engine to help fans find new ones to love.

Even so, you’ll have to be good to stand out now. There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of podcasts with millions of episodes between them. With any luck, your magnum opus will be up there with the most popular, but in case you want to scope out the competition, here are our lists of the best interview podcasts and the best political podcasts to get you started.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest event on the UK comedy calendar. It takes over the city of Edinburgh, filling every venue large enough to fit a few stacking chairs with theatre, stand-ups and musical acts.

Last year there were over 3500 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Turn up without a plan and it gets intimidating, fast.

We caught up with Stuart Goldsmith for a few tips on who we should all see. Goldsmith is a top stand-up and host of the highest-ranked show on our best comedy podcasts shortlist, The Comedian's Comedian.

This will be Goldsmith's 26th stint at the Edinburgh Fringe. His own show is Primer, which takes place at 3pm at the Monkey Barrel, one of Shortlist's favourite Edinburgh Festival venues.

You can book a ticket for £5, or show up at the door and pay what you like after the show. But get there early if you choose not to book as his performances tend to fill up.

What's Primer all about?

"I'm doing a work in progress," says Goldsmith.

"I’m trying for the show to be different every day, writing for two hours every morning and then turning up and doing the show.

"The plan, in doing that, is to stumble upon the truest, most honest stuff, to be starting points for next year's show."

You could go to see Stuart Goldsmith's Primer every day and see something different. But if you'd rather see more than one comedian, here are his recommended Edinburgh Festival 2019 shows.

Best Edinburgh Festival 2019 shows

If you listen to podcasts, the likelihood is that you do so on an Apple device. Despite the fact that there are loads more Android phones in the world than iPhones, around 50 to 70% of the world use Apple’s own Podcasts app.

Apple’s attitude to podcasts has barely changed since podcasts became part of iTunes in 2005. But if a report in Bloomberg is to be believed, that could be about to change in a big way. The company has apparently been in talks with media firms about buying exclusive rights to podcasts.

What that means in the long run is completely up in the air. It could just be that Apple has decided to use its Scrooge McDuck-style piles of money on more original content as one more reason for loyal iPhone users not to switch to Android. Alternatively, it could be part of a longer term plan for another subscription service, like Apple’s aims with TV Plus, Arcade and News Plus.

It can also be viewed as a bit more of a defensive maneuver. While Apple has thus far just made the Podcasts app a free platform for creators to use, it won’t have escaped the company’s notice that the likes of Spotify and Audible have been hoovering up exclusive podcasts of their own. Most recently, Spotify won the rights to host the Obamas’ podcasts, which is about as big a statement of intent as it’s possible to make without renaming the company to Podcastify.

Assuming that this doesn’t lead to some great divide where you have to decide between iPhone and Android based on your podcast tastes, this is actually pretty good news for podcast fans. More budget for well written, beautifully produced podcasts is no bad thing. Here’s hoping we see some Apple-funded entries into our list of the best comedy podcasts at some point in the future…

Image: Karlis Dambrans used uncer Creative Commons

One casualty of our collective move away from DVD box sets towards streaming sites is the special features. Yes, in the early days of DVDs “scene selection” was grand enough to be called a special feature (and it felt pretty special for those of us raised on VHS tapes), but as the medium grew you could look forward to mini-documentaries, behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes.

If you really loved a movie, or had more time than you knew what to do with, there was usually a commentary too. You could play the movie/episodes and hear the cast and director chatting about their memories of it as you watched.

Now Netflix is bringing this feature back for the 2010s, albeit not how you remember them. Rather than having commentaries as a selectable soundtrack on shows, they’re being released as standalone podcasts under the banner ‘Watching With’.

It’s a bit of a faff, because you have to press ‘play’ at exactly the right time for the action to sync up, but it’s handy for those that want to listen to director and actor chatter as they would any other podcast.

Right now, two episodes are available. One with director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson discussing Someone Great (that’s a film – I’m not being cryptic) and another with director Nahnatchka Khan and actor Randall Park discussing Always By My Maybe.

Not the same as a full set of special features, but better than nothing. Hopefully, the podcast gets strong enough numbers to justify making more, but if not and you’re struggling to find something to listen to, then be sure to check out our list of the best interview podcasts.

There are an awful lot of podcasts out there, and a lot of them can charitably be described as “a bit like WTF with Marc Maron but not as good”. He started his back in the day when nobody but the most tech-savvy really knew what podcasts even really were, and odds are his voice was the first exposure to the medium for a hell of a lot of people. The runaway success of his twice-weekly show has seen guests as huge as Barack Obama pop by his garage for a chat.

Ahead of his stand-up show in London’s Royal Festival Hall next week (tickets here), we rang Maron up in his den in Los Angeles to find out the difference between talking to one person and a room full of them, the difference between a conversationalist and a journalist, and why he doesn’t regret the questions he didn’t ask.

Hi Marc! How do you interview the people that come on your podcast?

I always try to start as casually as possible, so whether they want to hear it or not, I talk about myself. Sometimes before we even get on the microphones, we’re walking through my house and I’ll tell them what’s on my mind, or tell them about the house, or whatever. A lot of people, knowing they’re going to being interviewed, are really thinking about it, and if you enter into it as having your own problems, that casual chit chat can get people over the fear of talking about themselves. That can help a lot.

So you kind of blur the lines between an interview and a chat?

It’s a matter of easing into it and sacrificing the idea of “this is what I need to know by the end of this”. I’m doing interviews in an audio format - all the things you’re going to feel listening to that interview might not be about information per se, they’re about engagement. If people are caught up with what they want to ask and what they want to know, they can get detached from what’s happening in the present, because they want to get at something else. But if you let things unfold, and talk about nothing, that often leads to the bigger thing, and I’m like “Well, I didn’t need to talk about that, it just happened”. We just have a conversation. And the thing is, I’m not a journalist. I’m not being sent out on assignment to find things out. I can get loose with it and see what’s revealed.

