A Curated Look at This Week’s Most Compelling Podcasts

The Guardian’s weekly pick-of-the-week column showcases a diverse slate of new audio series, ranging from historical deep-dives to comedy experiments and true-crime investigations. Each program is released on a weekly schedule and is widely available across major streaming platforms.

The Guardian

** revisits the 1819 Peterloo incident in Manchester, which Olusoga describes as the “ground zero of industrial capitalism.” The series examines systematic disenfranchisement—Manchester lacked a single Member of Parliament at the time—and state-sanctioned violence through the narrative of survivor William Cheatham. Produced in partnership with the People’s History Museum, the podcast aims to illuminate the event’s lasting relevance to contemporary debates about workers’ rights and state power.

The Guardian

The column also recommends several humor-focused shows. “Writing Funny” explores the craft of comedy, while the newly launched Comedy Women in Print podcast, founded by comedian Helen Lederer and author Chrissie Manby, tackles topics from a writer’s journey to creating comedy in “dark times.” A word-centric series by Mabel Evans and Benjamin Aston invites guests—such as novelist Elif Shafak, with future appearances by Stephen Fry and Tim Rice—to discuss the words that shape their lives, likened to “Desert Island Discs for words.” Finally, “Big Little Interests,” hosted by Hollie Richardson, delves into quirky fixations, opening with an episode featuring comedian Steve Bugeja and a discussion of bull semen.

The Guardian

“Civilian Or Spy,” narrated by CNN’s Isabelle Chapman, recounts the 2024 shooting of Russian-born American citizen Ilya Beloozerov by FBI agents outside a Super 8 hotel. The series positions the incident within the broader context of U.S.–Russia relations, suggesting that Cold-War-era dynamics continue to influence contemporary security operations.

The Guardian

These selections reflect a blend of historical scholarship, cultural commentary, and investigative storytelling, underscoring the medium’s capacity to engage listeners with both past events and present-day issues.

The Guardian