...and other podcast news

This week’s podcast news…

• Chortle award-winning London comedy club Always Be Comedy has launched its own podcast in which stand-ups sit down with promoters James Gill and Tim Lewis to curate their dream gig. Who'd open? Close? Any incidents they'd love to relive? Any horror stories that mustn't happen? Josh Widdicombe guests in the first episode and Maisie Adam, pictured, in the second. Future guests include Maisie Adam, Ben Bailey Smith, Jen Brister, Harry Hill, Sikisa, Al Murray, Rachel Parris and Marcus Brigstocke.

• Russell Kane is fronting a new podcast called Pack Your Bags for travel firm TUI in which he and guests from sport, food, science and entertainment discuss their three must-pack travel items. It will be available from April 5. Guests include  special forces solider turned TV presenter Jason Fox, TV doctor Zoe Williams and comic Babatunde Aleshe.

•  Omid Djalili’s Please Tell Me A Story will return for a second series on March 28. Each episode starts with a guest telling a story which the other contributors must pass on, Chinese Whispers-style, without twisting it. Taking part in series two are Mark Thomas, Felicity Ward, Helen Bauer, Nabil Abdulrashid  and author and body positivity activist Megan Jayne Crabbe.  

• Comedians Louise Young  and Harriet Dyer have launched Make Me Better, in which they try various self-improvement fads, lifestyles and trends ‘to see if anything can make them feel less insane’.  

Published: 21 Mar 2023