A loving homage to pop culture’s also-rans: best podcasts of the week

Pick of the week
Remember Me? With Maisie Adam & Scott Bryan

It’s all too easy to sneer at pop culture’s also-rans. This series from comic Maisie Adam and journalist Scott Bryan does the opposite, embracing people who found sudden fame – mostly in the 90s and 00s – and telling their stories with humour and care. Guests include Liberty X’s Kelli Young, who thinks she and her bandmates were seen as “too R&B” to win ITV’s Popstars – and is surprisingly grateful to the funk band who sued them. Hannah J Davies
Widely available, episodes weekly

Don’t Say a Word

A potentially provocative podcast concept: Nicky Campbell uses his decades spent hosting radio debates to explore how we navigate the grey areas of culture wars, identity politics and “cancellation”. Guests help tackle subjects with nuance, such as when people ask “Where are you really from?”. Hollie Richardson
Widely available, episodes weekly

Currently: Sophia Versus AI Slop

Sophia Smith Galer. Photograph: Courtsey of Sophia Smith Galer

Journalist and gen Z whisperer Sophia Smith Galer hosts this one-off about the enshittification of the internet, inspired by her own experience of buying a fake biography of herself she found on Amazon. As we face a growing fatberg of AI trash, even reaching into areas of academia, hers is an essential voice. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly from Sunday 8 March

Real Vikings

Iain Glen from Game of Thrones narrates this atmospheric 10-parter about Norse myths and history, putting paid to notions that the Vikings were merely “fur-clad thugs”. The tales of Harald Hardrada and Ragnar Lothbrok have hardly been forgotten by podcasts and TV but this immersive sound design and Glen’s delivery make it hard to resist. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly from Tuesday 10 March

Blood Will Tell

Twins Trung and Anh Tong were suspects in a 2014 murder in California – with the wrong brother ending up behind bars. This true-crime series may sound far-fetched but it is rooted in real events, with Jennifer Miller examining the brothers’ gangland past across six pacy episodes. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly from Friday 13 March