These days, I feel like every man and his dog has a podcast. Hell, I even went on a podcast this week. It’s that easy. But what isn’t easy is finding poddies that are engaging, funny, interesting, and, of course, have hosts that don’t make you want to throw your AirPods into a creek.
Because after all, the best thing about podcasts isn’t just learning new stuff, it’s being a little fly on the wall while a couple of strangers – who you are bound to form a strange parasocial relationship with – shoot the shit. And personally, I reckon the key to a good podcast is finding one where you’re just as invested in the host’s daily lives as you are about the topic.
Anyway, because I’m always in need of a new poddy to listen to while I go for a run (unhinged, I know) or walk my dog, I’ve decided to compile a little list of 30 of the PEDESTRIAN.TV team’s favourite, most listened to podcasts.
30 Best Entertainment Podcasts
1. J’Obessed
J’Obsessed is a poddy for people obsessed with obsessions. Host, Fraser Armstrong, is a young queer educator and podcaster who aims to deep dive into the interests of his celebrity guests, no matter how obscure, strange or left-of-field. The best bit is the obsessions can be fkn anything and the conversation naturally ebbs and flows from lighthearted topics under the pop culture umbrella to queerness, navigating your 20s and relationships.
J’Obessed is a pretty new pod with only three episodes out so far, so if I were you, I’d jump on the bandwagon now to cop bragging rights when it explodes.
2. Infinite Scroll
If you want to be down with the kids and understand what chronically online shit your little cousin is talking about, you’ve gotta listen to Infinite Scroll. Lovable hosts Lauren Meisener and Jordyn Christensen are one of the only reasons my 27-year-old ass knows what the fuck about the drama happening between 16-year-old dancing TikTokers. But more importantly, their incredibly thorough research and insightful opinions are both fascinating and entertaining.
3. The Show Off
Full disclosure, I’m a little bit biased with this one. The Show Off is the unholy union of two media powerhouses; The Betoota Advocate and, of course, PEDESTRIAN.TV.
The hosts, Betoota’s Effie Bateman and Wendell Hussey are joined by our editorial overlord Josie Rozenberg-Clarke to dissect all the hot pop-culture topics of the week. It’s just as serious and stern as you’d expect. Except it’s not. It’s hilarious.
And occasionally, when the big dog is out of town, I get to fill in for her and disappoint my parents.
4. Celebrity Memoir Bookclub
For my lazy friends who can’t be bothered to read celebrity memoirs, but still are nosey enough to want to know the tea, Celebrity Memoir Bookclub is the poddy for you. Hosts and comedians Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton are doing the hard yards and reading the hottest celebrity releases so you literally don’t have to. And in my opinion, their hot takes are the best bit.
5. Sexy Unique Podcast
The Sexy Unique Podcast is made for the reality TV lovers among us.
Lara Marie Schoenhals and Carey O’Donnell are your hosts and they’re plugged into all the Bravo shows you know and love including Vanderpump Rules and Real Housewives. Obviously, there’s no shortage of gossip to go around with these shows so there are plenty of topics to delve into.
6. Unreal: A Critical History Of Reality TV
If the last recommendation tickled your fancy, get this one in your ear holes.
Unreal: A Critical History Of Reality TV is a series looking back at the origins of reality TV and how it progressed to eventually lead us to shows saturated in influencers and social media. Journalists Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale take a deep dive into the ethical questions raised by reality TV and interview talent and creative industry minds throughout the compelling ten-part series.
7. Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Sam Fragoso is a film critic, writer, and journalist but these days, his main gig is hosting the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast. Each week, he sits down to have a heartfelt chat with all sorts of public figures from artists, activities, and politicians. As you’d expect, the show goes in all sorts of directions and it’s a pleasure to listen to, and feel like you’re getting to know, some larger-than-life people.
Most recently, he’s interviewed Oscar Isaac, Sarah Silverman, and Ramy Youssef.
8. The A24 Podcast
So far, every podcast on this list has a dedicated host. The A24 Podcast aims to shake up the traditional podcast format entirely by having no host, no ads, and ultimately, no rules. Created by the same people behind the hit films Everything Everywhere All At Once, Midsommar and Uncut Gems, this pod has no limits.
Featuring various popular figures in the film industry, you never know what you’re gonna get.
