WIRED's pick of the best podcasts for curious minds

Our pick of the best podcasts in 2018 covering technology, culture, science, politics and new ideas


08 Jun 2018
Wilma

Podcasts are more popular than ever. Thanks to 2014's podcasting hit Serial everyone who owns a mixing desk and a microphone has started to create their own. Sometimes the choice of what to listen to can be overwhelming. To help you out here's WIRED's guide to the best podcasts you should be listening to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.

Sandra

This Gimlet podcast centres on Helen (Alia Shawkat), who, in an effort to leave her old life behind, lands a job at Orbital Teledynamics – the company behind an omniscient digital voice assistant, Sandra. But, as Helen soon finds out, there isn’t much artificial about Sandra’s intelligence. Instead, Helen is one of many ‘Sandras’ – real humans who answer questions from people thinking they are actually talking to an algorithm.

Things start to quickly unravel as real and virtual worlds start to blur, and Helen’s inept husband, Donny (Christopher Abbott) reappears. Kristen Wiig and Ethan Hawke also voice act in this anxious take on Alexa, AI and obsession.

Best culture podcasts

About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge

After the astounding success of Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, which graced best-seller lists across the country, Eddo-Lodge has launched a podcast – About Race with Reni – which takes some of these themes further. Delving into Britain’s past and present, thinking about race in the context of empire, law enforcement, identity politics, political blackness and feminism, Eddo-Lodge assembles a cast of personalities including Diane Abbott, Meera Syal, Billy Bragg, Owen Jones and Laurie Penny. Two things are clear: Eddo-Lodge knows how to host a podcast, addressing complex and difficult issues head-on – and she clearly is talking to white people about race.

99% Invisible

Everything around us in the non-natural world has been designed and shaped by human beings. From city benches built to be deliberately uncomfortable to deter rough sleepers, to the serious design flaws that mean governments are turning their backs on cul-de-sacs, 99% Invisible tells the fascinating stories behind the parts of our world we don't always pay much attention to. As an added bonus, host Roman Mars has one of the smoothest voices in podcasting.

The Adam Buxton Podcast

Comedian Adam Buxton's podcast is amiably simple. He chats with people. But not just normal people, some of the most interesting actors, comedians, musicians and film makers from the UK and beyond. A recent selection of guests include Johnny Marr, Louis Theroux, Edgar Wright, Adam Curtis, Zadie Smith and Brian Eno. Buxton's "ramble chats" share the stage with his brilliant jingles. If you've had enough of ads for Squarespace or Harry's razors, Buxton's take on podcast advertising will brighten your day.

The Dollop

The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds is the most fun you will ever have during a history lesson. Every week, Anthony reads a story from American history to Reynolds who has no idea what the topic is going to be about. This power dynamic puts Reynolds in the place of the listener, and the ensuing reactions are hilariously relatable – with just the right amount of mockery.

The hosts make this podcast genuinely funny, whilst successfully teaching you about some seriously interesting topics, from the Radium Girls who rotted away, the history of Opium in the US and a shrewd look at Uber. Listen to this podcast if you're greedy for some often surprising knowledge but need satire and laughter too.

How Did This Get Made?

Have you ever sat through a movie so terrible that you genuinely don't understand how it can exist? How Did This Get Made? covers this exact topic. Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas call up scores of their friends to sit through and comment on awful movies.

If you enjoy poking fun at ridiculous films, this is for you. The hosts and guest stars give you a really accurate synopsis of the most terrible movies ever made, in the midst of incredibly humorous commentary.

The Secret History of Hollywood

Created by a chef in his spare time, Adam Roche’s The Secret History of Hollywood is a podcast that looks at just that. Each show revolves around a topic of Roche’s choosing, such as the McCarthyism "witch trials" after World War 2, and they are often longer than a usual podcast episode due to the sheer amount of detail Roche includes. However, the length is not a bad thing and merely allows the listener to become absorbed in the golden age of movie history.

Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People

Every week, Chris Gethard opens the phone line to one anonymous caller and he can't hang up first, no matter what the subject is. This is Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, full of shocking confessions and philosophical discussions. A recent episode saw Gethard talking about the current state of policing in the US with a small town police officer.

The Tip Off

The Tip Off asks journalists to explain how they got the leads for their biggest stories. This weekly podcast gives a satisfyingly dramatic look at the detective work behind journalism. There will be car chases, slammed doors, terrorist cells, meetings in dimly lit bars and close shaves with despotic regimes. However, while all of these are worth a listen, what you really stay for is the episode on the Panama Papers. Hosted by investigative journalist Maeve McClenaghan, she asks the journalists who led the investigation how they managed to keep the biggest data leak in history a secret for so long.

Sound Matters

Sound Matters is a series of podcasts looking at – and listening to – the sounds of the world around us. It looks at how we listen to sounds, the stories we tell about them, and the ideas, inventions, discoveries, possibilities and ideas around sound. The podcast is written and produced by Tim Hinman, with B&O PLAY and previous episodes have discussed how sound affects memory and zombie music.

Best politics podcasts

Embedded

Want to understand how the Trump administration got to where it is today? Or the stories behind police shootings caught on video? Embedded tackles complex stories with in-depth, investigative reporting and slows the narrative down to really explain what’s going on. And it does it all without getting too bogged down in the detail. But it also does get bogged down in a totally good way. Using a mixture of interviews and narration, this is factual storytelling at it’s best that tackles some of the most important stories of our time.

Prime Minister's Questions with Andrew Neil

PMQs is pure political theatre and this new podcast from the BBC is arguably the best way to stay up-to-date. Presented by Andrew Neil, the podcast gives you a quick intro to the issues of the week, highlights from PMQs and analysis from Neil, political editor Laura Kuenssberg and two guests from the two major political parties. If you want to stay in touch with what's going on in the house during these critical times, it's the perfect podcast for the job.

Criminal

If Serial sparked your love of true crime, and you need a fix before the next season appears, Criminal can fill that gap. The episodes are normally around 30 minutes, so perfect for a commute, and explore a different true crime incident, whether it’s discovering how a child had her identity stolen or the unauthorised tigers in captivity in America.

The Skylines Podcast

Every two weeks, Jonn Elledge, Stephanie Boland and guests talk about the politics and workings of major cities, and test the contention that maps are a great topic for radio. The Skylines Podcast tackles everything from Psychosomatic Diarrhoea, Belgian boy scouts and the weirdest transport systems around.

Best documentary podcasts

Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty

This new podcast miniseries from Gimlet and Loud Speaker's network brings us a biography of the legendary hip-hop executive Chris Lighty – the man behind iconic artist is like 50 Cent and Missy Eliot – prior to his untimely death by suicide in 2012.

Chris Lighty's story is one well known by many, but host Reggie Ossé succeeds in shedding light on the telling and intriguing details of his life. Yet whilst exploring one man, Ossé seamlessly opens up the history of an entire musical movement.

The Habitat

In January 2017, Nasa placed six people inside a dome at the base of at the summit of a Hawaiian volcano. And then the space agency left them there. For an entire year. The Habitat follows six imitation astronauts taking part in an experiment designed to test how real astronauts would survive in cramped quarters during a long and lonely mission to Mars. The result is a striking documentary series that's part Big Brother and part The Martian, told through interviews and audio diaries.

Internet History Podcast

What did the first text message say? Why did Excite.com decide not to buy Google for $750,000 in 1999? To answer these questions, and many more, Brian McCullough delves deep into the history of the internet, digging up fascinating little details, and any number of awe-inspiring stories about business and technology. Most episodes are interviews, which can be hit and miss, but the “chapter episodes,” where TED Resident McCullough narrates the history of the internet are must-listens for anyone curious about how, exactly, we got to where we are today. Listen to it here.

