5 new podcasts to listen to this week

Are you an The Inbetweeners or Desperate Housewives fan? Interested in the art of living well or the business of fashion? Then this week’s podcast picks are for you.

1. Leading Professionals

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Careers

Boardrooms can appear to be exclusive spaces filled with acronyms and demands, where only the brightest minds will understand when and why decisions are made.

In Leading Professionals, management academic Professor Laura Empson discovers how her guests worked themselves to the top and what it takes to be truly effective once you’re there.

From Google’s chief economist to a top city lawyer and the woman who ran the UK’s Covid vaccination rollout, there are life lessons that are remarkably relatable to everyone.

If you suffer from impostor syndrome, have ethically complex quandaries to debate, or have ever wondered how you’d respond if your young child asks, “Does the prime minister need you to do it, Mummy?”, you’re bound to find some applicable advice from these honest and revealing conversations.

As Professor Empson says: “Business can be complex, messy and surprisingly emotional” – just like life for the rest of us, even if we don’t have to command billion-pound budgets and workforces of thousands.

(By Amy Crowther)

2. Desperately Devoted

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Entertainment

The Desperately Devoted podcast is a re-watch of the show Desperate Housewives, hosted by actress Teri Hatcher, who originally played Susan Mayer on the show, her on-screen daughter Andrea Bowen, who starred as Julie Mayer, and her real-life daughter Emerson Tenney.

The podcast brings the three women together to share their individual perspectives on their characters and the storylines that occurred on the show, which ran for eight seasons.

The latest episode is based on season one, episode 13, titled Naked and Unafraid, which the three conclude is “all about appearances”.

Touching on themes such as identity, how you appear on the outside in comparison to how you feel internally, the wives’ husbands showing their individual characters for the first time, and meeting your ex’s new partner, the three delve into how the show relates to everyday life.

For example, Hatcher compares her on-screen character’s reaction to her ex-husband Karl’s new girlfriend, to her real-life divorce with Tenney’s father.

This is a nostalgic podcast and a reminder that TV shows can be a reflection of real life.

(By Sara Keenan)

3. A Dose of Dandy

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Life

A Dose of Dandy is the podcast where content creators Nicolas Fairford and Nathan Rollinson celebrate the finer things in life and the everyday moments that make it beautiful.

Hosts and friends Fairford and Rollinson – the latter who is deaf – have refreshing conversations, and share their personal stories and musings on everything from country homes and the art of personal reinvention, with a relaxed format that features catch-ups, debates and “dandy dilemmas”.

For the first episode, Fairford and Rollinson present a breakdown of the outfits they’re wearing and discuss the ‘quote of the week’, which was: “When you love life, it will love you back”.

They also discuss their first impressions of each other when they met two years ago, their careers, and the nature of their relationship now, which really highlights their bond, which is built on trust, humour and shared values.

A Dose of Dandy is a podcast for anyone interested in the art of living well.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

4. The Business of Fashion Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Fashion and business

If you’re curious about the inner workings of the style industry, The Business of Fashion Podcast is one of the few shows that blends insider knowledge with accessible conversation.

Born from the influential digital platform of the same name, the podcast offers 30-45-minute deep dives with the people shaping what we wear.

In this episode, Diesel and Maison Margiela designer Glenn Martens sits down with host Imran Amed to discuss how social media has transformed the industry into what he calls “the hunger games”.

Martens is candid about the pressure of constant visibility and the need to feed an always-on audience, but he also makes a case for slowing down and re-centring creativity, craft and storytelling.

His reflections on rebooting Diesel by returning to its roots, while opening its runway shows to a broader public, give a rare glimpse into how heritage labels can evolve without losing their soul.

(By Lara Owen)

Spotlight on…

5. Joe and James Fact Up

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Comedy

Are you looking for a podcast that blurs the lines between fun, facts and friendship?

Joe and James Fact Up is a new comedy podcast hosted by iconic duo Joe Thomas and James Buckley, who shot to the comedy hall of fame for their roles in The Inbetweeners.

Each week, the pair share their thoughts about their life, petty gripes and their shared love for completely random facts.

They rummage through the internet and their brains for interesting things, which they discuss in a fun, curious and insightful manner.

In the first episode, Thomas and Buckley talk about how the podcast series came about, and answer questions like: would James ever get a sex robot? Why did Joe become a monk? And will an Inbetweener ever become Bond?

They also discuss what’s going on in their lives and, of course, reminisce on their favourite moments from The Inbetweeners.

If you grew up on The Inbetweeners or are a new fan, Joe and James Fact Up is the next best fix for your obsession.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)