9. Here’s The Thing, Tho with Soaliha
Look, here’s the thing. We’re all living in a capitalist hellscape and sometimes we just need to talk about it. Join journalist and effervescent host Soaliha Iqbal and her producer/sometimes co-host Mitch Price as they dissect all sorts of hot topics ranging from politics to pop culture in an effort to help us all decolonise our minds.
Not only are Soaliha and Mitch full of insightful and educational hot takes, but they’re also a goddamn joy to listen to.
10. Normal Gossip
Normal Gossip is in my top podcast rotation because I’m a gossip fiend. The premise is simple; people write into the pod to share the juiciest tea with their family and friends. Then, host Kelsey McKinney makes the stories anonymous and dives into them with a different guest each week. As it turns out, second-hand truth is stranger than fiction and equally as fascinating as first-hand truth.
11. Sentimental Garbage
Sentimental Garbage is a podcast that has held many forms. Sometimes it’s a podcast dedicated to Sex And The City, other times it focuses only on chick-lit. These days, the podcast covers any pop culture topic that host Caroline O’Donoghue loves, despite society giving her shit for it.
12. You’re Wrong About
You thought you knew about our society’s history? You thought wrong, my friend!
You’re Wrong About is a podcast dedicated to looking back at occurrences in history, big and small, that we remember differently than the truth. Hosts and journalists Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall are joined by different guests each week as they touch on all sorts of topics from misconceptions around obesity to medieval torture and the Dyatlov Pass incident. So clearly, it’s a mixed bag.
13. Hamish & Andy Podcast
Okay look, I know we’re all aware of these two scallywags and their silly little pod but they’re on this list for a reason. The Hamish And Andy Podcast is still really, really good. What started as just published recordings of Hamish Blake and Andy Lee‘s daily radio show in the mid-2000s has turned into a hilarious and thriving podcast.
Each week – aside from the disputed yet strictly enforced three-month podcast break – the fellas chat about social power moves, people’s special skills, and the bonkers scenarios that occur in their everyday lives.
14. Flex & Froomes
And speaking of dynamic duos, we have to mention Flex & Froomes. This podcast, by Flex Mami AKA Lil Ahenkan and Lucinda “Froomes” Price, is a bloody breath of fresh air. Their show is hosted live every day at 3pm by digital hip-hop and R&B radio station CADA. But if you miss out on their live convos, they synthesize the best bits into a hilarious podcast.
I’ll never forget when they said that the modern-day blazer is like the 2023 version of the peplum top. As a Zillenial, I felt that.
15. It’s A Lot With Abbie Chatfield
Abbie Chatfield certainly has a lot on her plate. Including her podcast, It’s A Lot.
On the pod, Abbie speaks openly and honestly about sex, dating, career advice, and literally anything in between. She’s joined by a guest of the week and together they answer listener Q&As and let me tell ya, this shit gets unhinged. I fkn love it.
16. You Are Good
If you’re a movie buff with big feelings this is the podcast for you.
Hosts Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed focus on a new film every episode and discuss their thoughts and feelings. Each week they’re joined by a special guest to go in-depth about whatever movie they feel like chatting about.
The film discussion is consistently fascinating but most of all I love how even the title of this pod is validating me.
17. 7am
It can’t all be pop culture, fun, and games, can it? Sometimes you’ve just got to get up to speed with the news no matter how soul-crushing it can be. If sitting down with a newspaper – or let’s be honest, doom-scrolling your newsfeed – makes you feel like world destruction is just around the corner, why not tune into 7am for your daily news fix?
7am gives you the daily dose of what you need to know from some of the most tuned-in news journos around the country. If you’re not a news girlie my recommendation is to give this a listen before you head out to a wedding, family event, or fancy occasion. You’ll sound so fkn smart.
18. The Daily
Craving more news? Tune into The Daily, a news podcast by The New York Times. It’s basically the same vibe as 7am but as it’s US based, it usually covers a different topic each day so you’ll be swimming with current events info to spout at the next opportunity.
19. Take 5 With Zan Rowe
If you love music but feel like you can’t pick an album to fit your vibe, definitely give Take 5 With Zan Rowe a go. Radio legend Zan Rowe invites the hottest music acts to join her in the studio and share five songs they love. It’s super compelling and refreshing to hear the artists you love switch into fan mode as they gasbag about their favourite hits of the moment.