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Do you have an agenda or bullet points or anything?

I usually make a messy one-sheet of notes that looks like a bunch of scribbles. It looks like a page out of a schizophrenic’s diary. I’ll go through people’s information, write little bullet points here and there, but it’s a big mess on the page. It looks like my brain. Like there are certain things that interest me or areas I want to talk about, but by writing it down in a scattered way I kind of programme my brain. I can look down during the interview and see what I’ve got there, but it’s more about writing down what interests me to get my brain in the right place. But a lot of the time it just comes up naturally, and I’ll look down at my scattered sheet of notes and think “Well, we’ve covered that”.

Is it very different interviewing people you already know a lot about rather than people you’re maybe more casually aware of?

I respect a lot of people and i can understand why they’re great, but when I’m a real fan I can get a little excitable. Hearing me talk to Keith Richards, it’s clearly a fan interview, and when I’m talking to Bruce Springsteen, that’s a respect interview. Most people become human pretty quickly when you meet them - across from Keith Richards, I can see his skin, and his wrinkles. But he’s still Keith Richards! He’s not mortal to me. That does make it a different interview. People I know personally, my peers, I have a shorthand with. I know what they’re capable of, and how candid they’ll be, and I know I can engage with them very quickly, and because I’m not worried about that it’ll be a looser, crazier interview. I know some people will give me a rough time, and I can enjoy that and get that going. If i don’t know that we’ll engage right away, or at all, I need to stay in the saddle a bit more and ride the conversation until it gives.

Do you listen back to your interviews?

Not usually. Once I’ve had the talk I hand it over to the producer. Most of my memories of them - which are getting harder and harder to access - are of the actual conversation. Sometimes I’ll listen back, but by and large, no.

So you don’t have the thing of going “Oh no, why didn’t I ask what they meant by that?” or whatever?

It happens. There are times when i’m like “Damn it, how did I not ask about that?”. But I only know what I know, and I’m only going to do so much research, and for me the charm of the show is the actual conversation and the feeling that it’s happening in the moment, as opposed to information being conveyed. With most famous people if you want information about them, you can find it, but I’d rather have a a real, candid conversation. I’d get mad if it was a tremendous oversight. Like if I had the guy the cured cancer on and never mentioned cancer or curing it, I’d be mad, but generally I don’t get too hung up. Most of the time, if I didn’t ask something, it’s because I never thought to, so I’m not going to regret it.

You talk with people on your podcast, and talk to people doing standup, but your persona seems pretty consistent. Do you need to be in different mindsets for them?

I think the years of doing standup have become a kind of ongoing conversation with the audience - certain areas keep coming up because they’re fundamentals in my life. But there’s a whole different skill set to presenting comedy. The dynamic you have with an audience, having the confidence that the laughs will be where you need them to be… It’s a heightened environment that over the years I’ve managed to make comfortable for me. One of my goals as a standup is not to have this artifice that feels like “a big show”, which is a habit comics can get into. When I go out I know pretty well what I’m going to say but I like to leave room for things to happen. It’s an entirely different skill set in an entirely different context, requiring a different mindset and intention, but there are similarities - I’m trying to make this performance to hundreds or thousands of people feel like it’s just me talking with them, candidly, in a way it’s taken me 30 years to get to.

You’re 55, and have had a really successful last decade or so. Did getting to this level when a bit older mean it treated you differently than if it had come earlier?

Yeah, it’s hard for me to speculate as it was never on the cards. When I was younger I was a lot more angry and less grounded, both in my craft and in my heart. I don’t know that I could have done the job I thought I deserved then. In retrospect I had a lot of opportunities that didn’t pan out - I didn’t necessarily screw them up, they just didn’t pan out, and I don’t know that I would have been able to handle them if they had. It took me a long time to understand my limitations and my skill set and be comfortable in myself, and a lot of that has to do with letting go of certain dreams that weren’t working out. I started doing this little thing in my garage just to stay busy, and it turned out my timing was right, and it just kind of worked out. I’ve let a lot go, which gives me a lot of freedom in y heart and my mind. What success does come, which is very manageable, I can handle.

Why should everyone go and see you at Royal Festival Hall on April 6th?

If you know me and want to hang out and have a nice night, come by. I’ll talk for a while and be entertaining and funny. If you don’t know me, I’m doing the best comedy I’ve ever done in my life, after 30 years of doing it. I talk about a lot of things that are relevant, both personally and globally. It’s provocative, it’s exciting, it’s funny and I’m excited to do it. The last time I was at Royal Festival Hall I did really well. It’s a really good venue that’s acoustically perfect, and it’s fascinating being one man standing on a stage in front of a giant pipe organ in a room built to accommodate a much bigger event. That’s truly exciting.

Maron plays Royal Festival Hall on Saturday April 6th, The Rep in Birmingham on Monday April 8th and Vicar Street in Dublin on Thursday April 11th.

How long ago do you reckon the first season of acclaimed podcast Serial was? Go on, have a guess.

Wrong! It was more than four years ago, in October 2014, when Warren Clarke and Philip Hughes were still alive, Sepp Blatter was still president of FIFA, and most of us were yet to hear the word “Brexit”.

Since then, the subject of the first season, Adnan Syed, has launched a series of appeals against his conviction. And now we’re poised to get an HBO documentary about his fight for freedom.

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The Case Against Adnan Syed is presented by HBO as “a new chapter in the story”, following Syed’s initial conviction but also everything that has followed in the near-20 years since he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

Syed has protested his innocence throughout, and the documentary focuses on those, such as his family friend Rabia Chaudry, who have fought to bring greater attention to his case.

