Pick of the Podcasts: The Hairy Bikers – Agony Uncles, Ghost Church, Deliver Us From Ervil

It’s about time The Hairy Bikers were elevated to national treasure status, is it not?

The duo have been criss-crossing first Britain, then the rest of the globe, on their trusty motorcycles since their The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook hit our screens in 2004.

Dave Myers and Si King, both of whom are from northern England, have combined food, travel and their own brand of gentle chummy wholesomeness of which we just can’t seem to get enough.

There was sad news last week when Myers, 64, announced on the pair’s podcast that he was undergoing treatment for cancer.

“Anyway Kingy, I’ve got to come clean now. I haven’t been too well recently and, basically, I’ve got to have some chemo, you know all this anyway, so this year is going to be a bit quiet for me,” he said, before asking people to respect his privacy.

Everyone will no doubt be sending their best wishes to Myers, but since he’s taking some time out you can check out the podcast, The Hairy Bikers: Agony Uncles.

In it, the pair field listeners’ problems, and it’s not just about how to create the perfect lamb shank.

Any and all problems are tackled, and Myers and King are the ideal people to ask when you think about it. They’re both men of a certain vintage and have been around the world four times so there’s not much they haven’t encountered.

Problems such as how to deal with the in-laws from hell, being dumped by a toy boy or how to deal with finding out you’ve bedded your partner’s boss – there’s nothing the pair don’t tackle with their avuncular wisdom. Of course there are plenty of cookery tips, too.

The classic episodes will tide you over until Myers is well enough to make his return.

Get well soon, Dave!

Ghost Church

Host Jamie Loftus takes a sideways look at a peculiar phenomenon: spiritual churches, a century-old tradition of communing with the dead that takes place in camps full of mediums across the US.

The groups are of course made up of some curious individuals, and Loftus discovers that there is a schism in the Church, between the tarot readers and those who hold seances…

Deliver Us From Ervil

In the 1940s, a group of Mormon dreamers started a town in the Mexican desert. But what began as a utopian vision quickly turned sour when the founding family’s son, Ervil LeBaron, struggled for control of the community and unleashed a multi-generational crimewave – the ripples of which are still being felt today.

Journalist Jesse Hyde tells the story of Ervil LeBaron and those trying to halt his bloody legacy.