The Best Podcasts Ever Recorded

Discover your next favourite listen so you'll never have to sit through a long, boring car ride ever again.

You know what’s pretty wild?

Just when you think every form of media must have already been invented, along comes a new one that takes us completely by surprise.

Twenty years ago a new medium was quietly born when two friends tried to figure out how to download an online radio broadcast onto an iPod. An enterprising journalist for The Guardian combined the two words into a simplified portmanteau, and the humble podcasting industry was born.

Now, two decades on, around a quarter of all online adults listen to at least one podcast each week.

While podcasts may have invented a whole new medium, they are still pretty terrible at discovery. Podcasts are primarily passed on by word-of-mouth, as excited friends tell you about new ones they just devoured. Sometimes it feels like everyone has a podcast, and with 40,000 new podcasts a week joining the total of around 4 million podcasts available, I don’t blame you for feeling overwhelmed.

So, to help you get through your next long drive, dog walk, plane ride, house clean or wherever you listen to podcasts, for this month’s One Useful Thing I’ve compiled a list of the best podcast episodes, and series, of all time. I’ve listened to most of them, and taken on board lots of recommendations sourced from readers who responded to a shout-out on my Instagram.

This list doesn’t include many of the excellent ‘talking head’ podcasts that create entertaining episodes, instead it focuses on the art of storytelling, investigation and journalism. The kind of podcasts that will have you hit “play next episode!” so fast your fingers will hurt.

This is a long post for you to share with someone who loves podcasts so you’ll always have something excellent to listen to. Just click on this Share button below or forward it to your friends.

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One Useful Thing: 34 Of The Best Podcasts Ever Recorded

A quick note before we begin. There’s a link at the end of every podcast to listen to it. Some of them are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or the series’ homepage, but use whatever platform you regularly listen to and search for it there.

Many years ago I did a lot of research and settled on Pocketcasts to listen to all my podcasts (this is not an ad, just a great product). It’s excellent, free and so much better than Apples Podcast’s crappy app.

So, let’s begin with 16 of the best individual podcast episodes ever made:

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Reply All: #158 The Case of the Missing Hit

Perhaps the most celebrated podcast episode ever created, this internet mystery combines perfect storytelling with technological detective work . It follows the hosts as they try to track down a song that may or may not exist, creating a twisting narrative that helped define great podcast storytelling.

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Conversations: The Hunt for Hitler's Horses

ABC’s Conversations is one of the best podcasts in Australia. Such a simple premise: a great conversation with a great guest, and this is one of the best episodes. In it, Richard Fidler speaks to an Amsterdam-based sleuth as he recalls hunting down two enormous bronze horse sculptures once owned by Hitler. You can (and should) get lost in Conversations, and this is an excellent place to start. Listen to it here.

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Mystery Show: Case #3 Belt Buckle

This series recorded just six episodes before it was (unceremoniously) cancelled. In each one, host Starlee Kine attempts to solve a real-world mystery. This one starts with a childhood treasure: a belt buckle found in a Phoenix gutter, adorned with a chef’s hat, a frying pan of eggs and a toaster that pops out tiny toast. It’s a gentle, funny and unexpectedly moving episode. If you like it, you should definitely listen to other five episodes (like how tall is Jake Gyllenhaal, really?)

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The Moth: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

The Moth is one of the pioneers of first-person storytelling, originally in front of live audience and later through audio. This is an unforgettable gateway episode told by Anthony Griffith. He tells a raw and heartbreaking story of juggling his rising career as a comedian with the devastating illness of his young daughter. Listen to it here. As a bonus, there’s a follow-up episode that explains what happens after he told his story on stage, listen to the follow-up here.

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Radiolab: Colors

Why is the sky blue? Is colour a physical reality or just a creation of our minds? This episode explains perception and science through personal stories and expert interviews. It’s a mind-bending journey that encourages you to see everyday things, like colours, in a new light (yep, all puns intended). You’ll hear about Isaac Newton’s eye-poking experiments and meet a real-life “tetrachromat” who can see thousands more colours than you and I.

