Best Podcasts 2017

Pod Save America

Former Obama administration staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor launched a new podcast upon Donald Trump's inauguration. Pod Save America is 'a political conversation for people not quite ready to give up or go insane.' In their twice-weekly episodes the trio breaks down the latest breaking political news with help from interviews with politicians, journalists, and activists.

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National Theatre

You wouldn't think that the National Theatre would be the place to get the cultural lowdown, but the program explores how theatre connects to the big issue of our time, sex, politics, and how life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. The podcast is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Alice Isn’t Dead

Joseph Fink and the creators of notoriously creepy Welcome to Night Vale aren't done mass producing nightmare fuel. In Alice Isn't Dead an unnamed narrator drives a truck full of deodorant across America in search of her wife (Alice) who may or may not be dead. Like its Night Vale predecessor, Alice Isn't Dead features magic realism, humour, and unapologetic darkness.

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Modern Love

Each week, a famous actor reads an essay from the eponymous New York Times column. Illustrious guests like Colin Farrell, Dakota Fanning, and Sarah Silverman have read true love stories about loss and redemption in the 21st-century. Host Meghna Chakrabarti eschews cliffhangers and checks in on the writer to find out how everything turned out in the end.

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Nancy

BFFs Kathy Tu and Tobin Low are here to offer some much needed insight into the lives of LGBTQ youth today in an uncensored yet earnest production brought to you by WNYC Studios, producer of podcasts like Radiolab, Death, Sex & Money, and 2 Dope Queens.

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Ctrl, Alt, Delete

Exploring how the Internet has shaped successful women, Emma Gannon interviews writers, actresses, and creatives about how social media changed their lives forever. The podcast platform champions brilliant ladies in discussion about feminism, social media, and creativity.

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The High Low

Poshos Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton (previous hosts of the Pandolly Podcast) join forces to talk about everything: personal, pop culture, politics - the limit does not exist. Inspired by Tina Brown, the Vanity Fair editor who coined the term ‘high low journalism’, the High Low combines hot gossip with hard hitting journalism.

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Who? Weekly

Now that we’re living in the Age of Instagram and everyone has amassed both fame and fortune thanks to the powers of social media, it can be hard to keep track of who’s actually famous. Who? Weekly celebrates Z-list celebrities with explainers and anecdotes about people you might recognize, but whose "talents" you can’t place.

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The Pool | Dear Viv

Writer and comedian Viv Groskop is our new favourite agony aunt as she doles out shrewd advice to all manner of millennial and adult quandaries. Tackling questions of life and death and all the problems in between, Viv offers compassionate solutions to your most personal issues.

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Mad World

Celebrities open up to Telegraph journalist Bryony Gordon about mental health issues. Prince Harry kicked off the series by opening up about therapy and starting discussions on the stigmatization of mental illness.

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S-Town

Brought to you by the creators of Serial and This American Life, S-Town pulled a very Netflix move and released all the episodes of the first season in one go. Hosted by Brian Reed, S-Town is about a man named John investigating the murderous son of a wealthy family in small-town Alabama.

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Revisionist History

A podcast even Donald Trump could love: bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell goes back and reinterprets a historical event. “Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance,” as the show’s tagline reads. Revisionist History returns to earbuds everywhere for Season 2 this June.

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