Podcast Corner: Five shows to celebrate Pride Month
Pride Month originated with the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969, a landmark moment for civil rights. Picture: iStock
Production company Aunt Nell says its podcasts “sparkle with wit and queer allure, sashaying from night to day, and day to night”, all with the aim of opening listeners’ eyes through colourful audio. You might have already come across their award-winning series The Log Books, which wrapped in January 2022 after three seasons. Charting changing lifestyles from 1974 through to the early 2000s, hosts Tash Walker, Adam Zmith (ok), and Shivani Dave reopened log books of the Switchboard charity’s LGBT+ helpline, examining notes kept by its volunteers.
This Aunt Nell show concluded at the end of 2022, its 11 episodes covering the same period as The Log Books but instead of log-book notes, it brings to life a photo archive of black LGBTQIA+ life in Britain. Each episode is an “intergenerational journey focusing on a key photograph from the archive - joining stories of the past, with those of today”. From trans activists to community organisers to DJs, artists, and models, there’s a vast array of life vividly brought to audio life.
This is the latest show from Aunt Nell productions. It’s made by a collective, who state: “We are queer. We are migrants or descended from migrants. And we want to tell our stories. Stories of where we’ve come from and how we move in the world today.” There’s a revolving host and different voices on each episode - a whole world of discovery awaits as journeys taken and still unfolding are told.
The UK-based Iris Prize is a film and media organisation committed to increasing audiences for LGBTQ+ stories and runs an annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival. It also boasts a podcast of the same name which returns with a new season as part of Pride month. Hosted by Damian Kerlin - who we last heard earlier this year casting his eye over queer nightlife in Memories from the Dancefloor - six episodes of Iris will be available throughout June, covering topics such as representation in casting, queer documentary making, queer young people and representation on screen.
Ruffell, a comedian, kicked off this interview show - a simple bio: A podcast all about the inspiring lives of LGBTQIA+ people - at the beginning of lockdown in April 2020 and it’s still going strong, now in its seventh season and tipping at its 100th episode. Recent guests include drag queen Jonny Woo and Skunk Anansie singer Skin, but dip further into the archive for more big names.
