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Are you a thrill seeker? What things still give you hope? Are you a fan of reality TV? Or do you enjoy chatting with friends over a good meal? This week, our podcast picks are about all that and more.
1. Criminal Lawyer
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: True crime
Hosted by journalist Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, this podcast will keep you hooked throughout all six episodes as it follows the rise and fall of ruthless criminal defense attorney, Paul Bergrin.
Each episode provides detailed information about the case and explains how far Bergrin is willing to go to win a case. However, the timeline presented is choppy and can sometimes be confusing.
We learn about Bergrin's beginnings, from feeling like an outsider while working in the U.S. Attorney's office, to the height of his influence on criminal gangs.
Criminal Attorney includes interview clips from people involved in the case. Additionally, during the filming of the episodes, Jenkins was given access to Bergrin's unpublished memoirs, which provided fascinating insider details.
(By Amelia Braddick)
2. Split Screen: Thrill Seekers
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Entertainment
Are you a thrill seeker? What would you do to find it?
Split Screen: Thrill Seekers is Love + Radio's first six-part miniseries, co-produced by Vespucci for CBC, in which a television crew offers 12 people the chance to take part in the adventure of a lifetime. But there's a catch: the contestants don't know anything, which I won't spoil here.
If you love watching reality TV and have always wondered about the behind-the-scenes ethics of the show, listening to host Nick van der Kolk talk to the set designers and crew members was fascinating. It showed that it didn't take much to permanently warp your sense of reality.
Although the contestants weren't allowed to ask many questions, I found it particularly interesting to hear why they decided to sign up for the TV show in the mid-2000s and what they initially thought they were getting into. The common thread was that they were all looking for an outlet and a thrill.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
3. Delicious and quality pub competition
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Food
Proper Tasty Pub Quiz, hosted by two-Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge and Capital Breakfast and That Peter Crouch Podcast host Chris Stark, is an event where friends go head-to-head and discuss the most important things in life – good food, good company and the glory of beating your friends at a pub quiz…
The episodes are presented by M&S Gastropub and filmed at Kerridge's Chelsea pub, The Butcher's Tap and Grill. The pair are also joined by well-known guests including Jamie Redknapp, Jill Scott and many more to be confirmed, who, along with listeners, are put through their paces in four food-related rounds.
So inevitably there is controlled chaos, funny anecdotes and a chance for guests and listeners alike to learn a thing or two. Can a good meal and a good chat really go wrong? Not really.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
4. The Louis Theroux podcast
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Life and entertainment
Louis Theroux's podcast is back for another season, but this time with a new feature. Instead of just listening to the podcast, you can now watch episodes watched on Spotify.
Halfway through the recording, the crew had to change rooms due to an error in booking the recording studios. What might have been obscured by the audio before is now clearly visible. However, this interruption did not affect the flow of the conversation.
Theroux’s first guest is influencer and former adult film actress Mia Khalifa. In her signature style, her conversation with Khalifa feels more like a casual chat than a structured interview. They touch on a range of topics, including sex work, the internet, autism and Lebanon.
Theroux's gentle persistence encourages his interviewees to open up and share personal stories. With a variety of guests, this season promises to be unmissable.
(By Amelia Braddick)
Focus on…
5. Here's Hope with Jayda G
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Life and well-being
Here's Hoping with Jayda G is the new podcast produced by Mia Zur-Szpiro, where the DJ, music producer and environmental toxicologist delves into the topic of hope, when we need it, how we find it and why we still have reason to feel it.
This week's guest is Cornish adventurer, author, speaker and coach Gail Muller, who has overcome immense personal challenges including dealing with chronic pain for the past 15 years and having a late diagnosis of ADHD.
In 2019, Muller also embarked on a life-changing journey hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, which inspired her to write two best-selling books.
Muller spoke about being told he could be immobile by the time he turns 40 despite being fit and healthy, dealing with invisible chronic pain, and how we all have the potential to remain hopeful by focusing on the micro rather than the macro.
It's obvious that hope has always been a great light for Muller and it was heartening to hear her talk about distancing ourselves from our former selves and why, when we're on the journey of grief, it's important to keep moving forward.
Jayda G then goes a bit further, asking Muller to talk more about being told she could potentially be in a wheelchair as a teenager, the healing power of nature, living with ADHD, and much more.
The podcast is truly a breath of fresh air and a great listen for anyone feeling hopeless, because hope deferred really does make the heart sick.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
