Podcast Corner: 10 best international podcasts of 2025
Sergei & The Westminster Spy Ring: Hosted by Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes, this forensic series investigates claims of Russian influence at the heart of British politics. Centred on Conservative Party whistleblower Sergei Cristo, it blends spy thriller tension with clear-eyed political journalism, showing how authoritarian playbooks travel - and take root.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Amy Poehler’s debut podcast is exactly what it promises: Loose, friendly conversations with people she loves, including Tina Fey, Rashida Jones, and Aubrey Plaza. The chats can be overly cosy - she recently called Julia Louis-Dreyfus the Lebron James of TV - but Poehler’s wit shines through, and there are genuine laughs across all the interviews.
The Poppy Day Bomb: Mario Ledwith returns to Enniskillen, his hometown, to investigate the 1987 Remembrance Sunday bombing that killed 11 people. Nearly four decades on, this restrained, empathetic series asks difficult questions about silence, memory, and why some wounds remain too close to home to reopen.
Stalked: Narrated by Carole Cadwalladr and co-hosted with Hannah Mossman Moore, this harrowing series charts years of alleged stalking and digital harassment. With an immersive sound design and devastating testimony, it exposes how systems fail victims - and the lifelong damage that follows.
Guru: Don’t Cross Kat: Season two of Guru dives into the disturbing rise of Kat Torres, a wellness influencer whose followers drift into cult-like dependency. Featuring witchcraft, fake news, and missing women, it’s a chilling examination of power, belief, and how easily self-help tips into control.
Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer: Leon Neyfakh’s meticulous documentary reframes Jerry Springer’s legacy, beginning long before the chaos of daytime TV. By focusing on Springer’s political life and moral contradictions, the series asks what his show did to public discourse - and whether it paved the way for today’s outrage culture.
Havana Helmet Club: From the makers of West Cork, this dense, gripping investigation probes the mystery of ‘Havana Syndrome’. Spanning science, espionage, and psychology, it’s an unsettling listen that rewards close attention - perfect for fans of Cold War intrigue a la John Le Carre.
Wanging On: Graham Norton reunites with Maria McErlane for a warm, self-aware, agony aunt podcast that thrives on chemistry rather than solutions. Listener dilemmas are merely a jumping-off point for stories, jokes, and the comforting pleasure of two old friends absolutely cracking each other up.
Mission Accomplished: Found by searching through the Big Picture podcast feed, Brian Raftery examines 12 films from the 2000s to explore how Hollywood processed the Bush years. Pairing blockbusters with prestige cinema, the series reveals how American movies mirrored a nation shaped by 9/11 and cultural uncertainty - before franchises took over everything.
Libero: A podcast about football - the least important of the most important things - featuring some of the biggest writers in the game, including John Brewin, Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle, Tariq Panja, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith, and Jonathan Wilson. They answer the biggest questions in the game, rather than overly reacting to the weekend’s action. You’ll learn something about the beautiful - though increasingly ugly - game with every episode.
