DOCUMENTARY
A Matter of Conscience
Table of Contents
“By 1970/71 you’d find more acts of open defiance on an average American military base as you would on any American college campus,” explains one of several ex-servicemen who contribute to this thought-provoking series on the “hidden history” of the Vietnam War — the story that they allege the US government and military do not want told. As one might expect, some harrowing war experiences are shared, but the power of these stories lies in the courage of those who said, “Enough. This is wrong.” ANNA JONES
TRUE CRIME
Devil in the Desert
A policeman finds two people left to die in California’s Mojave desert. One has been horribly tortured. This incident in 2012 was just the start of a story that also involved a manhunt and jailbreak. “To this day, I can’t wrap my head around it,” says Sergeant Steve Williams, the first cop on the scene. With bodycam tapes and secret recordings, this ABC News spin-off is currently high on the podcast charts. But its graphic content is not for the faint-hearted. DAVID McGILLIVRAY
PARENTING
Help! My Child’s Anxious
No one says parenting is easy. However, with a surge in NHS referrals for child anxiety, more support appears necessary. Vanessa Feltz joins her daughter (and child therapist) Saskia Joss to supply weekly advice and tools for navigating family life, starting with the boom in anxiety. Saskia attributes it to the Covid pandemic — when our ability to soothe ourselves and others was shaken by an unprecedented, deadly threat — and offers valuable insight. JEREMY ASPINALL
SPORT
Sir Bradley Wiggins’s Coffee
The 2025 Tour de France is under way, and this is a snappy and informative accompaniment, served up by no less a figure than the first ever British winner of the race, back in 2012. Bradley Wiggins has been on quite a journey since then, but seems to have found his metier with a podcast in which he’s joined by journalist and fellow cycling nut Graham Willgoss. The pair do a great job of tackling the sport’s complexities, dramas and personalities. SIMON O’HAGAN
POLITICS
The Real JD Vance
Probably the UK’s most illustrious podcast, The Rest Is Politicshosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, recently launched its first mini-series (subscriber-only). The topic is American vice-president JD Vance, who argued Christian theology with Stewart this year on Twitter/X. To start, Campbell and Stewart analyse Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegythe story of a boy who barely survived a dysfunctional family. This is an invaluable primer on the most complex personality in US politics. DAVID McGILLIVRAY
HISTORY
Former Radio 1 presenter Jameela Jamil is right at home with this knockabout series from Audible Original, which she co-hosts with historian Kate Lister (a specialist in sexual behaviour) about the mistresses of history’s most powerful men. In the first episode, we meet Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV’s secret lover who was promoted to official Mistress-en-Titre until it all went horribly wrong with the 1679 “affair of poisons”. Juicy history (and strong language) of the kind they don’t teach in schools. FIONA HUGHES
WELLBEING
Sufferless
Series host Tim Tamashiro has led an eclectic career ranging from jazz singer to radio presenter to part-time monk. He points out these programmes are a “Buddh-ish brain-based guide” rather than requiring a full-blown knowledge of Buddhism. Basically, he wants people to work on the way their brains default in their responses to stresses and disappointments. Think of it as more of a practical guide than hippy-dippy, self-help catchphrases. His gentle voice and warm humour certainly help, but this won’t be for everyone. ANNA JONES
