July podcast picks: the Olympics, camping and children’s shows
Featuring Blind Landing, Fogo: Fear of Going Outside, Fun Kids, Wild Crimes and more

In the summer of the strangest Olympics in history, said Emma Dibdin in The New York Times, here are three podcasts that provide interesting perspectives on the games.
Blind Landing is a “compelling new investigative” series about the scandal that plagued women’s gymnastics at Sydney 2000. “One by one, with the whole world watching, elite gymnasts kept falling off the vault, in ways that were embarrassing at best and dangerous at worst.” The series tells the “bizarre” true story (“no spoilers”) of what was going on.
Pursuit of Gold With Laura Wilkinson (a US gold-medallist diver) is about the training techniques and psychological tools that equip winners for success. “Even if you’re just starting a running routine or trying to get yourself back to the gym, there are plenty of insights from the mindset of Olympic athletes.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Anything but Footy is a “relaxed, affable” Olympics-themed podcast covering just about every Olympic sport (except football, obviously).
Going camping this summer? Or can’t think of anything worse? My new favourite podcast, Fogo: Fear of Going Outside, is an “immensely entertaining” look at what makes people want to go and sleep in tents, said Miranda Sawyer in The Observer. It’s a US podcast, presented by an “indoorsy Vietnamese-American” comedian called Ivy Le. And while the premise is simple, Le is so “charismatic, funny and clever” – and her script and asides so “hilarious” – that Fogo surpasses all expectations.
Whatever your holiday plans, chances are you’ll need distractions during traffic jams or airport queues, said Patricia Nicol in The Sunday Times. If you’re travelling with children, check out Fun Kids, one of the UK’s only children’s radio stations – and a “rich, easily navigable resource for informative podcasts, shorts and tunes”.
For young children, try The Old Man in the Boat, their “beachside story-telling series” narrated by Harry Enfield and Clarke Peters. And for children aged eight-plus, they produce The Week Junior Show podcast.
Another podcast that older children (and adults) should find gripping is Wild Crimes said Patricia Nicol. This new ten-part series from the Natural History Museum explores the illegal $23bn global trade in wild animals and protected plants (from pangolins and chameleons to elephant tusks and black-market orchids). It’s not specifically aimed at children, but is excellent for “family listening”.
The presenters are Dr Tori Herridge, an evolutionary biologist at the museum, and Dr Khalil Thirlaway, a science communicator – and their passion for the at-risk wildlife “rings out”, said Gege Li in New Scientist. Listening to this pair “coo” over footage of a baby pangolin is a heart-warming reminder of “the simple joy and beauty of nature – and why it is so important to protect it”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will divisions over trans issue derail Keir Starmer's government?
Today's Big Question Rebellion is brewing following the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
By Abby Wilson
-
Gandhi charges: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Film reviews: Sinners and The King of Kings
Feature Vampires lay siege to a Mississippi juke joint and an animated retelling of Jesus' life
By The Week US
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US
-
Susan Page's 6 favorite books about historical figures who stood up to authority
Feature The USA Today's Washington bureau chief recommends works by Catherine Clinton, Alexei Navalny, and more
By The Week US
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'
Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
By The Week US
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK