David Dimbleby’s hugely compelling history of capitalism: best podcasts of the week

Pick of the week
Invisible Hands: The History Podcast

David Dimbleby takes on the history of capitalism. It’s a slick listen that opens in a barrage of air raid sirens and rumbling aircraft engines as Anthony Fisher watches his brother die while they both fly planes during the second world war – before going on to found the free-market thinktank the Institute of Economic Affairs. The half-hour episodes don’t allow for deep dives but are as hugely listenable as anything featuring its host’s voice is. Alexi Duggins
BBC Sounds, episodes weekly

The Apple & the Tree

Candidi … Rev Richard Coles Rev. Photograph: James Beck for Channel 4

A new series of the pared-back podcast in which a parent and their child sit down for a conversation, with the Rev Richard Coles in his major return to audio since leaving Radio 4. Vanessa Feltz, who just launched a new daytime show, is first up chatting with her therapist daughter Saskia – and, unsurprisingly, they are a talkative, candid pair. Hollie Richardson
Widely available, episodes weekly

My Friend Daisy

A rare story of social media being used for good. When LA teenager Daisy De La O was murdered outside her Compton apartment in 2021, her friends launched a TikTok campaign to find the perpetrator – and it worked. Jenn Swann reports, while Paris Hilton executive produces. Hollie Richardson
Widely available, episodes weekly

Good Hang

Laughter-strewn … Amy Poehler. Photograph: Corey Nickols/Getty Images

“I like to be five or six years late to any trend,” says Parks and Recreation alumnus Amy Poehler in her super-fun new interview show. It opens with a daft, hysterical laughter-strewn brainstorm about questions with other celebrity pals, including Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen, before its main guest Tina Fey. Or in Poehler’s words: “My wife, really, in life.” AD
Widely available, episodes weekly

Big Times

This series about wacky crimes features a brief intro from Steve Buscemi before diving into its tales. The first episode is about a Floridian teen whose victory in a homecoming queen election saw and her teacher mother accused of falsifying students’ votes to ensure she won. The resulting tale of fraud, arrest and national scandal is a tad thin, but certainly entertaining. AD
Widely available, episodes weekly