In Crushed, Margaret Cabourn-Smith chats to funny people to celebrate crushes and unrequited loves in all their intense and embarrassing glory…

What’s been the game-changer moment for you?

knew I’d hit a nerve when out of the blue in the same week I was approached for an interview by the independent, and the brilliant writer and journalist Nell Frizzell wrote a column inspired by it. It’s an exciting thing when you feel like you’ve created something that people want to join in with.

What does the next 12 months hold?

We’re doing live shows at the London Podcast Festival in September and a crossover show with the Guilty Feminist at the Soho Theatre in August. Also I really want to do some merch. I’m a big fan of niche merch (is that weird?).

Why did you move Auddy?

It has a properly supportive indie boutique vibe, not to mention the opportunities for cross promotion were really appealing. Twiggy? Yes please

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The second podcast in the spotlight this issue was a show from Annabel Rivkin and Emilie McMeekan of The Midult…

How would you describe your show in 5 words?

The glamour and indignity of being grown-up – that’s six sorry.

What’s been the game-changer moment for you?

Lockdown; we found ourselves on opposite sides of the country, so we just used our Zoom and our phones and started recording all the unfiltered weirdness in our heads. We really got to know our audience, and they really got to know us.

What episodes should we watch out for? Why?

There’s a corker coming up with Anna Richardson (host of Naked Attraction and the host of it Can’t Just Be Me podcast) about bodies, attraction and of course, Ozempic

What does the next 12 months hold?

We have just launched a five-minute-ish podshot called Podcast from the Edge that goes out every Friday and we’re working on something for telly.

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Listen to Crushed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Listen to I’m Absolutely Fine on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Find out more and browse the range of great shows that have chosen Auddy at auddy.com.

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This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com

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PB: TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR SHOW! WHAT’S YOUR PODCAST ELEVATOR PITCH?

IW: Wrighty’s House is a safe place where a group of friends come together and talk about football in a very inclusive and positive way. It’s my yard! It’s the place where the WhatsApp group comes to life.

We have some real family, non-football talk as well. It’s a group of people that have become very close, care about each other a lot and who also have a passion for the game. It’s everything from stories of my playing days to discussing the vibes of our favourite players and managers, harder hitting stuff (when needed to be done) and real life as well.

It’s me and the beautiful family that is Ryan and Musa from Stadio, Carl Anka, Jeanette Kwayke, Flo Lloyd-Hughes and Mayowa Quadri.

WHY PODCASTING? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE FORMAT THAT APPEALED TO YOU?

I am a radio guy. I grew up listening to the radio when I was younger and many people won’t remember, but it was radio that you could say saved my post-playing career. When I left the BBC, and no TV broadcaster would even consider me, it was Absolute Radio that gave me a platform to fall back in love with football media.

Radio really supported me. Podcasting feels a lot like radio and is accessible too. It allows me to speak directly to the listener in a way I want to. For someone like me, that can be emotional and can be forthright, podcasting – especially on Wrighty’s House – is a really safe space for me to be me. We can own the narrative and build a real community. It’s not scheduled or programmed. It literally feels like an everyday conversation.

The free nature of it all just works for me and how I want to speak about myself and about football. There is no pressure to cover certain topics because they are in the news cycle – something that I still have to do on a lot of platforms.

YOU HAVE A ROTATING CAST OF GUESTS ON WRIGHTY’S HOUSE EACH WEEK, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THAT FORMAT?

The cast is rotating because I just love hearing different thoughts on football from different people. Also, you don’t always have the same people coming to your house right? One week you may have your sister come over, the next week it might be your cousin who you haven’t seen in a few months. Wrighty’s House is the same but football.

You may hear poetry in motion from Musa, alternative theory from Ryan, Championship and WSL breakdown from Flo, Olympic tales from Jeanette, xG explanations from Carl and Twitter breakdowns from Mayowa. Everyone has their certain niche, yet we all gel together and can move through different gears whenever we want.

Having different people just allows for us to touch on so much. I learn so much from them all and I think the audience love that too. I never wanted it to be just about me, I wanted it to be about us. And, one of my favourite things about the House, and having these people involved, is that there is something for everyone. Old or young. Expert or novice.

TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR YOU DID A LIVE SHOW WITH CHELSEA WOMEN’S MANAGER EMMA HAYES. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO DO MORE OF?

For sure! Live shows are a real experience. The House is an experience already but bringing it to life is something even further. The great thing about live shows is that you can give listeners access to people and conversation that they love, but in a very different way. It’s not the same as the normal weekly shows, but the core ingredients of them are still there. Kinda like listening to a live album of artists you like.

My connection with every member of Wrighty’s House is real. I know them, their parents, their families, their partners and I feel that automatic bond with our listeners. We have some incredible listeners that are part of our community that engage with us on that same level of family.

