BOOKS & ARTS
Sentimental in the City
When The Sunday Times’sagony aunt, Dolly Alderton,
and Pandora Sykes decided
to discontinue their
much-loved podcast The
High Low, many of us
were left with a gaping
hole. Thank goodness
Alderton is back. She
and her pal, the author
Caroline O’Donoghue,
present a new podcast
that technically explores
Sex and the City season by
season, but which is just as
much about life, love and...
well, everything.
Frank Skinner’s
Poetry Podcast
Clearly, if stand-up had not
worked out so well for Frank
Skinner, he would have been
an inspiring English teacher.
He shares favourite verse (by
Auden, Pope, Stevie Smith et
al), often offering line-by-line
analysis and raw, brave
and intimate self-insight.
Faultlessly generous to the
listener, it’s a treasure.
The Line-Up with
Shaun Keaveny
After two years of curtailed
concert-going, this fantasy
festival podcast lets you
access all areas. Those
who are missing Shaun
Keaveny after he left
6 Music in September will
be glad to know that they
can get their fix of him
here. His guests (including
Bobby Gillespie, Nadine Shah
and Keith Urban) curate their
ideal festival, choosing its
site, theme, catering and, of
course, their dream line-up
from acts dead and alive.Pieces of Britney
The other High Low alumna,
velvet-voiced Pandora Sykes,
tells the story of Britney
Spears from hardscrabble
Louisiana childhood, to pop
princess, to the controversial
13-year conservatorship that
ended in November. Sykes
makes this a cultural
reappraisal of our rapidly
changing media and its
treatment of women.CONVERSATION
Off Menu with Ed Gamble
and James Acaster
It is the cheeky staff and
friendly ambience that make
the comedians James Acaster
and Ed Gamble’s show about
a “magical restaurant” where
guests pick their dream mealsuch a reliable favourite.
Conversations spin off in
unexpected directions. Ed
Sheeran, Jamie Oliver and
Bridget Christie, celebrating
her 50th with Sardinian pasta
and her dad’s potatoes, were
recent guests.The Adam Buxton Podcast
The homemade jingles! The
bespoke ads! These daysevery male humorist has a
chatty podcast, but Adam
Buxton got in first and
consistently puts in more
effort. Recent guests include
Kayvan Novak and Julia Davis.
Coming up, his annual
get-together with Joe Cornish.How to Fail
After a run of life setbacks,
Elizabeth Day launched this
hugely successful podcast
predicated on the idea that
what doesn’t break us makes
us stronger. She is an astute
interviewer. Strong recent
episodes include Meg Mason,
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
and Stanley Tucci.Grounded with Louis Theroux
The documentary-maker used
lockdown to make a series
of probing interviews from
home with wide-ranging
talents including Helena
Bonham Carter, Frankie
Boyle and Michaela Coel.The Moon Under Water
The comedians John Robins
and Robin Allender invite
guests to design their ideal
pub, from decor to drinks.
Jane Garvey as landlady
of the Harpie’s Rest and
Sarah Millican at the
child-free Giggling Dog
are lovely listens.Walking the Dog with
Emily Dean
The writer Emily Dean and
her dog go for a ramble with a
celebrity and their pooch. In
the latest series interviewees
allowed off the leash include
the comedian Ivo Graham
and Strictly’s Shirley Ballas.FAMILY FAVOURITES
30 Animals That Made
Us Smarter
An underwater robot
modelled on a jellyfish’sefficient swimming; a new
way to keep medicine cool,
inspired by camels —
this BBC World
Service podcast is
full of scientific,
shareworthy nuggets.Homeschool History/
You’re Dead to Me
Greg Jenner, “chief
nerd” on Horrible
Histories, became a
lockdown hero for his
fast-paced, fact-packed,
short, silly history lessons,
with a quiz at the end. For
teenagers and those who
appreciate swearing and
innuendo (much enjoyment in
a recent Mary Wollstonecraft
episode), You’re Dead to
Me is terrific.Not Another
Love Song
The Radio 1 DJ Matt
Edmondson wanted
to write and produce
a pop EP. With
unproven musical
skills, he sought help
from chart-toppers. The
catch: the songs must be
about everyday subjects,
such as potatoes (Holly
Humberstone), box sets
(Griff ) and hay fever
( James Arthur). Fun.Teach Me a Lesson
The Radio 1 breakfast host
Greg James and his wife, the
author Bella Mackie, get some
real-life teachers to share
their favourite lessons. What
makes this good is that the
pair don’t get everything right
and insist that they were
awkward adolescents.RADIO CLASSICS
The Reunion
The 2021 season of this
Radio 4 show, now hosted by
Kirsty Wark, presented somememorable get-togethers: The
Day Today team, Tiananmen
Square protesters , same-sex
marriage campaigners... On
Christmas Eve they reunite
some of the cast and crew of
Love Actually. On BBC SoundsIn Our Time
Melvyn Bragg’s stalwart,
exploring history and ideas,
has captured a new generation
through its podcast — it is
now one of Radio 4’s most
popular programmes with
younger listeners. There was
a brilliant recent edition on
the Battle of Trafalgar.The Life Scientific
Through his skilful interviews
with scientists, exploring their
life, work and what led them
to their field, Jim Al-Khalili
makes accessible topics
that might have seemed
intimidating. Of the most
recent series, Hannah Fry
on big data was fascinating.ONE-OFF
Field Recordings: The Sound
of 2021
Describing itself as a podcast
where audio-makers stand
silently in fields (or things that
could be broadly interpreted
as such), Field Recordings
eschews chatter to showcase
found sounds. Now an annual
tradition, this is a sound-
weave that lasts more
than an hour and
moves through 29
captured moments,
including an
Australian dawn
chorus, London
snow and protest.
Transporting. cAvailable through
Apple Podcasts, Spotify
et al unless specifiedChristmas crooner
Bill Nighy in Love ActuallyFinally freeBritney SpearsPoetic licenceFrank SkinnerVelvet-voicedHigh Lowalumna Pandora Sykes19 December 2021 19