Like many people my age (30, if you’re interested) I have no desire to be alone with my thoughts at any point. This generational quirk means if I’m not watching something, I am listening to something.
Because of this I have listened to hundreds of podcasts. From crime to social issues, all the way through to comedy and ghost stories. Over the last few years, I have made a serious dent in the market and if you want some top quality listening, these are my five all time favourites.
You’re Wrong About
Hosted by writer Sarah Marshall alongside various guests, You’re Wrong About has been one of my most-played podcasts since its inception in 2018.
This show investigates famous media events from the OJ Simpson trial to the McDonald’s hot coffee scandal and reveals how the media’s coverage has skewed public perception.
It is a truly fascinating podcast, and Sarah’s analysis of crime and media is as nuanced and compassionate as it is well researched.
The variation between episodes means every new release teaches you something completely new and I would highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the stories the media tells us – and what we tell ourselves.
If Books Could Kill
Pop psychology has rotted the brains of generations, and this series aims to make them whole again.
Hosted by journalist Michael Hobbes (who also co-hosts the earlier episodes of You’re Wrong About), Sarah Marshall, and Peter Shamshiri – a lawyer and journalist, If Books Could Kill takes a closer look at some of the best selling non-fiction books and gets into the detail of them.
Their analysis of the junk science behind some of these books is incredibly in-depth and reminds us that things are rarely what they seem.
The pair have incredible chemistry together, and as well as being very informative, there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments across the series.
Black Hands: A Family Mass Murder
Rarely has a podcast gripped me so completely from the first three seconds. This true crime podcast, created and hosted by New Zealand crime journalist Martin van Beynen, opens with the emergency call from 22-year-old David Bain, reporting the murder of his entire family as he cries, “they’re all dead”.
In 1994, Robin and Margaret Bain and three of their four children – Arawa, Laniet, and Stephen were all shot and killed in their home in Dunedin, New Zealand with David being the only survivor.
Black Hands details the family’s strange lives, the theories behind their deaths and David’s trial.
Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but this podcast gives a truly chilling insight into the horrendous murders and the strange occurrences in the Bain household leading up to their deaths.
Martin speaks to witnesses who had never been heard from before, collates countless police reports and explains every aspect of the case over the 12 episode series.
If you are interested in true crime, then you cannot beat Black Hands.
My Dad Wrote a Porno
This podcast is one of the most famous of the last few years and for good reason. I, along with millions of other people all over the world, absolutely loved this series.
Hosted by Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine, the podcast is a dramatic reading of Jamie’s father’s work – a self published, “erotic novel”.
I put that in quotes because erotic it most certainly is not – it is so terrible that it is side-splittingly hilarious, and the commentary between the three co-hosts makes it even more so.
From Frankenstein-esque descriptions and mud-covered romps in a charity tombola to a totally bonkers spy plot line riddled with impossible exploits, this six-series podcast is a firm favourite of mine.
Whenever I need a good giggle, I go back to My Dad Wrote a Porno and it always, always delivers.
Teacher’s Pet
This investigation into the 1982 disappearance of Australian woman Lynette Dawson is among the most compelling podcasts I have ever heard.
Lynette’s disappearance was largely swept under the rug at the time, but the work of host and journalist Hedley Thomas brought it back into the mainstream news.
The Teacher’s Pet goes in-depth into her rocky marriage to former rugby league player Chris Dawson, as well as his affair with a teenage girl and a bungled police operation.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but the work Hedley put into this 17-episode podcast changed the course of Australian history and is one of the most impressive and thorough crime investigations I have ever heard.