Talking points
Facebook is the latest company looking to take a chunk of the burgeoning audio market. Its Live Audio feature will allow broadcasters to stream interviews and book readings that will appear in Facebook users’ news feeds.
One podcast we’re very much looking forward to is the BBC effort How to Burn a Million Quid, a comedy drama recalling how in 1994 art-pop group the KLF torched £1m of their own cash on the Scottish island of Jura. It’s available in full from Monday.
Picks of the week
First Day Back
Tally Abecassis has a knack for getting to the heart of a story. She is back with a third season of the brilliant podcast about trying to get your life on track after a big event. This time, she spends a year following Baltimore comedian Jason Weems, who had an asthma attack on stage so severe that his heart stopped. The first episode is a moving account of the incident. “This is all like a bonus level that I’ve been given,” he says as he incorporates jokes about death into his standup routine. Hannah Verdier
The Hurricane Tapes
Steve Crossman, more often heard updating BBC radio listeners about sports news, presents a superb documentary series examining the case of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. As detailed in a Bob Dylan song and a Denzel Washington film, Carter was an African-American boxing star who had just spoken out against racist policing when he was dubiously convicted of murder in 1967. The coup here is a newly uncovered audio interview with Carter himself. Jack Seale
Who We Be Talks
Back in 2017, Spotify supersized Who We Be – then touted as “the UK’s biggest street sounds playlist” – with a huge show at Alexandra Palace featuring the likes of Cardi B and Dizzee Rascal. This podcast, now on its second run, is another canny brand extension. Hosted by former 1Xtra presenter DJ Semtex and music exec Parris O’Loughlin-Hoste, it offers intelligent, authentic chats with some of R&B and rap’s biggest names, such as Stefflon Don and French Montana, on everything from the role of the female rapper to racism. Hannah J Davies
Guardian pick: Politics Weekly
Jessica Elgot and guests try to make sense of an historic week for British politics. The Guardian’s Owen Jones and Rafael Behr and Henry Newman from Open Europe ask “What’s next?” after Theresa May’s crushing defeat on Tuesday. Her withdrawal agreement was rejected by a margin of 230 votes, prompting a motion of no confidence from Jeremy Corbyn. Also this week: is Brexit leading to a lost generation of public services?
Producer pick: Household Name – Tinder of the 1960s
Chosen by Danielle Stephens (audio producer, Chips With Everything and Science Weekly)
Did you know that the restaurant chain TGI Fridays was originally one of America’s biggest singles bars? And that some have even claimed TGIs was part of the sexual revolution in the US during the 60s and 70s? This part of the company’s history got lost at some point and today it is better known for its family-friendly atmosphere.
All of this info comes from the first episode of the Business Insider’s Household Name, a podcast that looks at the surprising stories that seem to have been forgotten about some of the world’s biggest brands. It will tell you stories you never knew you wanted to hear, such as what the relationship is between Donald Trump and Pizza Hut, or how gangs once roamed the grounds of Disneyland.
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