Laura is joined by a good mate of hers on today’s episode of Castaway - actress, comedian and impressionist Emily Atack. You might have been introduced to Emily over a decade ago in her breakthrough role as the popular girl Charlotte Hinchcliffe on The Inbetweeners. But Emily’s career has only grown from there as she boasts an impressive CV, which includes ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ as well as her own comedy show and podcast.

Laura and Emily chatted about the importance of ranting on ‘What’s Upset You Now’ and how Emily’s love of food, drinks and sun are satisfied by Alan Carr and the Off Menu podcast. Emily recalls the moments that have defined her career on the podcast 'Plot Twist' which leads to a discussion about the challenges of being a woman in the spotlight. Laura and Emily even squeeze in time to talk about Emily’s incaptivating podcast ‘Lie Detector’, where she investigates some of the most unbelievable cases of lies and dishonesty you’ve ever heard. Expect to hear lots of laughs, great podcast selections and a good old natter between mates!

Emily’s recommendations:

What’s Upset You Now?

Alan Carr’s ‘Life’s a Beach’

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

Plot Twist

Listen to Emily’s podcast:

Emily Atack: Lie Detector

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This week, Laura is joined by a fellow broadcaster in the form of the extremely talented Snoochie Shy. Snoochie is best known for presenting her specialist rap and drill show on BBC 1Xtra. She’s also not adverse to being pushed outside of her comfort zone as she proved in the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ castle last year. Snoochie is also well versed in the podcasting sphere hosting 'Slide In' alongside Kaz and Jordan where they explore the terrifying but hysterical world of social media DMs! 

In this episode, Laura and Snoochie discuss important conversations from both black men and women on the 'HCPod Original' and 'The Receipts' podcasts respectively. Snoochie is also big into astrology, which is reflected in one of her choices the ‘Cancer Today’ podcast, so Laura just had to find out whether her and Snoochie’s star signs are compatible! This chat takes many turns - from foot fantasies to dressing rooms sagas - and it’s one not to be missed! 

Snoochie’s recommendations:

Cancer Today

HCPod Original

The Receipts Podcast

No Behaviour Podcast

6 Degrees from Jamie and Spencer

Listen to Snoochie’s podcast:

Slide In with Snoochie, Kaz and Jordan

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As we continue to dive into the world of podcast recommendations, who would be better to ask than one of the queens of podcasting herself, Pandora Sykes! Pandora is an acclaimed journalist and author-turned-podcaster. Laura chatted to Pandora about her multitude of podcasts, ‘The Missing’, ‘Doing It Right’ and of course ‘The High Low’ which she presented alongside best friend Dolly Alderton and cultivated a massive following (Laura couldn’t resist asking if it will ever return…!) 

Pandora also talked about the role ‘The Week Unwrapped’ plays in keeping her up to date with the latest news stories, the fascinating cat-fishing scandal ‘Sweet Bobby’ and a moment between Adam Buxton and Louis Theroux that Pandora holds close to her heart.

Pandora’s recommendations:

The Adam Buxton Podcast

Fortunately… with Fi and Jane 

The Week Unwrapped- with Olly Mann

Sweet Bobby

Listen to Pandora’s podcasts & audio documentaries:

The High Low

Pieces of Britney

Doing It Right with Pandora Sykes

The Missing

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Today’s episode welcomes the very first Love Islander into the Castaway ranks - the brilliant Ovie Soko! Ovie captured the hearts of the nation on Love Island and since then he’s modelled, started his advice-driven podcast ‘Ask Ovie’ and still finds time to play professional basketball for the Shiga Lakestars in Japan. 

Naturally, Ovie brought some brilliant podcast suggestions to the table, including the food based Off Menu, sharing how the hosts reacted to some of his questionable choices when he was a guest on the podcast. Ovie also divulges his love for ‘Who We Be Talks’ and chats about the important role the podcast plays in promoting the best in Black British music, fashion and culture. Laura and Ovie also found time to talk about podcasts stateside, the business savvy ‘Earn Your Leisure’ and the captivating conversations that unravel on ‘Drink Champs’. An episode full of Castaway firsts today! 

Ovie’s recommendations:

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

Who We Be TALKS_

Earn Your Leisure

Drink Champs

Listen to Ovie’s podcast:

Ask Ovie

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Welcome back to a brand new series of Castaway! And what could be better than kicking off with Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Encanto star Stephanie Beatriz who is also something of a true crime aficionado! As well as sharing recommendations from across the pond including ‘My Favourite Murder’ and ‘True Crime & Cocktails’, Stephanie also talks about narrating her own podcast series ‘Twin Flames’, a chilling tale of how a couple orchestrated a cult that ruined people’s lives.

Along the way, Stephanie shares stories of her incredible career and why she feels proud to be voicing a diverse Disney princess which has helped widen the perceptions of countries like Colombia. Stephanie’s recommendation ‘Celebrity Book Club’ also invites Laura and Stephanie to talk about the portrayal of women in the media and a curiosity for uncovering the real stories behind some of the most iconic women in showbiz. We know you’ll love this one - it’s the start of a brand new season jam packed with juicy podcast recommendations to sink your teeth into! 

