Now that you’ve got some more time on your hands and you’re finally in control of what you listen to now that you’re WFH (no more office Sonos hogs to contend with), you can press play on some podcasts. Whether you’re looking to explore the back catalogue of your fave pod – Desert Island Discs has more than enough episodes to see you through lockdown – or you want to get stuck into a brand new one, we’ve got eight podcasts that span food, film, music, true crime and more to get you started.
THE CELEB-Y ONE
Table Manners
It’s a simple premise: Jessie Ware has someone over for dinner and a chat with her mum Lennie cooking up the food. It’s been a runaway success, clocking up over 10 million plays since it launched. They’ve had everyone from Kiefer Sutherland and Sadiq Khan to Ed Sheeran and Nigella Lawson on, and it’s become so popular that the pair have even released a Table Manners cookbook.
THE FILM ONE
Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review
If you love going to the cinema and you’re not already listening to the podcast of Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s BBC 5 Live film show, then what have you been doing?! The two hour weekly pod features interviews with major stars, Mark’s film reviews, and lots of random wittering and in-jokes (better than it sounds).
THE MUSIC ONE
Desert Island Discs
Having been recorded since 1942 (with a few breaks, but that’s still a lotta episodes) Desert Island Discs is a British institution. Each castaway gets to pick the eight tracks they’d want if they were stranded on a desert island, along with one book and one luxury. You get to hear the interviewee’s fave tunes but you also get a real insight into them as a person, and it can get emosh.
THE TRUE CRIME ONE
The Dating Game Killer
If you’ve watched all the true crime docs on Netflix, it’s time to dive into true crime podcasts. The Dating Game Killer goes into detail about the life and crimes of Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who appeared on television game show in 1978, right in the middle of his killing spree, and who also held jobs at a prominent newspaper and a summer camp.
THE LOTI ONE
Yes Chef
Well we had to, didn’t we? Yes Chef is our own podcast where we chat to our favourite chefs and foodies in London to find out what got them into food and made them become a cook, journeying from their childhood right up to the present day. Guests include Tom Brown, Gizzi Erskine, Max Halley, Richard Corrigan, Andi Oliver and more.
THE REALITY ONE
The Gemma Collins Podcast
We’re all guilty of watching at least one season of The Only Way is Essex and by far the most entertaining character was Gemma Collins. The podcast gives an inside scoop of the life and LOLS of The GC and is the perfect listen for those times when you’re brain dead and can’t fully focus on anything properly.
THE MOTIVATIONAL ONE
Ctrl Alt Delete
If you like being nosey (we do tbh) and you want the lowdown on people’s ups, downs and how they really figured their own shit out, then this podcast is for you. With guests ranging from writers, to actors, politicians and career coaches there’s never a topic left uncovered and you might just learn something that’ll change your own path going forward.
THE LEVELLING-UP ONE
Mind Valley
Host Vishen Lakthiani has grown his business into a multi-million pound enterprise and his aim in life is to help you do the same. With motivational and inspirational talk from tech entrepreneurs, life coaches, scientists and more, he’s trying to arm you with everything you need to level up your personal growth.