Chaudry’s own podcast Undisclosed has consistently covered developments in Syed’s case, which has taken a number of turns in the last four years, before going in-depth on a number of wrongful conviction cases.

 “Presenting new discoveries as well as groundbreaking revelations that challenge the state’s case, and featuring exclusive access to Syed, the defense team, the Syed family, friends and teachers of both students, and members of City of Baltimore law enforcement, the series traces how the rush to justice and Syed’s conviction in 2000 raised more questions than answers about what happened to Hae Min Lee, underscoring the instability of memory and conflicting eyewitnesses,” HBO’s page on the show reads.

The documentary will air on HBO on 10 March, with the broadcaster revealing that production started back in 2015.

The month-long lead time is just about enough time to binge-listen to the first season of Serial once more, just to refresh your memory when it comes to a case that left its mark on so many.

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(Images: YouTube/HBO)

Marc Maron gets a lot done. In between hosting a podcast which releases episodes near enough three times a week (to the present tune of 926 episodes) and maintaining a stand-up career that’s spanned three decades, he’s managed to put in a shift as a Critically Acclaimed Actor, starring in Netflix’s most recent hype series Glow as wrestling promoter Sam Sylvia. And yet, his appetite for doing things can never be sated, so he sat down with ShortList to tell us how things were going.

Hi Marc, how’s it going?

I’m doing good. Things are OK. I think that’s the best you can hope for. What am I going to say: “Things are great”? Even if things were great, I don’t know whether I’d fully realise it. I guess I’m constantly afraid. You don’t wanna jinx it. OK is good enough!

How’s the stand-up going?

Great! I was excited but I was nervous about it because less than a year ago I did an hour long special on Netflix and I assumed that everyone had seen it. I don’t know whether that is true or not. But, when you start to tour, you know, it is sort of like: I haven’t had time to generate a new hour!

Is it annoying having to rewrite your entire show every tour? Do you ever wish you could just do tried-and-tested greatest hits material, like musicians get to do playing their audience’s favourite songs?

I don’t feel like I’m that kind of guy. I think for somebody like Jim Gaffigan – somebody where they wanna hear the ‘hot pockets’ bit - it becomes the bane of your existence. I don’t think that comedy is like music. Music can create a mood, it can take you back in time, it can take you to another place. At best a joke is going to make you laugh and think a little bit. There’s a couple of pieces that I really love doing, like [this bit], I’d worked on it for months and then I did it on a small television show in the states – John Oliver’s comedy special. Then after I did it there, I just stopped doing it – which is stupid because it took me half a year to make that bit work.

You’re primarily known as a stand-up and for your podcast, so how did Glow come about?

I’d done four seasons of my own show [Maron] and there was a part of me that always wanted to try to act, and not as me. The Glow script came through. I read it and the character [wrestling promoter Sam Sylvia] – I immediately knew the guy.

You knew him?

Well, because he’s a sort of redeemable asshole, and it’s not an easy redemption. He’s a delusional guy who thinks he is more powerful than he is, more talented than he is. But fundamentally, he shows up for people and cares about people. He just doesn’t want to show it and it’s a pain in the ass to him.

I heard you made a point of not researching wrestling.

I was told it doesn’t matter; the character didn’t know anything about wrestling either!

Pro wrestling involves blurring the lines between artifice and real backstage tensions. A bit like GLOW…

I think there’s something like that going on in GLOW, yeah that definitely makes sense. But I also think it functions as a way for these women to redefine themselves, to empower themselves, to transcend reality. And you’ll come together as this collective. That is what happened offstage while shooting, because [the actors] all had to learn how to wrestle. So all this stuff is going on in the main of GLOW, you’re seeing a team of women really become wrestlers, just like in the show.

Did you feel hard done by that you didn’t get to learn to wrestle? In terms of physical action, your character mainly just gets to smoke and kick filing cabinets in frustration….

 …Does blow. Yeah, I felt a little left out that I wasn’t wrestling but I’m always excited to watch it. It’s very exciting. You get very invested in them pulling it off. Doing a move.

How did the real-life GLOW from the Eighties differ from today’s wrestling?

It’s very raw. Almost disturbingly raw. Wrestling was different. They were just beating the sh*t out of each other, there wasn’t much artifice.

What happens to Sam in series 2?

He gets handed a couple of big kicks to the soul. He’s humble, unmistakably humble. So he enters the next season with that, this unforeseen humility because of knowing he has a daughter, because his big masterpiece has been hijacked by a similar movie…

[Sam believes he’s invented the concept for Back To The Future, only to discover the film already exists.] 

Do you ever have moments like that; where you have a big million-dollar idea, then someone else goes and does it first?

There was an idea I had that was vague but then that sort of…was it, My Name Is Earl? I sort of had an idea like that, but it was about a guy trying to make the world a better place, a little bit at a time. But that happens all the time in Hollywood. If you have an idea and you put it out in the world you find out very quickly something similar already exists.

In podcasting terms, you’re the godfather of your format: a comedian interviewing other comedians. Do you ever see someone else do it and think, “That’s my idea”?

I used to have a joke with Pete Holmes who’d outright tell me he stole my show. I just said it to Kristen Bell about Dax [Shepard]: “You know he’s doing my show.” She went “we know!” The thing is; I didn’t create talking to somebody on a microphone, I did help popularise podcasting but no one’s got copyright on interviewing or talking to someone.

But, if you did…

Even if I could just make a quarter for every podcast downloaded…

Two people talking, that’s your idea.

I got it, I registered it.

How do you know if you have a good podcasting voice?

I’m self-conscious about my voice, I have weird tics and weird things. Does everything come through, does it connect with people? I don’t know if you can manufacture that. I’m lucky, those mics work for me because I don’t have to just be funny, I can show my flaws, I can talk about whatever I want, I can wrestle with myself. 

