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The most influential names in podcasting have gathered at the biggest event in the business this week: The Podcast Show 2024.
An interview masterclass with the velvet-voiced queen of broadcasting, Kirsty Young; a takedown of the dominance of middle-aged white male “dads” with Elizabeth Day; and a celebration of female voices with Audrey and Tolly T of The Receipts were the highlights of the opening day of the London event, which concludes today.
Most important for podcast fans, however, are the trends examined by those who commission what reaches our ears. According According to show director Jason Carter, these include the rise of video podcasting, how the industry will deal with AI and a rise in political voices in the run-up to the UK and US elections.
Our pick of the week is on-trend as Caroline Hirons sits down to chat with Sarah Jessica Parker about her new series, which you can watch. see on his youtube channel. While there aren’t any politicians in sight in the rest of our picks, you’ll find Paul Weller and three amateur detectives investigating “a little corduroy suit.”
Learn more about them below, and then read on for our roundup of the best podcasts about songs.
Hollie Richardson
Television editing assistant
Picks of the week
I’m glad I had this chat with Caroline Hirons
Widely available, weekly episodes.
You can make celebrities spill some serious tea by digging into their beauty bags, something skincare guru and natural charlatan Caroline Hirons knows all too well in her new interview series. It’s an impressive start with first guest Sarah Jessica Parker, who reveals her favorite Boots beauty product for under £2, talks candidly about aging and her body, compares her parenting style to that of her husband Matthew Broderick and gushes over Zadie Smith. Hollie Richardson
The Case of the Tiny Suit/Case
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Following their hit podcast Who Shit on the Floor at My Wedding?, Helen McLaughlin, Karen Whitehouse and Lauren Kilby return with another major mystery. It is set in Sweden, where a woman finds a small corduroy suit hanging on her terrace. The plot thickens when a suitcase later turns up, complete with nude pantyhose and some very old swimming goggles. She indicates a very amateur investigation. Hannah Verdier
The Queen’s Reading Room
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Kate Mosse, Curtis Sittenfeld and Ben Okri are guests on the second series of Queen Camilla’s Literary Podcast, hosted by Vicki Perrin. They will invite listeners into their reading rooms and allow us to spy on the books that created them. First: Neil Gaiman. HOUR
let me say this
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Peyton Dix and Hunter Harris promise to only cover the important stuff on their new pop culture podcast. So if you want to know why certain corners of the internet are convinced Justin and Hailey Bieber are lesbians or need a taxonomy of Hollywood nepo babies, join their “glorified group chat.” high voltage
The Paul Weller Fan Podcast
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Dan Jennings recorded nearly 200 episodes of his fan podcast with Paul Weller’s collaborators, but never with the man himself. After becoming a cult hit, season two sees Jennings gain full access to Weller (above) to delve, track by track, into his new album, 66. Jennings remains forensic in his podcasting, providing valuable insight for the fans. high voltage
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There’s a podcast for that.
This week, Hannah Verdier choose five of the best podcasts about songsfrom a nostalgic ’90s discography to a loving breakdown of country music’s roots.
60 songs that explain the 90s
Can you really sum up an entire decade in 60 songs? Of course not, so Ringer’s Rob Harvilla goes beyond the obvious nostalgia to provide an unconventional perspective. Her episode on Cher’s Believe begins with a declaration of her gloriously immature love for Beavis and MTV’s Butt-Head. She explores the terrible songs she performed late at night in college before diving into Sheryl Crow’s If It Makes You Happy. And there’s a chance to remember her lost love during Lauryn Hill’s Ex-Factor (above). Warning: there are far Over 60 episodes, so you might get lost in this podcast.
McCartney: a life in letters
Fifty hours of conversation with Paul McCartney has given Paul Muldoon a lot of material to analyze his songs. This podcast grandly bills itself as “a masterclass, a memoir, and an improvised journey” and does not disappoint, covering personal stories and the art of songwriting. Beatles classics like Love Me Do, Live and Let Die and Magical Mystery Tour are present, along with Wings’ Silly Love Songs and Picasso’s Last Words (Drink To Me), which was written after Dustin Hoffman challenged McCartney to use the artist’s words. to show that he really could write about any topic.
explosion of songs
Hrishikesh Hirway’s series, the original of music podcasts, has blasted 300 songs so far with the people who made them, including Janelle Monaé, Foo Fighters and Dua Lipa. Their 20-minute episodes squeeze a lot out of each tune, whether it’s Kesha talking about working with Rick Rubin on her meditative anthem Eat the Acid, or Dave Grohl talking about the death of Taylor Hawkins in The Teacher. The classics are well covered too, with New Order celebrating Blue Monday (in their characteristically modest and deadpan way) and its power to rescue any dance floor more than 40 years after it was recorded.
Cocaine and Rhinestones: The History of Country Music
The genius of country music depends on the genre’s ability to tell a story throughout, but Tyler Mahan Coe’s podcast goes beyond the hunt, shoot, and leave tropes to tell the real story of many of its most beloved songs. darlings Happy endings aren’t always guaranteed, as he delves into the pain-filled love story of country couple Tammy Wynette and George Jones, Bobbie Gentry’s disappearance from the spotlight, and Loretta Lynn’s battle against the morality police. Mahan Coe grew up immersed in country music and his love for the subject is evident when he approaches it with expert knowledge and plenty of research.
Aria Code
Is it only men who can sit and analyze songs on podcasts? One genre where stroking your beard isn’t necessary is opera, as demonstrated by Rhiannon Giddens, the fabulous purveyor of folk who lends her banjo skills to Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em. This podcast is like pure poetry, as you float through one aria at a time, absorbing the love, death, and power of opera. Giddens and her guests make the genre accessible to everyone, from Madama Butterfly and Carmen to more modern reflections on the subject of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.
Why not try it…?
A hip-hop version of the whole family’s favorite fairy tales, in Once upon a time.
Cult podcaster Jamie Loftus (My Year in Mensa, Ghost Church) catches up with former internet stars on Sixteenth minute of fame.
The big names (first and foremost, Ben Stiller and Bette Midler!) are candid about their shortcomings in Fail better With David Duchovny.