Podcast Corner: Liz Bonnin and Joe Lycett offer new shows
Liz Bonnin tells of the Mariana dam disaster.
Liz Bonnin hosts this new six-part series, the first episode of which was released on February 26, that tells the story of the heart-breaking events leading up to the worst environmental tragedy in Brazilian history – the 2015 Mariana Dam disaster. It has led to the UK's largest class action lawsuit ever, as some 700,000 plaintiffs are still seeking justice from Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP through the English and Welsh courts in a £36bn case. Bonnin says: "From the moment I heard about the story of the Mariana Dam disaster I was gripped. It’s been a true honour to be able to tell it from the perspective of the communities affected and the hundreds of thousands of people still fighting for justice.”
The English comedian Joe Lycett had an interesting documentary on Channel 4 last week called Joe Lycett vs Sewage. He explains: “It’s to show you all how much sewage is being spilled in our rivers and seas – and how little the water companies are doing about it.”
With stunts that have taken aim at Hugo Boss and David Beckham in the past, this time around he’s enlisted Gary Lineker for the first, and probably only, episode of his new podcast, Turdcast. Lineker, in the Italia 90 World Cup game against Ireland, reportedly had a, er, incident that was little more than a rumour until, he tells Lycett in the 25-minute episode, it cropped up at the end of an innocuous interview some 20 years later. And then Linekar couldn’t escape the taunts on Twitter. The pair go extremely in-depth on the incident - to disgusting lengths. It's funny and like Lycett’s other stunts, is likely to get people talking.
If Turdcast wasn’t enough about bodily functions, this 14-part (!) Australian podcast is pretty self-explanatory. It came out a few years ago, but is always worth recommending. A true story, with tongue very much in cheek, it skewers true crime podcasts. Brides Helen Mclaughlin and Karen Whitehouse, and ‘lead detective’ Lauren Kilby interrogate wedding guests, hook bridesmaids up to polygraph machines, and speak with top forensic experts in an attempt to crack the case.
We wrote about the Twitter Fantasy and Elon, Inc podcasts back in November, shows that examined Elon Musk and social media. The latest six-part series from BBC Sounds is called the Gatekeepers and arrives to mark 20 years of social media. “How did a tiny group of companies take over what we see, what we say, and even what we think?” asks host Jamie Bartlett, who traces the story of how and why social media companies have become the new information gatekeepers. BBC Sounds is also responsible for Jon Ronson’s culture wars examination Things Fell Apart, currently available - The Gatekeepers is in a similar vein.
41338424[/social]
