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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to ask for addictive podcast recommendations?

147 replies

GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 22:00

Podcasts have been around for ages but the concept never really appealed.

Then last week I thought I'd give one a go as a way of making housework less boring and I'm totally hooked! I'm really looking for some more ideas for really good podcasts to listen to. I've only listened to two so far which I can't recommend enough:

  • Serial (season one): A teenager in America goes to jail for killing his ex-girlfriend. That was almost 20 years ago now, and he's still there. A journalist sets out to try and figure out whether he really did it. The journalist is so charismatic and fluid, she's a great storyteller. It was just so engrossing.
  • S-town: In the deep south, a eccentric genius gets in touch with a New York radio station, asking them to come down and investigate a murder that happened in the local town - a place the man lovingly refers to as 'Shit Town'. The story absolutely doesn't pan out the way you'd expect it to...

I found these podcasts so compulsive and addictive. It was just really fascinating storytelling and a glimpse into different worlds.

Can anyone suggest some new podcasts I can become obsessed with in a similar vein?

OP posts:
GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 22:35

Thanks for the ideas so far, am googling them all now. I'm really looking for ones where an entire season is given over to examining something in depth rather than ones where each episode moves on to something different.

@KurriKawari I think he is innocent. Sure, there are charming sociopaths out there, but he just didn't strike me as being that way. I also keep coming back to: what was the motive? I can't see any. The circumstantial evidence doesnt feel enough to condemn him. At the same time though, if he's innocent, then why would Jay incriminate himself by going to the police?

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MrsJackRackham · 11/09/2020 22:35

I agree This Postcast Will Kill You is excellent, very well researched and pitched just right.

GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 22:37

@MrsJackRackham yes it would be good of people could give just a one line description!

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ComingtoKent · 11/09/2020 22:38

I’ve just finished Paradise, a fascinating investigation into the deaths of a British couple in the Caribbean in 1978.

Who The Hell is Hamish? is about a serial con artist.

Teacher’s Pet, Dirty John, Casefile - all good true crime ones. Also Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder.

The Immaculate Deception - about a fertility doctor in Holland who used his own sperm to impregnate his patients
.
I also like The Allusionist (about the English language) - short episodes, clever, funny and interesting. You Must Remember This - forgotten stories of Hollywood. Shedunnit - female Golden Age crime writers.

And of course Desert Island Discs - hundreds of episodes to explore!

CaveMum · 11/09/2020 22:39

You’re Dead to Me - (BBC) factual history podcast hosted by one of the history nerds behind Horrible Histories. He has a comedian and a expert on the week’s topic each week.

Fake Doctors Real Friends - Zach Braff and Donald Faison are rewatching every episode of Scrubs, some episodes with guests (co stars, writers, producers, etc). Very funny and definitely not one to listen to with the kids around!

Grounded - Louis Theroux interviews various stars including Sir Lenny Henry and Helena Bonham Carter

Lockdown Parenting Hell - Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett chat with others about parenting small children during lockdown. Very, very funny.

I’m also loving relistening to old episodes of The Infinite Monkey Cage - Robin Ince and Prof Brian Cox discussing various aspects of science with panels of comedians and scientists.

dayakie · 11/09/2020 22:40

Last podcast on the left, Redhanded, behind the bastards, rotten mango... basically anything true crime. Ohhh and teachers pet.

framboisier · 11/09/2020 22:43

@KurriKawari

Small Town Murder Crime in sports
If you like these, try PS I hate this movie

The most LOL podcast since I finished My Dad Wrote a Porno

(And I find James P v soothing on the ear WinkBlush)

I also like the R4 Friday night comedy and comedy of the week

You're Dead to Me - history + comedy

Decoder Ring - just started with this one. Investigates cultural phenomena and how they started eg the mullet (as in hairstyle, that used to be known as the hockey player!)

Evil Genius - Russell Kane comedy

Waldy & Bendy's adventures in art - erm, art, artists, galleries.... you don't have to be a complete expert, I am a novice

tinyme77 · 11/09/2020 22:47

Bad people.

DrawingLife · 11/09/2020 22:49

If you like in-depth then it doesn't get much better than In The Dark, both seasons (as recommended by previous posters). I love how they let their research make the case for them, how they let people speak for themselves, you hear all the contradicting stories and make up your own mind etc. I hope they do another one.

Newgate · 11/09/2020 22:49

How to Fail - interviewing people about how they have dealt with and learnt from failure

AngryFeminist · 11/09/2020 22:52

My top 3 are hosted by clever, funny women and I can't get enough atm.

Hoovering - Jessica Fosterkew eats something amazing a different clever, funny and generally awesome woman (a few blokes but mainly women). They discuss the joy of eating, and the bullshit of the diet industry.

Rice to Meet You - Evelyn Mok and Nigel Ng plus guest being hilarious, while bringing some much needed Asian representation to the UK. They just got offered a sitcom on Radio 4 off the back of it!

Child Labour - Sindhu Vee and Stuart Goldsmith talk to a fellow comedian each week about how they were patented and how it's affected their own parenting.

GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 23:00

Have just googled them all and made list of the ones that appeal, with descriptions to jog my memory.

