Picks of the week
Everything to Play For
Wondery+, all episodes out on Monday
Just in time for the Euros, Elis James and Colin Murray start their sporting heroes podcast with the 20th anniversary of Wayne Rooney’s Euro debut. Their fact-packed commentary is enthusiastic and they have plenty of empathy for Rooney’s first outing as a youngster tackling press conferences and tabloids. When they get to Euro 2004, there’s even more pressure as the nation pins its hopes on the talented 18-year-old. Hannah Verdier
Memories from the Dancefloor
Widely available, episodes weekly
Damian Kerlin is off to Wales for a new season of the hidden history of LGBTQ+ clubbing, with evocative stories about smoky pubs and secret bars. The joyous dancefloor action is expertly put into context, with Section 28, solidarity with the striking miners and the Aids epidemic among the threads running through the history. HV
Come By Chance
Widely available, episodes weekly
Clarence Hynes and Craig Avery were 52 when they learned they were both born in Newfoundland’s rural Come By Chance hospital on the same day. And when they pieced more clues together, they realised they’d been switched at birth. Host Luke Quinton tells the incredible story skilfully, with the realisation that their discovery is just the beginning. HV
Caught in the Crossfire
Widely available, episodes weekly
When Anthony Campbell was killed, he was doing an honest day’s work as an apprentice plumber but he was caught up in the shooting of drug kingpin Martin “Marlo” Hyland. The murder remains unsolved 20 years later and in the first episode of this new podcast, Campbell’s mother, Christine, has her say, showing the human cost of gangland crime. HV
Making Magic
Widely available, episodes weekly
“This is what I have been looking for my whole life.” “The heavens opened.” “An inferno of pleasure.” Just some of the descriptions of “the most famous vibrator in the world”, the 60s massage tool turned sex toy Magic Wand, in sex nerd Kate Sloan’s podcast. It starts by asking if it lived up to the hype and if it is capable of closing the orgasm gap. Hollie Richardson
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Ella Braidwood chooses five of the best podcasts for fans following the Euros, from the Guardian’s weekly breakdown to a lighthearted kick-around
The Athletic FC Podcast
Since launching in 2019, The Athletic’s flagship football podcast has offered consistently high quality coverage of the men’s game. Hosted by Ayo Akinwolere, the podcast will focus on the men’s Euros this summer, with in-depth analysis and match previews. Guests usually include a rotating roster of The Athletic’s own journalists, including David Ornstein, Adam Crafton and Matt Slater. Beyond this summer, the podcast mostly follows the Premier League, running every weekday during the season, while also giving a nod to big international news, from Kylian Mbappé joining Real Madrid to the Women’s World Cup final.
ESPN FC
ESPN FC has provided a good overview of the biggest highlights in international men’s football since it began airing last year. For Euro 2024, the podcast is set to examine games with its usual thoroughness, having already followed the buildup to the tournament. ESPN’s extensive team of international journalists means it is able to provide plenty of expert opinion on every country that has qualified for this year’s tournament. Also worth a listen is The Gab & Juls Show, hosted by ESPN’s Gabriele Marcotti and Julien Laurens, who regularly feature on ESPN FC; that podcast will also run throughout the tournament, with previous guests including now Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany, and Pierluigi Collina, once deemed the world’s best referee.
Football Daily
Running seven days a week, the BBC’s Football Daily will cover the ins and the outs of the tournament, from the buildup to the group stages and into the knockouts. The podcast usually rotates its presenters and guests, with regular presenters including Mark Chapman, Nedum Onuoha, and Steve Crossman. Interviews with figureheads of the game can be expected, with guests earlier this year including ex-player Theo Walcott and Everton manager Sean Dyche. The podcast covers the best of international men’s football all year round, particularly the Premier League, and also runs Women’s Football Weekly, hosted by the Lionesses’ record goalscorer Ellen White and presenter Ben Haines.
Football Ramble
For more lighthearted analysis, Football Ramble will run throughout the Euros, combining silliness with in-depth match analysis. Essentially, the podcast is six mates chatting about football: Marcus Speller, Luke Moore, Pete Donaldson, Vithushan Ehantharajah, Andy Brassell and Jim Campbell. It’s an entertaining listen, with the presenters bouncing jokes off one another as they dissect games. A pro-England slant is likely, alongside witty reactions to the tournament’s funniest moments. These presenters have a lot of time for comedy: earlier this year, they did a whole bit jokingly criticising Phil Foden for his goal celebration during the Manchester derby, arguing that his imaginary bow and arrow is nonsensical.
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Football Weekly
The Guardian will be covering the tournament with its own Football Weekly podcast, hosted by Max Rushden. Episodes will feature guests from the Guardian’s sports desk – such as Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Archie Rhind-Tutt – and expert analysis from the group stages through to the final. Expect match previews, post-game analysis and tournament predictions. Football Weekly runs all year round, dissecting the Premier League season alongside the biggest news in Europe, with another podcast – The Guardian’s Women’s Football Weekly – covering the Women’s Super League and beyond.
Why not try …
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The story of the internet’s first conspiracy theory is unravelled in Audible/BBC Studios pod This Is Not a Game.
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An intimate look at conflict resolution in a new miniseries from The Negotiators, The Afghan Impasse.
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