Armstrong and Miller's cultural digest – podcasts of the week
Picks of the week
Cultural commentators Martin Bain-Jones (Alexander Armstrong) and Craig Children (Ben Miller) return to give their buttoned-up take on the hot topics of the moment. Carole Baskin is covered, along with Russell Brand’s reaction to the WAP video and a few curveballs. There are plenty of giggles over the contents of Sasha Swire’s saucy political memoir and the duo express their love for Peter Crouch and sandwiches in equal measure. Hannah Verdier
YouTube veteran Alfie Deyes hosts this new series, which sees him rifle through readers’ deepest, darkest secrets (or at least the ones they’re prepared to share with the world), alongside guests including Robbie and Ayda Williams, Deyes’ girlfriend Zoe Sugg and KSI. Largely banal, and often accompanied by screeches of “Ohmygodwhat?!” from Deyes and his guests, The Secret’s Out does not reinvent the podcasting wheel but offers a large helping of controversy-free fun. Hannah J Davies
Producer pick: Blood Lands
Chosen by Esther Gyeni
If you like a true-crime tale with twists and turns then BBC Sounds doesn’t disappoint with Blood Lands. Part of the Seriously series, it tells the story of two black South African workers who were murdered in a small farming and tourist town near Parys in South Africa. Were their deaths an act of self-defence? Were they thieves and aggressors or victims of racism? BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding presents as the story unravels – a murder investigation, courtroom thriller and political drama all in one.
Harding talks to the families of both the deceased and accused, and it’s truly heartbreaking to hear the ways in which the trial affected the mother of one of the victims in particular. Just when you think you know the story, there’s a twist at the end of each episode that makes you reconsider who the perpetrators and victims really are. By its conclusion, I was enraged, and that strength of feeling is a great marker of a well-told story.
Talking points
Four years on from her election defeat, Hillary Clinton gives the US a glimpse of the president they could have had in her podcast series, You And Me Both. Launched this week, there are already three episodes out – the first episode proper on faith, which includes insightful chats with Rev Dr William Barber II and Aasif Mandhi, as well as two bonus episodes, one a get-out-the-vote attempt with John Legend and Stacey Abrams, the other a full interview with the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. Expect plenty more big names as the series continues.
Why not try: Stacey Dooley Revisits | CounterClock | If These Ovaries Could Talk
