Comically Chaotic Chats and Tender Grief: The Best Podcasts of the Week, Ranked by Chaos
Fern Brady returns with chaos, Joe Bloom relaunches his red telephone hit, and Dane Stewart gets tender about grief - all in this week's podcast picks.
This week's podcast roundup brings a delightful mix of chaos, nostalgia, and tender moments, proving once again that the audio medium can be both absurdly hilarious and deeply moving.
First up, comedians Fern Brady and Alison Spittle return for a second series of their comically chaotic chat. The show promises wildly pinballing discussions with no theme, covering everything from Robert De Niro's much younger partner to podcasts about nuns playing ultimate frisbee. Brady even notes that 'so many of Bonnie Blue's views are so close to mine' - business as usual, then. Episodes are available weekly.
Joe Bloom's online series, which features strangers sharing their thoughts via a red telephone, was a viral hit. This relaunch includes big names like David Byrne discussing a tantalising false memory, but retains the ordinary encounters that made it special. Available weekly.
Sam O'Leary and Ash Tyson's off-the-wall chat is daft, rambling fun - a surreal, awkward listen full of corpsing, bizarre ads from fictitious sponsors, and ludicrous musical interludes. Available weekly.
Karel Prince, the seasoned BS detector behind the HMRC of Football podcast, leads a lighthearted quizshow. It begins with two made-up stories and one real one from ex-Man United player Brian McClair. Prince and co-presenter Anita Abayomi debate whether Sir Alex Ferguson is a 'red-faced' taskmaster or a 'soft, kind, tender man'. On BBC Sounds, weekly.
Finally, Dane Stewart's tender third series tells the story of his grandmother's death. The first episode features a candid conversation with his father, then reflects on how Joel Redon - an American writer who died of Aids in the 90s - helped Stewart navigate caregiving and grief. All episodes are out now.
The Good Times
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