Podcast Corner: Two new shows for summer listening
Andrea 'Andi' Oliver attending the Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Pic: PA
Following the gripping , released in February, the and Serial Productions are in the midst of their next series, the five-part .
It’s a distressing listen: Dozens, possibly hundreds, of women came to Yale Fertility Clinic in pursuit of pregnancy and found themselves in impossible pain during the egg retrieval surgical procedure despite being given the opioid fentanyl for relief.
Except that a nurse at the clinic had been stealing the fentanyl and replacing it with a saline (saltwater) solution.
The podcast talks to about a dozen of the women who experienced this unthinkable event.
Describing what the pain was like, their stories will make you shudder.
The second episode is about the nurse, Donna Monticone, trying to find reasons for her actions, while the third episode, about the ensuing court case, features an admission from Monticone that’s like “a bomb drop”.
is about the stories we tell about women’s pain. What happens when pain is minimised or dismissed.
Something more lighthearted — though still with some edge — is this new series from mother and daughter Andi and Miquita Oliver.
It’s hard not to think of from Jessie Ware and her mum Helena; the Olivers’ bio: “ sees them welcome a special guest and a plus one of their own choice, to gather around their kitchen table for a feast of laughter, vulnerability, and deep conversations about all things food, culture, and the human experience.”
The food is made by Andi, a celebrity chef, while Miquita looks after the drinks. She’s hosted a wine podcast in recent years while more people will recognise her from her days.
Once you get past the similarities with , the conversations shine on .
One of the guests so far is Steve Jones, who worked on T4 with Miquita. He talks about his uncomfortable time as a presenter on : “I thought ‘This is it, this is the start of the big time’. But it wasn’t. And the show itself wasn’t what I hoped it would be. If ever the maxim ‘careful what you wish for’ was spot on, it was that.”
While the celebrities are the names on the episode titles, it’s nice to hear from their plus-ones who they bring to dinner — partners, friends, family.
All the while, the gentle sound of cutlery on plates and loud laughter ensure a warm listening experience.
