6 new podcasts to listen to this week

These are our top podcast picks.

New BBC Sounds podcast Miss Me? features childhood friends Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver (BBC Sounds/PA)

If you can never get enough true crime – congratulations, you’ve found your people. And what does the evolving nature of brotherhood look like? This week’s podcasts venture into everything from adult friendships, self-care and social media, to television, beauty and self-love.

1. SB LiveStreaming platform: All streaming platformsGenre: Society

“What’s your Nando’s order?” That’s the first question Bisi Moses Akanmu asks his friends – Emmanuel Eweoya, Hamid Abraham and Michael Aiyeola – at the start of the latest episode of SB Live. He then asks: “What’s your meal deal order?” – and it was at this point (to my horror) that Aiyeola revealed his somewhat sophisticated eating habits, including warming up his sandwiches.

They do move on to other topics however, and it was insightful hearing them tackle a dilemma sent in by a listener, all about navigating one-sided adult friendships. Aiyeola redeems himself when he concludes that more people are feeling really lonely and just looking for someone to confide in. But does confiding in someone necessarily mean you want to pursue a deeper friendship with them?

There are so many thoughts and questions explored in this episode, which highlights the need to be intentional in friendships, given the increased responsibilities and commitments that automatically come with adulting. SB Live beautifully encapsulates the evolving nature of their brotherhood, and long may it continue.(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

2. Reservations For Two Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Wellbeing

If you’re someone who likes to dig beneath the surface with conversations, add Reservations For Two to your must-listen list. Each episode sees host Ruth Ntorinkansah, a wellness and self-development coach, chat with a guest while out for dinner together – and we get to listen as they delve into personal journeys, growth and life lessons while tucking into their mains.

The latest episode features make-up artist Adeola Gboyega, sharing insights from her route to success within a notoriously competitive field. Gboyega recalls starting out as a young black woman at a time when there weren’t many relatable role models, and brands didn’t even cater for dark skin tones.

The conversation ventures into self-care and the overlap between beauty/make-up and self-love, and the pair ponder the importance of positive self-perception (which can be hard-earned), self-belief and learning to know your needs along the way.(By Abi Jackson)

3. Miss Me?Streaming platform: All streaming platformsGenre: Pop culture

A gentle warning: Miss Me? contains very strong language and adult themes. The new Persephonica-produced BBC Sounds podcast, featuring childhood friends British singer-songwriter Lily Allen and TV presenter Miquita Oliver, lets listeners in on their twice-a-week transatlantic catch-ups, where they discuss everything from the biggest pop culture moments to the highs and lows from their personal lives.

Every Monday, in a special episode titled Listen Bi—! the pair answer themed questions they’ve been sent by listeners. While on Thursdays, they pick apart the world around them with unfiltered conversations about anything and everything – with the free-flowing, candid tone you only find between genuine friends.

This week, they kick things off with the theme ‘Boys from the 1990s’. The life-long friends boldly proclaim their 90s boy crushes – for Oliver, it’s former child star Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Home Improvement and the voice of Simba in The Lion King, while for Allen it was late Boyzone star Stephen Gately. But which 90s boys would they snog, marry and avoid?(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

4. Crime JunkieStreaming platform: All streaming platformsGenre: Crime

The deeper co-hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat investigated the story of the mysterious deaths of American couple Joyce and John Sheridan for the latest episode of the Crime Junkie podcast, the more confused, shocked and angry they became. The case could be a simple mishandling of an investigation, or it could be a corruption cover-up, but only time will tell…

If you are obsessed with all things crime-related and no amount of radio segments, podcasts, or documentaries can fill your cravings, then this weekly podcast, which debuted in December 2017 and has since received one billion downloads, is a treat. Using investigative storytelling and well-sourced in-depth research, Flowers does a great job setting the scene in Skillman, New Jersey – where the deceased couple were from – and taking listeners on a stark journey of discovery. I was hooked right away, and left with a lot to think about. And as someone who hasn’t really delved into the all-consuming world of true crime, I’m now tempted to accept the warm invite.(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

Spotlight on…

5. Status UpdateStreaming platform: All streaming platformsGenre: Social Media

Returning for a second season of their podcast Status Update, former Made In Chelsea star Stevie Johnson and ‘Voice of Gen Z’ Jake Crabb kick things off with an interview with personal brand strategist and the founder of Klowt, Amelia Sordell. The question they set out to answer in this episode is whether personal branding is just a fad, or if it’s actually super-vital for people in the workforce today – and I think they managed to do just that.

But before they tuck in with Sordell, the co-hosts start with their usual ice-breaker – asking their guests about a status update they made on social media when they first started using it, and now look back on and cringe. To which Sordell replies: “I’m 100% ok with the consequences of being myself, so I don’t know if I would go back and delete anything.” The entrepreneur goes on to discuss personal branding, why it’s quite a hot topic at the minute, and what it really means to get it right.

Previous guests have included photographer and activist Misan Harriman, stand-up comedian Rob Mayhew, bestselling author, entrepreneur and creative sociologist Amy Kean. The guest line-up this season has been carefully curated to ensure listeners learn more about the different facets of the creator landscape.(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

6. Off The TellyStreaming platform: All streaming platformsGenre: Entertainment

Off The Telly is a new BBC Sounds podcast where EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy and Gavin And Stacey star Joanna Page tell us all about what they’ve been watching on telly each week. At the start of the episode, the co-hosts read lovely messages from listeners, sharing their thoughts on some of their recent TV recommendations.

This week they get into Perfect Pub Walks With Bill Bailey – apparently right up Cassidy’s street, as well as a true crime series Page recommends called American Nightmare, and Slow Horses, their new favourite Apple TV drama starring Gary Oldman.

Page says of the podcast: “It is such a pleasure talking TV with Natalie, who is herself a TV legend! We record each week, with a cup of tea in hand and share a good old gossip over our favourite shows and those unmissable top telly moments, whilst having a laugh.”

But I must say, if you hate spoilers, it may not be the podcast for you!(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)