20. Inside The Big Day Out
Big Day Out is an Aussie music institution. For over 20 years, it was a rite of passage for sweaty teens and music lovers across the country. In a five-part series, host Gemma Pike explores the inside story of the festival, the backstage tea, and why it suddenly disappeared from the Aussie festival circuit.
21. Song Exploder
Song Exploder is a podcast I heartily recommend on road trips. Host Hrishikesh Hirway invites musicians into his studio to dismantle and explain the thought process behind some of their greatest hits. The tracks are broken down into each little sonic element, weaving a story throughout the episode until we get to the finalised song. When they play it all the way through at the end, you’ll have a newfound appreciation for it, that’s for sure.
The pod was such a hit it’s even been made into a Netflix series. What a hoot!
22. First Eat
First Eat is a podcast series by writer, actor, and First Nations activist Nakkiah Lui. In a journey to discover what our meals would look like if First Nations people owned the land from which our food came, Nakkiah invites us into her personal life. We join her as she learns about her family, her gorgeous baby, her own struggles, and her love for food.
Through the raw, confrontational series, we’re invited to ponder over politics, power, and the universal joy of food. While it’s not on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can listen to this series for free on Audible.
23. The Weekly Planet
This one goes out to all my little nerds out there. For all things movies, TV shows, and comics, The Weekly Planet is the podcast for you. The hosts are Nick Mason and James “Mr. Sunday Movies” Clement.
Fun, informative, and with their fingers on the superhero-esque pulse, you won’t miss a bloody beat.
24. Decoder Ring
Who doesn’t love a cultural mystery? Decoder Ring is a podcast dedicated to cracking the code behind the cultural questions, objects, or habits that we’ve picked up as a collective over time. The host, Willa Paskin, examines the history to try and figure out what it means, and why it matters. Some of the latest topics include the tooth fairy and parking. Fascinating!
25. Popcast
Popcast is a podcast for all the pop girlies! I am one of you! Hello!
It’s a podcast on music news, criticisms, new songs, albums, and artists that make me wanna boogie. It’s hosted by The New York Times‘ pop music critic Jon Caramanica.
26. The Aunty Donna Podcast
The Aunty Donna Podcast is a podcast that takes an incredibly serious look at comedy today. Okay, I’m totally lying. It’s absolutely bonkers. Aunty Donna is a comedy trio who is known for their absurdist and surrealist comedy. The group is comprised of Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane.
Honestly, it’s one of those pods where you don’t know what you’re gonna get but it’s really fkn funny.
27. Conversations
Conversations is one of the most iconic segments on Aussie radio. I still have memories of my mum telling me to shut the fuck up when Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski came on ABC radio so she could listen to her stories. Absolutely fair on her part.
Now, it’s a radio segment and one of the most downloaded podcasts in Australia. Every weekday, the hosts have in-depth conversations with someone who has seen or done amazing things. It’s a pod that will make you appreciate the little things and feel more connected with the people around you.
28. Radiolab
Radiolab is curiosity in podcast form. They cover all sorts of topics from scientific studies on seagulls to professional ice skating to personal family stories. It truly is a mixed bag. But what sets Radiolab apart is the next level of investigative journalism and research into each topic.
It’s a podcast for people who have an insatiable curiosity and love to learn literally anything.
29. Dr. Karl Podcast
Speaking of science, we can’t go past the Dr. Karl Podcast.
Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki has been an Aussie icon for years, using his love of science and his fun shirts (which are made by his wife!) to encourage kids to give a shit about the way the world works. He’s joined by Lucy Smith and an array of scientific guests to smash some myths, provide answers to weird science questions and teach us all a thing or two.
30. Maintenance Phase
If you’re a young person, I guarantee you’ve fallen prey to some health or wellness fads. After all, it’s a multi-million-dollar business built on our insecurities. Who can blame us?
Maintenance Phase is a podcast that aims to debunk the shitty science behind these fads that are warping our body image and taking our money. The hosts, Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, take a no holds barred approach to debunking the various fad diets whilst questioning why we’re all so damn fatphobic.
Well, I hope you’ve found something that tickles your fancy.
Happy listening!
