大象传媒

Arthur Smith

Comedy Club doyenne Arthur Smith has picked the documentary podcast which charts the rise and fall of Anna Delvey – the women who conned New York High Society into believing that she was a millionaire heiress. Arthur found the extraordinary story exciting and fascinating – and a little inspiring… “How did she pull it off? How did she get away with it for so long? How could I pull off a similar scam?” So do keep an eye out for the socialite Arthur Smith… Fake Heiress is available now on 大象传媒 Sounds. And for his pick of the comedy podcasts Arthur chose the astoundingly prolific My Time Capsule with Michael Fenton Stevens. Michael invites his guests to pick five items to keep in a time capsule - four are representative of their favourite things and one is something they never ever want to think about again. There are over 170 episodes available and guests have included Stephen Fry, Caroline Quentin, David Mitchell, Ross Noble, Lee Mack, Arabella Weir, Rob Brydon, Sanjeev Bhaskar - and Arthur himself.

Comedian and German language learner Angela Barnes

Athena Kugblenu

Athena Kugblenu chose The Receipts Podcast as her favourite comedy podcast - the long-running, fun conversation podcast hosted by three girls who are willing to talk about anything and everything. Athena says she has been listening for years because those millennials "make her feel young at heart by listening to them talk." For her non-comedy pick Athena chose the multi-award-winning and critically-acclaimed Have You Heard George’s Podcast? And as Athena points out – you should have heard it already. The beautifully produced podcast mixes storytelling, soundscapes, music, poetry, fact and fiction to offer a fresh take on inner city life. All three series of Have You Heard George’s Podcast? are available now on 大象传媒 Sounds.

Angela Barnes

Angela Barnes uses podcasts to improve her language skills. So we should say that ihr lieblings podcast ohne comedy is Easy German. It’s a podcast where two German speakers discuss various topics so you can learn a new language by exposing yourself to conversation, discover new words and learn the rhythms and melodies of other languages. It’s from the team behind Easy Languages which offer podcasts and language lessons in a variety of European languages. If you’re going to give it a try, viel glück! Angela's comedy podcast recommendation is a little closer to home. Crash! Bang! Wallop! is a podcast hosted by two comedians who Angela describes as, "both brilliant and both confusingly called Phil" - Phil Jerrod and Phil Lucas talk us through some of history's biggest disasters. While the show finished publishing in 2021 after the untimely passing of the much loved Phil Jerrod, there are plenty of episodes to listen back to. You'll laugh and you'll learn as you listen in.

Jake Yapp

Jake Yapp’s choice is from the bestselling author and psychotherapist Ester Perel. In Where Should We Begin? Ester invites us into her office to listen as real couples anonymously share raw and intimate details. From infidelity to loss, it's a space for people to be heard and understood, and for us to listen and learn for our own relationships. Jake describes it as emotional voyeurism. And he’s not wrong – all emotional issues are delved into in detail and no secrets are left unsaid. And Jake's comedy podcast is another American offering: The Problem with Jon Stewart. The former host of The Daily Show discusses the state of *gestures wildly* all this in typically candid, hopeful, angry detail. He looks for solutions, he looks for hope, he looks for changes - and, mostly, he looks for the funny in everything.

Harriet Kemsley

New mum Harriet Kemsley has chosen Jesse Cave: Whenever It Kicks, a podcast where mum of three (with a fourth on the way) Jesse Cave talks about motherhood, pregnancy and life in general – and it is brutally and hilariously honest. Harriet says that she didn’t know anything about pregnancy and birth until she did it – but this podcast tells you EVERYTHING in raw, celebratory detail. And Harriet is keeping it in the family for her comedy recommendation as she is married to one of the hosts of sweary-funny-history podcast The Year Is… but she is keen to point out that she "wouldn't recommend it if I didn't think it was really funny." The comedians Bobby Mair and Red Richardson travel back to a different year in history and talk about the weirdest, most interesting and sometimes horrifying events that happened. And they have special guests to help them trawl through the last including Sunil Patel, Helen Bauer and Jamali Maddix. And the podcast did lead to a Twitter beef between Red Richardson and The Mary Rose (yes, the actual ship).

Jessica Fostekew

Comedian, weightlifter and fantastic foodie Jessica Fostekew picked the "hilarious and gloriously naughty" Wheel of Misfortune - a brilliant comedy podcast on 大象传媒 Sounds. Alison Spittle, Fern Brady and a host of special guests massively overshare and rummage through listeners problems and stories. And for her non-comedy choice, Jess recommends the American podcast Maintenance Phase which she describes as “brilliantly researched, JUICY, mythbusting.” The presenters Michael Hobbes and Aubrey Gordon debunk the junk science behind dieting, weight loss and health and wellness fads.

Rob Deering

The long running and multi-award-winning podcast Griefcast with Cariad Lloyd is the choice of the comedian and runner Rob Deering. What Rob loves about the podcast is how these beautiful conversations are always sad and funny – sometimes at the same time. In each episode, Cariad talks to a comedian about a loved one they have lost. There are love-filled, honest, hilarious and beautiful conversations about death and grief. Rob says, “it not only normalises is but it niceisises it. And I apologise for the word I’ve just coined.” And Rob's comedy choice is another winding conversation podcast - Brett Goldstein's Films to be Buried With. In each episode, Brett is joined by a special guest who picks the films that mean a lot to them - which in turn leads to stories about life, love and everything else. Rob does warn us that the podcast is so good it will make you want to watch every film that is mentioned - even the bad ones.

