Picks of the week
53 Minutes
All episodes widely available
Remember a time when football was less slick and cash-driven? Dara Ó Briain and Josh Widdicombe do, and in their new podcast they tell the story of Ali Dia, who made one appearance for Southampton back in 1996. Was Dia a hustler or a dreamer? Did he trick his way into a Premier League game? It’s an incredible tale of a “scallywag” who came from nowhere and returned to obscurity, told with humour and understanding. Hannah Verdier
Educating Daisy
Widely available, episodes weekly
It’s season two, but can any of Daisy May Cooper’s guests persuade her that books are worth reading? Greg Davies, Kerry Godliman and Sindhu Vee are among the candidates who want to work their magic. Will fellow non-reader Rylan Clark be the one to succeed with his celebrity gossip and a book about manifestation? HV
The Boar’s Nest: Sue Brewer and the Birth of Outlaw Country Music
Audible, all episodes out now
Sue Brewer was the mother of Nashville’s country music scene in the 60s and 70s, inspiring and encouraging its biggest names including Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. This podcast tells her story from her point of view. It’s a lively tale, full of heartbreak, dreams and swagger. HV
The Last City
Wondery, all episodes out now
It’s 2072 in this “cli-fi” drama and there’s only one city left on the planet with no crime, droughts and floods. But when the city’s PR discovers a dark secret their paradise threatens to unravel. Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn and Homeland’s Maury Sterling star in a slick, scripted story. HV
Ways to Win
Widely available, episodes weekly
“Losing begets losing. Winning begets winning.” In that case, who isn’t up for a bit of coaching about how to win? Mindset experts and kings of locker room pep talks Craig Robinson and John Calipari are on hand to give it. Tips on how to work when you’re not at your best and lessons from basketball. HV
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Hannah Verdier picks five of the best podcasts about scammers, from a fraudulent art dealer who rubs shoulders with Warhol to a doctor with very bad intentions.
Sweet Bobby
Tortoise’s Alex Mostrous is a man who knows how to deep dive into a mystery, and his podcast about catfishing is a masterclass in storytelling. Chief catfish Bobby worms his way in to Kirat Assi’s life, until she discovers he doesn’t exist. It’s a podcast that’s impossible not to binge as sob story after sob story reaches Assi’s inbox, courtesy of who she thinks is a handsome cardiologist. The fallout shows just how easy it is to get caught up in a scam when it’s delivered so gradually and professionally.
Scamfluencers
Fyre festival has nothing on this collection of scams peddled by social media influencers: there’s a man masquerading as a Saudi prince, a pair of glamorous sisters who bill themselves as gossip girls, and an inevitable bitcoin scandal. Hosts with a dose of side-eye Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi ask: “How far will someone go for money, power and fame?” The results are shocking and often funny in their brazen success. If you look back fondly at the chaos created by the threat of a new football Super League, that 48 hours of money-grubbing is given a new spin.
Dirty John
He administers anaesthetic on a freelance basis. He’s never out of his scrubs. And he never seems to keep hold of a pay cheque. But “Dirty” John Meehan (above) well and truly scammed Debra Newell, who thought she’d met the man of her dreams online. This podcast spawned two seasons of Netflix scam drama and kicked off a new crime genre with its insidious trail of clues. Piecing together the red flags might be satisfying for listeners, but for Newell and her grownup children it was an all too real warning about when online dating goes wrong.
The Wedding Scammer
The Ringer’s Justin Sayles goes on a mission to catch his scammer in this podcast, and the story becomes bigger and more twisted throughout the seven episodes. He first came across the mysterious Michael Esposito not at a wedding, but in a job interview when negotiations turned into “an enormous red flag”. Still, Sayles took the job – with its million-dollar launch party where the caterers didn’t turn up. As he investigates further, he learns he’s not the only person trying to track down the man who assumed many aliases and ruined many weddings. Incredible but true.
Chameleon: Gallery of Lies
Hollywood cons, Vegas hustlers, two mysterious brothers in the wilderness: Chameleon has a knack of pinning down the most fascinating subjects. Season four focuses on German art dealer Helge Achenbach, a fraudster immersed in the world of superstars such as Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. Host Bijan Stephen has one hell of a trail to follow, but documents Achenbach’s rise and fall with meticulous detail, from swanning around glittering Manhattan parties to taking painting classes in prison after failing to pull off a multimillion-pound con.
Why not try …
One seeker, six suitors, a series of phone dates where a suitor gets eliminated after every round. The twist comes at the end in podcast dating show, Hang Up.
Is her life story truly one big elaborate lie? Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Sara Ganim and Edward R. Murrow investigate in Believable: the Coco Berthmann Story.
In It’s Not You It’s Them … But It Might Be You, anonymous expert LalalaLetMeExplain gives candid advice on love, dating, sex, and relationships.
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