Picks of the week
The Walkers Switch
If you can remember Walkers switching the colours of their salt and vinegar and cheese and onion crisps, you’re not alone. But the brand insists it never happened. Is it a false memory? This podcast from Lauren Peters and Augustine Cerf investigates the issue forensically. They believe you deserve to know the truth, so explore fan theories, a possible Tory plot and the Mandela Effect, whereby people create their own memories. It’s like Serial for crisps, with mysterious tinkly podcast music and the serious approach the issue deserves. Hannah Verdier
Joe Exotic: Tiger King
The strange, perturbing, yet oddly compelling story of Joe Exotic - the “tiger king” whose hodgepodge of a zoo featured as many wild characters as it did wild animals - has proved a huge hit for Netflix. But before the show there was the podcast, with audio giants Wondery offering a different, more detailed slant on this tale of rival big cat owners and a potential murder plot. Their re-released series includes bonus extended interviews with key players, including Joe’s number one rival, Carole Baskin. Hannah J Davies
Producer pick: The Moral Maze - Isolation
Chosen by Max Sanderson (lead producer in audio)
Having spent much energy refusing to engage with anything related to the coronavirus outbreak outside of working hours - putting out three episodes of Science Weekly is enough for any man! - I finally relaxed my own lockdown and listened to the Moral Maze episode on Isolation. Not strictly a podcast (but let’s not get into that debate now), the long-running Radio 4 show is a personal favourite of mine, which tends to leave me in a confused state as to exactly how I feel about moral dilemmas that were tricky even before listening.
Exploring isolation – via mental health, philosophy and history – it was less jarring than usual. I think that’s because, like many, I don’t think I’ll ever be fully sure about how I feel the current upending of life as we know it – not while it’s happening anyway. That said, it did manage to complicate matters even more, as I attempted to grapple with how I felt about the viewpoints put forward by the witnesses and the panel. In a weird way that’s quite a nice distraction.
Talking points
The podcast 1800 Seconds on Autism is now releasing extra instalments on how people with the disorder are coping during lockdown.
Why not try: Mandemic | Katherine Ryan: Telling Everybody Everything | Rosie Jones: Box Ticker
