An estimated 505 million people will listen to podcasts this year, the most in the medium’s short history. Since the term podcast was first coined in 2004, the format has grown into a $25 billion industry. And whether your thirst is for social commentary, politics, true crime, business, health and wellness, food, wine or comedy there is a podcast to help slake it, with over 5 million different podcasts and 70 million episodes…. with thousands of new options appearing every month.
As you might expect the Brits are doing their bit in several leading categories, and this week we will look at a few of our favorites. Leading the charge is Goalhanger Productions, co-owned, appropriately enough, by former England footballer and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who launched the company five years ago with partners Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport. The company made their first big splash in 2020 with the launch of The Rest Is History, co-presented by historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. The show has covered everything from the killing of Julius Caesar to the rise of the Nazis and is now downloaded more than 6m times a month, with more than half of its listeners hailing from outside the UK. Holland and Sandbrook wear their erudition lightly and their amiable banter as they tour through episodes in history has set the tone for the brand of their parent company, resulting in spinoffs including the very popular The Rest is Politics, presented by Alastair Campbell, Labour’s former head of communications, and former Tory MP Rory Stewart. They are centrists who agree on many things and spar about others without rancour.
Last month the show launched an American version, The Rest is History US, with hosts Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as the White House Head of Communications in the Trump administration, and longtime BBC US editor Katty Kay. And then of course there is The Rest is Football, hosted by Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, and our personal favorite, The Rest is Entertainment, hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde. Osman is an English author, TV presenter, producer, novelist and comedian, and former presenter of the BBC Two quiz shows Two Tribes and Richard Osman’s House of Games. Hyde is a veteran journalist and longtime columnist for The Guardian. The witty chemistry of the two and the inside knowledge of the often-grubby workings of showbiz make for an engaging and slightly addictive podcast, and their TV and book recommendations also can’t be beat. It was this duo who first turned this columnist onto Netflix’s show of the year, Baby Reindeer, as well as the excellent Robbie Williams documentary on Netflix and the unmissable documentary on the life of snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan, The Edge of Everything, now streaming on HBO Max. Another hidden gem touted by Richard Osman: Rye Lane (Hulu), a charming slice of life movie set among London’s black community in South London Which just goes to confirm that with more choice than ever, trusted content curators who can help consumers by guiding and informing their choices are more vital than ever. Five million separate podcasts translates to an awful lot of inane rabbit holes to travel down. The Goalhanger stable of shows is an excellent place to start…
