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IWe love Hear Here’s totally unhinged investigative shows. Who Pooped on the Floor at My Wedding? is an all-time smash hit (yes, I’m going to commit the cardinal sin of including a link to my own interview with the creators here); the duo behind that hit have since made another deeply quirky show, The case of the tiny suit/boxcementing their reputation as some of the most serious detectives of the least serious crimes ever committed.
Joanne McNally is also plowing a similar furrow. Earlier this year, she was trying to figure out whether Canadian pop-punk first lady Avril Lavigne had really been replaced, according to internet conspiracy theories, and now she’s asking whether Furbys, those menacing talking toys that were all the rage in the 90s, were really spying on us. As someone who was absolutely I’m terrified of all the interactions with my incredibly needy Furby. I’ll be listening to it every second. That’s what’s below, along with the rest of the week’s picks, which include a new show I’m really excited to hear from S-Town’s Brian Reed.
I also wanted to use this week’s newsletter to say how devastated I, and so many others, have been to learn of the death of the Telegraph’s audio journalist. David KnowlesDavid was an incredibly kind and generous-spirited person, who had the brightest future ahead of him. As evidenced by the numerous tributes, even those who didn’t really know him connected with him by hearing his voice every day in their Ukraine: The Latest podcast.
Hannah J. Davies
Deputy Editor, Newsletters
Selections of the week
Joanne McNally investigates… Did Furbys spy on us?
BBC Sounds, weekly episodes
Why were the talking Furby plush toys from the 90s banned from the Pentagon? Is it possible they were actually a secret listening device for the Chinese government? The comic’s latest hilarious “investigation” has her calling aviation authorities and heading to the home of a Furby collector who dries his furs on his clothesline. A fun and crazy story. Alexi Duggins
Question everything
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Brian Reed, of S-Town and The Trojan Horse Affair fame, launches a new show to examine the place of journalism in the modern world. It’s inspired by the response to S-Town, which led to him having to prove in court that his podcast counted as journalism. An admirable and candid struggle with a vital question, with an impressive first episode in which Reed takes on one of his biggest critics. ADVERTISEMENT
Night shift
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Jake Adelstein returns to his hometown of Missouri, where the local hospital suffered a surge in patient deaths in the 1990s. This is a depressing story of a place that smelled of “soap and cigarettes” and provided solid medical care until it was hit by a surge in “code blue” alerts. Adelstein tells the story without exploiting it. Hannah Verdier
The road to Joni
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Carmel Holt travels across the United States to explore the transdemographic and transgenerational appeal of Joni Mitchell. She meets Joni fans including Hozier, Esperanza Spalding and Don Was, and asks them how they met Joni and where she took them. It’s an affectionate and joyously digressive account; a fine tribute to an utterly singular artist. Phil Harrison
Dealcraft: Reflections from great negotiators
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Fancy a pay rise? Take advice from expert negotiators who share their “amazing deals” with host Jim Sebenius. Proving that negotiation is anything but boring, attorney John Branca shares how he helped Michael Jackson get his master recordings, which were traditionally held by the record company. High voltage
There’s a podcast for that.
This week, Charlie Lindlar choose five of the best podcasts about The futureFrom a climate-conscious program to a close look at the excesses of the tech titans
How to save a planet
“What if there was a show about climate change that made you feel… energized?” asked the Gimlet climate change podcast, hosted by Alex Blumberg and his “crew of nerds,” which focused on current and future environmental solutions. The podcast ended two years ago, but fortunately (or unfortunately?) the topics Blumberg and his friends tackle with positivity and optimism are still relevant. Should you get rid of your lawn? How can you buy less stuff? And is fast fashion really that bad for the planet? Listen in to find out.
Managing the future of work
Wait, come back! Yes, this podcast is as business-focused as you’d expect from a show produced by Harvard Business School. Yes, there are episodes on HR databases, supply chains, and AI in the workplace. But, thanks to its faculty of engaging hosts and know-it-all guests, there’s a deep catalog of genuinely useful and relevant research on the way our work is changing our lives—and vice versa. Kick things off with computer scientist and author Cal Newport on the “productivity deficit,” and you’ll be hooked.
After the newsletter promotion
Clear words
Less focused on technology and more on human nature, this politics and culture podcast from journalist Derek Thompson quickly became one of my favorites when it started in 2021. The content provided not only by Thompson’s guests but by the host himself makes each episode a rewarding exchange that always leaves you smarter than when you started. Thompson has a knack for putting names to social phenomena you’d sensed but couldn’t quite put your finger on. Appropriately for this topic, the first episode — about the metaverse, NFTs, and everything in between — is titled “The Future Is Going to Be Very Weird.”
Your undivided attention
Produced by the Center for Humane Technology, this show takes a hard look at the ever-expanding and unregulated tech space and asks whether we’re really using our advances for good. Host Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at Google, was a compelling speaker on The Social Dilemma, the excellent Netflix documentary exploring social media’s manipulation of our minds, and continues his lucid thinking here alongside guests including author Yuval Noah Harari, Kara Swisher, and Esther Perel, who comments on the impact of technology on intimacy.
The future of everything
And if you’re in doubt, head over to the Wall Street Journal podcast, which covers just about everything else. From the design of modern bookstores to the impact of the Tesla Cybertruck on car manufacturing to scientists creating synthetic breast milk, this long-running (and award-winning) podcast covers the most cutting-edge technological advances. There’s arguably too much AI for many listeners, but if you browse the show’s sizable archive, you’ll find enough to fill a commute, all in digestible 15-minute episodes.
Why not try…?
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From family group chat etiquette to how to support a child through their first period, This is very awkward It’s there to hold parents’ sweaty, nervous hands.
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Two indie rock drummers host a podcast about football fanaticism, in Days off with Woody and Piers.
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Keep the sporting summer alive by tuning in to Runpod: In search of goldfeaturing interviews with Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tessa Sanderson and more.