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The podcasting industry has seen so much rapid growth in recent years! With countless shows emerging, there was only one name to dub the movement, that being the ‘Podcast Boom’. According to Podcast Insights, as of April 2021, there were allegedly over 48 million episodes in existence. It was only in the late-2000s that the initial ‘boom’ occurred, birthing some of the biggest shows of all time such as WTF with Marc Maron and The Joe Rogan Experience. Today the biz has grown to unforeseen heights and companies like Spotify are leading the charge, acquiring rights to Call Her Daddy for a reported $60 million and Joe Rogan’s show for an alleged $200 million. Media companies like The New York Times are also looking to get a piece of the action, allocating big budgets to produce podcasts of high production value.
Twenty years later, they’re being churned out on a daily basis and it’s easy to get lost in the sheer quantity. Fret not, we’ve done the work to find out what you should be listening to in 2022.
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Via Instagram @connorratliff
Dead Eyes
If you don’t like podcasts about niche topics or intense stories of murder or betrayal, then Dead Eyes is for you! Hosted by actor and comedian Connor Ratliff, you may be familiar with his work on the George Lucas Talk Show or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The premise of Dead Eyes is to solve a mystery that has haunted the actor for two decades: why did Tom Hanks fire him from a role in the legendary HBO show Band of Brothers? You can find out by tuning in on Spotify!
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Sweet Bobby, Apple Podcasts
Sweet Bobby
Although around a year old, we had to include Sweet Bobby, an epic drama podcast by Tortoise Media. Debuting in 2021, this short but sweet six-episode series looks at the story of Kirat Assi and a man named Bobby. Assi, who is a radio presenter located in London, met Bobby online. Soon enough their friendship became romantic, despite the fact that they never met in real life. Their love affair continued for eight years, with Assi going on to discover that Bobby was not the handsome cardiologist that he said he was. Loaded with lies, manipulation, fake profiles, catfishing and elaborate scams, you can listen to Sweet Bobby via all good podcast platforms.
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@dccheerleaders
America’s Girls
The Dallas Cowboys Cheer squad are some of the most famous cheerleaders in the world, you may even be familiar with their TV series which spanned a whopping 16 seasons! Now they’re the subject of a podcast called America’s Girls which kicked off in 2021. Hosted by author Sarah Hepola, the series delves into the history and untold stories that shaped the pop cultural behemoth that is the DCC. Hepola touches on the creation of the team, one particularly scandalous Playboy cover and the ongoing debate about sexuality and objectification of women’s bodies. Check it out over on Spotify!
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Photograph: Tony Hathaway
Hooked
Have you ever heard of Tony Hathaway? He’s an ex-design engineer for Boeing and is known for having worked on the 747 aeroplane. He’s also known for being the culprit of one of the most prolific bank robbery sprees of all time. Once a well-respected professional, he sadly had an OxyContin addiction that tore his life apart. In the end, Hathaway had robbed a total of 30 banks and was arrested in February 2014. This 10-episode podcast is an Apple exclusive.
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Fast delivery – free over $50 – and free returns.
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