Picks of the week
The Eras: Kylie Minogue
BBC Sounds, from Monday
Pop’s pocket-size princess is having something of a Kylie-naissance, thanks to summer smash Padam Padam and the announcement of a Las Vegas residency. She’s also headlining Radio 2 in the Park, which is why Scott Mills is telling the story of her era-defining chapters, along with guest fans such as Emily Eavis, Beverley Knight and Olly Alexander. Basically, everybody just loves an excuse to listen to old-school Kylie. Hollie Richardson
Fearless With Trinny Woodall
Widely available, episodes weekly
Now the CEO of a top beauty brand and an unexpected influencer on social media, the eccentric straight-talking stylist has come a long way since her What Not to Wear days – with failures overcome and reinventions along the way. In this candid series, she speaks to guests including Tan France and Debra Messing about what changes they had to make in order to thrive. HR
Swipe Your Sign
BBC Sounds, new episodes weekly
Those of us who grew up tracking our Love Days at the back of gossip magazines have got serious catching up to do. Swipe Your Sign is a Black, queer-focused dating podcast in which astrologist Celestial Tree matches presenters Nathan Henry and Ro Frimpong with blind dates, according to their horoscopes. Nell Frizzell
From the Oasthouse
Audible, all episodes available from Thursday
The high priest of nasality, the king of big plates, the enemy of perished pants is back with season three of the actually very well respected podcast From the Oasthouse. In this season, Alan Partridge navigates the birth of a new grandchild, his own relationship and, of course, the culture wars. NF
Trials to Triumphs
Widely available, episodes weekly
Dear White People star Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins (ABFJ to her friends) is launching the second season of her soul-bearing podcast in which she interviews inspiring women about the challenging moments in their lives, and what good came from them. Her first guest this season is singer Ari Lennox. NF
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Priya Bharadia chooses five podcasts that cross generational divides, from intimate interviews by Julia Louis-Dreyfus to a dad-daughter true-crime duo.
Wiser Than Me With Julia Louis-Dreyfus
In her debut podcast series, Julia Louis-Dreyfus tries to resolve a single question: why don’t we hear more from older women? The Emmy-winning 62-year-old actor and comedian interviews women in their 70s, 80s and 90s, creating an intimate space for a range of diverse testimonies from artists and activists including Isabel Allende’s experience being an outspoken feminist in Chile and Amy Tan’s reflections on writing The Joy Luck Club. The wisdom and honest advice from the interviewees makes for a heartwarming listen, as does Louis-Dreyfus’s audible relief that, as you get older, things do get better.
Like Mother, Like Daughter Or Not
Kristin Kim is a second-generation Korean American who hosts a podcast with her first-generation mother Joanne, centred on generational healing. Together they tackle major taboos and unspoken tensions within their community, such as mental health, refusing to ask for support and the “model minority” myth. Both mother and daughter are eager to find where their struggles converge, and hold space to discuss the guilt, perfectionism and alienation that arose from their very different upbringings. Their conversations are startling and refreshing in their honesty, as the two work towards the admirable goal of preventing younger east Asians from making the same mistakes they did.
Still Buffering
Although plenty of pods capitalise on 90s and 00s nostalgia, the Smirl siblings – Sydnee, Teylor and Rileigh – aim to connect current pop culture with throwbacks to the beloved shows, music and movies of their childhoods. Lovers of this summer’s blockbuster Barbie can take a trip down memory lane with their episode on the computer-animated movies of the 2000s, while those who’ve loved the TV reboot of A League of Their Own can reminisce about the original 1992 film. Bridging the gap between the teenagers of yesterday and today, this podcast often focuses on characters or artists who span several decades, allowing each host to bring their own touchstones to conversations about Taylor Swift, SpongeBob SquarePants, Harley Quinn and more.
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Dad and Daughter Do Death
At more than 80 episodes and counting, this podcast sees true-crime obsessives Philip and Phoebe tell stories of serial killers and subterfuge, from a French “black widow” to the only UK solicitor to be hanged for murder. Dad and Daughter Do Death began during the second Covid lockdown when the pair could not see each other, but has held on to its original structure of taking turns to find a story the other will enjoy. The result is a podcast that sounds rather like sitting in on a pleasant (if gruesome) dinner conversation between your two nerdy relatives.
What IF?
Hosted by journalist Alisa Anwar, this podcast from the charity Intergenerational Foundation brings together experts from older and younger generations to speculate on the future of work and politics. Challenging the notion of a disfranchised younger generation, the episodes contain impassioned discussions about solutions to the UK’s biggest problems. With episodes ranging from reflections on more than a decade of Conservative government and the aftermath of Cop26 to commentary on the cultural shifts in mental health awareness and the housing crisis, the panellists always bring grace and nuance to their exchange of perspectives.
Why not try …
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Compelling conversations in Technically Confident as Charlotte Fuller pushes to increase diversity in tech.
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Heading into the great outdoors with A Life More Wild, an immersive series of walks with fascinating people.
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Don’t Panic, a weekly comedy podcast offering coping mechanisms and survival advice for life’s worst-case scenarios.
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