Podcast obsessive Rachel Bache picks the best podcasts to listen to this year.
Dirty John
Dirty John podcast.
Dirty John is a shocking real life story of seduction and deception – and it is by far one of the best podcasts of 2017. L.A. Times reporter Christopher Goffard shares the unbelievable tale of Debra Newell and the man who swept her off her feet, John Meehan, aka. 'Dirty John' - and let's just say that it doesn't all end in roses.
The brilliantly produced podcast will give you a rush of adrenalin and leave you asking: how well do you really know the person you're in love with?
From the makers of hit podcast Serial, S-Town takes you on an emotional audio rollercoaster. John, a man who hates his hometown in Alabama - along with a great many things - asks a reporter from This American Life to investigate an alleged murderer, but it's not long before the focus of the story changes completely. S-Town is a devastating and moving story that goes beyond the typical whodunit.
My Dad Wrote a Porno
My Dad Wrote A Porno Podcast.
Although My Dad Wrote a Porno has been a staple for podcast listeners for a while, this year's season is just as cringey and hilarious as ever. In each episode three friends, Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine read a chapter of Jamie's father's self-published smut-saga Belinda Blinked.
There's nothing less sexy or more amusing. Recently they even released a Christmas episode just to make the Yule-times a little more dodge. With three seasons to binge on My Dad Wrote a Porno will have you laughing so hard you cry all summer, just don't listen with kids around.
Ear Hustle
Ear Hustle podcast.
Society is obsessed with prison, from shows like Prison Break and Orange Is The New Black, to celebrated film The Shawshank Redemption - but Ear Hustle stands apart from the rest. It tells the stories of real life prisoners in a podcast made by inmates inside San Quentin State Prison.
Prisoners Antwan Williams and Earlonne Woods, with the help of visual artist Nigel Poor, share engrossing tales of prison life, including misguided loyalty, what it's like living with a 'cellie' inside a cramped cell and surviving the SHU. It will have you hooked.
This short and sweet podcast delves into all the nitty-gritty topics surrounding women and their bodies that never really get talk about. Hosted by Australian Yumi Stynes, Ladies, We Need to Talk is a 'podcast for women, by women' and covers everything from menstruation to motherhood, fat shaming to libidos.
It's a fascinating listen that exposes the personal stories of women with both sensitivity and a sense of humour. It is also a sister podcast to the brilliant How Do You Sleep at Night, which covers a very different subject matter but it is still worth a listen.
Crimetown
Crimetown podcast.
Hosted by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier – creators of HBO's The Jinx – Crimetown is an addictive look into the culture of crime in America, with their first season covering the Patriarca crime family and the shady Major of Providence, Rhode Island, Buddy Cianci.
If you loved Goodfellas, then this podcast documentary is perfect for you. With several stories being recounted by the Mafioso's themselves; it becomes tricky to decide who the good guys really are.
