PODCASTS/AUDIOBOOKS
Blood in the Machine BBC Sounds, review by Yvette Huddleston
Hugo Speer reads from Brian Merchant’s acclaimed account of the Luddite rebellion in Radio 4’s Book of the Week slot. It opens in 1811 when the introduction of machinery in the cloth trades begins to threaten the craftsmanship and the livelihoods of traditional cloth workers. They decide to take matters into their own hands and the response was the Luddites: groups of workers who deliberately sabotaged the machines that they could see were threatening their way of life and their capacity to earn money and feed their families. In the book Merchant, technology columnist for the Los Angeles Times, draws on historical accounts and interviews documented later in the 19th century with some of those who took part in the rebellion.
Strike Boy BBC Sounds, review by Yvette Huddleston
Mark Watson was just 10 years old when the 1984 miners’ strike began and it has impacted his life ever since. Forty years on, he explores what actually happened during the year-long dispute and how it changed the community he grew up in and how its legacy is still very much alive. Watson was raised in the Nottinghamshire mining village of Stanton Hill where his father was the local union leader and supported the strike from the beginning in an area where most of the local miners continued to work. In the opening episode Watson, who has never had a proper conversation with his father about the events of that year, speaks to him openly about it for the first time.
The Sports Agents Various platforms, review by Yvette Huddleston
From the same stable as the hugely successful News Agents, hosted by Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, comes this new behind-the-scenes sporting podcast. Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman are the hosts and as they have reported from and commentated on a whole host of the world’s biggest sporting tournaments including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the Euros, they are certainly wellqualified. In the opening episode they discuss the Christian Horner scandal which has dominated the headlines in Formula 1 over the past few weeks. Themes covered in future episodes include elite heavyweight boxing bouts and the concept of the ‘Enhanced Games’ where doping is not just allowed but actually encouraged.
Life After Prison Various platforms , review by Yvette Huddleston
This award-winning podcast series, hosted by Zak Addae-Kodua and Jules Rowan, both exoffenders, explores the challenges of returning to life on the outside after a spell in prison. They look at a variety of issues which may arise including housing, finding employment, opening a bank account and dealing with how other people regard you. As well as candidly sharing their own experiences, the pair offer practical advice and interview former inmates who have managed to turn their lives around after reintegrating into society. Guests in this series include producer and filmmaker David Navarro who was a promising athlete as a teenager but later became involved in selling drugs and taking part in robberies. He explains how he eventually got back onto the straight and narrow.