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There’s a nice mix of podcasts in this week’s column, with some being difficult but necessary to listen to.
1. Uncanny: Post Mortem
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Life
Danny Robins is immersed in the world of the unexplained. Not only did he write the hit West End play 2:22: A Ghost Story, but he also hosts BBC Radio 4’s Uncanny, which deftly delves into tales of the paranormal told by ordinary people who have experienced frankly extraordinary things.
Uncanny, the TV series, made the jump to BBC Two in 2023, and is back for a second series comprising four episodes, but this time with a visualised podcast. Uncanny: Post Mortem is essentially another 30 minutes where Robins and a celebrity guest examine more revelations and potential explanations for the haunting.
Robins is an animated and engaging host who throws everything into his investigations — even his family and neighbours are used as guinea pigs to try to disprove theories.
The audience is encouraged to side with Team Sceptic or Team Believer, with an expert supporting each camp and offering their explanations.
Suppose you’re brave enough to watch the TV version. In that case, you’ll love that the podcast includes behind-the-scenes extras and follow-ups from previous episodes, with contributions from viewers who can corroborate with chilling detail.
So far this series we’ve had a farmhouse potentially haunted by a sad schoolboy and a charity shop poltergeist who made stock fly from the shelves. Catch up with those and then tune in for the final two episodes to decide where you sit on the sceptic/believer divide — if you dare!
(By Amy Crowther)
2. Great Company
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Life and society
Do you hate small talk? Cat Burns does and prefers to have deeper and more meaningful conversations.
In the latest episode of Great Company with Jamie Laing, the British singer-songwriter opens up about having ADHD and autism and how that impacts how she shows up in the world.
The pair talk more about their neurodiversity — Laing also has ADHD — building connections with strangers versus friends and family, regrets after oversharing, dealing with shame, and what part of their lives should be kept to themselves and the evil eye.
It was really interesting hearing Burns talk about what she was like in school and her difficult relationship with her dad, what it was like losing him on Christmas Day, and dealing with heartbreak.
I’m also not a fan of small talk, so I really enjoyed getting to the heart of this conversation with Laing and Burns.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
3. Stalked
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: True crime
Imagine if you had a digital intruder who has been watching, impersonating and invading your life. And it’s got so bad that they have also evaded the police and stayed in the shadows, until now? This is what happened to Hannah Mossman Moore.
In a new BBC Sounds podcast Stalked, Mossman Moore’s ex-step mum, investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr is on a mission to find out what happened and why.
Cadwalladr went out with her dad Dave many years ago when Mossman Moore was just seven, but when this was happening to her, a few years ago, Cadwalladr was working on another story.
In the first episode, Mossman Moore opens up about how her phone inevitably became her enemy. In March 2018, Hannah is 25-years-old who finally finds the courage to tell the police about what is happening to her and how it has changed who she trusts.
Together, the pair build the foundations of this horrific story, which sets listeners up for what’s to come in subsequent episodes.
It’s a difficult story to listen to but an important one to understand, especially when thinking about how you can keep yourself safe online.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
4. Leave A Message
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Culture and relationships
Presenters Ally & G get right into the tights nightmare they had just before attending the Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy premiere, the difficulties that come with dressing up as a duo, and their love for celebrity spotting, in the latest episode of their podcast Leave A Message.
Produced by W!ZARD Studios in association with District Global, the podcast serves as a safe and unfiltered space where the besties help their internet friends (also known as the Gallies) as they share their stories, dramas and dilemmas in the world’s juiciest group chat. Every week they delve into your voice notes to spill the tea, where nothing is off limits…
In this week’s episode, the first is from a listener who was in a relationship with someone who changed a lot when he got drunk, and why it’s important to be with someone who has a similar relationship with alcohol to you.
Another voice note was from a woman who is constantly love-bombed and wants to know the signs to look out for going forward. Ally and G talk about red flags and why we need to still stay grounded when new people enter into our lives.
If you are looking for a podcast where the hosts listen and don’t judge, Leave A Message is making its way to the Underbelly Boulevard on March 21 and 22 —due to popular demand — for a live show.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
5. Battle & Blessings Podcast
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Life and culture
I’ve admired Sheniece Charway for a while now. So when she shared the exciting news online about the Battles & Blessings Podcast, I was very pleased.
This faith-based podcast is produced by The Awkward Network and has quickly become the space where Charway, the head of black music and culture EMEA at YouTube, and her guests take a deep dive into the extraordinary journeys of today’s more influential voices. She believes that both battles and blessings mark our lives.
In the latest episode, Charway talks to Aaliyah Dickens and Rochelle Mills, who both have influential and senior roles at Gymshark, about childhood dreams, moving to London to find more opportunities, their experiences in Catholic schools, and the impact the murder of George Floyd had on their community at Gymshark.
They also spoke about how their faith influences some of the decisions they make in their career, the lost art of nurturing and being present in their friendships, and why representation in the workplace matters.
Are you looking for a new podcast that will both challenge and uplift you? Then Battles & Blessings Podcast should be your next podcast listen.
(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)
