Genre: Thriller/Paranormal

Just in time for Halloween, Spooked brings you true-life supernatural stories told firsthand by the people who experienced them. Don’t believe in ghosts? This podcast may just make you reconsider. Spooked is produced by the podcasters behind Snap Judgement, so you can expect the same quality sound production behind each story, creating a rich auditory experience that will leave your hairs standing on end and have you looking over your shoulder in the dark…

Episode to Start With: Lost In Time

Genre: News & Politics

The newest release from NPR, Rough Translation looks at issues and conversations from a global perspective. Ever wondered why a family from China would be looking for an American surrogate? Or how Ukraine is dealing with the war against fake news? Rough Translation explores these questions, and more, while providing an insight into cultures and thought processes you wouldn’t have got otherwise.

Episode to Start With: American Surrogate

Genre: Musical Theatre

I was pleasantly surprised to see 36 Questions at the top of the Podcast Charts this month, but after looking at the powerhouses behind the venture – Two-Up Productions, the creators of Limetown – it all made sense! 36 Questions is one of the first podcast musicals out there in the world, and if you’re a fan of Broadway musicals or TV shows like Crazy Ex Girlfriend, you’re going to love this one.

Jonathan Groff (of Hamilton fame) and Jessie Shelton play a couple trying to rebuild their marriage by answering “36 Questions that lead to love.” It’s a three-part series, so you can get through it quite quickly, but be warned, you’ll experience a full spectrum of emotions here and the songs are earworms – I’m still humming them over a week later!

Episode to Start With: Act 1 of 3

Genre: Society & Culture

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of every single one of Gimlet Media’s podcasts, and The Nod is no exception. Join co-hosts, Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings as they candidly discuss, explore and celebrate all aspects of living a Black life in America and beyond.

Culturally relevant now more than ever, The Nod is filled with fascinating anecdotes and unexpected origin stories which opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. Plus, they’ve got a whole segment on a ‘Queen Bey’ conspiracy theory, so you know it’s going to be a good one!

Episode to Start With: Chitlins at Bergdorf’s

Genre: Society & Culture

For a while now, I’ve had a weird fascination with Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple (I blame a history class in high school), so Cults plays right into my most morbid curiosities by looking into some of the world’s most notorious cults.

The most recent episodes focus on Charles Manson and how he convinced his “family” to commit a series of horrific murders in the late 1960s, and I am absolutely hooked. Cults goes deep into the history of its chosen protagonist and explores how cults recruit and retain their members, as well as what goes on inside the mind of their leaders, so I’m expecting all sorts of mildly spooky insights into these psychologically intriguing but actually terrifying people. You can bet I’m counting down till my Jim Jones episode already!

Episode to Start With: “The Manson Family” – Charles Manson