Anita Rani celebrates awesome women in her new podcast, Sisters of Defiance. The presenter meets remarkable public figures, starting with a lovely talk with writer-actor Meera Syal. When she was 14, Rani wrote to Syal after watching Bhaji on the Beach. In a full circle moment, Syal is Rani’s first guest on a really lovely podcast about “awesome women on the planet right now.” They discuss everything from empty-nest life to Goodness Gracious Me and divorce, topics that remain groundbreaking for south Asian women to address openly. Future guests include Gisèle Pelicot and Adjoa Andoh. Episodes are widely available weekly from Tuesday 26 May.
Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Gorsuch
Since launching in 2017, Slate’s anthology series has covered some of modern America’s most famous characters: Bill Clinton, Tupac, David Duke. Season 11 dissects a slightly more obscure figure. “Wild card” Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch isn’t a household name, but he may well end up changing the US forever. Episodes are widely available weekly.
Drilled: Carbon Cowboys
Bruce Rastetter is a Republican megadonor and Iowa entrepreneur in the carbon capture trade. His attempts to expand his so-called “clean energy” business into Brazil form the basis of this new season of the climate crisis-themed podcast. As ever with Drilled, it’s fascinating but maddening stuff. Episodes are widely available weekly.
Passages: On Morrison
When Harvard professor Namwali Serpell’s landmark book on Toni Morrison was published in February, she went on tour to promote it. This series hitches a ride, following Serpell as she travels across the US reading Morrison’s work to audiences and discussing it with the likes of critic Vinson Cunningham and former US poet laureate Tracy K Smith. Episodes are widely available weekly.
To Catch a King
“We’ve done it before: tracking down a notorious crime boss. Can we do it again?” Following their hit investigative series To Catch a Scorpion, journalist Sue Mitchell and ex-soldier Rob Lawrie team up to unmask a man believed responsible for thousands of illegal cross-channel journeys, some where people have died. Episodes are widely available weekly.