Everyone knows Emma is an elite coach and one of best football minds in the world but in that live show, they saw Emma the way I see Emma away from the cameras. A footballing mind who is incredibly funny. The jokes and insights were amazing, it was as though she was a long-time member of the Wrighty’s House family.

I’ve just always felt that in those sorts of environments, you are able to really get to know people. We are more than our jobs. So when you come to the House, you are you. Emma was Emma. Not only Emma Hayes the Chelsea manager.

I can’t wait to do the same with future live show guests. We did our first Wrighty’s House Live with Barclays in November last year and it felt really good being in a room full of people while we had a chat over some drinks.

YOUR OTHER SHOW IAN WRIGHT’S EVERYDAY PEOPLE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM FOOTBALL TO FOCUS ON PEOPLE FROM OTHER WALKS OF LIFE. WHAT WAS THE APPEAL OF WORKING ON THAT PROJECT?

When I did my Desert Island Discs, I received so many comments about my growing up story. People were calling me a hero, saying how much my story moved them and how inspired they were by it. It made me think about all the amazing people doing incredible things every day in society whose stories we never hear so that’s what I wanted to do, amplify those stories. Like I experienced with my teacher Mr Pigden, an ordinary man that changed my life, the series looks at a range of amazing people doing incredible things, from Andy Hider who fostered 150 children throughout her life to Munira Mahmoud who supplied hot meals to survivors of Grenfell. Each episode is emotional but inspiring and completely different to anything I’ve done before.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO EMULATE YOUR SUCCESS BEHIND A MICROPHONE?

It is really important to own who you are. I could not do this if I tried to be someone else. I like having fun. I like telling stories. I love talking about football from my point of view. But I also speak how I speak and that is something that took me a long time to truly own, I remember getting criticised by viewers for some of my pronunciation.

I remember when I started, it was similar to when I had football trials back in the day. Back then, I was playing how I thought people wanted me to play, and my career in the media started similarly. However, as I built experience and confidence I was able to start just be me and grew more comfortable doing so.

The media industry can be very selfish, with everyone looking over their shoulder. You have to find friends in the industry that you can trust. People that will help you develop but also not hold you back because it serves them. You have to find those people and it takes time and you will get some of that wrong. But you learn from your experience and use that to hopefully help others on their journey too.

You also have to love what you do. Wrighty’s House does not feel like a show to me, it is literally a conversation between me and my people and one of the best parts of my week. I think that is a really important factor in its success: doing it because you enjoy it. I go through the rest of my week and I’m constantly thinking how we improve the show or I make a note of something I experienced or thought of that I want to mention on the next episode – you live and breath it because you ultimately love it and you hold yourself to a high standard.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER PODCAST HOSTS OR FOOTBALL PUNDITS THAT YOU TAKE INSPIRATION FROM?

Everyone on the House is a massive inspiration for me. They are incredibly talented and experts in their own right, they also talk about football in very pure and accessible way.

Musa and Ryan have made football more inclusive and a safe place for everyone. I learn from them all the time. They have mastered the art of just capturing people’s minds. You sit there listening and you are like “this is awesome’! As far as hosting goes, you won’t find many better. Every word they say becomes a part of your everyday dictionary.

Emma Hayes inspires me and is great to work with. Her understanding of the game and ability to give that back to the audience in a way that is very easy to understand is something I am always working to improve.

Jamie Carragher is also one of my favourite pundits because he brings football analytics together with a deep understanding of fan culture and how fans feel.

I am very fortunate to work with Kelly Cates – every time I am on with Kelly I learn something different. She has improved me as a pundit and host. She’s incredibly calm and witty, she keeps you on your toes but broadcasting with her is a pleasure.

WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE PODCASTS?

There are so many podcasts that I really enjoy that have good hosts with a range of styles and there is a new generation that is constantly creating new ways to consume football. I listen and try to support as many of them as I can. Musa and Ryan’s Stadio pod is one never miss along with Arseblog, and I also listen to the boys at Stoppage Time TV, the Goal Diggers girls & Sharky Does Sports. All really authentic football analysis and discussion pods.

I am also still working my way through GIANT which is a football documentary series that just tells some incredible football stories.

Outside of football I’m currently loving Mafia which is a deep look into the American criminal underworld.

Listen to Wrighty’s House on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Find more interviews with your favourite podcasters in the Pod Bible Magazine >>

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In Tea With Twiggy, Dame Twiggy reconnects with her friends for a cup of tea and a chat!

How would you describe your show?

Intimate, fun, spectacular, entertaining, rare.

What’s been the game-changer moment for you?

Being discovered and declared as the face of 1966.

What episodes should we watch out for? Why?

I love all of my podcasts equally, it would be impossible to select from my fabulous guests.

What does the next 12 months hold?

