Picks of the week
The World According to Tubsey and Hyder
Widely available, episodes weekly
Better known as the sidekicks to the titular chef in the Bafta-winning Big Zuu’s Big Eats, the west London school friends get their own show. Recorded in their living room, it’s an endearingly rambling chat featuring interruptions from Big Zuu as he wanders through. The first episode is very much scene setting, but we’re promised guests such as grime star AJ Tracey and MC Capo Lee in future instalments. Alexi Duggins
What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
Widely available, episodes weekly
Speaking to people experiencing an existential crisis, TikTok executive, leadership coach and bestselling author Michal Oshman’s new series gives listeners tools and frameworks to help tackle fear. She also chats to guests such as presenter and author Candice Brathwaite – a gorgeously upbeat but frank interviewee.
Hollie Richardson
The Loudest Girl in the World
Widely available, episodes weekly
Self-confessed “talkaholic” Lauren Ober always found life a little harder than it should be, but a surprise diagnosis of autism during the pandemic explained why. In this podcast, she’s open about the anxiety and sensory issues that led to accusations of bad behaviour at school – and cruel, unfair punishments. Hannah Verdier
Björk: Sonic Symbolism
Widely available, episodes weekly
The idea of Björk discussing the textures and emotional landscape of her 10 albums (“mohair … beige … ”) could come across as pretentious, but she’s just so lovable, floaty and otherworldly that she manages to pull it off. From singing on her cold journey to school to sitting in a steam room with Brian Eno, she has a lot of stories, too. HV
Beneath the Skin
Widely available, episodes weekly
From imaging techniques looking at the tattoos of ancient Egyptian mummies to a historiographical analysis of the rise of skin ink in 18th-century Europe, this podcast puts a cultural and historical lens on tattooing. It’s a breezy, informative look at the art form, hosted by art history lecturer, tattoo historian and author Dr Matt Lodder. AD
Jaime Winstone’s Greatest Night Ever
Widely available, episodes weekly
With her cheeky cackle and easy charisma, Jaime Winstone is a glorious podcaster as she talks to celebrities about their greatest nights out, with name-dropping, diving into the pool and shot-downing as standard. Danny Dyer, Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw all guest; the latter’s description of his 30th birthday, themed around a J-Lo video, is a snapshot of an extravagant era. HV
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Ammar Kalia chooses five of the best podcasts about internet culture, from a dissection on why we post to a gripping tale of catfishing
Reply All
Before allegations of a toxic workplace culture derailed Reply All in 2021, the long-running series had been leading the charge in creating incisive podcasts that managed to distil the perplexing, vast world of internet culture into snappy, zeitgeist-referencing chunks. Topics range from scam callers and computer glitches at Domino’s to QAnon. For those wanting more in the Reply All vein after its final episode in June this year, journalist Ryan Broderick’s Content Mines currently has its finger on the pulse of everything from NFTs to Gen Z’s love of Minions.
Ten Thousand Posts
Hussein Kesvani’s main podcasting gig, TrashFuture, might have a larger following for its chatty investigations into politics, tech and business, but his show with Phoebe Roy gets closer to the heart of what makes internet culture so pervasive and perplexing: the art of social media posting. Dissecting how tweets, memes and virality infiltrate offline culture – AKA real life – Kesvani and Roy are joined by writers and experts to explore topics as unpredictable and wide-ranging as the Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy trial, true crime trends, transphobia, and the legacy of Kony 2012.
Sweet Bobby
While not strictly a podcast about the internet, Tortoise’s incredibly successful mini series Sweet Bobby explores the darker sides of internet culture, namely catfishing. Telling the story of Kirat – a young woman who gradually falls in love with a man she meets online, before eventually realising he is lying about his identity – Sweet Bobby’s mix of investigative revelations and online dating scenarios many of us can relate to makes it a deeply engaging listen. For a wider-ranging take on cybercrime, Darknet Diaries presents an expert take on the world of hackers and online thieves operating under our noses.
Violating Community Guidelines
Where Darknet Diaries investigates online activity that is almost always illegal, Violating Community Guidelines explores the head-scratching, grey areas of internet subcultures. Leaning on the absurdist bent of many of the scenarios they discuss, hosts Brittany Broski and Sarah Schauer employ a scattergun approach to everything from deep fakes and multi level marketing, to the wild world of Facebook marketplace and chain emails. If you are looking for an even deeper dive into the online communities that sustain these strange corners of the web, Endless Thread has you covered, featuring stories from niche Reddit networks, TikTokkers and influencers.
There Are No Girls On The Internet
To seasoned, lifelong users of the web, the utopian ideal of its creation – that people of all races, genders and ages would come together to share information and empower each other – now seems absurdly naive. Yet, marginalised voices have always shaped the history and existence of the internet: they have just often been overlooked. Host Bridget Todd aims to rectify that fact with this insightful podcast. Giving airtime to everyone from online abortion networks to union organisers, Tumblr fandoms and even Missy Elliott – sadly not in the flesh – it’s enough to make you feel optimistic about logging on again.
Why not try …
Delve into the music and culture of the US – from Phoenix, Arizona to LA – in Sound of Our Town.
Fictional crime stories from India, beginning with a 10-part thriller, in Mumbai Crime.
The road to the US midterm elections in the return of the NYT podcast The Run Up.
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