Podcasts of the Year 2022
Every year for the last few years, I’ve called up a few podcaster chums and associates and asked them to nominate a podcast that has inspired them over the past 12 months. I started doing this because I felt like the podcast industry lagged behind many of its cultural contemporaries in terms of how the artform was celebrated.
That said, this year I’ve noticed SO MANY lists of great podcasts of the year, which renders my undertaking a bit moot. So this is a much smaller version of the list, and published a few weeks later than intended (and perhaps the last one of these…). But hopefully you’ll get some great recommendations, and also learn what top podcasts bods are listening to. Dress for the job you want, they say, and listen to the podcasts you want to make.
William Warren, Creative Producer The Intelligence (The Economist)
Season 3 of 99 Percent Invisible spinoff Articles of Interest is much more than an off-the-rack fashion podcast. The (still incomplete at time of writing) mini-series explores how American Ivy went from prestigious campuses in America to dominate western fashion — who doesn’t own a pair of work chinos? Even for non-fashionistas like myself, there are some fascinating insights into 20th Century cool, America’s tricky relationship with class and the liberation of androgyny. A triumph in both style and substance!
Listen to The Intelligence too!
Wendy Morrill, Host of MetaPod
The voice of Nadia Marie Belvanson has captivated me in season 4 of Dear Young Rocker, carrying the weight of a remarkable struggle with amnesia at age 23. You feel the heft of her experience as she speaks the words as an audio diary, but also a hesitancy that preserves the reclaimed emotions for her internal self. A podcast that is an emotive eavesdropping on the younger and current version of yourself.
Will Sebag-Montefiore, Host of Legitimate Likes
The Community is a sci-fi dark comedy set generations after an unknown cataclysm forces humanity underground. Earth’s last survivors struggle to live on in the face of pessimism, totalitarianism and incredible boredom. It is dark, funny and brilliant. Written and directed by Gael van den Bossche. Production and sound design by Florian Bohr.
Listen to Legitimate Likes too!
Greg Jenner, Host of You’re Dead to Me
This year I’ve enjoyed tonnes of stalwart football, interviews, and politics shows, but in the interests of novelty I’ll give a big shoutout to the BBC series Unreal hosted by Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale — it’s a thoughtful and important study of reality television’s darker side, and well worth a listen.
And in terms of comedy, my absolute fave podcast is Three Bean Salad; a ludicrously silly improvised gallop through a different random subject each episode. It’s hysterically funny, the musical jingles are fantastic, and the chemistry between the three hosts (Mike Wozniak, Ben Partridge, and Henry Paker) is joyous. They can talk about anything at the drop of a hat, Henry is pathologically incapable of resisting a weird segue, and the whole thing is funnier than almost anything I could script! Start from the very beginning, and submerge yourself in their very, very silly universe!
Listen to You’re Dead to Me too!
David Manero, Senior Producer, Listen
Case 63, a Spotify original, is a gripping drama starring Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac. Each episode is just a 10 minute tape of a conversation between the psychiatrist and her patient (Case 63) who claims to be from the year 2062… Slick, fully immersive, bitesize episodes that had me hooked.
Jack Evans, Output Editor, BBC Radio 4 Today Programme
As Britain, and seemingly the geopolitical order, collapsed around us in 2022 so did Leeds United- and The Square Ball gang were there every step of the way.
Powerful sports podcasting creates a sense of community. No one does that better than The Square Ball. The weekly roundup podcasts and ‘Match Ball’ analysis of every game connects you to your club despite being hundreds of miles away. They also brought a new lexicon to Leeds Fans. The Yank badger. That little scum bastard. The big sexy pirate. You can tell from the reaction of listeners, and their gentle emphasis on men’s mental health, that they have helped some Leeds fans get through some difficult times. The power of the pod.
They also give you plenty of laughs. ‘Propaganda’, a genius format where they dredge up the full-time reaction from Home and Away fans from the deepest recesses of YouTube, is a beautiful exposition on the insanity of fandom. There are limited series which give younger fans the ability to relive the moments we weren’t around for, something I’ve particularly enjoyed as a fan of a club whose history rests particularly heavily. The real time re-run of the triumphant 1991/92 season thirty years on, game by game, was a particular highlight.
In a difficult year supporting a team with, yep, some ups and down, the presenting trio of Michael Normanton, Dan Moylan and Moscowhite kept my head high. Great bunch of lads.
Josh Adley, Managing Director, Listen
Connor Ratliff’s Dead Eyes is ridiculous, funny, unnecessary, self-indulgent — but above all, a great listen. The show description tells you all you need to know: “Actor/comedian Connor Ratliff embarks upon a quest to solve a very stupid mystery that has haunted him for two decades: why Tom Hanks fired him from a small role in the 2001 HBO mini-series, Band Of Brothers.”
