Talking points
Next Monday sees the fifth iteration of International Podcast Day, an independently-run event featuring online workshops from across the globe, aimed at audio-makers both new and established. Highlights include “Why Translating is the Future of Podcasting” from French podcaster Lory Martinez, and an insight into reusing existing audio content from BBC podcast producer Becca Bryers, whose pod Multi Story won best radio podcast at this year’s British Podcast Awards.
Picks of the week
Tech expert Jamie Bartlett and producer Georgia Catt are the duo behind this hugely gripping new podcast. Dr Ruja Ignatova was the polished entrepreneur with an impressive CV and an even more impressive claim: that her OneCoin cryptocurrency would overtake Bitcoin and make its investors rich. Unfortunately for those who did invest, her business turned out to be a scam, leading to the “very very very scary” tale our podcasters explore. HJD
Murderabilia
True crime is one of podcasting’s biggest genres, but the subjects of this six-part series take their love of the grisly stuff to the next level by collecting mementoes of murder. British reporters Alice Fiennes and Poppy Damon are measured and non-judgmental as they meet a range of enthusiasts. “I like collecting the hair of serial killers,” laughs Paul, a magpie of murderabilia. “Maybe I’m a weirdo.” Elsewhere Eric, who was once engaged to a woman on death row, tries to justify his fetish. HV
Guardian pick: Today in Focus
This week was one of those weeks when the need for Today in Focus really came into, well, focus. Helping listeners make sense of the supreme court’s decision to rule against the government on the suspension of parliament is no easy feat. But presenter Rachel Humpreys and Philippe Sands QC do so with clarity and relatableness. We also hear from Peter Walker, who was with Johnson in New York and describes the prime minister’s response. Max Sanderson
Producer pick: Shreds
Chosen by Siân Burkitt
Weaving together archive material, witness statements and contemporary interviews, Shreds retells the story of the Cardiff Three – one of the greatest judicial scandals of the last half century. On Valentine’s day 1988, 20-year-old sex worker Lynette White was found dead in a flat in the Butetown district of Cardiff. The Cardiff Three – who were all men of colour – were falsely convicted and later cleared of White’s murder. It was a miscarriage of justice that would lead to the largest ever trial of British police officers.
Through its forensic examination of the 30-year-old case, Shreds paints a vivid picture of the multi-ethnic communities at the heart of Cardiff’s former docklands and the spaces they inhabit. And through the story of the Cardiff Three, it poses important questions about institutional racism and the ever-encroaching urban developments that have transformed the once tight-knit streets of Butetown.
