In Dyer need of sound advice? WHERE TO START:
Straight talk from a celebrity dad and daughter, top books to read and the origins of the current culture wars are among this week’s recommendations
SORTED WITH THE DYERS
Whether you’re struggling to keep up with the lads at work or are suffering from ‘weekend anxiety’ Danny and Dani Dyer are here to sort you out.
The father-daughter agony aunt/uncle duo draw on their own experiences to advise listeners who write in with their problems – although don’t ask to remain anonymous because straight-talking Danny isn’t very keen on that.
Their guidance is the sort of thing your well-meaning-but -blunt friend would give you if you confessed your woes over a pint in the local. But that’s what makes this podcast such a fun listen – their naturally down-to-earth attitudes and frankness, combined with their obvious friendship is a winning combination.
WHERE TO START:
S1 Ep16 from January, when Dani records a message to listeners right after giving birth to her baby boy Santiago.
THE SLIGHTLY FOXED PODCAST
This companion podcast to the excellent quarterly periodical is a must listen for avid readers – and if you haven’t checked out the magazine you should do that too, not least for its gorgeous cover art.
Like the equally brilliant Backlisted, Slightly Foxed introduces readers to books
that are no longer new but have lasting appeal. Contributors to the magazine discuss an author in depth per episode – everyone from Sylvia Plath to graphic novel illustrator Posy Simmonds – while recommending others whose work ties in. The conversations are warm and illuminating, and guaranteed
to add to your ever growing ‘to-read’ pile.
WHERE TO START:
Angela Carter’s brand of magical realism is a fascinating place to kick-off your listening in an episode that reveals her efforts to escape a controlling mother.
Available on all the usual podcast apps.
THINGS FELL APART
Jon Ronson (Last Days of Autumn, The Butterfly Effect) is back with a new podcast that looks at the origins of the current culture wars and unearths many surprises along the way.
Only two episodes in and he has already spoken to the man who inadvertently sparked the US Christian Right’s obsession with abortion and the woman who led the banning of books from the school curriculum in the ‘70s.
As always, Ronson is meticulous in his storytelling, weaving a narrative that, if it were fiction rather than documentary, wouldn’t ring true.
The intriguingly-titled 1,000 dolls tells how a son’s ambition to be a Hollywood director ultimately led to murder and Texas’ new aggressive anti-abortion laws. Available on BBC Sounds.