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Acquired: Charlie Munger

This fascinating series takes deep, multi-hour dives into the origin stories of giant companies like Nike, Nintendo, IKEA and Spotify. Each episode is a masterclass in how companies are built, broken and occasionally reborn, but this one with Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s right-hand man at Berkshire Hathaway, is especially poignant. Firstly because it’s the only dedicated longform podcast interview he ever did, and secondly because it was published just a month before he died at 99 years-old.

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99% Invisible: “Whomst Among Us Let the Dogs Out”

The episode follows researcher Ben Sisto’s obsessive quest to answer the seemingly simple question of who actually “let the dogs out” - yep, the origins of Baha Men’s insanely catchy song, “Who Let the Dogs Out?”. He discovers a web of competing claims, copyright disputes and cultural echoes that challenge the very idea of musical ownership. It’s a playful, deeply-reported meditation on how catchy ideas spread and become part of our collective unconscious, often without a neat origin story. Listen to it here.

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Reply All: #130 The Snapchat Thief

Another Reply All episode (RIP) that grabs you by the neck and doesn’t let go. It’s a sharp, surprising exploration of what happens when your digital identity gets stolen, told with a journalist’s curiosity and just the right amount of humour. If you’ve ever wondered how fragile your online life really is - or just love a good story - this is one for you.

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Revisionist History: The Lady Vanishes

This is the first episode of the first series of Malcolm Gladwell’s wonderful series that revisits key parts of history with a fresh lens. “The Lady Vanishes” explores how Elizabeth Thompson’s 1874 painting, The Roll Call, briefly made her a sensation before she faded into obscurity, raising questions about why trailblazers from minority groups often see their early success used to reinforce, rather than dismantle, discrimination. It even features a cameo from Julia Gillard, and is a perfect blend of history and social commentary.

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This American Life: #129 Cars

A masterclass in finding human drama in unexpected places, this episode follows a Long Island car dealership trying to sell 129 cars before month’s end. It captures the tension, drama and absurdities of car sales, including the relentless pressure, wild negotiation tactics and the personal stakes for every character on the lot. It’s a surprisingly human, sometimes hilarious portrait of ambition and desperation. Listen to it here.

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How I Built This: Patagonia

The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, is one my heroes. So hearing him recount how he start Patagonia in 1973 to make better climbing gear and teaching himself blacksmithing to make his equipment better is a real joy. Chouinard explains his commitment to environmental responsibility, and the unique philosophy that’s shaped Patagonia into a global brand while resisting the typical trappings of corporate growth. There are so many other great episodes of this seminal entrepreneurial podcast hosted by Guy Raz.

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Science Vs: Hangovers - What Really Helps?

Who doesn’t love an Aussie success story of a podcast that conquers America? That’s what Wendy Zuckerman did with Science Vs, and this episode on hangovers is a good example of why. Wendy and her team do an onerous amount of research, in this case looking at exactly what the science says about how to bounce back when we’ve had a few too many.

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Ear Hustle: Cellies

“Cellies” is the first episode of a series that immerses listeners in the realities of sharing a tiny San Quentin prison cell, exploring the challenges and unexpected intimacies that come with living in such close quarters. Through candid stories from incarcerated men - including tales of “cellies from hell,” sibling cellmates and deep friendships - the episode reveals the humanity and adaptability required to navigate daily life behind bars.

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TED Radio Hour: What Does Spaghetti Have To Do With Happiness?

Malcolm Gladwell, and NPR, make another appearance in the list with the story of food scientist Howard Moskowitz, who upended the food industry’s quest for a single “perfect” spaghetti sauce by discovering that happiness comes from embracing a diversity of tastes and preferences. Moskowitz’s research revealed that people often don’t know what they actually want, and that offering a range of options leads to greater satisfaction. Listen to it here.

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You’re Wrong About: Survival in the Andes

You’re Wrong About revisits people, events and stories from the past that have been misunderstood, and this episode is about the harrowing 1972 crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, where a rugby team endured weeks stranded in the mountains. It focuses on the humanity of the survivors who made impossible choices that shocked the world but never stripped them of their dignity.

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The Dollop: 10 Cent Beer Night

This is the pretty crazy true story of the Cleveland Indians’ infamous 1974 promotion, when offering unlimited 10-cent beers to a rowdy crowd led to streakers, brawls and a full-scale riot at the stadium. It’s a hilarious chronicle of one of the most disastrous promotions in sports history, blending sharp comedy with a play-by-play of escalating absurdity.

