What’s new to listen to
George Fenwick rounds up what we’re tuning into in the world of podcasts.
The Elephant in the Bedroom
Comedians and performers James Roque and Chye-Ling Huang, pictured, are behind this new podcast from RNZ that explores the intersections of sex, love and race. Born out of the realisation that both Roque (Filipinoborn) and Huang (half-Chinese, half-Pa¯keha¯) have only ever dated white people, the best friends since meeting at drama school, unspool their personal histories across five episodes to explore how race impacts our sex and dating lives in Aotearoa. The show is hugely compelling: Roque and Huang’s bravery is admirable as they interrogate their own biases and even speak to their respective partners, both white, about the aim of the podcast, and the places they take themselves to along the way are often challenging and emotional. Their natural chemistry is charming to listen to, and they balance their banter with compelling interviews with experts such as behavioural psychologists and sociologists, who, in turn, provide fascinating insight into the complex race and class dynamics in Aotearoa and how they impact our lives at interpersonal levels. If you’re keen to get really nerdy and read further, this podcast makes a great companion to Amia Srinivasan’s new essay collection The Right to Sex, which asks similar questions about how politics manifests in private situations, such as our sex lives. But for a local focus, The Elephant in the Bedroom is a clever, bold and thought-provoking journey through thorny topics and difficult conversations.
This is Dating
Ester Perel’s Where Should We Begin is one of the most illuminating podcasts about sex, dating and psychology, and is deservedly a major hit. However, where that show looks at existing relationships, This Is Dating – a new podcast from the same studio as Perel’s show – is a show about the modern pursuit of love that hones in on what happens in those early stages, and, more specifically, what happens to us internally throughout these experiences. The show follows four singles – Virginia, Aziz, Khan and Amanda – as each of them goes on virtual blind dates that the producers have set up for them. The dates are in the episodes for us to listen and laugh and cringe away to, while a dating coach and behavioural scientist Logan Ury pops in every now and then to provide counselling for the singles, as well as reflections for the listeners to take away. As with Where Should We Begin, it’s at times excruciating but primarily fascinating, and will have you reflecting on every date, good and bad, you’ve ever been on.
Welcome to Our Show
Nostalgia-recap podcasts are swiftly becoming their own genre, with shows like The OC and Scrubs being revived by their own stars combing through the episodes in podcast format. Unusually, the latest addition is Welcome to Our Show, which is a recap podcast for none other than New Girl, which only wrapped up in 2018. However, the show was huge, and I’m sure plenty of people will be excited to hear that Zooey Deschanel, pictured, Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris have teamed up to delve into every existing minute of the show they poured seven years of their life into. Seven seasons no doubt means this podcast will be going for a while, so fans of the show have an absolute buffet of content coming their way. Dig in!