Edited by James Manning
PodcastOne Australia has announced a number of new series this week, including Brains Trust, produced and hosted by Chris Walker, co-creator and executive producer of ABC’s The Weekly with Charlie Pickering and Hard Quiz.
Brains Trust’s first season, 2020 – The Year We Can’t Forget, is a long form interview series which will see Walker speaking with well-known personalities. Featuring the likes of Hamish Blake, Dr Chris Brown, Waleed Aly, Ronny Chieng, Adam Briggs, Annabel Crabb and Kitty Flanagan, his guests reflect on their experience throughout the unusual year of 2020. The series will be narrated by Gold Logie winner, The Project’s co-host and Hit Network co-host, Carrie Bickmore.
See also: Chris Walker and Carrie Bickmore team up for new PodcastOne series
Walker is a partner in Thinkative Television, with Kevin Whyte and Charlie Pickering. The production company keeps Walker pretty busy. “I did a lot of interviews after hours and on weekends, which worked really well with the talent,” Walker told Mediaweek.
As to continuing the series into the future, Walker said: “I would love to do it again, but I guess that is up to the listeners! We may do the next one on something else rather than just ‘a year’ – 2020 just felt like the right thing to talk about this time. In reality, through the prism of 2020, we actually talked about each individual’s psychology, philosophy, fears, loves, hates….all the good stuff.”
Walker worked on the series with Sam Cavanagh and Chris Marsh for PodcastOne. “Carrie was kind enough to lend her dulcet tones to tying it all together for me. I could have done the narration myself, I guess, but the way I saw it was if I had to hit a golf ball, but had Tiger Woods standing next to me on the fairway willing to do it, you’d probably get him to hit.” As to working with his partner and former TV colleague Bickmore, Walker said: “Raising the kids is a project we do together! We may do something for TV down the road.”
Walker didn’t want to pick a favourite interview out of the series, but he did say: “Hamish perhaps was the most affecting in re-framing my view on 2020. Chris Brown is a close friend, but I feel like I learned so much more about him. Waleed is great because he tests you intellectually in almost every sentence. There is perhaps no one in the world that makes me laugh like Kitty. Ronny Chieng had the most unique perspective and I was perhaps the most moved by Adam Briggs. I’ve known him a long time, but I was able to ask him questions I’ve never had the courage to before. Annabel Crabb is like listening to Bill Bryson book – she just knows everything.”
Thinkative has a lot on its plate for 2021 – 60 separate TV episodes made up of 36 Hard Quiz, 16 The Weekly and eight of Tomorrow Tonight.
Listen to The Brains Trust here.
Howdy Partners powers to end of podcast year
One of the busiest independent podcast publishers in the market is Kevin Hillier’s Howdy Partners. The seven regular titles include its flagship Life of Brian…Mannix that is. A special Christmas episode is coming mid-December from the podcast which has topped the iTunes chart several times during 2020. Mannix has featured an impressive list of guests this year including Alice Cooper, Dawn Fraser, John Wood, Steve Waugh, Sam Newman, Frankie J Holden, Dick Smith, Myf Warhurst, Peter Hitchener, Dennis Cometti, Wilbur Wilde, Casey Donovan and Richard Wilkins.
Mannix is also a member of the team on the weekly podcast Ruck ‘N’ Roll where he is joined by Mark Fine and Kevin Hillier. Other regular podcasts from Howdy Partners are Authorised, The Two Dogs Podcast, Talking Wyndham, Living Well with Diabetes and Food Bytes with Sarah Patterson.
Listen to Howdy Partners podcasts here.
Chef Richo signs with PodcastOne
PodcastOne Australia has signed one of Australia’s leading chefs, Adrian ‘Richo’ Richardson for a series coming in 2021 – Cooking with Richo.
Focusing on mastering essential cooking techniques like pan-frying, roasting and braising, Richo begins each series with a theory episode about different cooking techniques. He will also make sure you have the essential utensils to be a culinary success, with each episode focused on serving up an exceptional dish, becoming an expert in the kitchen to create the ultimate fish, meat or veggie meal.
Richo is an award-winning Australian chef and owner of Melbourne restaurants, La Luna Bistro and Bouvier Bar. His career has seen him work on television screens alongside Jamie Oliver, Gary Mehigan, Miguel Maestre and a guest appearance on Network 10’s MasterChef Australia.
SCA head of podcasting, PodcastOne Australia, Grant Tothill, said: “Cookbooks, cooking videos and TV programs tend to be highly-stylised and edited, leaving out a lot of the practical techniques of what it takes to master a dish. Often it’s all the little tips and tricks that are the difference between success and failure in the kitchen.
“We saw an opportunity to take an audio-first approach to have Richo teach people how to cook in a new fun way. It’s a cooking master class just for listeners and the great thing is they don’t have to say, Yes Chef!”
Cooking With Richo will be available from January 2021.
Cheika goes On The Record
Capping the 2020 Tri Nations campaign which saw him coach the Argentinian National team to win a historic victory over the All Blacks and draw with the Wallabies, Michael Cheika has launched his first podcast series Michael Cheika: On the Record. One of the few sports coaches who has also achieved success in the business arena, Cheika’s guests include high-profile men and women from the worlds of elite sport, business, fashion, media and philanthropy.
