5 new podcasts to listen to this week
These are our top podcast picks.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.How much do you know about Tana Ramsay, wife of celebrity chef Gordon? Do you want to hear more about the the psychology behind cults? Or find out about Winona Ryder’s rise to fame? Then one of this week’s podcasts could be for you.
1. Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum Happy Baby
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Parenting
Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby has become a one-stop shop for all things parenting – talking to experts about everything from mum guilt to grief, as well as featuring celebrity guests.
This week, she’s got Tana Ramsay in the hot seat – wife of chef Gordon, with whom she shares six children. It’s a remarkably in-depth and wide-ranging chat – Ramsay discusses her and Gordon’s fertility issues, both with her polycystic ovaries and Gordon’s low sperm count.
There are joyful moments – such as Ramsay recounting the surprise of finding out she was pregnant with daughter Tilly – as well as more serious topics, like her candid discussion of miscarrying their stillborn son Rocky, which she calls “the most traumatic thing ever”.
It’s a fascinating look into the life of one of Britain’s most famous families, and you’ll learn all sorts of interesting tidbits – such as why Gordon wasn’t present at the births of their first four children.
(By Lily Rose)
2. In Jesus Name We Cult
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Religion
In her new podcast, journalist Solape Alatise explores Christ-centred cults in the UK and beyond. In the first episode, she interviews a cult recovery therapist, Richard, and the two examine the psychology behind following and leading such groups.
Cult leaders use manipulation techniques, including tactics of embarrassment and shame to target vulnerable individuals. Once people are involved in a cult, it’s difficult to leave due to public commitments made, such as baptisms and marriages to other members.
Richard explains that people who have left cults find validation in learning about similar groups and situations as it helps them feel less alone. He and Alatise discuss the long healing process and stages of recovery.
The podcast aims to raise awareness of cults, and each week expect new insights into their dynamics.
(By Amelia Braddick)
3. Close Friends Only
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Culture and relationships
Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla put their friendship to the test with a series of questions in the latest episode of Close Friends Only with Instagram, which brings listeners into their close friendship circle in a fun, unfiltered and hilarious way.
The pair first met at Megan’s Halloween party last year – GloRilla admits that she was shy – and spoke about first impressions, when they passed the friendship test for each other – which was when they were both recording in a studio – communication skills, pets, hot sauce and also confronted each other about why they aren’t in other’s close friends on Instagram.
Even with the rise of stan culture and celebrities sharing a bit more about their lives on social media, you don’t always get to hear them talk about the ebbs and flows of their in-real-life friendships.
The previous episode was with Reneé Rapp and Rachel Sennott, who spoke about how they became friends, their creative processes, how they make moves on Instagram and more.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
4. Auto Trader’s Show On The Road
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Celebrity interview
For Auto Trader’s Show On The Road podcast, presenter Alex Legouix goes on a road trip with a roster of celebrities – taking a trip down memory lane by cruising round towns, cities and areas that hold special meaning for them.
Now in its second season, TV presenter Zara McDermott is in the front seat, following in the footsteps of footballer Jill Scott and Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt. It’s a sweet concept – the duo drive a Hyundai i10 in grey, the same model McDermott shared with her mum after passing her test.
They cruise around Romford town centre and her hometown of Upminster, passing places that have been hugely meaningful in McDermott’s life – including her old family home, and the school she attended. This sparks a conversation about the bullying she experienced during her teenage years, after an intimate photo of her aged 14 was passed around the school.
It gives McDermott the space to talk through her career so far – her first TV experience on Love Island, which soon progressed to making documentaries (including one based on her own experiences, called Zara McDermott: Revenge Porn).
At times, it’s a tough listen – particularly when you hear about how she was bullied from year seven to year 13, making her suicidal – but ultimately uplifting, as McDermott discusses how she’s used her platform to do things that are meaningful to her.
(By Lily Rose)
Spotlight on…
5. Famously… Winona
Streaming platform: BBC Sounds and all streaming platforms
Genre: Entertainment
You might recognise her from Game Of Thrones, but now actor Maisie Williams is lending her voice to a new podcast series launching on BBC Sounds. It comes under the umbrella of the celebrity culture series, Famously…, this time shining the spotlight on Hollywood star Winona Ryder.
It’s no coincidence this podcast is dropping now – Ryder is back in the headlines, thanks to the upcoming release of the Beetlejuice sequel. And Williams is well-placed to cover Ryder’s story, having grown up in the spotlight herself, and is fully aware of the trials and tribulations that come with being a girl, and then a woman, in the public eye.
You might think you know Winona Ryder, but this six-part series tells her story in great depth – starting with her rise to fame in cult films like Edward Scissorhands and Heathers, leading into the more turbulent periods of her life (including her 2001 arrest for shoplifting), and her more recent rehabilitation and roles in the likes of Stranger Things and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Through Ryder’s story, Williams explores the impact being a child star can have on you, as well as how the media sexualise and dismiss women, and how differently men and women in the public eye are treated.
(By Lily Rose)