In case anyone is interested, based on recommendations here:

In the dark: Serial investigative journalism from APM Reports, with host Madeleine Baran and a team of reporters. In Season 1, we looked at the abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the accountability of sheriffs in solving crime. In Season 2, we examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who has been tried six times for the same crime. With a special report on how Covid-19 is affecting the Mississippi Delta.

Missing cryptoqueen: Dr Ruja Ignatova persuaded millions to join her financial revolution. Then she disappeared. Why? Jamie Bartlett presents a story of greed, deceit and herd madness.

Fake heiress: The rise and fall of Anna Delvey, who conned New York high society into believing that she was a multi-millionaire heiress. Vicky Baker and Chloe Moss dig deeper into the scandal.

Cautionary Tales: We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “Messy” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser.

Man in the window: In Man in the Window, Paige St. John, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter has uncovered never before revealed details about the man who would eventually become one of California’s most deadly serial killers.

The Vanished: Missing persons, one episode at a time.

The Teachers Pet: Lyn and Chris Dawson appear to have the perfect marriage. He's a star footballer and popular high school teacher. She's a devoted wife and mother. They share a beautiful home above Sydney's northern beaches. But when Lyn goes missing, dark secrets are buried. This is no fairytale, but a sordid story of strangely close twin brothers, teenage student lovers, and probable murder. The Australian's Hedley Thomas digs deep into a cold case which has been unsolved for 36 years, uncovering startling new evidence.

Mystery Show: In each episode, Kine solves a minor mystery which cannot be solved with search engines alone

Dirty John: Debra Newell is a successful interior designer. She meets John Meehan, a handsome man who seems to check all the boxes: attentive, available, just back from a year in Iraq with Doctors Without Borders. But her family doesn’t like John, and they get entangled in an increasingly complex web of love, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately, survival. Reported and hosted by Christopher Goffard from the L.A. Times.

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GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 23:01

In the dark and teachers pet are calling to me most!

Man, I really loved S Town though. I actually miss hearing John.

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SoManyActivities · 11/09/2020 23:06

Thanks for the ideas so far, am googling them all now. I'm really looking for ones where an entire season is given over to examining something in depth rather than ones where each episode moves on to something different.

In that case 'Death in Ice Valley' is really good. Its a BBC podcast about the Isdal Woman and I really enjoyed it.

My Dad Wrote a Porno is definitely my all time favourite podcast though! Grin

countbackfromten · 11/09/2020 23:08

Shreds is a BBC one that I couldn’t stop listening to, about an appalling miscarriage of justice. One of the best things I have listened to.

MrsJackRackham · 11/09/2020 23:09

I listened to S Town while walking down Sauchiehall Street every morning going to work. My face must've been a picture sometimes.. NOOOOO!!! ShockShockShock

SoManyActivities · 11/09/2020 23:09

'Believed' is an excellent podcast about Larry Nassar. It's really quite powerful.

And I also listened to one called 'The Thing About Pam' which was quite good too.

Casefile is something different every episode but they are really good episodes! You can look online for people's favourite episodes and try from there.

mummy2oneandtwo · 11/09/2020 23:09

@GoldfishParade

In the dark and teachers pet are calling to me most!

Man, I really loved S Town though. I actually miss hearing John.

Yes, so glad In the Dark is calling to you!! I was hooked and got so many friends listening too, all of them as hooked as I was. Honestly the case of Curtis Flowers is something else!

Enjoy!!

xtinak · 11/09/2020 23:10

All true crime that deal with a single story each season:
Death in Ice Valley
Accused
Up and Vanished
The Dropout
Intrigue: Murder in the Lucky Holiday Hotel

SoManyActivities · 11/09/2020 23:13

Also, I'm not entirely sure how you would take it if you didn't actually have cancer yourself, but the early episodes of You, Me and the Big C when Rachael Bland was still alive, are really good. I always think some of it might be interesting for people who haven't had cancer and want a bit of an insight into it - it's the first time people have really talked about really openly about all the aspects of it. Might be a bit niche though!

Chickenfingers · 11/09/2020 23:13

No Sleep Podcast is incredible, there's a free version on Spotify or you can be a premium member and get extra stories.

They started as taken from the Reddit thread r/nosleep and are acted out by various actors. Similar to creepy pasta type stories where they are written to feel realistic. Some stories are longer then others but they are usually 30 minutes or there are special episodes which can be like, 2-3 hours long.

GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 23:14

@MrsJackRackham He was just so... I can't even describe it. I found him so interesting and touching. I was absolutely gutted about (spoiler alert). The way the sentences just rolled off his tongue was mesmerising, his rants were like poetry!

One thing that disappointed me a little was there wasn't any resolution about where that gold was. I was kinda holding out for that!

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BeBraveAndBeKind · 11/09/2020 23:14

I love Darknet Diaries. They're all about a different aspect of cybercrime, hacking, penetration testing, social engineering etc. It's a different story each episode but some do cross over or interlink.

I really enjoyed The Missing Cryptoqueen. It's back now for a second series.

GoldfishParade · 11/09/2020 23:15

@xtinak that's a great list, thank you!

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SoManyActivities · 11/09/2020 23:18

Oh and if you watched that dramatisation of Chernobyl on Sky (or even if you didn't probably) the accompanying podcast to it is fantastic - I became obsessed with Chernobyl for a few weeks!