Heavyweight

This documentary series by Jonathan Goldstein explores regret and broken bonds. The first series explores broken relations in his own family, and the second series branches out to the lives of his listeners. Heavyweight’s second episode, “Gregor”, won a 2017 Skylarking award for an honest and hilarious account of a friend who helped the other get famous, and is yet to receive recognition. In other notable episodes, Goldstein reconnects with his first girlfriend to ask why she broke his heart and a listener asks their foster parent why they stopped them playing basketball at school. Be prepared to laugh and cry.

Best tech and science podcasts

The WIRED podcast

We would be remiss not to include our own podcast in this list. WIRED UK presents a weekly podcast discussing the best of science, tech, ideas, business and design, the interesting stories the team has worked on that week and the new developments in the WIRED world.

Exponent

“Hi James.” “Ben, how-aaaare-ya?” Every week, this exchange marks the beginning of Exponent, the podcast for Stratechery, the brilliant strategy newsletter read by everyone in tech and media. James Allworth and Ben Thompson discuss Thompson’s analysis of the latest goings-on in tech, usually from a business perspective, although lately policy has become more of a focus. It’s like an MBA, if – in-joke – MBAs had value.

How I Built This

NPR’s How I built this tells the story of successful companies in the words of their creators. Host Guy Raz speaks to a different entrepreneur in each episode, and has them recount how they built their business. The real draw for listeners is the calibre of guests that the show manages to attract: past episodes have featured the brains behind prominent startups including Instagram and Airbnb, but also more mainstream business leaders such as the executive chairman of Starbucks and the founders of Ben & Jerry’s. It’s an intimate insight into the history of well-known brands, and great inspiration if you’re looking to get your own business idea off the ground.

Tomorrow’s World

This new podcast from the BBC explores the biggest questions in science and technology today, and (true to its nostalgic name) takes us through the world of tomorrow. Britt Wray and Dr Ellie Cosgrave will host the 12 part series, and will help us all understand how science can help solve some of the biggest issues that are changing our lives. Episodes will ask: can humans transmit ideas and information directly to someone else’s brain? Can we morph our own intelligence with AI? Will cities one day become inhabitable - and will floating cities be the solution to the problem? This podcast is one for expanding your mind over your breakfast.

Ctrl Alt Delete

Funny and honest, this tech focused podcast series brings a much needed female perspective to the internet. As the former social media editor of British Glamour, Emma Gannon draws on her own experiences online to discusses the world of work and existing online with her high profile guests. If you are worried about how employable you will be in five years, worry not. From dealing with trolls to baring your soul on social media, this series has never been more relevant for emerging women in the workplace.

No Such Thing As A Fish

If you want a podcast that is informative without being painfully dry, No Such Thing As A Fish is for you. Each week, researchers from the TV show QI gather around a microphone and share discoveries from that week. True to the show's name, the topics are usually quite interesting. From getting ants drunk to whether humans are magnetic, listen in to swot up on the most niche facts that the brains behind QI have to offer.

Best fiction podcasts

Alice Isn't Dead

An unnamed narrator drives a truck full of deodorant across America, in search of her wife Alice - whom she believes to be dead. From the creators of NightVale, Joseph Fink wanted Alice isn't Dead to be "more directly creepy" than its predecessor. And it succeeds with flying colours.

Pursued by flesh eating thistle men, and surrounded by towns that move from place to place like dust, every highway the narrator travels is a warped representation of real roads across the United States. It isn't funny - it's unapologetically dark and therein lies its appeal.

Homecoming

This fiction podcast follows a therapist and an army veteran as they join a new government programme to help soldiers readjust to civilian life. However, the motives for the programme are far more sinister than first assumed. Told through a series of therapy sessions and phone conversations, the story twists into an intimate exploration into the dangers of suppressing trauma.

A Stab in the Dark

UKTV has launched a new, six-part podcast series called A Stab in the Dark. Hosted by the award-winning crime novelist Mark Billingham, the podcast looks into the worlds of crime fiction and TV crime drama and will see Billingham joined by different guests from the genre. Not fiction per se, but an excellent dive into the glamorous world of crime novelists.
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