Picks of the week
The Bias Diagnosis
Ivan Beckley, a student doctor, hosts this podcast for Audible in which he scrutinises the racial inequalities in healthcare systems, from cancer treatment to mental health care. Beckley speaks to patients who received wrong or late diagnoses because of centuries of myths and falsehoods in medicine, or assumptions made about the validity of their pain and other symptoms. Far from your standard gory medical show, this is a sociological investigation – and a shocking one at that. Hannah J Davies
Ian Wright’s Everyday People
The moving way in which Ian Wright spoke about his former teacher Mr Pigden on Desert Island Discs showed the impact someone could have on his life. So, on his new podcast, he talks to people doing extraordinary things. His first guest is Chris Brannigan, who walked 700 miles barefoot to raise money for treatment after his daughter Hasti was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. It is inspiring to hear how unafraid they are to express their emotions as they talk about his strength and determination to complete the challenge. Hannah Verdier
Producer pick: Ecstasy: The Battle of the Rave
Chosen by Max Sanderson
When it comes to telling cultural histories, there are many viewpoints one can embody, but the point of view of a drug was not one I had come across before this podcast. It made the series such a refreshing listen.
Hosted by BBC regular Chris Warburton,it takes a candid look at when “ecstasy and acid house first swept Britain”. It is full to the brim with big characters (including Bez, Shaun Ryder and a man they call “the wizard of E”) and even bigger musical anthems. And that is the measure of it – there are no frills. The clincher, for me, was the nostalgia-tinged recollections of a generation basking in old times and old selves.
Of course, there is a serious side to all this. Through fictional vignettes, which act as bonus episodes, and hard truths about drug dealing, the producers manage to balance light and shade. It leads to an honest and enlightening conversation about a time in British history that will probably not be repeated.
Talking points
If all the talk about the “toxic environment” that Joss Whedon is alleged to have created on the set of Buffy has put you off the classic series, then Buffering the Vampire Slayer’s most recent episode may put a smile back on your face. The episode-by-episode analysis of the seminal show has reached season six’s award-winning musical episode, Once More, With Feeling. To discuss it, hosts Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo have composed and performed 17 original songs. A staggering achievement.
Why not try: The Queen Podcast | Run Fatboy Run | Invisible Blackness