Are you born with an innate talent for podcasting, or can it be learned?

It took me a while to learn the ability, the craft of being on a mic alone. I have to be aware of ‘uhs’ and ‘ohs’ and ‘likes’. Once I figured out how to just sit in my garage and talk for 20 minutes, that was a big break. It’s not easy to do that. I don’t know what makes someone good or what doesn’t. Production has a lot to do with it.

What do you make of podcasts of groups of mates who just decide to record their banter on their smartphones?

I don’t know what people’s tolerances are for a mic in the middle of a table, and four guys sitting far away from it… But get good mics.

What makes for a great guest?

Good conversation. If we’re engaging and both in it, and I’m fascinated with it. If I’m getting a kick out of them; if we’re finding things as we talk.

Is former guest Barack Obama still a devoted listener?

Oh yeah, we text all the time.

Really?

No, never. But he enjoyed being on the podcast. I heard they had the picture of him and I talking in my garage in the Oval Office.

Do you ever relisten to the shows?

Not really. I don’t listen to them after, my point of reference is the live conversation. Sometimes we do shows that have a lot of different elements, we don’t do them that often but like the 900th episode which takes some production, which [WTF producer Brendan McDonald] loves to do, I’ll listen to those.

What bells and whistles are you going to pull out for the big 1000?

You think I got the bells and whistles for 1000? Yeah, I hope so. I hope we make it that far.

Are you expecting some fiery apocalypse to intervene?

That, or some sort of subtle apocalypse.

What would a subtle apocalypse involve?

I don’t know, isn’t it happening every day? It doesn’t have a direct effect on us right here in this room but it feels like something is being eroded. I don’t know what ultimately it will look like once it’s all eroded, maybe we’ll push back on it, we’ll see. But it does feel like something shitty. If we get to 1000, it’ll be a celebration of the shitty people not winning if that’s how it turns out.

Is your stand-up an extension of the podcast?

Definitely the natural extension. People [at my shows] sometimes say, “I heard that bit on the podcast.” I’m thinking: no you didn’t. You heard the story but if you come to my show, this thing has jokes in it now, it’s got pacing and punchlines. Now there are 1,000 people in the room, there are beats and we’re all laughing. That wouldn’t have happened if I’d just sat there and played the podcast.

So, what podcasts do you listen to?

I don’t. I listen to music, the radio, occasionally the news. But generally, I don’t know how people have time to listen to stuff.

Glow Season 2 is on Netflix from 29 June

If you were one of the many privy to the details involving the case of Adnan Syed, explored in the mega popular podcast Serial, then you’ll know that he’s still locked up, with a very uncertain future ahead of him. If you’re not up to date, or are completely unaware, allow us to provide a very swift primer.

Essentially, back in 1999, a 19-year-old called Hae Min Lee was murdered and her body found strangled to death in a park in Baltimore. Before the body was discovered, police received an anonymous phonecall saying that Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, had murdered her and buried the body. So he was arrested. From there, a peculiar number of trials occurred, and he was eventually sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years. Only thing is, lots of people think he’s innocent, mostly as a result of Serial’s investigation in the case, which raised quite a few questions regarding Syed’s ‘guilt’.

RELATED: 10 must-listen podcasts that’ll make even the most unpleasant commute joyous

So fast-forward to today, and the current Baltimore State attorney race. Currently elected is Marilyn Mosby, who is keeping schtum on her opinions on the case. But facing her are two Democratic candidates who have completely opposing views on Syed - first up is Thiru Vignarajah, who has spent a good three years battling to keep him in jail, but the other, Ivan Bates, is big-time behind him, saying that if he wins, he’ll drop the case straight away. A very bold move just because he listened to a podcast once on the bus.

He told Rolling Stone:

“The two pieces of evidence that the case relied on have been shown to not be reliable in any way, shape or form.

“There’s not enough information to proceed.”

Thing is, regardless of the hilariously impetuous comment we made above about the bus, he’s actually been involved with the case since the beginning, even sitting in the courtroom on the day of Syed’s bail hearing. He said, of the day:

“I just remember seeing the courtroom divided [between] the Asian community and the Muslim community.

“I remember seeing hurt on both sides. Then this young kid comes in and I just remember his eyes, because they looked like [he] was so afraid, like [he] didn’t know what was going on.”

“I remember them talking about the bail, and how they put their houses up, and how it was wrong, that [Syed] was a young man who’s never been in trouble.

“[The court] was like, ‘Oh, the simple fact that he can put all this together just shows me that he’s a flight risk.’ I remember thinking, ‘Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose? ‘Because that would mean that he was going to run out on his entire community. The fact that he had all of them believing in him, that to me was pretty special. I’d never seen anything like that and I don’t really remember seeing anything like that since then.”

He even admits that he never listened to Serial (he probably should, just a hunch), but is very familiar with the evidence on both sides of the case:

“To me, there’s no doubt whatsoever that a jury could easily find a new outcome.

“The strongest piece of evidence to corroborate him was the cell phone tower information, which we now know is not credible. So there’s nothing to corroborate it at all.”

“On the defense side, there’s an alibi witness [Asia McClain] who places herself at the library with the defendant. That, to me, is huge. The evidence that [the state] had is nonexistent.

“The star witness is absolutely terrible and has a number of credibility issues, and the witness that the defense has, who wasn’t at the original trial, doesn’t have those same issues and is very believable.”

He concludes by promising to look at the case from a different angle:

“I would explain to [Lee’s family] that we have a better chance of trying to find your daughter’s killer by starting all over.

“You always have an opportunity if you get new information to recharge and retry [Syed] – but from what I see now, there’s not enough information to proceed. 

