When a movie called Mega Shark versus Giant Octopus gets created, you can’t help but think... why? And also how? This is the premise for How Did This Get Made? No one has quite managed to nail talking about films in a funny way quite like Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas, who take one film per episode and rip it to shreds. Luckily, we’re never going to run out of terrible movies, so the podcast could go on forever. Tip: Dig into the archive and listen to the Vampire Academy episode with Aisling Bea. It’s the perfect analysis of a film that writes the phrase “sweet sassy molassy” into a script with a straight face.
Julia Davis and Vicki Pepperdine are the agony aunts nobody needs, tackling their desperate fans’ dilemmas with no filter but an excessive amount of judgement. Joan and Jericha are experts – on everything, general and specific, from rare gynaecological conditions to the deep inner workings of the male psyche.
What started off as a joke became a really lovely podcast – that’s Lou Sanders for you. Each episode she talks to guests – including Katherine Ryan, Rosie Jones, Nish Kumar and Sara Pascoe – about cuddle culture: family cuddles, friendship cuddles, hungover cuddles, on-screen cuddles, favourite cuddle memories. It’s wholesome and hilarious and exactly what we need when cuddles are scarce as they are right now.
Pappy’s – Matthew Crosby, Tom Parry and Ben Clarke – have been nailing the podcasting game for a good long while. There isn’t a single second of serious behaviour and it’s snorting-in-public sort of funny. There are three variations of the podcast in rotation: the live show Flatshare Slamdown, which is a pun-filled and often puerile panel quiz with two comedy guests, Beef Brothers Cold Cuts, where they are joined by another comedian to solve some flatsharing woes, and House Meeting, which is just the main three having a chat.
The three Receipts Podcast hosts Tolly, Milena and Audrey talk about their lives, covering absolutely everything from relationships to religion – more than occasionally breaking into song. These are interspersed with episodes where they talk over listeners’ dilemmas. The whole show is essentially eavesdropping on a group of friends having a chat, and it’s wonderful. It was recently featured in Michaela Coel’s peerless new TV show I May Destroy You, so that’s some extra confirmation that it’s great and worth a listen.
It’s an old classic, but if you’re looking for laugh-out-loud storytelling, My Dad Wrote a Porno is the one. Much to his despair, Jamie Morton found his father’s amateur erotic novel Belinda Blinked and, instead of burying it deep underground, decided to read it aloud with friends James Cooper and Alice Levine. It’s at its best right at the beginning, when Jamie is still in shock about discovering it and Alice and James can’t really believe their ears.
Ding dong, Las Culturistas calling! Pop culture-obsessed Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang (aka the best thing to happen to Saturday Night Live in years) host this show. Each episode they interview a guest about their formative cultural experiences, all leading up to the highlight which is I Don’t Think So, Honey! It’s possibly one of the greatest podcast segments of all time, in which the hosts and guest each have 60 seconds to rant against something in culture – so pretty much everything.
The only industry more dominated by white men than comedy (aside from all the other industries) is podcasting. This spin-off from 2 Dope Queens – another fantastic podcast hosted by Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams – sees Robinson having funny conversations with all sorts of artists who aren’t just white guys: Michelle Buteau, Trevor Noah, Jemele Hill and a very occasional token white guy. It’s been a little while since there were any new episodes, but it just gives you some time to catch up on all the rest.
Sketch group and friend group Birthday Girls know how to throw a party and you’re invited (not physically – it’s very important that you do not show up at any of their houses). Beattie Edmondson, Camille Ucan and Rose Johnson have each hosted all sorts; a beach party with London Hughes, a baby shower with Jess Fostekew, a village fete with Rose Matafeo. For each episode they play games, have a chat with their guest and display varying levels of commitment to the theme.
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