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Reviews | New podcasts

NEW PODCASTS FOR NOVEMBER 2026: SIX CRITICS' PICKS WORTH YOUR EARS

In brief

  • The Girls Are Talking, a 30-minute panel show with Sugababe Keisha Buchanan, Sharifa Butterfly, Tara Thorpe, Issra Wiheba and Kamille, was the Guardian's Pick of the Week on 26 October.
  • Spiral, from Tortoise and the Observer, follows technology editor Patricia Clarke as she meets people whose mental health has been affected by AI chatbots.
  • Sue Perkins fronts Attention, Please!, an Audible Original on ADHD that Podcast Rex critic Scott Bryan calls "worth the investment".
  • Unruly History, from Dr Emma Nagouse and Dr Gillian Kenny, is an independent weekly history show the Observer's Jude Rogers rates highly.
  • Also recommended: The Late-Night Parent Club from MadeForMums, and Ethan Hawke's real-time audio drama Midnight Radio.

The Girls Are Talking

Five women, five perspectives and roughly 30 minutes per episode. The panel is Keisha Buchanan of the Sugababes, comedian Sharifa Butterfly, author and creator Tara Thorpe, radio presenter Issra Wiheba and singer-songwriter Kamille. Podcast Rex lists it as a BBC Studios show and calls it "a new podcast full of great chemistry". The Guardian made it Pick of the Week on 26 October, placing it "somewhere between The Receipts and Loose Women" and noting it is upbeat but does not shy away from tough topics. New episodes are weekly. (The Guardian; Podcast Rex)

What producers can learn: a short, fixed running time and a regular panel with distinct voices make a chat format easy to commit to every week.

Spiral

A new series from Tortoise and the Observer. Technology editor Patricia Clarke meets people whose mental health has been deeply affected by their use of AI chatbots. The Guardian says it "will linger in your brain long after listening", and frames it as a look at how the technology can exacerbate existing issues by blurring fiction and reality. (The Guardian)

What producers can learn: a timely subject, a specialist reporter and first-person testimony are still the backbone of strong narrative journalism.

Attention, Please!

Comedian Sue Perkins, joined by scientific experts, explores ADHD traits many people share. Reviewing it on 1 November, Podcast Rex's Scott Bryan said the series "couldn't be better timed" and offered him "real solidarity and comfort". It is an Audible Original: Podcast Rex notes it is only available to Audible subscribers using a credit, or to buy separately for £19.99. (Podcast Rex)

What producers can learn: a well-known host paired with expert voices gives a sensitive topic both warmth and authority.

Unruly History

A weekly independent history podcast from Dr Emma Nagouse, lead producer and writer of the BBC's You're Dead to Me since 2019, and Irish historian Dr Gillian Kenny, an associate professor at University College Dublin. They describe it as "a weekly dollop of fascinating but thoroughly researched hot gossip from the past, drawn from the margins of history". In the Observer on 1 November, Jude Rogers called the presenters "brilliant" and the opening episode on banshee folklore "engaging", while suggesting segments and music beds to break up the hour. Episode two covers a 17th-century visionary nun. (The Observer)

What producers can learn: an independent show with proven talent can earn national reviews without a big network behind it, and critics notice structure as well as content.

The Late-Night Parent Club

From MadeForMums, hosted by The Traitors' Minah Shannon, this series is made for parents still awake in the early hours and looking for reassurance. The Guardian describes it as "a calming and helpful chat", with experts including Dr Punam Krishan and The Modern Midwife Marie Louise. (The Guardian)

What producers can learn: brands that know exactly when and why their audience listens can build a podcast around that moment.

Midnight Radio

An international pick: Ethan Hawke plays the Radio Man, the host of a late-night conspiracy phone-in, in a nine-part narrative podcast that unfolds in real time. It comes from Under the Influence Productions, the new company from Hawke and his wife Ryan, working with horror writers Scott Derrickson and C Robert Cargill, with Austin Pendleton as caller Clyde Lang. The Observer praises its use of sound, especially radio static, to build atmosphere, and says the first episode builds unease "with just the right amount" of it. (The Observer)

What producers can learn: in fiction, sound design is the set. Texture such as static and room tone does the work a camera would do on screen.

Make your own show in London

London Podcasts, a Fitzrovia Post company, has 14 purpose-built recording studios at Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, Camden, London NW1 7DJ. Four are permanently configured for video podcasts, and every podcast studio booking includes an experienced engineer. Audio-only sessions start from £200 per hour + VAT and video podcast sessions from £230 per hour + VAT, with a one-hour minimum. Finished edits, trailers and social cuts are available, and complete production starts from £1,250 + VAT per episode.

Book online at londonpodcasts.co.uk/book, email bookings@londonpodcasts.co.uk or call 020 7209 3474.

FAQ

What are the best new podcasts for November 2026?
UK critics are recommending The Girls Are Talking, Spiral, Attention, Please!, Unruly History, The Late-Night Parent Club and Midnight Radio, among others.

Who is on The Girls Are Talking?
Keisha Buchanan of the Sugababes, Sharifa Butterfly, Tara Thorpe, Issra Wiheba and Kamille. Episodes run about 30 minutes and come out weekly.

Is Sue Perkins' Attention, Please! free?
No. It is an Audible Original, available to Audible subscribers using a credit or to buy separately for £19.99, according to Podcast Rex.

Who makes Unruly History?
Dr Emma Nagouse, lead producer and writer of the BBC's You're Dead to Me, and historian Dr Gillian Kenny of University College Dublin. It is an independent production.

What is Spiral about?
A Tortoise and Observer series in which technology editor Patricia Clarke meets people whose mental health has been affected by AI chatbots.

How much does it cost to record a podcast at London Podcasts?
Audio-only sessions start from £200 per hour + VAT and video podcast sessions from £230 per hour + VAT, with an engineer included and a one-hour minimum. Complete production starts from £1,250 + VAT per episode. Book at londonpodcasts.co.uk/book or call 020 7209 3474.

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