New podcasts to listen to this week

1. How It All Played Out: Sport’s Greatest Stories

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Sports

In How It All Played Out, British broadcasting stalwarts Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward delve deep into some of sports’ biggest stories, looking at the drama behind these defining moments and examining their lasting impact.

In this first episode, they celebrate the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, telling the story of how Nelson Mandela and rugby united the nation after the dismantling of apartheid, and the tournament’s lasting legacy.

They pull no punches, describing the journey of the Springbok green and gold rugby jersey’s embodiment of segregation and symbol of white Afrikaner rugby dominance, to the unstoppable force and momentum of the “One Team, One Country” slogan that the Springboks adopted.

The episode also includes an insightful interview with Bryan Habana, a Rugby World Cup winner with South Africa in 2007, who describes watching the team’s 1995 victory as a 12-year-old boy in the crowd.

Future episodes will cover more iconic events in sporting history, such as Muhammad Ali’s controversial career and the mysterious disappearance of legendary racehorse Shergar.

As they say in the closing moments, some of people’s most vivid and important memories are based around sport – here, Hayward and Pougatch use expert insight to bring these memories to life.

2. You About?

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Life, comedy and society

Broadcaster Roman Kemp and musician Tom Grennan launch their new BBC Sounds podcast that delves into friendship, life, and everything in between.

You About? is a weekly podcast – plus an exclusive bonus episode available only on BBC Sounds each week – hosted by best friends Kemp and Grennan, who share raw, generous and funny takes on their real-life relationship.

Since the pair first met at the gym in 2018, they have been very close.

So it’s no surprise that they can go from speaking about why the best way to spot famous people is on a Lime bike, being accident-prone, why they don’t have many pictures with each other, and asking celebrities for pictures or autographs in the space of five minutes.

Kemp and Grennan go on to speak about the most ridiculous tattoos – one of Kemp’s was designed by Ed Sheeran – and the premise of the drama series The Last of Us, which inspires them to swap their zombie apocalypse survival plans.

You About? sheds some light on Kemp and Grennan’s bromance and the conversations they would usually save for their group chat.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

3. Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Comedy and life

Following the farewell of Kathy Burke as the previous host, Sony Music’s podcast Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake returns with a new ‘Mortician-in-Chief’, Mel Giedroyc, who chats with celebs about death and the after-life.

In each episode a newly “deceased” celebrity is quizzed and it is decided whether they go to hell or heaven. In the latest one, Giedroyc, who is best known for co-hosting The Great British Bake Off, is joined by comedian Meera Syal.

The pair speak about the pros and cons of having a celestial Greek chorus following you around, when Syal became an auntie, and she pleads her case for being let through the pearly gates.

She says she is very tidy, will clean the wings of angels and bake lemon drizzle cake and brownies. Syal also owns up to stealing £5 from her mother’s purse in 1973 – she got caught – to get a David Cassidy T-shirt.

For loyal fans, Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake is in safe hands with Giedroyc, and they can now watch weekly episodes of the podcast too for the first time.

If you are looking for a new dark comedy podcast, where celebrity guests bring their deaths to life as they plan their final day, then Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake may be for you.

4. Bedside Manners

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Health

Bedside Manners is a podcast hosted by GP, BBC Morning Live regular and author of How to Be a Dad, Dr Oscar Duke, who takes a weekly deep dive into the personal health journeys of his celebrity guests.

This week’s guest was Fast Show comedian Paul Whitehouse, who shared his personal healing journey behind his hit BBC Series, Gone Fishing, with Bob Mortimer.

In this episode, Whitehouse recalls how a sudden hospital visit for an abscess led to a life-threatening operation where part of his colon had to be removed. During his recovery, Whitehouse revealed that he had hidden heart conditions – “a 90% blockage with no symptoms”.

Throughout the episode, Whitehouse speaks about his family’s history with heart problems, and how he had to be awake while getting a stent put in during his heart surgery. He also speaks about how exercise was his “lifesaver, both physically and mentally”.

When asked what advice he would give others, Whitehouse said, “It would be to take time to exercise”, after being on a hereditary path to heart disease in his 50s.

5. Are You A Charlotte?

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Entertainment and culture

Are You A Charlotte? is an iHeartRadio podcast hosted by American actress Kristin Davis, who is popularly known for playing Charlotte York in Sex and the City and its spin-off, And Just Like That…

Now Davis wants to connect with fans and share untold stories and all the behind-the-scenes with special guests, where they don’t only discuss Sex and the City, but the themes that are still so relevant today.

In the latest episode, Davis speaks to American actress, writer and producer Lena Waithe, who encourages people to rewatch Sex and the City in their 30s and 40s, because it remains as relatable as ever.

As the pair delve into the series that has stood the test of time, they speak about why TV and film serve as a time capsule and a stamp of where we were as a society at the time.

Waithe goes on to talk about the impact even fictitious characters can make on our lives and why growing up watching Sex and the City taught her a lot about being a good adult friend.

Are you a Charlotte? is much more than just rewatching this beloved show; it’s a great place to reconnect and see how much you’ve grown as a person.