“Why would you waste that opportunity? Why would you go after a person if you don’t have enough information to find them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt? Why would you put their family through that?”

(Images: Rex)

Adnan Syed, the murder suspect whose story was made famous by podcast Serial, will be the subject of a new four-hour documentary series.

Syed was convicted of the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, but has been granted a new trial after spending almost half his life behind bars.

Serial was a huge hit by podcast standards, winning awards and drawing more than 80m downloads, while it spawned follow-up podcasts such as Undisclosed.

However, Syed’s story has only ever been told in audio form – until now.

According to Variety, HBO and Sky are teaming up on a documentary series about the case.

Entitled The Case Against Adnan Syed, it will have a total running time of four hours, though it is unclear how many segments it will be divided into.

Nick Cave has signed on to record original music for the series, which the publication claims will look at Hae’s disappearance, the police investigation and Syed’s eventual conviction.

It will be directed by Amy Berg, who is best known for Oscar-nominated documentary Deliver Us From Evil.

“We’ll be offering viewers a compelling window into one of the most talked about murder cases in recent years,” Sky’s director of programming Zai Bennett said in an announcement about the new show, adding that Berg had been given “unprecedented” access to those close to the investigation.

There is no official release date at the time of writing.

Since Serial aired, the show’s producers have gone on to make a second series focusing on a separate story involving the US military and a separate single-story podcast called S-Town.

However, work has continued in Syed’s pursuit of a new trial, and he has continued to protest his innocence throughout the last two decades.

(Images: Syed Family / Courtesy of HBO)

Podcasts are good, aren’t they? They’re entertaining, educational and have achieved the unthinkable by making commutes enjoyable.

But happens when you’ve listened to them all. Or at least you’ve listened to the big hitters. The big names. The This American Lifes and WTFs and Serials of the world?

We asked ten of the internet’s most interesting people what they personally chose to fill their lugholes with. Fill your phone with these and never have a conversation on the train again!

• Check out the best political podcasts if you feel like understanding what is happening in the news, or the best comedy podcasts if you want easier listening

Still Processing

As recommended by Charlie Jane Anders, author of All The Birds In The Sky, former editor of io9 and co-host (with Annalee Newitz) of new podcast Our Opinions Are Correct.

“I’m a huge massive fan of Still Processing, the New York Times podcast featuring Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris. Not only have I been a fan of both of them separately for years, but it’s a total joy to hear the two of them hashing out all manner of cultural topics. Every episode is so thought-provoking and full of insights, it’s like hanging out with your two smartest friends. I just love listening to their easy banter about all manner of topics.”

Make No Law

As recommended by Cory Doctorow, award-winning author, digital rights campaigner and founder of Boing Boing.

“As someone who spends a lot of time hanging around campaigning lawyers, I’m really interested in the burgeoning “lawsplainer” genre: Make No Law (the history of the First Amendment as told by former Federal prosecutor Ken “Popehat” White); What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law (Constitutional law prof Elizabeth Joh uses Trump’s norm-violating misdeeds to explain the history of Constitutional Law) and More Perfect (the histories of seminal Supreme Court cases and the legal precedents they established).”

Brian Gittins and Friends

As recommended by Scroobius Pip, rapper, spoken word artist, excellent beard owner and host of the podcast Distraction Pieces.

“I’d pick Brian Gittins and Friends. Gittins has been one of my favourite comedians for a while but this podcast has introduced the world to the wonder that is Dave Edwards, and it will never be the same. Hearing Dave awkwardly interact with a long list of guests from the cream of the comedy crop is a joy to behold, all while Gittins gleefully steers directly into that awkwardness.”

Grandma’s Virginity Podcast

As recommended by Michael Kupperman, cartoonist, artist, author of the forthcoming graphic memoir All The Answers and complete genius.

“I haven’t been listening to many podcasts lately, but one I loved is Grandma’s Virginity Podcast, with Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Jackie Buscarino. They stopped doing it about the time Rick and Morty (which Justin co-created) took off, but this is an extremely profane and loose round-table discussion of various topics. Their guests included Dan Harmon and the real-life model for Abed from Community, Abed Gheith; the show reflects the insane Channel 101 energy that has spiraled into so many other projects.”

Why Is Your Bottom So Dirty?

As recommended by Pappy’s, the comedy trio (Matthew Crosby, Ben Clark and Tom Parry) behind podcasts Flatshare Slamdown and Bangers & Mash.

“One of the funniest comedians around (and a favourite guest from our own podcast), the always unpredictable Lou Sanders, has teamed up with circuit maverick Luke McQueen for a new improvised comedy podcast. Each week they sit down in character as Clare Cares and Dr Benjamin Jones with another comic - also in character - and attempt to resolve their deep seated personal and emotional issues. It’s exactly the kind of comedy we like: ramshackle, nonsensical and really, really funny. It’s pretty new but there are already over 5 episodes (6 episodes) available, so plenty to tuck into.”

Wrestle Me

As recommended byJohn Rain, host of James Bond-obsessed podcast Smershpod.

“Wrestle Me takes me on a beautiful trip down memory lane to revisit my childhood fascination with Wrestlemania. Hosts Pete Donaldson and Marc Haynes bring stacks of facts, bags of affection and lorry fulls of LOLZ. It’s my current obsession.”

Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

As recommended by journalist and cultural commentator Ira Madison III, host of Keep It and occasional Shortlist contributor.

“I already loved Jonathan Van Ness on Queer Eye and the podcast adds new interesting depths to his personality [episode titles include “How Come I Don’t Know About The Armenian Genocide? and What’s Up With The Opioid Crisis?]. I always love hearing another queer person interrogating life.”

