Tom Rosenthal chats to strangers on a bench | Podcasts

You know what no one wants to hear about right now? Certain men making astonishing comebacks. For most of us, though, that does not include Frank Skinner.

In March, while cohosting his Absolute Radio breakfast show with Emily Dean and Pierre Novellie, he announced that his show was being given the chop after 15 years and that, “I’m not going to pretend I took it … well.” At the time, Absolute said they’d be serving up another two series of his popular poetry podcast … but that hasn’t happened.

Last month, Skinner reunited with Dean and Novellie to launch the twice-weekly podcast, Frank Off the Radio, which is now sitting at No 2 in Apple’s comedy podcast charts. And he’s about to relaunch his poetry podcast, minus Absolute, for its 10th series. If you ever needed proof of podcasting’s ability to find a home for voices that mainstream radio can’t accommodate (even when they’re a mega-successful comedian), here be it.

At the other end of the scale, this week we’re delving into something more akin to a podcast start-up: Strangers on a Bench – a lovely, lo-fi chat with a random person sitting on a piece of street furniture. It’s joined by the grisly tale of a US entertainment mogul’s death, a Robert Downey Jr-backed look at a troubling drug rehab programme, and an investigation into the behaviour of a Playboy photographer. Enjoy.

Alexi Duggins
Deputy TV editor

Picks of the week

The Sunshine Place
Widely available, episodes weekly
“It was a nightmare and I felt like an animal.” Valerie was one of the US teenagers who claim they were forced into the Straight Inc drug rehab programme in the 80s and abused, tortured and brainwashed. In a podcast from the production company of Robert Downey Jr and Susan Downey, Valerie speaks to host Cyndy Etler – who was also in the “tough love” project – for a series that uncovers what really happened. Hollie Richardson

Unfit for Service
Widely available, episodes weekly
When Randy Taylor joined the US military, it was the era of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, so he had to keep his sexuality secret. In this timely podcast, Eric Marcus of Making Gay History slowly and sensitively peels open the hateful policy. It’s a tough listen, with Taylor trying to balance life as a gay man with serving his country. Hannah Verdier

The Bunny Trap
Widely available, episodes weekly
Ellie Flynn has spent four years investigating improper behaviour by a self-described “Playboy photographer”, with the help of models who’ve spoken out. Flynn finds “a world full of smoke and mirrors, where exploitation is rife”. It is eye-opening to learn how the industry works and inspiring to hear the brave women fighting for justice. HV

The Cotton Club Murder
Wondery+, all episodes out now
Dramatic-to-the-point-of-parody voiceovers and a lurid determination not to spare any grisly details abound in this new season of the Hollywood & Crime anthology series. Why did show business promoter Roy Radin end up dead in a canyon in LA? And how did it relate to his attempt to break into moviemaking with a cocaine-dealing acquaintance? Alexi Duggins

Strangers on a Bench
Widely available, episodes weekly
What happens if you start talking to a random person on a public bench? This charming series of rambling chats aims to find out, with actor Tom Rosenthal speaking to a father who gave it all up to cycle to India, then came home and survived cancer. There’s also a young man who was jailed after assaulting someone and now wants to spend his life spreading love. AD

There’s a podcast for that

This week, Hannah Verdier picks five of the best 90s podcasts, from the decade’s essential songs to a fond recollection of football

My 90s Playlist
You only need eight songs on your 90s playlist, according to Tracy Clayton and Akoto Ofori-Atta. And with picks including TLC’s No Scrubs, A Tribe Called Quest’s Can I Kick It? and I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys, the smart, funny and enthusiastic duo could be right. Their love for Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On is real – “she recorded this big-ass song in one take” – and so is their research. One more great thing about this podcast: it’s not just another dissection of white, male 90s guitar bands.

60 Songs That Explain the 90s
Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life, Michael Jackson’s Black or White, Los Del Rio’s Macarena: just three of the songs that Rob Harvilla believes give an insight into the glorious decade. The podcast is at its best when the guests come in – one example is the impossible-to-edit Courtney Love, who is unleashed to talk about Nirvana’s success and being “bros” with Dave Grohl, before delivering her own throaty version of In Bloom.

Quickly Kevin; Will He Score? The 90s Football Show
Euro 96, Gazza in the tabloids and Des Lynam on the mic: it’s no wonder football fans remember the decade so fondly. And although Josh Widdicombe, Chris Scull and Michael Marden said “Robbie Slater, see you later” to their podcast earlier this year, there’s a back catalogue of more than 300 episodes to revisit. It’s not just the matches they discuss, but all the trimmings including the fantasy football boom, the influence of Loaded magazine and World Cup mascots. Their nerdy love for the game helped them pull in all the essential guests from the era, including Glenn Hoddle, Les Ferdinand and Barry Fry.

In Vogue: The 1990s
Before the Disney+ documentary came this fashion geek-pleasing podcast about style, influences and, of course, the iconic Vogue covers. Without the visuals, you’ll find yourself Googling Linda Evangelista’s hair colour and Tom Ford’s Gucci debut. It shows the 90s as a more simple time, when Victoria Beckham’s job description was Spice Girl and supermodels were otherworldly beings in George Michael’s Freedom! ‘90 video. Fashion’s big names including Stella McCartney, Anya Hindmarch and Sienna Miller are gathered to talk about the evolution of style through the decade, and they take in in the advent of the It-girl and the breakthrough of London designers.

Headlong: Surviving Y2K
Remember the millennium bug? The glitch was destined to wipe out computers, down planes mid-flight and cause chaos across the globe as Y2K dawned. Nearly 25 years later, it seems like some kind of retro joke, but as 2000 approached it was a real concern. Dan Taberski of Missing Richard Simmons speaks to people who were stockpiling to prepare for the apocalypse, tells the stories of the first new babies of the year 2000 and looks at where the phraseY2K actually came from. What makes the story more powerful is his recollection of how his own life began to unravel around that time.

Why not try …

• Screen Rot, in which comedians Jacob Hawley and Jake Farrell break down the “weirdest and worst” stuff served up on their social media algorithms.

• A Times investigation into the borderless billion-dollar cocaine industry, Cocaine Inc.

• Shrink the Box, which sees Nemone Metaxas and Ben Bailey Smith put TV characters from Tyrion Lannister to Carrie Bradshaw on the couch for a spot of psychotherapy.