“I never thought I’d be hosting a podcast but then I’ve always loved to go a little against the grain,” said Cheika. “I really like the idea of stripping away the barriers between the different tribes in life and focussing on what unites us. Hosting this podcast has been a great way of talking to people who I identify with, people who like to challenge the status quo.”
In the first episode Cheika talks to his great mate, former Irish rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll, about life after sport, the politics of Covid-19 and how to be a respected leader. Oher guests appearing include Sarah Wilson, John Symond, Dr Michael Gervais, Nicky Zimmermann, Lisa Alexander and Alan Jones.
Sarah meets Matthew
In a recent episode of A Life of Greatness Sarah Grynberg spoke to Academy award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey.
Revealing some of his personal lows and professional highs in his new book, Green Lights, Sarah and Matthew spoke deeper about how these moments shaped him to lead a life of greatness.
Together, they discuss his moral philosophies on life, his family struggles growing up and why they’ve made him the father he is today, to the importance of living with meaning and having respect for yourself and others.
Listen to Life of Greatness here.
Lindsay Webb live
Live at the Podosseum is a new live comedy podcast from Podshape hosted by Australian comedian Lindsay Webb.
Webb hosted the podcast Quizzical and has appeared on many other popular podcasts including Wil Anderson’s Fofop and Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds’ The Dollop.
He has also supported Jim Jeffries and more recently Marty Sheargold on his tour. Webb is a regular on the Australian comedy circuit.
Live at the Podosseum is a weekly podcast which is performed in front of a live audience at Brisbane’s Sit-down Comedy Club.
Webb said: “The opportunity to work with Podshape was too good to go past. They were already kicking major goals early, so when Jay Walkerden approached me, I was well keen to get involved. Jay really knows podcasts and is a delight to work with, so the process has been fun and productive. I was fortunate enough to have an idea I was holding for the right time when Jay asked. So, boom, here we are in the Podosseum.”
Listen to Live at the Podosseum here.
Adam Shand keeping busy
We have mentioned Adam Shand’s new State Crime Command series here previously. The first three cases of the series have now been published, including the story of Year 12 student Passy Reyes who disappeared from her family home in 2001, never to return. New cases will be regularly published across a wide variety of crime themes but always with a view to bringing closure, the same focus that Shand has brought to true crime investigations for PodcastOne since 2017.
“This podcast with NSW Police is a world-first and harnesses the power of podcasting to achieve outcomes in these cases and shows the determination of investigators to get results in cases even decades old,” Shand said.
Shand is also at work on a second season of the Great Covid Reset where he continues his exploration of Australia’s ‘new normal’ under the Covid-19 pandemic. The new episodes include insightful conversations with SEEK.com Managing Director, Kendra Banks on employment trends, Nobel prize winner Professor Peter Doherty on vaccines, futurist Dr Keith Suter, ANZ Bank senior economist Cherelle Murphy and Australian entrepreneurs developing new drugs to help life return to normal.
Listen to State Crime Command here.
Listen to Great Covid Reset here.
Jonesy & Amanda’s Holiday Book Club
Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones and Amanda Keller have wrapped up their radio show for the year but will be returning to listeners over the summer in the form of a new podcast Jonesy & Amanda’s Holiday Book Club.
In the podcast, Jonesy and Amanda will read sections of their memoirs and discuss the juicy details that didn’t make it into the book. Nothing is off limits as they each reveal some of the most defining moments of their life, from the first time they fell in love through to the moment their friendship was almost ruined forever.
New audio play for a Red Hot Australian Christmas
Hosts of the Loose Units podcast Paul Verhoeven and his ex-cop dad, John, have launched Red Hot Australian Christmas. An hour-long comedy audio play set in rural Australia during the fire season, Red Hot Australian Christmas is available on Acast.
After the horrors of last summer’s bushfires, the Christmas special will deal head on with the devastating impacts of the fire season on rural communities.
Written by comedian Tegan Higginbotham, Red Hot Australian Christmas won’t shy away from the heavy subject matter, it is at its heart a feel-good Christmas comedy.
Red Hot Australian Christmas cast:
Michaela Banas (Upper Middle Bogan, Scooby Doo)
Eddie Baroo (The Dry, Australia)
Michelle Brassier (Aunty Donna’s House of Fun)
Bev Killick (Preacher, Kinne Tonight)
Jackson Tozer (The Ex-PM, This is Littleton)
Paul Verhoeven (Loose Units, ABC’s Steam Punks)
Kirsty Webeck (How to Stay Married)
With special guests Georgia Love and John Verhoeven
Listen to Red Hot Australian Christmas here.
Mushroom Group releases Talking in Common
Lifelong friends Kate Gudinski (pictured right) and Sophie Panton (left) have launched Talking In Common, a podcast about family, motherhood, relationships, wellbeing, kids and culture.
Over the course of 12-episodes, guests including Clare Bowditch, Missy Higgins, Mahalia Barnes, Midwife Cathryn Curtin and Mosey Me designer Eliza O’Sullivan share stories, insights, tips, tricks, life hacks and more.
Talking In Common’s first three episodes navigate topics such as mastering the juggle of career and raising kids, the importance of community in early parenthood, harnessing your anxiety and creativity, parenting stigmas and what it’s like testing positive to coronavirus with a baby.
In an Australian first, Kate and Sophie have worked with Auslan Stage Left, a national organisation specialising in the arts and performance interpreting, to make all episodes of Talking In Common available to the Deaf community via translated videos.
Listen to Talking in Common here.