Post-Mortem with Mick Garris

As recommended by Outlaw Vern, the internet’s best film writer and author of Seagalogy: The Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal.

“Mick Garris is best known as the writer-director of Stephen King-based movies and mini-series (Sleepwalkers, The Stand) and for creating the Showtime anthology series Masters of Horror. But he’s also been interviewing filmmakers in various forums since the ‘70s, and he brings those skills to the Post Mortem podcast. While there are several great horror podcasts from my generation of Fangoria-reading horror fans, only Garris interviews veterans like Joe Dante, John Landis, Stuart Gordon and John Carpenter as a peer. When Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 star Caroline Williams fumes about accusations that Tobe Hooper didn’t really direct Poltergeist, Garris is able to give his perspective as the on-set publicist!”

99% Invisible

As recommended by Allie Goertz, editor of MAD Magazine, singer-songwriter and host of Everything’s Coming Up Simpsons.

“99% Invisible is a show about the unnoticed architecture and design that goes into every aspect of the world. The show covers topics as boring sounding as the origin of billiard balls (my favorite episode), to the origin of malls, to the colour of money. They’re tiny topics packed with fascinating history that I find myself retelling constantly. With episodes clocking in at 20 minutes and under, you learn something incredibly cool incredibly quickly. Short podcasts are where it’s at, and I’m someone who recaps 23-minute Simpsons episodes for over an hour.”

Dumb White Guy with Brendon Burns

As recommended by Dan Schreiber, radio producer, QI researcher and host of No Such Thing As A Fish.

“I’m listening to this non-stop at the moment. It’s brilliant. And completely original. It’s unlike any podcast I’ve ever listened to. It’s the life and thoughts of a comedian on (and off) the road. I’m absolutely addicted to it. A warning though: in the words of Brendon’s good friend, comedian Paul Provenza, ‘If you’ve ever been offended by anything, don’t come in.’”

Adnan Syed, the man whose conviction was documented in award-winning podcast Serial, has finally been granted a new trial.

Back in 2000, a then-teenaged Syed was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and handed a life sentence. However, he has protested his innocence the entire time and has now received some positive news with regards to a new trial.

There have been several false dawns in the past, but a new decision from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in the United States has given his supporters renewed cause for optimism.

It centres on claims of ineffective assistance of counsel – something raised by Syed and his appeals lawyer C Justin Brown for a number of years.

Back in 2012, two years before Serial presenter Sarah Koenig covered his case, Syed’s new legal team raised claims that his previous lawyer Cristina Gutierrez had acted ineffectively by failing to call a potential alibi witness.

This appeal was denied, but the potential witness in question, Asia McClain Chapman (at the time known as Asia McClain), has remained an integral part of the discussion as Syed has lodged further claims for new hearings.

Furthermore, there were claims that Gutierrez failed to accurately quiz an expert witness who provided testament about cell-phone tower pings - a technological advance which was relatively new at the time of Syed’s original trial.

In 2016, Judge Martin P Welch ordered a new trial for Syed, who is now in his thirties. Now, as reported by Gizmodo, the Maryland courts have upheld Judge Welch’s call.

According to the new Maryland opinion: “There is a reasonable probability that McClain’s alibi testimony would have raised a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror about Syed’s involvement [in] Hae’s murder, and thus ‘the result of the proceedings would have been different.’”

Since the release of Serial in 2014, Syed’s family friend Rabia Chaudry (a lawyer by trade) has covered his case in a separate podcast called Undisclosed and provided updates on Syed’s legal proceedings, even after Undisclosed has turned its attention to a variety of different wrongful conviction cases.

Chaudry, who wrote best-selling book Adnan’s Story with contributions from Syed himself, has been vocal with regards to the latest developments in the case and has promised a new episode of Undisclosed focusing on the latest developments.

There has been support for Syed from a number of individuals who have been closely following the proceedings, including Jerry Buting – best known as Steven Avery’s lawyer during the case documented in Netflix show Making a Murderer.

Support has also come from Two and a Half Men actor Jon Cryer, who has covered the case as host of Undisclosed’s addendum show.

(Images: Unsplash/Serial)

Finished S-Town yet?

If not, we recommend abandoning this article right now and listening to all seven episodes before coming back. There’s nothing else quite like it; a fascinating and often heart-breakingly intimate character study of a man so interesting and layered it’s difficult to believe he isn’t a product of fiction. The podcast is a worldwide phenomenon, lauded for its innovative, novelistic approach to storytelling and superb production. John B McLemore and the multitude of characters that inhabit this small town in Alabama are so compelling that you quickly forget about how its initial hook is abandoned after just two episodes.

It’s been nearly a month since S-Town landed in its entirety online, and now the dust has settled somewhat we have the first TV interview with Tyler Goodson. His unique friendship with John – much of which we learned about after John’s suicide – was one of the most absorbing strands of the story, but it sounds as though the podcast’s success hasn’t had a totally positive impact on his life. 

“Sometimes I regret ever speaking into that microphone,” he says while reflecting on his stress levels since the This American Life producers put his hometown under a microscope.

WVTM 13's Marlei Martinez also asks whether he’d concur with John’s “Shit-Town” moniker – have a guess – and Tyler talks about his late father-figure’s eccentric personality: “He was brilliant. He was a brilliant individual, but he was [a] nutcase. Not many people could deal with him. I was probably one of the few that could and that’s why he took a liking to me so much…I could tell he cared about me and that made me care about him.” 

At the end of the conversation the reporter asks what her interviewee wants people to know about him and Woodstock, independent of the story Reed tells in his podcast.

As anyone who has listened will know, not everyone paints Tyler in a positive light, and he appears frustrated by aspects of how he’s represented.