Stephanie’s recommendations:

My Favourite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

True Crime & Cocktails

Celebrity Book Club with Chelsea Devantez 

Listen to Stephianie’s podcast:

Twin Flames

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It's been said that laughter is the best kind of therapy and in today's roundup we'll be sharing recommendations from a host of celebrity guests on all things comedy. And boy, did we have some excellent recommendations over the past four series! From satirical style shows to overheard hilarious conversations with friends; we'll be going back over some of the shows that had some of our guests chuckling including Iain Stirling, Tan France, Evanna Lynch, Giovanna Fletcher, Jamie Laing, Gemma Styles, Jordan North and Edit Bowman.

Shows included in the episode are:

The Adam Buxton Podcast

Three Girls One Keith

My Dad Wrote A Porno

Sh*gged Married Annoyed

Private Parts

The Chris Moyles Show

Dear Joan & Jericha

Off Menu

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If you’re someone who feels like you’re cheating on music with podcasts, then look no further as we marry the best of both worlds by taking a deep dive into all things musical! Laura will explore the very best music podcasts out there with a star studded panel including Clara Amfo, Daisy Lowe, Edith Bowman, Dermot O’Leary, Frankie Bridge and Niall Horan.

Shows included in the episode are:

Hip Hop Saved My Life

And The Writer Is...

The Hang

Song Explode

Soundtracking

Teenage Mixtape with Joel Dommett and Steve Dunne

George Ezra & Friends

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In this episode, we’re sharing some of the most juicy and delicious podcasts out there; today we’ll bring to you all the mouth watering shows that get us in the mood for food. Our foodie loving guests today are Jessie Ware (and a little bit of Lennie too), Tan France, Evanna Lynch and Joss Stone.

Shows included in the episode are:

Table Manners

Off Menu

The Chickpeeps

Deliciously Ways to Feel Better

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Today's popular culture episode encompasses, well, a little bit of everything - from famous faces, to cult classics, and dare I say .. podcasts! This is one for the pop culture obsessives as we celebrate the great recommendations from pop culture fans, Dolly Alderton, Gi Fletcher, Jordan North, Deborah Frances White, Emma Gannon, Hannah and Suruthi from Red Handed, and Jamie Laing. Enjoy!

Shows included in the episode are:

Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin

David Tennant Does a Podcast With…

Chris Evans' “How To Wow”

Fake Doctors, Real Friends

The Best Pick Movie Podcast

Awards Chatter The Hollywood Reporter

Back Issue

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend

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This week Katherine Ryan, Lance Bass, Nicola Coughlan, Rankin, Munroe Bergdorf, Jessie Ware and Kate Thornton are sharing their top listening recommendations - through the lens of gripping, hard-hitting investigative journalism. For investigative journalists, podcasts offer a space for storytelling like no other, a place to uncover mysteries, learn about some of the most fascinating people in society, and shine a light on some of the most scandalous moments to date. So join Laura as she shares the juiciest real life dramas and the voices that go about uncovering them.

Shows included in the episode are:

Missing Richard Simmons

S-Town

The Mystery Show

Last Days of August

Tiger King

Dolly Parton’s America

The Dropout

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There’s a real power in podcasts that make you feel less alone. So many of the shows that have been discussed on Castaway have helped our guests through their darkest and most difficult times. And so, today’s episode is dedicated to those conversations of vulnerability and truth. We’ll hear recommendations from an incredible list of fellow podcast-lovers including Daisy Lowe, Jessie Ware, Annie Mac, Gemma Styles, Tan France, and Emma Gannon.

Shows included in the episode are:

Happy Place

Unlocking Us

Super Soul Sunday

Nature Therapy Podcast

On Being

How To Fail with Elizabeth Day

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Ready to get a little hot under the collar? Today we’ll be sharing some recommendations from that all important genre: sex and relationships... In this episode we hear podcast recommendations from Giovanna Fletcher, Evanna Lynch, Dolly Alderton, Gemma Styles, Clara Amfo, Irene Agbontaen and Jordan North so tune in to hear what our celebrity guests over the past four seasons have recommended when it comes to all things sex and relationships. 

Shows included in the episode are:

Thirst aid kit

The Receipts Podcast

Authentic Sex

Guys We Fucked

Love Stories

Where should we begin

Help I sexted my boss

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In this week’s episode, we’re going to explore the dark and nefarious world of true crime, one of the most popular genres of podcasting. What is our fascination with getting every grisly detail from a true crime pod? Here to help answer that question and scratch that itch with some of their own podcast recommendations on the matter are today's gore and law loving line up: Hannah & Suruthi from Red Handed Podcast, Frankie Bridge, Munroe Burgdorf, Lance Bass and Sara Pascoe.

