Pick of the week
The Teen Commandments
Sara Cox and her childhood best friend Clare Hamilton host a lively, honest series about parenting teenagers. Or, in their words: “We’re fully gonna take the piss out of our kids.” Less an advice show than a “panic room”, it’s packed with entertaining tales of dealing with kids once they lose the squeaky voices and develop an attitude. AKA: “If you’ve got a nine-year-old or 10-year-old, enjoy it. You’re in a sweet spot that’s gonna end!”
Alexi Duggins
Widely available, episodes weekly
You Don’t Know Peanuts
A second season for the official podcast dedicated to Charles Schulz’s classic comic strip, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year. For superfans, an interview with Charles’s widow Jeannie is sure to delight, as she spoils listeners with anecdotes of her husband’s creative process – and why he hated the name Peanuts. Hannah J Davies
Widely available, episodes weekly
Dancing With Shadows
New York City Ballet’s history is laid out in an engaging, personal manner by journalist Nicky Anderson, who takes listeners on a journey from her childhood love of ballet to gaining insider interviews with ex-NYCB talent. They open up about a workplace that has pioneered some of ballet’s greatest productions, as well as facing accusations of sexual, verbal and physical abuse. AD
Widely available, episodes weekly
Greatest Escapes
Guatemalan American actor Arturo Castro shone in his freewheeling sketch show Alternatino, sadly cut short after a single season in 2019. This podcast feels like a coda, as he brings his charm and rapid wit to tales of daring prison breaks, with the odd Spanglish chat (see episode one on El Chapo, with Orange Is the New Black’s Diane Guerrero). HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly
Cramped
Essential listening for anyone who’s ever experienced painful period cramps. When host Kate Downey first had “death cramps” at 14, a doctor told her they “usually go away when you have a baby”. Why has this pain been dismissed for so long? What is actually happening down there? She doesn’t scrimp on the bloody details as she gets answers. Hollie Richardson
Widely available, episodes weekly
