Pick of the podcasts: Transmissions, Read All About it and Woman’s Hour

Transmissions (Spotify, Apple) 

Describing this oral history of two of Britain’s best-loved pop groups as definitive is the thing that raises eyebrows.

After all, what was left to say about Joy Division and New Order that wasn’t said in 24 Hour Party People, a heady riot of a movie about the Manchester music scene, with Steve Coogan hilarious as uppity but lovable Factory Records svengali Tony Wilson?

Or Control, the achingly poignant biopic of singer Ian Curtis? Or even Joy Division, a documentary film released to much acclaim in 2007? Oh, and founding members Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris have all released memoirs since then.

So, best have something new to bring to the table. Thankfully, Transmissions delivers. It’s such a compelling story that fans will love hearing it again. But, importantly, new interviews reveal fresh insights. Hook, Sumner, Morris and Gillian Gilbert all go on the record, as do celebrity fans Bono, Anna Calvi, Damon Albarn,Johnny Marr, Shaun Ryder and others.

Long story short, it all started when guitarist Sumner placed an ad in a local record shop:“Band seeks singer”. Joy Division would release two classic albums before the death by suicide of Curtis. Rather than quit, the remaining three regrouped, immersed themselves in dance music, recruited Gilbert and went on to garner more critical acclaim as New Order.

Narrated by Maxine Peake, and produced by Cup & Nuzzle, each 40-minute episode focuses on key moments in the JD/NO timeline, from Joy Division’s early rehearsals to the launch of the Hacienda nightclub.

Alas, the series ends quite abruptly after the release of Blue Monday in 1983, by which point New Order had barely got started. Here’s hoping a second season is in the offing.

Read All About It (Apple) 

Paul Cuddihy interviews guests about their favourite reads.

It’s a simple but appealing format, a bit like Desert Island Discs for book lovers. One guest per episode is asked to pick four favourites and one not-so-favourite book.
Past guests include Booker Prize-winner Douglas Stuart, Scabby Queen author Kirsten Innes, and thriller writer Louise Welsh.

Woman’s Hour (Apple) 

With the excellent Emma Barnett now lead presenter on the long-running Radio 4 magazine show, it’s an apt time to add it to your subscribed list.

Highlights in the past week or so include an interview with Clemency Burton-Hill about recovering from a brain haemorrhage, the real story of Wonder Woman, and a report from the Covid ICU frontline.