The grandaddy of podcasts reassesses the US terrorist detention camp; a rerun of Pinter and Potter plays is not to be missed. And at last, a genuinely funny new radio comedy…

Serial season 4: Guantánamo (Serial) | New York Times
Hidden Treasures: The Dumb Waiter; Traitor (Radio 4) | BBC Sounds
Dial F for Football (Furious Styles/Keep It Light Media) | Apple Podcasts

Serial is back, with the OG combination of presenter-producer Sarah Koenig and producer-presenter Dana Chivvis (this time Chivvis is a co-host). They’re here to tell us the true story of Guantánamo . You remember, of course, Guantánamo: the US prison camp in Cuba, created to hold the hundreds of suspected Islamic militants swept up by America after the 9/11 attacks. Since it was opened in 2002, it has housed 779 people for interrogation.

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Doctor Who showrunner is trying to ensure that the fantasy drama outlasts the broadcaster

According to the head of one of the BBC’s most successful franchises, the broadcaster’s end is inevitable.

Speaking on television podcast They Like to Watch, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies explains that there is a good reason for the fantasy drama being co-produced with Disney: it means that its survival doesn’t require the continued existence of the BBC.

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The Seinfeld star hears from female friends like Sally Field and Billie Jean King in the return of Wiser Than Me. Plus: five of the best paranormal podcasts

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Thought you’d heard it all when it comes to podcasts’ obsession with the unexplained? You may want to think again. Forget the likes of Ghost Story – in recent weeks a show has launched featuring a pet psychic. Creature Preacher features “animal communicator” Nancy Mello giving animal owners an in-depth personality reading of their pet, based entirely on looking into their eyes. It is a wild, baffling listen that raises more questions than it answers.

But if you like your pods’ noumenal delvings to be a little more trad, this week we’re bringing you a roundup of five of the best paranormal podcasts out there (yes, including Ghost Story). We’re also highlighting the excellent Lolly Adefope satire on sports shows, the return of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s brilliant Wiser Than Me and a lively new chatshow from Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver. Plus, we have a stirring, personal take on the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strikes and a nuanced look at a woman who was jailed for allegedly falsely claiming to have been raped.

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Joanne McNally has fun with a pop-world conspiracy theory; Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman show their tougher sides; plus, an uplifting hunt for a shipwreck

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates (BBC Radio 5 Live) | BBC Sounds
The Sports Agents | Global
The Documentary: Diving With A Purpose (BBC World Service) | BBC Sounds

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne is an airy, almost weightless new podcast from BBC Sounds. In it, jovial comedian Joanne McNally is given the assignment of “investigating” the several-years-old conspiracy theory that Canadian pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne is not actually Avril at all any more, but someone else called Melissa Vandella. Before we get into it, let me give you a huge spoiler. Avril Lavigne is fine. She has not been replaced. I know! Worrashocker.

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Pop stars, politicians, princes all seem to have the same job these days – podcast interviewer. But while these pods are great for brand-building and soft power, are they damaging the industry at large?

Things have come a long way since the 2004 Guardian article credited with coining the term “podcast”. That piece describes a new format that combines “the intimacy of voice, the interactivity of a weblog, and the convenience and portability of an MP3 download”, before speculating somewhat breathlessly that “one might soon be able to make a living doing this”.

Twenty years later, the hosts of the SmartLess podcast, actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, just signed a $100m dollar deal with American radio network Sirius XM to host the podcast on the network for three years. Joe Rogan just renewed a deal with Spotify for an estimated $250m to host his podcast on its platform. The biggest tech companies in the world – Amazon, Spotify, Apple – are desperate to have a library of hit podcasts and are willing to stump up for anything that seems like a proven winner.

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This Country star asks for more book recommendations as she returns in Educating Daisy. Plus: five of the best podcasts about scammers

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In keeping with this week’s scammers theme, 53 Minutes takes an amusing and affectionate look at arguably the greatest sporting scam in recent memory, in which barely functional Senegalese footballer Ali Dia managed to persuade then-Southampton manager Graeme Souness to send him on to the pitch in the English Premier League. Dia’s 53-minute appearance in 1996 (he came on as a substitute, but was himself later substituted) has gone down in footballing folklore. But how on earth did it happen? Dara Ó Briain and Josh Widdicombe do their best to explain the inexplicable.

The Last City is a decidedly less lighthearted listen, transporting us to a dystopian 2072 where – guess what? – the climate crisis has raged out of control. There’s only one habitable city left on the planet – but a dark secret is soon threatening the survival of humanity’s last stand. Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn and Homeland’s Maury Sterling star.

Phil Harrison
TV desk, the Guardian

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Rock star left Spotify in 2022 in protest over podcaster Joe Rogan, but says he can’t keep up fight as Rogan broadens distribution to Apple, YouTube and Amazon

Neil Young is to return his music to Spotify after keeping it off the streaming platform for more than two years.

Young removed his entire catalogue from the world’s biggest streaming company in January 2022, in protest against Joe Rogan whose chart-topping podcast was exclusive to Spotify.

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LockBit was a sophisticated criminal operation, offering the tools needed to steal a company’s data and hold it to ransom. Then it was itself hacked. Alex Hern reports

A ransomware site on the dark web has allowed criminals to extort hospitals, businesses and schools for years. By encrypting data or threatening to post data online, hackers have cost companies millions of pounds.

It’s called LockBit, and it was very successful until one day last month when hackers who logged on to the site found it had been hacked by authorities including the UK National Crime Agency and the FBI. These agencies announced they were in control of LockBit’s site, marking a new stage in their war on cybercrime.

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Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack , Emma Sanders , and Anita Asante to discuss the FA Cup quarter-finals, Continental Cup, and Euro 2025 draw

On today’s pod: the panel discuss the drama in the FA Cup as Tottenham left it late to equalise against Manchester City before going through on penalties , ending City’s hopes of a treble.

Manchester United thrashed Brighton & Hove Albion but did Brighton play into the hands of their opponents?

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