“I don’t think I could change anyone’s mind unless I give them my side of the story,” he explains. “People’s gonna believe what they gonna believe. It’s an interesting story overall, I guess, from the outside looking in, but me being part of it, it’s a whole different story. It’s sad.”

(Main image: YouTube/WVTM)

When it comes down to it: we’re idiots, aren’t we. Human beings, on the whole, are idiots. We make mistakes, we say the wrong things, we get drunk on a Tuesday night even though we have work the next day. And the corollary of this: we lose shit in the back of Ubers.

Now Uber has released a “Lost and Found Index”, a list of everything idiot people like us have left behind in their cars – and it’s a pretty diverse list to say the least. There are some pretty obvious ones to kick us off: their top ten includes phones, rings, keys, wallets, glasses, purses, IDs, gloves, chargers and sunglasses. So far, so predictable.

Then there are the weird-but-kind-of-understandable additions: a paycheck, school papers, bags, earrings, a hard drive. Fine. These are fine, acceptable things to lose in the back of a car. Engagement ring: less acceptable, but maybe the dude was nervous. We will give him the benefit of the doubt here.

It’s here that the list gets even weirder. There’s the inexplicable “sweet potato care package”, for a start, which due to being literally un-Googleable we’re assuming is just...a sweet potato? On its own? That you give to someone who is sad or ill? I dunno, mate. It makes zero sense that you would 1) buy someone a sweet potato as part of a care package 2) forget that you were taking a sweet potato to someone as part of a care package. Neither of these things makes any sense whatsoever.

It doesn’t get any less puzzling, either. Next on the list is “lobster”. Doesn’t say whether the lobster is alive or dead but we’re going to assume “dead” because there is no way someone would just leave a live lobster crawling around in the back of a Prius. But still: how do you leave a dead lobster in the back of a Prius? What are these people doing? Are they drunk? If so: why are they drunk and holding a lobster?

Anyway, here are some of the other weirdest thing people have left behind:

• A laser
• A pool cue
• A bulletproof vest
• A packet of meat
• Some rose quartz
• A back massaging device
• Some mustard
• The Bible
• A jumper for a dog
• A violin
• A sling
• A cape
• The handle of a tap
• A rubber mallet
• Ski poles
• An entire wedding outfit
• A cardboard cutout of an elf

Anyway, Uber has also released the days you’re most likely to lose something and, surprise surprise, the top three are Sunday, Saturday and Friday because you’re probably drunk. They’ve also provided a handy video on how to get your lost items back, so you can always retrieve your sweet potato the morning after.

By the conclusion of the second episode of S-Town, the captivating new podcast from the makers of Serial, it’s very clear that rumours of a small-town murder cover-up that initially intrigued producer Brian Reed were just the starting point for this particular true crime story. 

All seven chapters are now available for download on your preferred pod-catcher, Netflix-style, and it’s not unlikely that you’ll end up bingeing the whole lot in a few train journeys. 

We’ll keep this fairly spoiler-free (if you want to go in completely blind, though, then back away now), but here’s how it starts: back in 2012, Reed, a reporter for the radio program This American Life (of which Serial was also a spin-off), received an email from an Alabaman man named John B McLemore. The subject line “John B McLemore lives in Shit Town, Alabama” naturally piqued the interest of the editorial team, as did accusations of a murder in said Shit Town. 

The killer, according to McLemore, belonged to a rich, powerful family, and had seemingly got away with the shocking crime despite bragging about it to bewildered big-mouth locals. Unable to ignore the weighty allegations, Reed eventually headed to Woodstock in Bibb County, Alabama, to meet his mysterious new confidant. 

Gripping as that opening hook undoubtedly is, S-Town, named after John’s less-than-complimentary description of the hometown he loathes so much, is at its heart an intimate character study. In the first few hours, we learn about John’s disillusionment with the place he’s lived in all his life; his fascination with trigonometry; antique clocks; the creeping threat of climate change that wider society, in his opinion, is ignoring, the enormous wealth he hides away; his struggle with depression; his adopting of stray dogs; and an actual maze that he’s growing in his front garden. McLemore wants to see justice but he has no faith in the system. He knows his own mind but he frequently drifts off-topic and into bizarre anecdotes. He’s not your average redneck, that’s for sure. 

Reed is immediately cynical about the supposed murder, despite John’s assuredness, “if you keep your mouth shut you’ll be amazed at what you can learn”. And without giving anything away, the focus of the story shifts dramatically in real-time. When that happens, it will leave a lump in your throat. As a listener it’s difficult to predict what’s coming next, what this is all going to lead to, and you get the impression that the reporters had the same feeling. 

Journalist and writer Jon Ronson was confident enough to say this: 

The podcast is a no-brainer for Serial fans, although it’s notably different from anything they’ve done before; S-Town transcends typical true crime fare. They’re still pioneers of the medium, no doubt, weaving the narrative together with fantastic music and arguably matchless production values. 

It’s consistently affecting, and just like Serial, as Reed recently told The Guardian, it’s experimental storytelling that perhaps wouldn’t be possible in any other format. Where S-Town differs is that it’s all out there now. The decision to let us decide the pace in which we consume our media has worked wonders for streaming services, so it will be interesting to see how many real-life podcasts take this novelistic approach. 

To date Serial has been downloaded over 250 million times. We wouldn’t be surprised to see S-Town mirror its success, but what’s for certain is that you’ll be thinking about John B McLemore long after you unplug the headphones. 

The Serial podcast that had everyone hooked on the true story of Adnan Syed – a highschooler who was accused and convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend but may be innocent – was the only thing to ever make people wish their commute was longer. 

The show’s creators Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder took us through the turmoil of Syed’s case, sharing their own doubts and insight along the way in one of the first podcasts to hit the heights of total success. We never really got to the bottom of the case (is he guilty or not?!), mostly because Koenig and Synder’s work helped him get a retrial that is yet to happen. And now they’re onto a new story. 

