Serialised documentary produced by Brooklyn podcast company Gimlet, hosted by Lynn Levy. The Habitat is a study of an extraordinary experiment under way in Hawaii, where six volunteers are marooned up a mountain in a dress rehearsal for what life will be like when humankind reaches Mars – in particular, how those first isolated pioneers will relate to each other. In this first episode, This Is the Way Up, Levy sets out the premise and meets the inmates. Andrew Mueller
Imagine the love child of Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City in podcast form and you have got Gossip, created by bestselling YA author Allison Raskin. It’s an easy listen and incredibly addictive, as three friends rake over the news from their suburban town in the local coffee shop. What goes on in Golden Acres spreads fast, whether it’s a rumour about a cheating husband, a priest with the eyes of a serial killer, or shocking goings-on down at the retirement home. Hannah Verdier
Your Picks:
A truly unexpected source of wisdom every straight man needs in 2018. The Gender Knot has just launched its third season and continues to invite men to explore topics such as #MeToo, masculinity, feminism and their own feelings in a way that is both comfortable and confrontational. Everything is approachable and honest, even when that honesty is overwhelming. The male-female hosting team try to figure out a gender-related dilemma each week in a way that’s both smart and also fun. The show offers no perfect answers and takes no real sides. Instead, each episode is a direct conversation (sometimes an argument) about a subject that really matters, where we hear points from the people who really live it. Guests this season include Esther Perel and Dan Savage. A rare and refreshing opportunity for growth every week. Recommended by Daniel Carroll
My interest in interviews with people from the movie and music industry drew me to the Mark And Me Podcast, but what I discovered was so much more. Mark’s genuine interest and sincerity results in something much closer to intimate conversations, that are always fascinating, and often inspiring. The Neill Blomkamp episode, one of my personal favourites, is a surprisingly honest and eye-opening conversation about film-making and the studio process that gave me a newfound respect for his films and creative integrity. In another episode, Mark even manages to click with the ever-elusive Tommy Wiseau. No mean feat! Such is the personal feel of these episodes, my recollection of them is not of listening on my phone, but as being present during them. I listen to many podcasts and line them up ready for when I get some free time, but when a new Mark And Me episode lands, I drop everything to listen. Recommended by Darren Wolfe
Guardian Picks:
Football Weekly is, no prizes for guessing, the Guardian’s longstanding and much-loved football podcast. Hosted by Max Rushden, it’s usually a twice-weekly discussion panel on the biggest, smallest and funniest moments from the world of football. Over the World Cup, we’re going daily, and we’ll be called something else that does exactly what it says on the tin: World Cup Football Daily. Every day there is a game, we’ll be bringing you a half-hour audio digest, comprising in-studio analysis, calls with journalists in Russia and more – and it will be with you every night after the matches. Subscribe to the feed on your favourite podcatcher and don’t miss a minute of the action.