More exciting guests… We have an incredible line-up including Earl Charles Spencer, Anita Dobson, David Baddiel and many more, so I hope it’ll be just as inspiring and fun to listen to as it was for me to record. So keep tuned into Tea with Twiggy!

Why did you move Auddy?

Auddy have been champions of the show for a while, so it felt natural that they would be our new home.

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The second podcast in the spotlight this issue was a show we’ve spoken to before, Namaste Motherf**kers…

How would you describe your show?

Celebrity, comedy, work & wellbeing collide!

What’s been the game-changer moment for you?

I was 45, had dinner with Joan Rivers and she told me it wasn’t too late to get into stand-up; she was 81.

What episodes should we tune in to?

Deborah Meaden (reveals a couple of things she’s never spoken about before),

Sally Phillips (shared stories of our brilliant autistic boys) & the Rev Richard Coles (mutual love of sausage dogs & I loved the Communards back in the day!)

What does the next 12 months hold?

Well 50+ more podcast episodes, of course, and apart from that: touring, TV and radio, a book and… I’m the face of something I’m not allowed to talk about yet. Stay tuned!

Why did you move Auddy?

They got it! They got me! A tailored, bespoke approach where they actually give a sh*t about the content and its creators.

Listen to Tea With Twiggy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Listen to Namaste Motherf**kers on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Find out more and browse the range of great shows that have chosen Auddy at auddy.com.

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This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com

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Ruthie’s Table 4

Table 4 is situated near The River Café’s open kitchen which is one of my favourite restaurants. It’s the perfect spot to sit down and have a conversation with Ruth Rogers. She invites her guests to reminisce about family suppers, first dates, restaurants and comfort food. With guests ranging from Steve McQueen, Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart to Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, it’s well worth a listen. Listen now >>

Honey & Co – The Food Sessions

Coming from another of my favourite restaurants in London is the husband-and-wife chef-duo Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich……Honey & Co. Their conversations with incredible chefs and cooks from across the food industry is an inspiring, and mouth-watering, way to enjoy a podcast. From Yotam Ottolenghi and the OTK team, to Sami Tamimi, Tara Wigley and Andi Oliver. This show won loads of awards in 2021 and it’s great. Listen now >>

Table Manners with Jessie & Lennie Ware

It’s one of the biggest podcasts in the UK for a reason and has been a staple on my list for years. I started listening to this because I was fascinated by the guests, but I have grown to love the banter between Jessie and Lennie too. The food always sounds delicious and with guests ranging from Stanley Tucci to Munya Chawawa and Dannii Minogue, it’s a great listen. I prefer the ones in their homes… but that’s me. Listen now >>

Comfort Eating with Grace Dent

Having followed Grace Dent’s career for years, it seemed like a natural transition into podcasts for her. Again, she interviews various famous people, but the twist is that she unpicks their favourite ‘comfort’ food. From Graham Norton, Amma Asante to Adam Kay there are some pretty eye-opening stories of what people eat behind closed doors. Listen now >>

A Slice of Cheese with Jenny Linford

If you love cheese, then this is a great listen. Speaking to cheesemakers around the world, A Slice of Cheese is a pretty in-depth view on cheese, cheese pairings and food that go with cheese. Understanding their journeys, struggles and how they make cheese a way of life. Listen now >>

Agony Uncles with The Hairy Bikers

The only show in this list that isn’t an interview show… and not strictly a food podcast, but it’s hard not to love these two. Given their background, not a week goes by without some sort of food dilemma being tackled (think Air Fryers, Flour Power and Pasty Passion). Agony Uncles is a lot of fun and the banter between Dave and Si as they are joined by Posh Tash to share their life experiences to solve listeners problems continues to delight. Listen now >>

Sally Miller is Chief Marketing Officer at Auddy, inspiring and engaging audiences through audio. Supporting creators, creating branded content and private podcasts.

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This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com

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PB: Why do you love podcasts?

KT: In an age of 140 characters and ever shorter content creation I love the fact that podcasts celebrate the art of long form, uninterrupted conversation. With voice notes, texts and WhatsApp leading the way we tend to communicate these days, we’re in danger of losing the ability to talk and podcasts fly in the face of that, so long may they live and long may we continue to love eavesdropping on the way people talk.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Probably Desert Island Discs, but I did that on i-player so I’m not sure that counts. Which would make Unfiltered with James O’Brien my first podcast obsession. He recorded 50 brilliant long-form interviews for Joe.com with a smorgasbord of interesting, intelligent but inherently different subjects and I was devastated when he called it a day. Thankfully he’s up and running again with Full Disclosure which is just as good. He’s a brilliant interviewer, a broadcaster who never quite gets the props he deserves in my humble opinion.

Which podcaster makes you laugh the most?

Russell Kane on Boys Don’t Cry. Why this man doesn’t have his own show in a great slot on TV is beyond me – he’s laugh your arse off funny!