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Sometimes a single episode is just not enough. So for when you want more than just a great episode, here are 18 of the best podcast series’ ever made:

S-Town

What a series. A genre-defying classic, S-Town starts as a murder investigation in rural Alabama but quickly unspools into a deeply human portrait of John B. McLemore, a brilliant and troubled clockmaker. Brian Reed’s storytelling is immersive and intimate, blending Southern gothic, true crime and existential mystery in a way that you’ll continue thinking about years later.

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Planet Money: The T-Shirt Project

This was the most ambitious online project in NPR’s history, and it all came together to tell the astonishing story behind a simple T-shirt that you buy. To explore it in detail, Planet Money designed and sold 25,000 shirts to their listeners, and then followed the story of the shirts around the world to report on how they were made. Listen to each of the short audio episodes here, and you can also watch videos of this project here.

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Wind of Change

Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe heard a wild rumour: was the Scorpions’ Cold War anthem “Wind of Change” actually secretly written by the CIA? This one is part spy thriller and part cultural history that takes you on a globe-trotting, tongue-in-cheek investigation into the power of music and the strange places that conspiracy can take you.

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Unravel: Season 4 - Snowball

This series follows New Zealander Ollie Wards as he investigates how his brother Greg’s whirlwind romance with a glamorous Californian ultimately cost their New Zealand family over a million dollars. Ollie tracks her across continents to try to piece together the true extent of her cons. It’s a gripping, stranger-than-fiction story of love, betrayal, and the devastating aftermath of a romance scam. Listen to it here.

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I’m Not A Monster: Season 2 - The Shamima Begum Story

BBC’s investigative series follows reporter Josh Baker as he pieces together the complex and controversial story of Shamima Begum, a British schoolgirl who joined ISIS as a teenager. The podcast unpacks her journey, the politics of citizenship and the tangled question of guilt and redemption, all with rare access to the subject of one of the craziest stories in modern UK politics.

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The Teacher’s Pet

Yes, I’m sure you’ve already listened to this (who hasn’t?), but Hedley Thomas’ investigation into the 1982 disappearance of Lynette Dawson exposed a tangled web of secrets, affairs, and institutional failures. His relentless reporting and public impact helped crack open a decades-old cold case, making it a true crime phenomenon around the world. Listen to it here.

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Song Exploder

In each episode, musicians like Billie Eilish, U2 and Fleetwood Mac break down one of their songs, revealing the creative process, inspiration and technical wizardry behind the music. Host Hrishikesh Hirway’s format is simple but brilliant, inviting you to do down the rabbit hole with him. Want an example of a song that’s definitely not about what you always thought it was? Semisonic’s Closing Time is the perfect example. There are over 300 episodes for you to get lost in.

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Stuff the British Stole

How fortunate are we that Marc Fennell discovered podcasts many years ago? With wit and bite, this series spotlights artefacts that were pilfered by the British Empire and are now displayed in museums around the world. Each episode is an unexpected history lesson, blending humour, tragedy and righteous curiosity about who really owns the world’s treasures.

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Trace: Series 1 - Bookshop Murder

ABC journalist Rachael Brown digs into cold cases and the cracks in Australia’s justice system. The first season is so good, covering the murder of Maria James. It is investigative journalism at its finest: meticulous, empathetic and shining a light on people who have been long forgotten. Listen to it here.

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Dear Joan and Jericha

Whenever my husband and I need a laugh on a long drive, we turn to this. It’s a very British comedy featuring two fictional, outrageously inappropriate agony aunts - Joan and Jericha - who dispense advice that’s as venomous as it is side-splitting. Created by Julia Davis (from Gavin & Stacey and Love Actually) and Vicki Pepperdine (Getting On) it’s an improvised series where each of them tries to get the other one to crack up by being more outlandish. If you like absurd British comedy, you’ll love Joan and Jericha.

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The Witch Trials of JK Rowling

I still think about this series, a full year after listening to it. The wonderfully curious Megan Phelps-Roper sits down with JK Rowling for a candid, sometimes contentious exploration of the Harry Potter author’s life, controversies and the cultural firestorms she’s ignited. The podcast is both a personal portrait and a broader meditation on free speech, identity and the internet age. You might not agree with everything in it, but that’s exactly why you should listen to it.

