THE WORLD OF podcasting is big. Too big: it feels like every person and their dog has a podcast now.

But there’s a reason why the form is so popular – it’s intimate and fun, you can listen to podcasts no matter whether you’re working, trying to go to sleep, or out for a walk. Plus, podcasts can be extremely niche, and often the more niche they are the easier it is for them to hoover up listeners. 

If you’re in a bit of a podcast rut and need some new podcast pals, here’s our guide to the best lifestyle and culture podcasts to catch up with over the Christmas and New Year break. 

Who Weekly

If you know Who Weekly, you know. If you don’t, let me explain: every week, hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber talk about celebrities who are ‘whos’. That means people who aren’t extremely famous, but are starting to get well known, and might do some strategic things to get even more famous. That means their behaviour can be a little bizarre. But on top of that Weber and Finger cast a wry and curious eye over celebrity behaviour in general. It’s always a treat. Find out more (and about their Patreon) on their website.

Table Manners

For 16 series, singer Jessie Ware and her mum Lennie have been hosting dinners with celebrities at Jessie’s dinner table, and recording the chat for a podcast. The stars range from Girls Aloud to Miriam Margoyles and the chats are always entertaining and revealing. You won’t even mind the sound of people eating. It feels like you’re at the dinner table too, sans delicious food. Here’s the podcast website. 

Off Menu

Another one for the food fans, but leaning heavily on laughs and absurdity. This is hosted by comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster. Each episode, they talk to a guest about their dream menu, but there’s so much more to it than that, thanks to the cheeky and probing hosts. Guests have included Paul Mescal and Florence Pugh. Find out more here.

Promenade

This award-winning podcast series consists of little slices of life that tell a moving story – they’re personal essays that range from around 10-15 minutes long. You feel like you’re getting a look at someone’s diary, with their permission. A nice one to remind you about the various life experiences that make people who they are. It’s on Apple and Acast.

You Must Remember This

Film lovers are obsessed with this podcast, for good reason. Host Karina Longworth is our guide through various seasons of Hollywood lore, gossip and history, and she really knows her stuff. Her most recent, heavily-researched seasons look at erotic Hollywood mainstream films in the 1980s and 1990s. This is like taking a free university course on film. Here’s the podcast website.

Backlisted

Book fans will adore this podcast if they’re new to it. Every week, the hosts John Mitchinson and Andy Miller look at a backlisted book that, even if it was big in its time, deserves a new appraisal. The guests on the show are also fans of the book, and you learn so much about the author and what makes the writing stand out. You’ll want to rush to the bookshop after listening. Here’s the Backlisted website.

Normal Gossip

Gossip is just part of life, and this podcast moves away from celebrity gossip and into real-life gossip. On every episode, a guest shares some ‘normal’ gossip about someone you’ve never pet – recent topics included dog grooming, private school mums and an au pair adventure. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

If Books Could Kill

Michael Hobbes (of podcasts Maintenance Phase and You’re Wrong About) and Peter Shamshiri dissect a bestselling book on each episode, typically focusing on ‘airport books’ like The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck and The 4-Hour Workweek. They also look at books like The Coddling of the American Mind, which speak to current topics that are obsessing the right in America. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Double Love

On podcasts you can truly go as niche as you want, as the success of the Sweet Valley High podcast Double Love shows. Hosted by Dubliners Anna and Karyn, this delves into the world of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, the twins who feature in the hugely popular 1980s teen series. They break down the good, bad and downright stupid in these fictional slices of American high school life. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Juvenalia

We all have that pop-culture event or figure that’s had an impact on us for decades, and this podcast – hosted by Sarah Maria Griffin, Andrea Cleary and Alan Maguire – has guests on to talk about their pop culture obsessions, from Pride and Prejudice (the movie) to Weezer. Full disclosure, yours truly may have guested on this talking about her own obsessions… find out more on the Juvenalia website.

And one more suggestion: you could also dip into the back catalogue of The Journal’s own weekly podcast The Explainer, where every week we break down one big news story. We’ve explained some of the biggest news story of the year in a clear and accessible way – and now is the perfect time to give yourself a refresher. There’s also our award-winning series Redacted Lives, a six-part documentary series that tells the real story of mother and baby homes in Ireland.