We’ve listened to the best podcasts available today to find the top picks for you.
The best podcasts take everything that works about traditional radio – like in-depth interviews, great stories, education and suspense – and pack all of that audio goodness into a format that’s easy to listen to. That’s one of the big appeals of podcasts: they’re accessible. You can quickly download or stream them from your favorite podcast app, and (data allowance permitting) listen to them whenever you like and wherever you are. Listen to multiple episodes all at once, dip in and out depending on the topics that interest you or spread them out over weeks. Whether you’re doing chores, commuting, walking, working out or doing almost anything else, the best podcasts are the ideal companion. But this isn’t just about easy listening. Podcasts have also delivered fresh and creative takes on how to tell stories, educate listeners and share personal insights in ways that are new and unexpected. There are so many different genres to pick from covering every topic you can think of, and they’re (mostly) free. The problem? Because there are so many great podcasts to listen to, it can be difficult to know what’s worth your time. That’s where we come in. If you want to start listening to podcasts more often or refresh your podcast library with new shows, this guide is for you. We’ve listened to hundreds of podcasts over the years, and this is our selection of the best shows available right now. From some of the most popular podcast shows on the planet to more niche and quirky discussions about everything from fitness and the future, through to comedy and cults. Not strictly just a technology podcast, Flash Forward takes listeners on a journey into the future. Each episode considers a possible future, covering topics that you’ve always been fascinated by but have rarely seen covered in traditional tech and science press. Like, is there really any alien life out there? Will the universe end? And what if you could put a head on a brand new body? What we love is there are always stickier, deeper questions that shake up our thinking in big and important ways, such as should companies pay us for our data? And what if every country had to deal with their own waste rather than shipping it around the world for others to deal with? The host and creator of the podcast, journalist Rose Eveleth, interviews experts to unearth insights about all of our possible futures. The internet is wonderfully weird sometimes and Reply All has a knack for diving down interesting rabbit holes and uncovering comical absurdity at the heart of modern technology. While it’s ostensibly a tech show, it’s very accessible, and the hosts always take the time to explain what they’re talking about. They’re also likeable and quick to poke fun at themselves. The best episodes see them investigate strange online scams and they do a great job of balancing technical information with a compelling story that features an interesting cast of real-life characters. If you listen to just one episode, make it The Case of the Missing Hit. It’s the most satisfying tale of internet strangeness you’ll hear in 2022. Depending on your point of view, this tale of what went wrong at medical technology start-up Theranos could fit into the crime section. The company generated a huge buzz based on its potentially game-changing blood testing technology, which was supposed to allow people to have blood tests with a mere finger prick, instead of requiring a larger sample to be drawn with a needle. Theranos was widely hailed as an all-conquering unicorn and hit a $9 billion valuation before the truth came out and CEO Elizabeth Holmes suffered a dramatic fall from grace. If you fancy listening to an honest discussion about the latest smartphones and general happenings in the tech world, then this should be right up your street. Join the Editors in Chief of TechRadar, Laptop Mag, and Tom’s Guide, plus special guests for insightful explanations on everything from Apple to VR. Hey, we’re not an objective source on this one, but it’s a good listen, okay? When you hear the word ‘cult’ you probably don’t think of CrossFit, cheerleading, Instagram therapy, MLMs and wellness gurus. But it turns out that many of these communities might be « a bit culty » and that’s the premise of Sounds Like a Cult. Author and linguist Amanda Montell and comedian and filmmaker Isa Medina put all kinds of popular figures, communities, fitness classes and sports under the spotlight. They interview experts, analyse language use, identify power structures and speak to people with first-hand knowledge about their experiences, taking things that might sound a bit like a cult to ultimately ask: but are they a cult? This is a great podcast because it’s chatty and, at times, quite informal and yet you learn something juicy, fascinating and important on every listen. The hosts have a great rapport and Montell has written a number of books, including Cultish, which specifically looks at the language used by cults to do all kinds of things, like create exclusivity and ensure followers stick around. Many of history’s most famous dictators were evil tyrants. But as horrible as their crimes were, many of us find their lives and legacies endlessly fascinating. Because, as the tagline for Real Dictators asks: how does a single human being convince thousands to kill for them and millions to turn a blind eye? This podcast series is hosted by Paul McGann (who you might know from Dr Who, Luther, and Withnail and I) and, with the help of experts, each episode picks a different dictator and explores some of the lesser-known details about their lives. From “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who used modern medicine to convince the people of Haiti that he was a Voodoo god through to Kim Jong-il, who developed blockbuster movies alongside nuclear warheads. When adult film star, August Ames, was found dead in a park in 2017, it was quickly determined that the 23-year-old had committed suicide. In the days after her death a possible motive emerged as it was revealed that she had been the victim of online bullying. Jon Ronson, author of So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, investigates the rumors surrounding her death and tries to piece together what actually happened. It’s sensitively handled, and the podcast has something important to say about social media and how we use it. This long-running podcast started on public radio and is ostensibly about design – how everything from cars to keyboard keys to video games are designed. But host Roman Mars likes to tease out obscure details and processes, which always turn out to have unlikely-sounding and fascinating stories attached. As you might expect, given the subject matter, this podcast is meticulous and tightly edited into short, bite-sized chunks just a few minutes long. A podcast that explores the realities of death and grief may not sound like cheerful listening, but with comedian interviews, it’s more uplifting than you might thing. Each week, Cariad Lloyd interviews a different comedian about their experience of grief and loss, and « the weirdness that happens when someone dies ». Past guests include Adam Buxton, Robert Webb, Aisling Bee, Susan Wokoma, and David Baddiel. You Must Remember This is a beautiful, and in many ways tragic, storytelling podcast that delves back into the secret history, long-forgotten mysteries and lesser-known figures of early Hollywood. Former film critic Karina Longworth puts an amazing amount of research into each episode, which in the past have covered the largely untold stories about the likes of Charles Manson, Theda Bara, Frances Farmer and Ronald Reagan. More recently, she covered the story of controversial Disney movie Song of the South. A must for those interested in movie nostalgia and unearthing the hidden gems you wouldn’t usually read in a Hollywood history book. History can be dry and boring, but host Greg Jenner injects a healthy dose of humor here and invites interesting panels of guests to talk about famous figures and periods from history. He invites commentary from a mix of expert historians and comedians, all encouraged by Jenner’s upbeat style. Covering topics like the witch craze, Blackbeard the pirate, and warrior queen Boudicca, this podcast is informative and funny, and it’s suitable for the whole family, too. If you’ve ever read The Guardian’s Long Read articles, you know you need to set aside a lot of time to sit down with them to really be able to digest them. Luckily, The Guardian records some of them, too, so you can listen to them on the go and explore even more in-depth stories.