Jon Holmes

Jon Holmes picks Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy – which he describes as “one of the funniest podcasts I’ve ever heard – by accident. Because a man gets eaten by a tiger.” The podcast tells the true story of the illusionists and pop culture icons and their Las Vegas residency – which, in 2003, went very publicly wrong, when a White Tiger, a part of their act for many years, attacked Roy on stage. Steven Leckart takes you behind the velvet curtain to reveal shocking moments, surprising details, and hidden truths about two men who were lionized by millions of fans and criticised by animal welfare advocates. And Jon's comedy podcast pick is not a comedy podcast per se, but it is a podcast about comedy. In Jon's words, "Don't switch off. It is Jordan Peterson's Podcast. Wait. Where he talks to Jimmy Carr. Again, don't switch off." The podcast interview really delves into the mechanics of comedy and joke writing - and how to elicit laughter, shock and surprise from an audience. So, don't switch off.

'Wild Things' fan, comedian Jon Holmes

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Jon Holmes on 'Wild Things'

Isy Suttie

Isy Suttie has chosen another true story podcast Chameleon: Wild Boys. The podcast tells us about two half-starved brothers who emerged from the wilderness into a Canadian town in 2003, telling an incredible story of survival. The small community took the boys in – helping them and caring for them. The only problem was that the boys weren't who they said they were… Isy says the podcast is “so addictive. It’s like a Russian Doll in terms of plot and the way it unravels.” For her comedy recommendation, Isy chose Cuddle Club with Lou Sanders - the podcast all about cuddling. Lou - in typically Lou style - asks an array of amazing special guests how they feel about cuddles and affection. It's sweet, it's weird, it's funny. And it's a great title to say if you have a northern accent.

Iain Lee

Iain Lee recommends Nothing Is Real, a podcast that discusses all things Beatles. “There are so many Beatles podcasts out there but Nothing is Real is so good. In each episode they take one slice of Beatlemania and dive in.” The podcasts covers the enjoyment of The Beatles’ records and films, while also looking at the circumstances, events, effects and inspirations that brought these iconic ideas to life. And Iain has shared a paranormal parody podcast as his favourite funny listen - Clinton Baptiste's All-New Paranormal Podcast sees Britain's foremost paranormal investigator take you on a spiritual journey beyond the Celestial Curtain. Clinton and his special guests from the world of the occult, the supernatural and general ghostly areas offer discussion on seances, exorcisms and hauntings and offers advice to callers, studio guests - adviced gleaned The Other Side. Iain Lee says it is his favourite because, quite simply, it makes him laugh an awful lot.

Paul Garner

Paul Garner uses his podcast recommendation to get something off his chest – he is a huge fan of the Norwegian pop band A-Ha. You know, the ones that did Take On Me. His podcast choice A-Ha: Ranking Highs and Lows basically goes through every song that A-Ha have ever done and ranks them – from 1 to 147… Paul says, “the podcast shows how good they are and that they are so much more than a boy band with ripped jeans… why should I apologise – I am an A-Ha fan and I’m listening to the podcast A-Ha: Ranking Highs and Lows.” Paul's comedy podcast pick is a little more enlightened - I Can't Believe It's Not Buddha with Neil Webster and Lee Mack, a podcast where Lee and Neil take their first, very clumsy, steps on the road to Nirvana. A trip that Lee Mack is very willing to make as long as he doesn't have to sleep in communal rooms nor spend too much time with people he doesn't know. It's a funny, honest chat about trying to better oneself and find inner peace.

Many of our presenters picked True Crime podcasts. And, oddly, they have been listening to these true crime tales while decorating…

Lou Conran

Lou Conran has picked the award-winning Australian podcast Casefile. The Episodes delve deep into the circumstances, investigations and trials of solved and unsolved cases from all over the world. Lou loves the meticulous details and “the ins and outs” of all the cases - and has painted a room in her house a lovely shade of bright red.

True Crime fan, comedian Laura Lexx

Sarah Campbell

Sarah Campbell decorated her hallway while listening to the ten episode series from the podcast You Must Remember This about the Manson Family killings. The presenter-producer Karina Longworth meticulously researches, writes and presents various stories from the golden age of Hollywood in a compelling and dramatic way – and she has A BRILLIANT VOICE. Other series have included the rivalry of Bette and Joan, McCarthyism, Gossip Mags, and The Rat Pack. Sarah was gripped by the series on Charles Manson and listened in one go saying “I can only paint a skirting board while listening to the details of wicked doings.”

Laura Lexx

Laura Lexx loves the podcast Criminal presented by Phoebe Judge. The series offers an unexpected and critical look at true crime cases – and in some cases assessing whether the crimes were actually crimes. Rather than being about gruesome murders it is more about the nature of law and crime with a focus on surprising stories and what they can tell us about society – which is why Laura likes it: “It is always very balanced, I find it very calming and very soothing – I just love it!”

Want more recommendations? Podcast Radio Hour is on Fridays at 11am and 9pm on 大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra and 大象传媒 Sounds. The Radio 4 Extra Comedy Club is on every night from 10pm – midnight on Radio 4 Extra and 大象传媒 Sounds. You can find lots of podcasts on 大象传媒 Sounds.