Home
App
A hero to the last

A hero to the last

Our pick of the week is the poignant, posthumous second series of interviews by rugby star, Rob Burrow

Rob Burrow Podcast wk. 41

Getty

CHAT

Rob Burrow Seven, Meets...

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Spotify. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Spotify may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Spotify and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Before he succumbed to motor neurone disease (MND) on 2 June, aged 41, rugby league star Rob Burrow helped raise millions for MND charities. Assisted by his devoted wife, Lindsey, and “eye gaze” technology, he also recorded two series of this podcast in which he asks famous friends seven questions. Wayne Rooney, Jonny Wilkinson and Dame Kelly Holmes were all in series one. Rob’s rugby mate and fellow fundraiser Kevin Sinfield is in series two, as is former footballer Stephen Darby, who also has MND. (In a bonus episode, the roles are reversed.) It’s extremely moving. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support,” he says. But cheeky chappie Rob was also a prankster and his sense of mischief still shines through. DAVID McGILLIVRAY

DOCUMENTARY

World of Secrets: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

The latest from the World Service strand focuses on the predatory behaviour of Mohamed Al Fayed and involves the accounts of more than 20 women who were his alleged victims. Al Fayed died in 2023, so only now can this story be told at length and lawyers are looking into the possibility of action against the present owners of Harrods on the grounds of not having safeguarded employees. As in the Weinstein case, it’s bound to be more complicated than that. DAVID HEPWORTH

INTERVIEWS

The Louis Theroux Podcast

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

What makes Louis Theroux’s interview podcast so extraordinary is its emotional intelligence. Yes, there is an ego, but he also shows his own vulnerabilities. His guests feel safe. They say and share more and we, the listeners, are the beneficiaries, even when the subjects covered include sexual abuse, eating disorders and the death of children. The new series (now viewable exclusively on Spotify) begins with a chat with former adult film star Mia Khalifa. ANNA JONES

DOCUMENTARY

Joanne McNally Investigates: Did Furbys Spy on Us?

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

After attempting to get to the bottom of the Avril Lavigne replacement theory, comedian Joanne McNally delves into another crackpot conspiracy in this second series. Under scrutiny are Furbys, the creepy toy launched in the 90s, and the revelation they were banned by hospitals, airlines and the NSA due to the suspicion they were listening in. McNally is the perfect host, cocking a coiffured eyebrow at the madness. EMMA SIMMONDS

HISTORY

Time Team

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

The long-running popular archaeology series that ended on Channel 4 a decade ago was revived in an online version in 2022, which is broadcast monthly on YouTube. Now they have added a podcast, presented by archaeologist Dr Helen Geake and co-host Martyn Williams. Items discussed include the recent discovery in King’s Lynn of the only surviving stage from Shakespeare’s time and tips on tracing your ancestors in the digital age. You can only support such plucky resilience. FIONA HUGHES

MENTAL HEALTH

The Life of Bryony

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Fancy some therapy minus the couch and the bill? Then join infectiously enthusiastic journalist Bryony Gordon and her guests as they navigate the messier parts of everyday life, whether discussing body image with former Radio 1 DJ and cancer survivor Adele Roberts or reflecting on how to find the strength to overcome intense, crippling feelings of guilt with writer Matt Haig (Reasons to Stay Alive, The Midnight Library). A refreshingly honest weekly tonic. JEREMY ASPINALL

CHAT

Pop Top 10

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Another list show. This is how this one works: Scott Mills and Rylan, maybe too rich a combination for some, put together pop-related lists, eg British girl bands, which are rated from ten to one. The boys are joined by experts on the chosen subject who can throw out one choice and substitute another. The girl band expert in this case is Canadian comic Katherine Ryan, who outright rejects a group that had ten top ten hits. It’s stating the obvious perhaps, but this can’t be taken too seriously. Just let it wash over you. DAVID MCGILLIVRAY

HISTORY

Muses: an Ampersand Podcast

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Here’s an unlikely but successful coming together of the founder of the band Bastille, Dan Smith, and the co-producer of the history podcast You’re Dead to Me, Emma Nagouse. Dan’s new album is called &, so there is a vague plug at work, but the content is both funny and fascinating, looking at figures from history or mythology and their impact on contemporary thinking and pop culture. The first episode examines Eve, biblical literacy and how her “sin” still shapes misogynist views of women. ANNA JONES

INVESTIGATION

Who Owns the Clyde?

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

The great rivers of the urban world present a problem to planners in the post-industrial age, and listening to this excellent piece of work, it seems that few are quite as problematic as the waterway that was once the lifeblood of Glasgow. Regeneration schemes have all stalled, in part because of the opacity surrounding who owns it. That’s the jumping-in point — and soon the waters are turning murky. SIMON O’HAGAN

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec