Podcast roundup: The best this week, from Armchair Expert to Hello Internet and The Cut

Podcasts have seen a rapid upsurge in popularity in recent years. From true crime to design, popular culture and modern relationships, fiction to in-depth reportage, podcasts have proliferated to the point where no matter how esoteric the subject, there’s bound to be a show that deals with it. Amid this cornucopia of audio delights, however, how do you pick the podcast that’s most worth your while? This is where our weekly curated playlist steps in; it’s a lowdown on the best episodes from a selection of podcasts that deserve a listen. Ready to tune in? *** —  Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Jake Johnson About the podcast: Dax Shepard (You know him, right? Of course, you do.) finds “people who are vulnerable and honest about their struggles and shortcomings to be incredibly sexy”. And that’s what this podcast is all about — talking to his guests (celebrities, writers, academics, comedians, scientists, you name it) about “the challenges and setbacks that ultimately lead to growth and betterment”. If you are looking for something funny, insightful and laid back, this might be it. About the episode: Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Let’s Be Cops) talks about his early misconception about school, his career, mending a parental relationship and his discomfort of being a public person. The duo also discuss choosing family over work, addiction and how Johnson got stuck at Natalie Portman’s house. Runtime: 125 minutes Listen to the episode here.

—  The Cut on Tuesdays Who Even Was Karl Lagerfeld? About the podcast: The Cut on Tuesdays aims to bring forward women’s voices on culture, style, sex, politics, and people. Every week Molly Fischer, senior editor at The Cut, presents arguments, obsessions, dissections, reflections, confessions, and other deep dives. About the episode: A cartoon, a genius, a man who hated sweatpants…? Fischer talks with Vanessa Grigoriadis, Carl Swanson, and Cathy Horyn to try and make sense of one of the greatest fashion designers of all time — Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away on 19 February. Runtime: 28 minutes Listen to the episode here.

—  Stuff You Should Know How Galaxies Work About the podcast: If you’ve ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further.  Josh Clark and  Chuck Bryant have you covered. About the episode: In the universe, things tend to cluster. This means there’s a coherent structure to the universe and learning about clusters of stars – galaxies — helps us figure out what that structure is. Clark and Bryant do exactly that as they explore the galaxies far, far away in this episode. Runtime: 35 minutes Listen to the episode  here.

—  Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend Jeff Goldblum About the podcast: After 25 years at the Late Night desk,  Conan O’Brien ventures into the world of podcasting, looking for a friend. As the podcast puts it, “Over the years and despite thousands of interviews, Conan has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests. So, he started a podcast to do just that… Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly opportunity for Conan to hang out with the people he enjoys most and perhaps find some real friendship along the way.” About the episode: Jeff Goldblum joins O’Brien, along with assistant  Sona Movsesian and producer  Matt Gourley, for the most Jeff Goldblum-ly episode one can possibly imagine, as they chat about mini-orgasms, spousal criticism, pinky rings, raising comic children, and speaking in jazz. Runtime: 67 minutes Listen to the episode  here.

— Hello Internet H.I. #118: Dinosaurs Attack! About the podcast: The wonderful CGP Grey and Brady Haran talk about “YouTube, life, work, whatever”. Really, anything and everything. About the episode: The duo discuss the absolutely fascinating  Dinosaurs Attack! cards, MBS hotstop updates, a YouTube annotations ordeal, Brady’s visit toParis and Moscow, and diamonds! Runtime: 83 minutes Listen to the episode  here.