Picks of the week
Futile Attempts (at Surviving Tomorrow)
At the outset of his new series, comic Kim Noble – formerly of comedy duo Noble and Silver – tells listeners that things haven’t worked out for him in life: either they “went wrong or I fucked them up completely”. His solution to having disappointed both himself and those around him is to make a show about how to get through, bringing together conversations with Natwest, Kevin Costner’s agent, and priests. From death to religion, it’s bleak, claustrophobic, uncomfortable – and very good.
Hannah J Davies
Out with Suzi Ruffell (from 24 Aug)
Released in March, Ruffell’s interview podcast was a lockdown delight. Now it returns for a second season with an impressive raft of guests including Sue Perkins, Mae Martin and the Rev Richard Coles. First up is Alan Carr, in super-charming full flow as he tells the story of how he came out, starting out in standup, developing his camp persona, and his parents’ support. Like her guests, Ruffell tells her own coming out story, and although it’s brief and off-the-cuff it’s full of warmth and inspiration to anyone in the same situation. Hannah Verdier
Producer pick: Giant
Chosen by David Waters
Imagine This American Life, if all the stories somehow related to football. That’s the quickest way to describe the Giant podcast. But that’s something of an injustice to a show that uses the emotional and character-driven storytelling of the best narrative podcasts while maintaining its own distinctive voice.
When the first series came out last year, each episode felt crafted and the series was packed with interviewees – not just the usual footballing pundit and celebs talking in the usual cliched way, either, these were people at the heart of the stories, reliving the twists and turns of action on and off the field. They ranged from Nigeria’s team of Olympic Immortals, to my season one favourite, the ‘Return to Plough Lane’, which tells the emotional journey of AFC Wimbledon, a team who came back from the brink on the backs of supporters.
Giant has just come back with season two, and the first episode is again totally original – for a podcast anyway. But maybe not for audio. Indeed, ‘The Ballad of Alan Shearer’ borrows heavily from British radio classics The BBC Radio Ballads. These were groundbreaking documentaries produced by Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker all the way back in the 1950s. That’s before even the Guardian were making podcasts! Originally broadcast on the BBC Home Service, they are now widely recognised as masterpieces of radio, bringing together folk songs and documentary tales.
In season two, episode one, Giant reinterprets this format to tell the story of the greatest English goalscorer of his generation, Alan Shearer. It’s so exciting to hear a podcast from a major platform like Spotify not only pay homage to radio ballads but contribute something new, with original music and crafted narratives. Whether you like football or not this is definitely a series to check out.
Talking points
If Giant hasn’t sated your appetite for football-themed audio, why not check out the Guardian’s very own Forgotten Stories of Football, featuring prisoners of war, the footballer whose death kickstarted a change in attitudes towards polio, and the tragic plane crash that killed 15 Dutch footballers.
Why not try: The Cut | Billionaire Boys Club | Unearthed
