Table of Contents
Picks of the week
Up in smoke
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Adam Buxton’s new podcast presents itself as a combination of Serial and Twin Peaks, bridging the gap between fiction and true crime. Mei Mac is Kay McAllister, a former tabloid journalist who launches her own capsule to find out what happened to a missing man. Buxton takes on a low-key role as DCI Roy Burgess, who worked the case. It is told in a fact-based style, but there is no doubt that this is brilliant, high-quality fiction: a compelling, slow-moving story. Hannah Verdier
The Burden: Avenger
Widely available, weekly episodes.
When Miriam Lewin was 19 years old, she was kidnapped on the streets of Buenos Aires and tortured for her political beliefs. But he survived, became a journalist and brought the perpetrators to justice. Now The Handmaid’s Tale’s Alexis Bledel tells Lewin’s powerful story, based on in-depth interviews. high voltage
The madman’s hotel
Audible, all episodes now available
Niall Breslin grew up in the shadow of one of Ireland’s “madhouses” and has been haunted by it ever since. But when he meets Julie Clarke, whose great-grandmother was imprisoned in St Loman’s Hospital until her death, he discovers a story of abuse even more horrific than he imagined. high voltage
My so-called middle age
Widely available, weekly episodes.
“You’ve read All Fours, right?” asks Reshma Saujani while hosting her podcast. “Where is my hotel room?” If that doesn’t get your target audience to nod, the wisdom of your first guest will. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (above) looks as fabulous as ever and talks about the ups and downs of middle age, including the joy of posing nude for Rolling Stone. high voltage
extrasensory
Apple Podcasts, all episodes available Monday for Apple TV+ subscribers
If you were glued to last year’s Ghost Story, here’s another twisted investigation into an ancient and mysterious family secret, this time with questions of reincarnation. Will Sharpe talks to a woman who was related to two girls killed by a car on their way to church in the 1950s. But after their father says they will be reborn, his wife gives birth to twin girls… Hollie Richardson
There’s a podcast for that.
This week, Ammar Kalia choose five of the best podcasts with shocking turnsfrom unsolved murder cases to a traumatic catfishing story
sweet bobby
Falling in love isn’t always a simple experience, but for Kirat Assi, the subject of this fascinating Tortoise series, finding a romantic partner ended up being much more traumatic than it should have been. Following Kirat’s romance from their initial online connection to the shocking revelation of the true identity of the person he had been falling in love with for nine years, Sweet Bobby takes a true crime investigation approach to a story of catfishing that exposes not only Kirat’s crush. but also the great dangers of meeting someone on the Internet. With a Netflix documentary series available now, it’s worth listening to the original before its twists become public domain.
City S
It’s an unusual turn of events when the source of a series suddenly becomes its subject, but such is the case with the popular 2017 show S-Town. Produced by the team behind Serial, the podcast begins with John B, a local resident of the town of Woodstock, Alabama, contacting host Brian Reed to investigate an alleged historic local murder. However, after a series of unexpected twists and a genuinely harrowing revelation at the end of episode two, S-Town soon turns its attention to the story of John B himself, a restorer of antique clocks and a reclusive figure who embodies Southern Gothic. In a place. he always refers to it as “shitty city”.
fire bug
Straddling the line between reality and fiction, this fascinating series begins with the discovery of a novel manuscript titled Points of Origin, which contains within its narrative an account of a series of arson attacks that reads suspiciously similar to a series of fires. real-life unsolved crime that swept Southern California in the 1980s. Featuring interviews with police investigators and dozens of firsthand witnesses, the true crime audio drama podcast brings together the connections between the author of the novel and the arson attacks before reaching a dramatic turn to reveal the true nature of the crimes.
after newsletter promotion
valley of bones
True crime often promises a twist that will reveal the culprit of the gruesome unsolved case, only to be frustrated when they fail to deliver any truly new information. Journalist Gilbert King’s Bone Valley series puts those shows to shame. Alerted by a judge that a 1980s murder case was a miscarriage of justice, King and his assistant reporter Kelsey Decker spend four years meticulously researching court transcripts and police documents to end up solving not only the murder but also another cold case. in the process.
The psychiatrist next door
The Apple TV+ adaptation of this curious series, starring Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell, may not have left much of a mark, but the original remains a fascinating study of human psychology and the ways in which we can come to trust those we trust. otherwise they seem deeply suspicious. Ostensibly telling the story of famous psychiatrist Dr. Ike Herschkopf and his glamorous lifestyle, the series soon evolves into an examination of the intense relationship between Herschkopf and his neighbor and patient Marty. It’s a friendship that transcends boundaries and only leads to a revelation about their truth nearly 30 years after the couple first met.
Why not try it…?
-
we need to talkwhere matchmaker Paul C Brunson and guests share their tips for forging deeper connections, not only with others but with yourself.
-
The strange story of how several former American football players were absorbed into an extreme religious group, in spiral.
-
How to do everythingin which underqualified hosts find overqualified experts to answer their burning (and often absurd) questions about life.
If you’d like to read the full version of the newsletter, sign up to receive Hear Here in your inbox every Thursday.