5 new podcasts to listen to this week

If you are still struggling to get into the Christmas spirit, listening to these podcast picks may help.

1. Charles Dickens Ghost Stories

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and Noiser

Genre: Books

In a new nine-part podcast series by Noiser, Sir David Suchet, best known for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot, narrates some of Dickens’ most atmospheric tales.

This will include The Signal-Man, The Trial for Murder, A Madman’s Manuscript and The Ghost in the Bride’s Chamber.

Charles Dickens Ghost Stories launches with a special double-episode of A Christmas Carol. It isn’t quite the same as the one the English novelist wrote in 1843 but a version he personally shortened and performed on stage to rave reviews.

Using original sound design and music, listeners are captivated from the very start and go on an adventure with one of the most retold festive stories of redemption.

Suchet leans into his distinctive warmth and gravitas, which makes for a great listen this Christmas.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

2. Katherine Ryan’s Christmas Intervention

Streaming platform: Audible

Genre: Christmas and family

If you are being bombarded by adverts about the ‘perfect’ harmonious family Christmas, give Katherine Ryan’s new Christmas Intervention podcast a listen. It sheds a much-needed light on the raw, messy and chaotic reality of all the festivities.

In this brand-new Audible Original podcast, the award-winning comedian addresses some of her family’s most memorable Christmas disasters with husband Bobby Kootstra and daughter Violet.

This brilliantly funny, but helpful, festive series gives listeners a special insight on their family dynamics and shatters the illusion of a perfectly curated stress-free Christmas that many celebrities try to portray.

Ryan chats to guests, or “ghosts of Christmas past and present”, such as comedian and actress Sindhu Vee, to get some tips on managing familial clashes and expectations that take place around the festivities.

If you are already feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of a big family Christmas, give this podcast a listen for some useful tips and, more importantly, a big chuckle.

(By Camilla Foster)

3. The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Wellbeing and Christmas

The Calm Christmas Podcast is a seasonal Substack publication by Kempton who is also a self-help author and host.

This podcast is “intended to be a lantern leading you through the darkness of winter” and with her calming presence and tone, that podcast is exactly that.

This episode was all about how to make homes feel cosy and festive. It started out with Kempton talking about birth month herbs and their significance. For example, she explains: “April is mint which is associated with energy, freshness and protection, whereas December is sage and is associated with ‘wisdom.’”

She also talks about her family routines around this time of year, such as decluttering the home with her husband “Mr K” and her kids before the tree comes out.

“We have a preparing for the tree morning,” she explains. “Everyone has their own jobs to do.”

There are also conversations about advent candles, how to make a ‘winter flow garland’ and some recipe ideas from guests. Overall, this is a calming, reflective and peaceful listen for the holiday season.

(By Sara Keenan)

4. Good Food

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Food

Every Tuesday, host Samuel Goldsmith chats with cooks, chefs, and food lovers about their life, passion and journey in the food and drink world.

In each episode, there are segments which helps listeners get to know guests a little more deeper.

These include ‘My Favourite Dish’, where the guest discusses their favourite dishes and how they’ve made them their own, ‘Cookery Confessions’, where guests share their funniest kitchen mishaps and culinary secrets, and ‘Quick Fire Questions’, a rapid round of surprises that reveal more about their tastes and quirks.

In this week’s episode – a festive special – Goldsmith is joined by chef Rick Stein, who shares cherished family traditions from his Cotswolds childhood, and the inspiration behind his new book Rick Stein’s Christmas.

Stein also shares what you would find on his Christmas table and the secrets to making the perfect gravy.

If you are looking for Christmas dinner inspiration, then give Good Food a listen.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

Spotlight on…

5. You’re Dead to Me: Dead Funny History

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and BBC Sounds

Genre: History and comedy

This BBC Radio 4 podcast marries together comedy with history, offering a whistlestop tour perfect for those who wish they’d listened more in their school history lessons.

This week, Greg Jenner, “chief nerd” behind CBBC’s Horrible Histories, transports listeners to ancient North Africa with the help of comedian Darren Harriott and classicist Professor Josephine Quinn.

In a segment called ‘What do you know?’, Jenner sets the scene by trying to guess what the listener may already know about the ancient city of Carthage (located in modern-day Tunisia) and Carthaginian general, Hannibal Barca.

Professor Quinn charts the rise and fall of Hannibal and his famous Alpine crossing, which saw him lead a fleet of no less than 37 elephants to battle in Italy.

Listen to the podcast’s radio edits for a short snapshot of your chosen topic, or the double-length standard episodes for the slightly less BBC Radio 4-friendly chat.

If you’re lucky, you’ll have enough time to swot up before Trivial Pursuit is dusted off for Christmas.

(By Izzie Addison)