podcasts

The two formed a double act to rival Tom and Greg, as hilarious in their marital banter as they were rigorous in their analysis, and far less toxic than the self-proclaimed Disgusting Brothers – but maybe just as bawdy.

It says a lot that HBO had its own official podcast for the show but that, come the final season, Lloyd and Barron were seemingly landing interviews with whomever they fancied.

Although I’m surprised that Jesse Armstrong braved an appearance after all of Barron’s creepy love letters to the unsuspecting showrunner.

Podcasts are not all about comedy, true crime and self-help – increasingly, news and current affairs are fuelling the boom in the audio format.  

At the beginning of this month, the BBC’s Global News Podcast, The Economist Podcasts and The Rest Is Politics, which is hosted by New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and ex-Tory minister Rory Stewart, all featured in the top 10 most popular UK podcasts.  

When BBC journalists Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis announced they were following in the footsteps of Andrew Marr to join LBC and Classic FM owner Global and make a podcast, it left many people asking why – and wondering whether we have reached “peak podcast”. 

According to the most recent figures from Enders Analysis, podcast listening has almost doubled over the past four years – in an average week, just over 17% of the UK population listen to a podcast.  

In each episode of In Writing, journalist Hattie Crisell seeks solidarity and insight from one of the best of any and all genres. Among the 25 to date are playwright and screenwriter Lucy Prebble, novelist David Nicholls and writer and performer Robert Webb. 

The interviews feel less like formal conversations than intimate visits. Crisell starts each one by asking the writer to describe their writing room. 

It would take over 14,000 years to exhaust Netflix’s content alone, but like a brimming restaurant menu, with great choice comes a greater opportunity for disappointment.

“Focus on your audience and give them an elevated but inviting, stimulating, playful conversation,” said Lily Ames, Chalk & Blade’s head of production and culture.

Ames, a Canadian who has been based in London for the past six years, was talking at an RTS Futures NI event in late August to Conor Finn, creator and host of the Finnterviews podcast.

She described Chalk & Blade, whose clients include BBC Sounds and the Guardian, as well as brands such as Net-a-Porter, as a “boutique podcast production company”.

Thirteen years after the dramatic finale, co-stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa have reunited for Talking Sopranos, a new re-watch podcast that takes fans through each episode from the very beginning.

The pair recount behind-the-scenes stories, their favourite memories from filming and some surprising facts about the real mob lifestyle they portray on screen.

The friends give fans an insight into their own lives and friendship. They discuss their experiences in the TV industry and the intriguing characters they’ve met on their journeys to stardom.

It is his first foray into the world of celebrity since the TV series When Louis Met…. As he and his guests navigate the new territory of remote interviewing, his signature silences could be mistaken for a Zoom glitch or a phone delay.

Theroux kicks off the series with a conversation with his professional rival, documentary-maker Jon Ronson.

They discuss their shared TV experiences and some of Ronson’s notable career moments. These include trying to organise a night in a haunted house for Robbie Williams.