The best new podcasts of 2021 so far

By Lauren Heskin
07th Feb 2021

Looking for a new podcast to turn into? We round some of the best from 2021 so far.

Finding a good new podcast can often be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Unless a trusted friend can give you a glowing review and has listened to at least three episodes, are you really willing to give up 30 minutes of your time? Would you not prefer to sing along loudly to Adele while doing the dishes instead? I thought so.

However, as a growing (and growing) medium, there have been some excellent new podcasts coming to our ears this year, in no small part because unlike TV and film, you can create a podcast safely from your own home. We’ll be adding to this list every few months so check back regularly to see additions,

Reverberate, The Guardian

Hosted by The Guardian’s Chris Michael, Reverberate is a six-part podcast about how music sparked a moment in history around the world. Episode one tells the story of how an English musician became an overnight sensation in Hong Kong, and then the face of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.

The second episode focuses on how Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” was used as a psychological weapon against the dictator of Panama.

You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Kennedys, Spotify

Sixty years after John F. Kennedy’s famous “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” inaugural speech, this new limit series podcast explores the influential Kennedy family and how their time in politics, public service and entertainment enthralled the world. It’ll also take in the scandals and tragedies that have befallen the Kennedy’s as, of course, cover its most famous and enigmatic figure – JFK.

The entire 12-episode series is exclusively on Spotify so you can get binging on the lives and death of one of Americans most powerful American dynasties.

Chanel Connects, Chanel

A new, seven-episode podcast series from the luxury brand Chanel, it catches up with the likes of Tilda Swinton, Edward Enninful, Pharrell Williams and Kiera Knightley to chat about what is next in the world of culture: from fashion and film to architecture and music.

Recorded during lockdown from people’s homes and studios, it captures a moment on the edge: how will culture survive in this new world and in what ways will it need to transform?

Power: The Maxwells

By now you all know the name, Ghislaine Maxwell. She’s the English socialite charged with acquiring underage girls for finance tycoon Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was arrested by the FBI in July 2020 after her phone was tracked and she’s now awaiting trial, accused of enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children, and perjury.

But what about her family and her father’s suspicious death? Launching today, Power: The Maxwells is a new seven-part podcast series by the investigative journalism team who created The Immaculate Deception, a look at the controversial Karbaat fertility clinic in Rotterdam. Here, they focus on Ghislaine’s father, Robert Maxwell, a self-made publishing mogul and British MP whose death – he mysteriously fell overboard from his luxury yacht – resulted in the unravelling of a slew of frauds and stolen millions.

No F*cks Given, Sarah Knight

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Knight, has brought the message of The Life-Changing Magic Of Not Giving a F*ck to the podcast world. She’ll talk motivation, mental health, organisation, confidence, anxiety and more. Her first two episodes are available here or wherever you get your podcasts and covers mental decluttering, budgets and eliminating guilt to improve your daily life.

Unravelled: Long Island Serial Killer, Discovery +

Taking on one of the US’s most infamous unsolved serial killer cases, when ten bodies washed up on the Long Island Sound ten years ago, investigative journalists Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen team up with ACast to take a look into the murder mystery that gripped the nation.

In their new seven-episode series they dive into potential suspects as well as questions around corruption in the local police department, it’s a thorough and insightful look at the case. A true-crime podcast that’s very well done.