What’s new to listen to

Ximena Smith rounds up what podcasts we’re tuning into.

Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith

It was only a matter of time before two of our greatest modern cultural obsessions – true crime podcasts and the Kardashian family – cross-pollinated. The reality-star-cumjustice-activist Kim Kardashian, pictured, hosts this new Spotify series that looks at the case of Kevin Keith, a black man from Ohio who was convicted of a triple homicide in 1994 by an all-white jury. Kardashian makes her belief in Keith’s innocence clear from the get-go – as she says in the opening episode, her hope with the podcast is that it will make people realise how ‘‘f...ed up’’ the US justice system is. This seems to have been said without much self-awareness around how Keith’s fate within the justice system could well be influenced by the whims of a billionaire, but perhaps that reflection might still come in later episodes. New episodes every Monday.

The Prince

The Economist’s China correspondent, Sue-Lin Wong, is the host of this fascinating eight-part series about the life and leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Not long into listening to The Prince, I realised I knew very little about Xi, pictured, and his background before he became the leader of China, so I was grateful for Wong’s thoroughness in detailing the ups-and-downs of his early life and rise within the Chinese Communist Party. A highlight episode was the one about how internet censorship in China developed into a sophisticated, well-oiled machine (despite Bill Clinton’s quip in 2000 that such attempts would be ‘‘like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall’’). The episode about the persecution of the Uyghur ethnic minority (and the consequences for a certain NBA player who spoke up about it) was another standout. Wong adroitly weaves in personal anecdotes with expert commentary for a well-rounded, comprehensive picture of who President Xi really is and the mark he is making, both on China and the world. All episodes of The Prince are now available.

Eliza: A Robot Story

‘‘A not too distant future’’ is a go-to setting for fictional storytelling, and it’s easy to see why – writers can ground a lot of aspects of the storyline in the present, and just make a few tweaks here and there, such as introducing new technology that doesn’t quite exist yet. In the case of Eliza: A Robot Story, the ‘‘tweak’’ is the presence of a humanoid robot called Eliza (voiced by Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds) – who is able to feel emotions – and the story follows her complicated journey towards achieving full sentience. ‘‘Not too distant future’’ narratives can also be an effective vehicle for social commentary – and that’s certainly the main thrust behind this new series: it’s made in partnership with The Pankhurst

Trust/ Manchester Women’s Aid, so all of the parallels between Eliza’s story and those of domestic abuse victims are absolutely intentional. The series is done very cleverly – a lot of the ways in which Eliza is controlled by her owner (known only as ‘‘Him’’ throughout) are very subtle and don’t involve physical violence, which is often the reality of how coercive control operates in many abusive relationships. New episodes come out every Monday, but you can listen to early episodes and behind-the-scenes content by subscribing to the Crowd Stories+ channel on Apple Podcasts.