Sweet Bobby 2?🕵️
Catfishing, Human Smuggling, & Memories +Just Added and Weekly
Hey Poddy People!
Remember back in early November 2022 I was supposed to go see Harry Styles at his LA residency? Well, he had the flu and he postponed it to this weekend. So, let’s get this newsletter going and get ready for Harry!
In this week’s newsletter:
Weekly Charts
Just Added - 9
Three Recs, two for the BBC
Larry Wilmore and Awards
Emmy Award-winning writer, comedian, podcast, host, and magician, Larry Wilmore Black On The Air, is hosting The Ambies (podcast awards) in Vegas this year. It’s right before Podcast Evolutions conference, so yes, I’ll be there.
I’m excited too!We're so excited for this announcement! Award-winning host and comedian @larrywilmore of "Black on the Air" on The Ringer Podcast Network will be the Host of The Ambies 2023!!! For live show updates: 🎙️🏆➡️ https://t.co/P1SvMA10mH #theambies #thepodcastacademy #podcasters https://t.co/Br0pvfKu4u
The Podcast Academy @podcastacademyTwo podcasts have been released this January about the Havana Syndrome. One by VICE and one why PRX/Project Brazen. Has anyone listened to both? Comment below.
Two upcoming podcasts I am personally excited to hear: Marc Summers Unwraps (Double Dare, Food Network) and Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind (Spotify, DC).
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: Love, Janessa
Genre: True Crime, Catfishing
Publisher: CBC, BBC
About: Behind every catfish, there’s the bait. Who is Janessa Brazil? Stolen images of an adult entertainment star are being used to con victims out of thousands of dollars, breaking hearts in the process. Journalist Hannah Ajala embarks on a quest to find Janessa, in this 8-part true crime series. And who is responsible for catfishing scams?
Nice to see a CBC and BBC collab go down here. I was itching for a Sweet Bobby sequel, and this is the closest we will get. Hannah Ajala, hosting and speaking from Nigeria, is a nice touch as she light-heartedly brings up the classic Nigerian scams, we’ve all been emailed about. Please comment if you haven’t! Maybe there was some late-night talking involved.
Anyway, to have Simon, a reporter, being attempted to be catfished is great because of the investigation he already amassed. Will this live up to Sweet Bobby’s twists and turns? Fiona Sturges thinks so. (She probably received the whole season to review.)
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times
“Equal parts jaw-dropping and heartbreaking...Through smart storytelling and some seriously dogged reporting, Love, Janessa builds to a remarkable conclusion that I shan’t spoil for you here. What I can say is that the series rarely goes where you think it will and never loses sight of its humanity. In the realms of true crime, these are rare qualities indeed.”
Side note: Speaking of scammers, have you ever watched Youtube scientist star, Mark Rober? He’s been trying to get those text/call scam centers shut down in India. Pretty golden work if you ask me. Check that out here.
Podcast: I’m Not A Monster
Season: Shahmima Begum
Publisher: BBC
About: Investigating the story of Shamima Begum. At 15, she ran away from her London home with two school friends to join the terror group ISIS in war torn Syria. Now she wants to come back. It’s a tale that has gripped the world, but there are different ways to tell it. Josh Baker has been following the story since 2015 when Shamima Begum left for the Islamic State group. For Series 2 of I’m Not a Monster he investigates what really happened.
Every time I hear Shahmima talk I get frustrated. Just upsetting that it sounds like she never learned anything or is remorseful. However, it’s still intriguing and I still listened because apparently, I am a masochist. But then, in episode 2, it gets way more interesting. Josh goes on the hunt to find the human smugglers that moved people from the world via the Turkey-Syria border. It’s bonkers. If Josh did an investigative podcast on the Turkish mafia near the border just based on episode 2, I would listen. That was compelling enough. Episode 3 comes with a surprise.
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter
“(Series: Shamima Begum)...it’s outrageously compelling...Josh has dug deep into the story to find nuance, truth, and the beating heart of a shocking story.”
Podcast: The Memory Palace
Genre: Storytelling, History
Publisher: Nate DiMeo, Radiotopia
About: Short, surprising stories of the past, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hysterical, often a little bit of both.
Add this to the list of long-running podcasts I haven’t listened to. It’s critically acclaimed as I added the reviews in Great Pods. Nate, well, has a voice for podcasts, and storytelling is soothing. The majority of episodes are under 20 minutes if you wish to partake in some history and are less frustrating than the above recommendations. Maybe it’s just a sign of the times.
Sarah Griffin • Irish Times
“Each episode feels like an incredibly detailed image, or a poem. It is focused, easy, and huge. I am so glad to have so many episodes left to listen to: you will be, too.”
Just Added This Week:
Invisible Hate with Saadia Khan and Asad Butt
Unreformed: The Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children
The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome
Frozen Head
Smoke Screen (Season: Deadly Cure)
New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
Raised By Ricki with Ricki Lake and Kalen Allen
Weird Studies
The Turning (Season: Room With Mirrors)
Weekly Charts (January 16th-January 22nd): Sold A Story rising up.
Stay safe, treat people with kindness, and have that glass of water.
Listening with you,
Captain Ron
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