“Woman’s Hour for an LGBTQ+ audience"—the podcasts to listen to this month

Homo Sapiens

Will Young and Christopher Sweeney

Describing themselves as “Woman’s Hour for an LGBTQ+ audience,” Homo Sapiens is just as thoughtful and contemporary as that sounds, though possibly a few shades cosier. Now in its second series, it has pop star Will Young and director Christopher Sweeney, below, leading a relaxed and amusing journey through topical issues, often with high-profile guests, which so far include Jeremy Corbyn (“the next prime minister,” according to Sweeney and Young), actor Alan Cumming and food writer and campaigner Jack Monroe.

Fortunately… with Fi Glover and Jane Garvey

BBC Radio 4

Fortunately is presented by Radio 4 stalwarts Fi Glover and Jane Garvey in gloriously relaxed, anarchic and funny mode. These two skilled broadcasters don’t often get the opportunity they deserve to be as funny as they truly are, so hearing them “free range,” as it were, interviewing guests and talking about whatever they fancy, is a genuine joy. It is addictive listening that reliably makes me cackle embarrassingly on the train.

Backlisted

Unbound

For bookworms, it can sometimes feel impossible to keep up with new books, let alone great works from the past. Backlisted is the highbrow and nostalgic podcast from crowdfunding publishers Unbound, which focuses on a different neglected classic in each episode. Andy Miller and John Mitchinson are joined by guest authors and critics. Past instalments have been recorded in bookshops such as Oxford’s Blackwell’s and Shakespeare and Company in Paris.