5 new podcasts to listen to this week

There’s a very eclectic selection of podcasts picks in this week’s column.

1. Alive with Steve Burns

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube

Genre: Society and culture

In his podcast Alive with Steve Burns, the American actor and musician doesn’t shy away from life’s big, messy and complex questions.

In the latest episode with Ro Khanna, a US Representative from California’s 17th congressional district, the pair try to answer the burning question: Is the American dream dead?

This episode opens on a warm, disarming note as Burns casually makes a cup of tea, setting a relaxed tone for a conversation that goes on to explore weighty topics such as the economy, tech and innovation.

Together, Steve and Khanna reflect on the current state of America, how we got here, and what lies ahead.

Burns voices his concerns about the sweeping influence of tech giants and AI on the economy – and together, they unravel how some of these changes are affecting everyday Americans. With his insider’s understanding of Silicon Valley and policy, Khanna brings thoughtful and informed responses to this discussion.

This refreshing episode has a calm, intelligent and sincere approach to topics that often spark heated debate. It stands out in a landscape which is often full of anger and misinformation.

If you are looking for an informative and thought-provoking podcast, curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and give Alive with Steve Burns a listen.

(By Camilla Foster)

2. Who Gives a Shirt

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube

Genre: Sports and culture

Former football player turned DJ, Jack Fowler, and content creator and presenter Kimberley Cumberbatch take a deep dive into the fascinating history, fandom, environmental impact and fashion surrounding football shirts.

In the latest episode of Who Gives a Shirt, Fowler and Cumberbatch are joined by sports enthusiast and host of No Such Thing As A Fish, James Harkin.

They discuss why football shirts are made from polyester – also known as plastic – when they were once made from natural fibres, such as wool and cotton.

Harkin explains that wool and cotton were accessible materials, but weren’t really made for football, because of how big and heavy they became after you sweat.

He goes on to talk about when Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius coined the term “polymers”, and why so much of our clothes is made from it today.

If you would like to know more about the environmental impact football shirts can have or how the materials used to make football shirts can impact the performance of football players, then listen to Who Gives a Shirt.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

3. Raising Me & Mine

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube

Genre: Family

There aren’t many safe spaces where you can dive into the real, raw, and beautiful journey of parenthood, whilst still honouring who you are outside of it – but Raising Me & Mine is definitely one of them.

In the second episode of the new podcast series, hosts Audrey Akande from The Receipts Podcast and Aisha Nantanda are joined by Dr Nagla Elfaki, OBGYN (obstetrics and gynaecology), who is currently doing a fellowship in fertility at an IVF clinic in London.

They discuss why Dr Nagla wanted to get into women’s health, balancing her time at work with her toddler, her pregnancy journey, and why fertility issues aren’t spoken about enough.

Elfaki shares some of the things people should be mindful of when they first get pregnant. She encourages taking supplements, including folic acid – which helps with the baby’s development when you are expecting – and vitamin D, and making the necessary lifestyle changes beforehand.

As the conversation progresses, Nantanda asks Dr Nagla about when women should start thinking about freezing their eggs and what the process looks like.

Dr Nagla also debunks some fertility myths, explains why more people need to think about giving their body enough time to heal between pregnancies, and the chaos that can come with toddlers.

Raising Me and Mine is building a supportive community fuelled by curiosity, transparency, and love.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

4. Grand Designs: Deconstructed

Streaming platform: Spotify, Channel 4 Homes YouTube and More4

Genre: Homes

If you can’t get enough of Channel 4’s iconic property series, Grand Designs, you will be happy to know that it now has an accompanying brand-new visual podcast, Grand Designs: Deconstructed.

Hosted by broadcaster and self-confessed superfan, Greg James, each episode will premiere on More4 directly after the weekly broadcast of the brand-new Grand Designs series on Channel 4.

Each week, James will sit down with Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud and take viewers behind the scenes of the episode, taking a deeper look at the build, whilst discussing the details and decision-making behind each project.

Listeners can also expect thoughtful discussion about the building challenges, personal reflections, and occasional contributions from the homeowners and designers themselves.

In the first episode, James and McCloud are joined by artist Sarah, whose bright red triple-roofed hemp house in the Durham Dales is the focus of that week’s build.

They talk about the pitfalls of project managing yourself, the joys of building your house from hempcrete, and what living in the house has been like since filming finished, and what her future holds now.

Grand Designs: Deconstructed successfully lifts the lid and allows listeners to further explore and indulge in the world of Grand Designs.

 (By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

Spotlight on…

5. Music, Money & Mayhem

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Music

Have you ever wondered about the story behind the downfall of the iconic British record label EMI?

Well, thanks to host Chris Atkins, all your questions will be answered in Music, Money & Mayhem, a new six-part narrative podcast, produced by Novel in association with BBC Studios.

In the podcast series, listeners will learn about Guy Hands’ eventful takeover of EMI and will feature interviews with Hands, Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead, Tony Wadsworth, EMI Music UK’s former CEO and chairman and others.

At its prime, EMI defined British musical culture for generations with Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush, Radiohead, Coldplay – even The Beatles. There was no more powerful company in the business.

The first episode begins in London, 2008, when internet piracy and file sharing had a massive impact on the music industry’s business model.

It documents EMI’s journey to rock bottom and how a private investment company rides over the hill to save the day, but something goes wrong…

Music, Money & Mayhem is an immersive retelling of the life and times of EMI.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)