It’s been a few years since the podcast medium really gripped the world, giving us the ability to consume content while doing otherwise boring tasks – exercising, cleaning, driving.
For the last half-decade, there’s been both limited series and ongoing shows that have gripped Australian audiences locally, and from across the globe as well.
When Australia was pushed into a second year of lockdowns in June 2021, we again found ourselves searching for voices to keep us company as we went about our quiet, unprecedented circumstances.
Now that things are mostly open, and people are taking long drives and flights to reunite with their families, we thought we’d recap some of our favourite audio shows from the year that was.
Whether you’re into true crime, pop culture, or feeling like you’re sitting having a wine with some pals, we’ve got a podcast picked for you.
Life Uncut
We have to kick it off with Life Uncut, the lifestyle/dating/everything podcast put out twice a week by former Bachelor stars Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne.
Life Uncut is constantly listed among the top podcasts in the country, and it just won the Listener’s Choice Award at the Australian Podcast Awards for the second year in a row.
Next year, Brittany and Laura will be expanding it even further, bringing the show onto national radio on the KIIS FM network every Saturday.
“It is a real privilege to be given this opportunity as there are very few female-led radio shows and it’s an incredible opportunity to show younger women that there is a place for them in the media, and that they can get a seat at the table,” Laura told WHO of the opportunity.
Sweet Bobby
For those who find true crime a little overwhelming, we have a solution for you!
There are a bevy of podcasts that deal in scams, which – while still often confronting and scary – create the same intrigue that a murder mystery might.
Sweet Bobby is a British podcast created by Tortoise Media and hosted by investigative journalist Alexi Mostrous which follows the story of Kirat Assi, a London-based radio presenter who had almost a decade-long relationship with a man named Bobby. Only, Bobby wasn’t who he claimed to be.
The twists in this bizarre story are pretty mind blowing, so definitely save these six episodes for a car trip where you can binge it all in one go!
Who is Daniel Johns?
If pop culture is your thing, Who is Daniel Johns? is an absolute must-listen.
The fact that the podcast exists at all is somewhat revolutionary, given Daniel Johns’ difficult relationship with media. The Silverchair frontman has spent years out of the spotlight now, quietly releasing his own music, and continuing to refuse the suggestion that he reform the famous 1990s rock band that shot him to fame at age 15.
Across five episodes, Johns discusses his childhood in Newcastle, some crazy stalker fans, and his health battle with reactive arthritis. The producers also secured interviews with Johns’ life-long influence, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, and also Natalie Imbruglia, his ex-wife.
Shandee’s Story
If you can handle crime that’s a little bit gritty, no one does investigative podcasts quite like Walkley Award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas.
Taking on the cold case of Shandee Blackburn, who was murdered in her hometown of Mackay, in Queensland, in 2013, Hedley interviews a number of witnesses, and a number of experts, in an attempt to grow awareness about this case.
This podcast is a bit of a slow burn, and it can be quite dark, but the insight Hedley creates adds a very deep level of intrigue.
Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera
If you don’t want to wait for a final episode, maybe wait until after Christmas to kick this one off – it’s got one left to drop!
Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera is a Wondery podcast that looks at the rise to fame of trans model Miriam Rivera, who starred on a TV show in 2003. The show, There’s Something About Miriam was a Bachelorette-style reality TV show, but it withheld the information that Miriam was trans until the very end, ‘tricking’ the contestants, who eventually launched a lawsuit against the production company.
Looking back at the transphobia of the early 2000s is a little confronting, but the ultimate story of exploitation is absolutely gripping. You also might remember Miriam for a brief stint she had on the 2004 season of Big Brother Australia.
The Sure Thing
Another true crime recco, but again, if blood makes you queasy, this sits strictly in the realm of white collar crime.
Described as “the untold story of how two university friends hatched the perfect crime only to be undone by the desire for more”, the insider trading case has everything: friendship, betrayal, and an eight-million-dollar heist.
It also won Best Documentary Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards, so you can expect to be pretty gripped by it!
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