5 New Podcasts to Listen to This Week – The Irish News

Are you a thrill seeker? What do you hope for? Are you a reality TV fan? Or do you enjoy chatting with friends over good food? This week, our podcast picks are all of these things and more.

1. Criminal lawyer

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: True Crime

Hosted by journalist Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, this podcast will keep you hooked throughout all six episodes as it follows the rise and fall of ruthless criminal defense attorney Paul Bergrin.

Each episode provides detailed background information on the infamous case and explains the full extent of how far Bergrin would go to win a case. However, the timeline presented jumps back and forth and can be confusing at times.

We learn all about Bergrin’s early years, from feeling like an outsider while working in the Public Prosecution Service to the height of his influence in criminal gangs.

Criminal Attorney features excerpts from interviews with people involved in the case. Additionally, Jenkins had access to Bergrin’s unpublished memoirs while filming the episodes, providing fascinating insider details.

(By Amelia Braddick)

2. Split screen: thrill seekers

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Entertainment

Are you a thrill seeker? What would you do in search of excitement?

Split Screen: Thrill Seekers is Love + Radio’s first six-part limited series, co-produced with Vespucci for CBC, in which a television crew offers 12 people the chance to go on the adventure of a lifetime. But there’s a catch. The contestants are in the dark about something—which I won’t reveal here.

If you’re a reality TV fan and have ever wondered about the ethics behind the scenes of the show, listening to host Nick van der Kolk talk to set designers and crew members was fascinating. It showed that it didn’t take much to permanently warp their sense of reality.

Although the contestants didn’t get to ask many questions, I found it particularly interesting to hear why the contestants decided to sign up for the TV show in the mid-2000s and what they were initially thinking about getting into. The common thread was that they were all looking for an outlet and excitement.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

3. Real tasty pub quiz

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Food

Hosted by two Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge and presenter Chris Stark of Capital Breakfast and That Peter Crouch Podcast, Proper Tasty Pub Quiz is a place for friends to compete against each other and talk about the most important things in life: good food, good company and the glory of beating your mates at a pub quiz…

The episodes will be brought to listeners by M&S Gastropub and filmed at Kerridge’s Chelsea pub, The Butcher’s Tap and Grill. The duo will also be joined by celebrity guests including Jamie Redknapp, Jill Scott and many more yet to be confirmed, who – along with listeners – will be put through their paces in four food-related rounds.

So inevitably there is controlled chaos, hilarious anecdotes and a chance for guests and listeners to maybe learn a thing or two. Can you ever really go wrong with good food and conversation? Not really.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

4. The Louis Theroux Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Life and entertainment

The Louis Theroux Podcast is back for a new season, but this time with a new feature. Instead of just listening to the podcast, you can now watch the visualized episodes on Spotify.

Halfway through the shoot, the crew had to switch rooms due to a booking error in the recording studios – what could once have been covered by audio is now clearly visible. Yet this interruption did not affect the flow of the discussion.

Theroux’s first guest is influencer and former adult film performer Mia Khalifa. In his signature style, his conversation with Khalifa is more of a casual chat than a structured interview. They discuss a variety of topics, including sex work, the internet, autism and Lebanon.

Theroux’s gentle persistence encourages his interviewees to open up and share personal stories. With a variety of guests lined up, this season promises to be unmissable.

(By Amelia Braddick)

In the spotlight…

5. Here’s Hopeing with Jayda G

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Life and well-being

Here’s Hoping with Jayda G is the brand new podcast produced by Mia Zur-Szpiro in which the DJ, music producer, and environmental toxicologist explores the theme of hope, when we need it, how we find it, and why we still have reasons to feel it.

This week’s guest is Cornish adventurer, author, speaker and coach Gail Muller, who has overcome enormous personal challenges, including dealing with chronic pain for the past 15 years and being diagnosed with ADHD at a late stage.

In 2019, Muller embarked on a life-changing trek along the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, which inspired her to write two best-selling books.

Muller said she was told that despite being fit and healthy, she might not be able to move by the time she turned 40. She also talked about dealing with invisible chronic pain and that we all have the potential to remain hopeful by focusing on the micro instead of the macro.

It’s clear that hope has always been a bright spot for Muller and it was encouraging to hear her talk about the alienation from our former selves and why it’s important to move forward when we’re on a journey of pain.

Jayda G takes it one step further and asks Muller to talk about the chances of her ending up in a wheelchair as a teenager, the healing power of nature, dealing with ADHD and much more.

The podcast is truly a breath of fresh air and a great listening experience for anyone who feels hopeless, because hope deferred really does make the heart sick.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)