Martin Bojtos, Co-Founder, Podmasters
I’ve been really impressed by The Coming Storm. Rather than a slow walk through events that happened, it dug deep into a story that genuinely hadn’t been told, giving colour and light to a subject in a way that no one else has. Gabriel Gatehouse is an excellent host and the all round script, pacing, interviews and sound design are all excellent.
Bea Duncan, Producer, Message Heard
When I discovered Normal Gossip I devoured every available episode practically that same day. In each episode, host Kelsey McKinney tells a guest a tasty morsel of gossip that has been passed on from a ‘friend of a friend’. The stories vary massively — from the drama of a pocket watch forum to a years long family feud. While the gossip is often niche and low-stakes from the outside, the masterful storytelling from McKinney keeps you on the edge of your seat, and I often found myself literally gasping out loud at the twists and turns. I’ve dissected and discussed so many certain episodes with friends and work colleagues alike, truly proving that water cooler moments need not be reserved for the narrative ‘blockbusters’!
Francesca Turauskis, Digital Editor, Pod Bible Magazine
My podcast app told me I listened to 170 different podcasts this year (and that was just for leisure — it’s probably double that for Pod Bible, which I listen to on a different app…). But of these, the new podcast that gripped me the most is Missing Pages. It’s an investigative podcast with a bit of a difference, focused on reopening “literary cold cases” and I lapped up all the literary drama. This is also the first Original show from The Podglomerate, and they nabbed a perfect host in Bethanne Patrick.
But on a personal note, I have to mention Twenty Thousand Hertz as my show of the year — having gone full-time into working in audio this year, it’s taught me so much in such an interesting way — without a doubt the show I share the most episodes of!
Mike Newman, VP UK Content & Production, Audioboom
It feels like the podcast year has belonged to The Rest is Politics — Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart’s intelligent and insightful conversation not only helped me make sense of world politics, it also served up the best bromance since Succession’s Tom and Cousin Greg.
It was overshadowed a little by Hoaxed, but Tortoise (who made the brilliant Sweet Bobby last year) delivered again with Pig Iron, a superbly told story unpacking the life and death of war reporter Chris Allen, who maybe got too close to his subject — it’s tense stuff, expertly told by Basia Cummings.
And for something a little lighter, it was great to hear the return of Pushkin’s The Last Archive. A series of stories about knowledge and how we acquire it — the kind of show that the podcast medium suits so well. 10 out of 10 on the artwork too.
Mark Machado, Presenter and Producer of The Murali End
The Rest is Politics with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart has had a breakout year. The show follows a traditional political broadcasting format of sticking together two people from opposing sides of the political divide (though critics might argue the New Labour spin Doctor and the former Conservative MP aren’t too far apart).
The show has profited from a turbulent year in British politics, and maybe the secret to what makes it such an essential listen is Rory’s ability to pour withering scorn on his own party, while Alastair reminds us of a more politically stable time.
Double Century (part of the 99.94DM cricket audio network) is a great series to listen to for cricket fans. Every episodes examines a particular moment or player from the history of the game. The episodes are divided into series which follow a theme, for example the first time a team beat England or the countries where cricket has fallen away. The show is essentially an audio essay by Jarrod Kimber and is very well produced & written by a team based in India, the UK and Australia.
From the show I’ve learnt some incredible facts, like how Mexico’s greatest cricketer is probably Sri Lanka’s best footballer, and the role that Evita may have played in stifling cricket in Argentina.
Nick Hilton, writer/presenter of Other Edens
I think the best limited series I enjoyed this year was Project Unabom, which told the story of the capture of the Unabomber in the 1990s in a really fresh, thorough manner. It felt like long-form non-fiction writing, in the best way. True crime doesn’t always have to be a really original story (and, in fact, I was quite disappointed with a few “new” true crime podcasts this year, which went nowhere).
I want to also hat-tip to the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast for their indefatigable daily broadcasting during the World Cup. Transitioning from twice weekly to daily (including weekends) is no mean feat, but they managed to supply me with a perfect follow-up to a day spent squared eye watching the footie. And also a nod to the New York Times’ new tech show, Hard Fork. Filling the gap left by Kara Swisher and Sway is no easy task. Hard Fork is still finding its feet, but has become essential listening to me in building my ideas and thinking around technology.
And because this is my blog, I’m going to promo (right here at the end) a few extra shows that I’ve been making over the past 12 months, and which I think are worthy of your attention.
Firsly, Podot’s newest release: A Pod Too Far, where historians Robert Hutton and Duncan Weldon rewatch old war movies!
And then, to keep you up to date on the important stuff in this world, try A Long Time in Finance, where Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins dissect the biggest finance and economic stories — and The Rundown from PoliticsHome, hosted by Alain Tolhurst, your weekly digest of the world in Westminster.
And, of course, my own baby: Other Edens.
