Pick of the week
Our Copa
Former US soccer player Merritt Mathias (pictured above) and journalists Musa Okwonga and Julio Ricardo Varela are a fascinating team of “football/soccer time-travellers”. They trace the history of how global power has tried to influence the game and make it political. After setting the scene with musings on this year’s World Cup, they first look at the 1934 tournament in Mussolini’s Italy, which Uruguay boycotted. Hollie Richardson
YouTube and Spotify, episodes weekly
The Rest Is Politics: Who Funds Reform?
Is the future of the UK being shaped by shady donations from crypto tycoons? It’s an alarming question this four-part podcast – a collaboration between Goalhanger and the Observer – attempts to answer by digging into Reform’s funding model (as well as Nigel Farage’s own unusual finances) and examining what donors want in return. Rachel Aroesti
Widely available, episodes weekly
Slander & Slay
This series from seasoned US sports reporters Tracy Sandler and Nikki Kay (pictured above right) analyses the stories that sit at the crossroads of popular culture and sport, from the NBA’s “celebrity rows” to basketball player Josh Hart’s recent decision to bring a glass of red wine to a press conference. RA
Widely available, episodes weekly
If You Please … Himan Brown’s Radio Mystery Theater
Himan Brown was a bona fide legend of American radio, producing more than 30,000 programmes over his career. This podcast from the makers of an award-winning 2024 documentary about his life celebrates his 1970s horror anthology series, combining archive recordings of classic episodes with behind-the-scenes intel from Brown scholar John Slavney. RA
Widely available, episodes weekly
True Crime: Dissected
Reliving disturbing events from the past is one of the foundations of the podcast medium. This new offering adds proper expertise to the failsafe formula courtesy of investigative reporter Paul Connolly and forensic psychiatrist Sohom Das, who begin by looking at hate crimes in Golders Green and Charleston. RA
Widely available, episodes weekly