Picks of the week
The Immortals
BBC Sounds, available from Monday
“What if I told you that death may not be inevitable?” Technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski argues that – like mobile phones 30 years ago – it’s not that far-fetched an idea. In this mindblowing series, she investigates the Silicon Valley tech moguls who are spending millions on seeking eternal life – such as Bryan Johnson, who infuses the plasma of young people into his system, including that of his teenage son. Hollie Richardson
BBC Trending: Extreme
BBC Sounds, episodes weekly
This hard-hitting show pulls together online stories from all over the world. Its new season, Extreme, offers case studies from the fringes of social media, including germ deniers, “incels” and AI-generated videos of murder victims, to ask how the internet is affecting modern behaviour. Nell Frizzell
Drilled
Widely available, episodes weekly
The latest series of this true-crime podcast about the climate crisis points out the real threat to free speech: the clampdown on environmental protests. US host Amy Westervelt works with journalists from Nigeria, Australia and Bengaluru to share examples of climate action and how it is being oppressed. NF
Good Bad Billionaire
BBC Sounds, episodes weekly
Is there such a thing as a “good billionaire”? BBC business editor Simon Jack and Vice editor-in-chief Zing Tsjeng profile some of the richest 2,640 people on the planet to find out. They start with the obvious – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – before digging into pop star Rihanna’s riches, and then the more secretive figures who most of us don’t even know about yet who have incredible power. HR
All My Half East Asian BFFs
Widely available, episodes weekly
As the name suggests, this upbeat podcast is made by a group of mixed-race people, who are all half east Asian and half white. In the series, they explore shared cultural touchstones, including family, sex and dating, media representation and the cliche of the high achiever, by way of rice, friendship and saying tricky English words. NF
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Charlie Lindlar chooses five of the best podcasts on US politics, from a daily news digest to Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on race, class and more.
All in With Chris Hayes
For a decade now, broadcaster Chris Hayes’s nightly show that focuses on social justice and holding the powerful to account has been a bastion of the left-leaning MSNBC network’s nightly programming. Fortunately, the show is also available as a podcast, and the quickfire format translates perfectly for Americophiles wanting to make sense of what just happened stateside. Hayes’s erudite opening monologues, compelling interviews and expert guest segments mean every hour-long episode is packed with the details about the latest from Washington and beyond.
Slow Burn
Slate’s audio documentary show, now running to eight seasons, delves into notorious characters and moments from American political history, reframing well-known events and questioning what their true legacy really is. The seasons on the Iraq war, Lewinsky affair and history of Roe v Wade are compelling listens that still say plenty about the state of American democracy now. The most recent season, released in May and hosted by Joel Anderson, focuses on controversial supreme court judge Clarence Thomas, tracing his rise from a “youthful radical” in college to perhaps the most influential conservative figure of his generation.
Renegades: Born in the USA
It’s former president Barack Obama and voice of the American working man Bruce Springsteen in conversation. Need we say more? If that alone isn’t enough to sell you on Renegades, how’s this: over eight hour-long conversations, the two greats share their perspectives on how racism, growing up in the fraught 1960s and 70s, fatherhood and music have shaped their politics and life paths. Or, in Obama’s words in the opener: “Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much … Plus, Bruce just had some great stories.”
The Brown Girls Guide to Politics
A’Shanti Gholar hosts this practical guide to progressive activism, a “one-stop shop for women of color who want to hear and talk about the world of politics”. As someone in the business of training Democratic women to run for office, there’s few better-placed voices than Gholar to help you learn not only about America’s problems, but how to solve them. In the 100 episodes released so far, Gholar hears how to protect Black Americans’ right to vote, better fund Black businesswomen, solve gun violence, and much more.
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Politics Weekly America
And you can always tune into the Guardian’s own guide to American politics, Politics Weekly America. Columnist Jonathan Freedland acts as host, and is joined by colleagues and other distinguished experts to dissect the last seven days of headlines from across the Atlantic. As the long, long run-up to the 2024 election gets under way, Jonathan and co examine what the state of the Republican party means for the rest of us, whether Trump will run again (and what could befall us if he does), and what chance Joe Biden has of retaining office.
Why not try …
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From Quibi to the biggest Broadway bust of all-time, tales of fails in The Big Flop.
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Weight for It, unpacking “the nuanced thoughts of fat folks, and of all folks who think about their weight all the time”.
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Parenting confessions from Made in Chelsea’s Emily Blackwell and her mum in Mother Half.
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