Over the last three years, we’ve momentarily found our crime story fix with the likes of The Jinx, Making a Murderer and The Night Of, plus a Sunday addiction to the Crime and Investigation channel. But those were TV, and we have around two hours every day which is prime for filling our ears with brilliant podcasts. 

Koenig and Snyder heard our call, but also a man’s from Alabama. For the past few years, the pair have been investigating a lead about a wealthy teenager who allegedly bragged about getting away with murder. 

What followed was a second murder, which led the investigation to "a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure and the mysteries of one man's life."

Under their production company Serial Productions, Snyder and Koenig will be releasing S-Town, hosted by This American Life’s Brian Reed, in March 2017.

Producer Ira Glass said:

"This story takes so many unexpected turns. Every episode is a new surprise. And the story has this feeling and mood that's different from anything else we’ve done. I don’t think people have heard a show like this."

We’ll be missing our stop weekly. 

Dust off your headphones and stop Googling for ‘other shows as additive as Serial’ - the second series of the podcast giant has finally arrived.

In case you didn't hear from friends and co-workers the first time around, Serial’s first series took the shape of a weekly investigative documentary concerning the case of a murdered 18-year-old student in Baltimore in 1999 and her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed. Revisiting old evidence, as well as talking to Syed himself, maker and host Sarah Koenig allowed the audience to make up their own minds over who was responsible for the crime.

This time the focus will be on Bowe Bergdahl: a former US Sergeant captured by the Taliban, released in May 2014 as part of a prisoner exchange for five suspects held in Guantanamo Bay, he was charged by the US Army with one count of desertion and one count of misbehaviour before the enemy in March of this year.

Asking “hero or deserter?", it's certainly an intriguing prospect - one laced with intrigue, conspiracy and decisions that go all the way to The White House - and no doubt topical, particularly with current Republican nominee Donald Trump one of those who's branded the former soldier a traitor.

The only downside being that now half of your family will want shiny new Christmas presents to play it on. 

Get listening at Serialpodcast.org

Together, these podcast giants are the Florence Nightingale of the cinema. Here they give their cinematic advice for a variety of ailments...

If you need to get some sleep 

Kermode: “The perfect movies to sleep in are the Transformers films. I remember sitting in the press screening of Transformers 2 thinking, ‘I am going to fall asleep.’ They are so boringly noisy."

Mayo: “The movies for insomniacs are films where nothing really happens. The Piano… Empire [Andy Warhol’s eight-hour film of the Empire State Building in which literally nothing happens].”

If you’re Donald Trump

K: “I would lock him in a room with You’ve Been Trumped on repeat. It is a brilliant piece of work – the story of Trump coming to this beautiful area of Scotland with the intention of ripping it up and turning it into a golf course."

If you need to throw up

K: “Problem Child 2 will do the job. There is a sequence with kids on a merry-go-round; one spews and then all the other kids spew."

If you’re Jeremy Corbyn

M: “Battleship Potemkin. If Corbyn comes to power, it’s the only cinema we’ll be allowed to watch.”

K: “The Ploughman’s Lunch: a very interesting film about the public positioning of people’s politics.”

M: “I’ll add Labor’s Turning Point – The Minneapolis Truck Strikes of 1934: A Rank And File Story.”

If you have a cold

M: “I Drink Your Blood: it’s a Seventies horror movie about Satanist hippies who inject rabies into pies."

If you want to avoid contracting an evil virus

M: “Don’t have extra-marital sex with Gwyneth Paltrow.”

K: “In Contagion, Gwyneth Paltrow has had extra-marital sex and so the world is going to end. Someone coughs into a tissue, and the camera looks at the tissue, and then somebody else touches the tissue. It’s a very paranoia-inducing thing.”

M: “Don’t have extra-marital sex with Gwyneth Paltrow. I have stood by that moral all my life."

If you’re Vladimir Putin

K: “Cruising and The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.”

M: “Pride.”

K: “It is entirely possible that Vladimir Putin could come across Pride and then be swept away by the majesty of the film and re-think his homophobia."

If you have swine flu

K: “You can’t focus on anything. If you can watch an entire film, you're well."

The Movie Doctors is out now; £20, Canongate.tv. The tour runs 17 October-13 December

[Images: Jay Brooks]

Who'd have thunk that a podcast would become the year's most talked about murder mystery? Sorry True Detective but Serial has swooped in to become an unprecedented aural phenomenon, rivalling anything else in its crowded genre.

In case you're not aware, it's a weekly podcast where reporter Sarah Koenig investigates the real-life case of Hae Min Lee, a high school student murdered in 1999, and whether her ex-boyfriend, currently serving a life sentence for her murder, really did do it.

It's captured the attention of the world and by its ninth episode, which premiered today, has become the quickest podcast ever to reach 5 million downloads There are fan theories, parodies, Miley Cyrus mash ups and controversy, making it essentially inescapable to anyone with an internet connection.

So, and you could probably have seen this coming, Hollywood has come calling. The show has already had a number of big name director fans:

And obviously the next step is on everyone's mind. While the podcast itself finishes in December, with another series planned for next year, talk is brewing about how Serial, as a brand, can be transported to a more visual medium. 

Serial is an offshoot of the incredibly popular docu-podcast This American Life and producer Ira Glass' agent has been approached by various producers hoping to snap up the rights. But operations manager Emily Condon has stated that they are "not engaging in those kinds of discussions" until the series is over.

It's not a complete impossibility though. This American Life was turned into a TV series in the US and one particular became the subject of a movie, 2012's Sleepwalk With Me. 

For now, if you're not already obsessed, then check out the story so far for free at serialpodcast.org

[via The Hollywood Reporter]