Shows included in the episode are:

All Killa No Filla

My Favourite Murder

Cults

Serial

Root of Evil

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We're back for a special summer series of Castaway, kicking off the first episode by celebrating some of the incredible shows and, of course, women that are at the forefront of feminism in the podcast universe. We'll hear from Munroe Bergdorf, Deborah Frances-White, Jordan North, Katherine Ryan and Irene Agbontaen about their favourite feminism related shows.

Shows included in the episode are:

The Gurls Talk Podcast

The Guilty Feminist

‎Football, Feminism & Everything in Between

The Receipts Podcast

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In the last episode of this series of Castaway - Laura speaks to fellow podcaster, the brilliant Gemma Styles. Gemma’s podcast ‘Good Influence’, covers a range of different topics from climate change to therapy, food waste to sustainable fashion. On today’s episode, Laura asks Gemma how she’s found life as an influencer, her love of food and some of the causes she’s really championing through her podcast recommendations. Some of Gemma’s choices included some first timers here on Castaway like Nature Therapy and Remember Who Made Them, to some firm favourites like How To Fail and Off Menu.

Gemma’s podcast recommendations include:

Good Influence (Gemma's podcast)

Off Menu

Love Stories

Remember Who Made Them

How to Fail

Nature Therapy podcast

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In this episode of Castaway, Laura welcomes Hannah and Suruthi, the hosts of RedHanded podcast. The duo discuss their fateful meeting at a party where they bonded over their love of True Crime which led to their spontaneous decision of launching a podcast together. Millions of downloads later, they haven’t looked back. In this episode, Laura speaks with Hannah and Suruthi about some other true crime recommendations such as The Root of Evil Podcast and The Forgotten: Women of Juarez. Some Castaway favourites are also mentioned including The Blindboy Podcast and Back Issue which tells the stories behind formative moments in pop culture.

Hannah and Suruthi’s podcast recommendations include:

Red Handed

Root of Evil Podcast

Back Issue - Tracy Clayton & Josh Gwynn

The Blindboy Podcast

HarmonTown

Forgotten: Women of Juarez

The Creep Drive

Pod Save America

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Laura goes back to her jungle roots, as she welcomes latest I’m A Celebrity! star - Jordan North. The BBC Radio 1 presenter speaks about his experience in the Wales-version of ‘the jungle’ and his iconic moments that won the nation's hearts on the show. Jordan, who has his own podcast called 'Help I Sexted My Boss' with etiquette expert William Hanson, also brings some new recommendations to Castaway, including Football Feminism and everything in between, The Chris Moyles Show and How To Wow with Chris Evans. 

Jordan’s podcast recommendations include:

Help I Sexted My Boss (Jordan's podcast)

Football Feminism and everything in between

The Chris Moyles Show

How To Wow - Chris Evans

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This week on Castaway, Laura is joined by the winner of Series 1 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK - The Vivienne. As Laura goes through Viv’s podcast choices, we learn a couple of her surprising interests. Whether that be her passion for Jurassic Park or Theme Parks, The Vivienne talks about her childhood explaining why she has a special place in her heart for them. Laura also discusses The Vivienne’s life in drag, and how the last few years have treated her since she’s flown into the spotlight. Full of lightness, laughter and a great chat, we hope you love this episode.

The Vivienne’s podcast recommendations:

Fancy a Brew (The Vivienne's podcast)

Girl Group Gossip with Cheryl Hole

The Theme Park Duo

The Jurassic Park Podcast

Sibling Rivalry

Straight Talk With Ross Matthews

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This week on Castaway, Laura speaks to fellow podcast lover, broadcaster and house music icon - Annie Macmanus. Known to many as Annie Mac, Annie shares with Laura why she’s keen to step away from 'Annie Mac' and prefers these days to be known by her full name instead. Its this change that sparked Annie’s curiosity in moments that change us, and led to her releasing her podcast series Changes - which the two talk about. Of course Annie also shares some of her favourite shows including, Literary Friction podcast, Nice White Parents to On Being podcast.

Annie’s podcast recommendations include:

Changes (Annie’s Podcast)

Literary Friction

On Being

Nice White Parents

Blindboy

Grounded with Louis Theroux

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Today’s episode of Castaway features the wonderfully optimistic, hilarious and oh-so-stylish Tan France. One fifth of our favourite fab five - Tan has been teaching us all on how to live more stylishly; whether that’s through his makeover looks in Queer Eye or his wardrobe advice in Next In Fashion. Put simply, Tan is one of TV’s golden treasures. On today’s episode, Laura speaks to Tan about his rise to stardom following his move to LA when he was just 17, as well as how no one at Queer Eye expected it to become such a part of our zeitgeist. When it comes to pods, Tan shares how he discovered Jessie Ware’s music through her successful ‘Table Manners’. Tan also chats about some of the shows he’s devoured including his friend Conan O’Brien hosting ‘Conan O’Brian Needs A Friend’ and one of Laura's personal favourites - ‘Oprah’s Super Soul Sessions’.

Tan’s podcast recommendations include:

Super Soul Sunday

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Three Girls One Keith

Table Manners

Anna Farris Is Unqualified

Armchair Expert

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