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It Burns

Another Marc Fennell classic, this time an Audible Original that chronicles the global race to breed - and claim - the world’s hottest chilli. What starts off as a quirky food competition quickly turns into a tale of obsession, rivalry and the strange ways that people seek meaning through pain and endurance. All told in Marc’s trademark relatable and revelatory style. Listen to it here.

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Slow Burn

Every season of Slow Burn covers a pivotal moment in American history. The first season was all about the Watergate controversy, giving a blow-by-blow retelling of how the infamous affair slowly exploded. Other seaons are on the Biggie and Tupac feud, David Duke’s political rise, the Iraq War, the LA Riots, Roe v Wade and more. It’s a nice way to recap important times that had far-reaching effects.

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Sweet Bobby

This true story of an elaborate, years-long catfishing scheme is as gripping as any thriller, following London radio host Kirat Assi as she unravels the truth behind her online relationship. The result is a years-long journey through deception, manipulation and psychological control. It’s also empathetic, twisty and a chilling reminder of how easily trust can be weaponised. Listen to it here.

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My Dad Wrote a Porno

I challenge you to listen to this with a straight face. With millions of fans around the world, this cultural phenomenon had the best premise ever: Jamie Morton discovering that his dad had written a terrible erotic novel, then reading it aloud with his friends for the world to hear. There are way too many good episodes to rate them, but any scene with The Duchess is guaranteed to make your sides hurt from laughter.

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StartUp

This podcast was so meta. A podcast about starting a podcast company, all recorded in real time as a new business was created. It takes you behind the scenes with Alex Blumberg and Lisa Chow as they go from coming up with the idea, pitching investors, late-night pillow talk and having awkward co-founder conversations. The best part is that the company they create during this first season, Gimlet Media, went on to be bought by Spotify in 2019 for US$230 million. It’s as revealing as it is entertaining.

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Missing Richard Simmons

This one is just as interesting as the conversation it sparked in the real world. When beloved fitness guru Richard Simmons suddenly vanished from public life, filmmaker Dan Taberski launched a deeply personal investigation into why. The podcast is part mystery, part meditation on celebrity and the bonds between fans and idols. It was also very controverisal. The New York Times called it “morally suspect” and the Guardian asked if it was all “an elaborate stalking stunt?” While there are genuine questions about the hounding of public figures, it’s still a fascinating podcast about the price of fame.

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Serial

No list of the best podcasts ever made could be complete without the podcast that changed everything, Serial’s first season investigated the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, unraveling the case against Adnan Syed with gripping, week-by-week suspense. Each season tackled a different angle, but the show’s blend of narrative, reporting and moral complexity is unmatched. Plus Sarah Koenig’s calm school-teacher voice is just so damn soothing. Listen to it here.

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G’day to new readers from around the world, and thanks for coming this far. My latest book - ‘Work Backwards: The Revolutionary Method to Work Smarter and Live Better’ - is available to buy no matter where you live. UK readers can purchase the book here, US readers can get it here, Australia and New Zealand can choose from these great retailers, and if you’re anywhere else in the world, you can buy it here.

I hope you enjoy this list of excellent audio that should keep you going for hours and hours. I’d also love to hear some of your suggestions, so let’s keep the conversation going in the comments by adding some of the best episodes or series you’ve ever listened to?

I have some very exciting book news to share with you very soon. I’ll be announcing it soon on my Instagram, as well as in the next edition of this newsletter. It’s very exciting (yes, I know, I’m such a tease), and I just cannot wait to tell you all about it.

We have just spent a few weeks in Marseilles, one of my unexpectedly favourite new cities, and have now just jumped into a campervan to explore the Alps from France to Munich. We spent a month here last year, and adored it so much that we’re back again to hike the Eastern part of the Alps that we didn’t get to last time.

I’ll continue to work, write, research and think about my next big project (that’s a big hint of the news, ok?) as we climb up and down mountains. I’m happiest when I’m in a campervan, with life stripped back to is bare and perfect necessities.

Until next month,

Tim