Which podcast has educated you the most?

Ted Talks Ted Radio Hour, it’s a mash up of great Ted Talks, which they revisit across a theme with updated interviews and you come away knowing all kinds of wonderful things you didn’t realise you wanted to know.

Can you recommend a podcast our readers may not have heard of?

That’s the question I ask all my friends! For me, I love How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Ctrl Alt Delete with Emma Gannon, Boys Don’t Cry and Annie Mac’s podcast, which is a truly lovely listen.

White Wine Question Time, with Kate Thornton, is the podcast that brings together three well-known friends, three bottles of wine and three thought provoking questions. Discover the friendships behind the entertainment headlines, and listen in on their conversations for a side to the celebrities you’ve never heard before. Listen to Kate Thornton’s podcast now on Acast, Spotify or all other platforms.

Read more Podcast Disciple articles in the Pod Bible magazine, which you can read online or buy in our shop. 

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That kind of personal connection develops in many ways, but a clear breeding ground is when a host allows themselves to be truly vulnerable to their audience and lets us in to something deeply personal. It’s easy to automatically think of stories detailing traumatic or emotional experiences, but sometimes those personal moments come from a sort of honesty that catches us off-guard because it seems so, frankly, normal.

A wonderful example of this recently appeared in the form of The Michelle Obama Podcast. When celebrities, politicians, and other high-profile individuals step into the podcasting world, people often have preconceived ideas of what they’ll be getting. There are, in many ways, formulas to these things. But former First Lady Michelle Obama dispelled that notion right from the first episode where she chats comfortably with her husband (who just happens to be the former President of the United States).

The programme has only released four episodes so far, but our host has invited us into a variety of topics that make her feel approachable and familiar. In particular, her discussion with Dr. Sharon Malone about health and the things nobody tells you about puberty and menopause was simultaneously powerful and reassuring. There are so many things that occur in every day life – between partners, inside our own bodies, at our jobs – that people just never talk about. But if Michelle Obama is willing to make these semi-secret, pedestrian parts of our existence part of our vernacular, then perhaps we can all follow her lead.

Within the world of podcasts, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of famous faces or intensely-hyped concepts. In the case of The Michelle Obama Podcast, a recognisable name and face is participating in conversations many have been having before, but her candidness welcomes more into the fold and encourages them to seek out these conversations elsewhere. Hopefully, those who feel that sense of connection with her will continue to explore similar conversations from others building intimacy with listeners the world over.

The Michelle Obama Podcast is a Spotify Original, produced by Higher Ground. Discover new episodes on Wednesdays via Spotify.

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While Reni’s recommendation was for Blacticulate’s eponymous podcast, it was Stories That Stick that caught our attention. We at Pod Bible love a programme that offers something new not only in topic but in production. We were immediately drawn to the structure of founder Ade’s show, which invites guests to tell their own story and share stories that have impacted them. 

Each episode begins at the end. The guest is first asked to speak about death, which may seem an odd place to start but perfectly establishes a person’s thought process for how they live their life. If we know how someone imagines, copes with, or theorizes death, we better understand the parameters they exist within today. From there, our host asks that his interviewee breaks their life into decade-long chapters, beginning with their first ten years.

Not only does this make for an easily digestible podcast, but it creates a shared nostalgia when paired with story recommendations from the episode’s guest, spotlighting a different book in each “chapter” of their own story. It’s hard not to fall into one’s own reminiscences during the first chapter, often peppered by beloved children’s books or familiar stories from religious texts.

When exploring shows that are new to us as listeners, creating a structure that we can easily latch on to helps to ease us into unfamiliar territories. Structures based in Q&A sessions, particularly those that remain consistent from episode to episode, create an excitement as we begin to imagine our own answers and build a sense of familiarity and camaraderie with the guests – their answers ebbing and flowing with our own.

An excellent podcast structure is reliant on its host. A quality host creates consistency for their listeners, while still remaining flexible for their guest. Ade’s soft-spoken guidance feels gentle, steering the conversation expertly without editorializing someone else’s experience. In episode 15, with Christina Moore of Don’t Skip Media, his guest off-handedly mentions the experience of growing up as the child of immigrant parents. Ade thoughtfully encourages her to explore that experience, and she opens up beautifully, allowing the listener a much deeper insight regarding her childhood. The deft way with which he supports her examination of what, moments earlier, seemed like an off-handed reference to something many listeners may not have experience with shows us how seriously Ade takes his work. It is always easy to allow a guest to move beyond something – especially something they have a shared understanding of, or something the guest may have explained in a pre-interview – but it does not serve the audience to allow those moments to pass us by.

We suggest you also don’t let Stories That Stick to pass you by, either. You can explore the podcast’s page on the Blacticulate website, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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