Best podcasts 2026 selections include new series on MF DOOM, OnlyFans, people smuggling, music history, true crime, literature and birdwatching, according to the roundup.
The BBC has listed the Best Podcasts in 2026; the list opens with “Intrigue: To Catch a King”, a follow-up to 2024’s “To Catch a Scorpion”, featuring journalist Sue Mitchell and aid worker Rob Lawrie investigating people-smuggling networks.
“OnlyFantasy”, hosted by Leon Neyfakh and Gracie Canaan, examines OnlyFans, online intimacy and the subscription creator economy.
Anita Rani’s “Sisters of Defiance” focuses on women who faced obstacles or took risks, with Meera Syal named as the first guest and future guests including Gisèle Pelicot and Anoushka Shankar.
Music entries include “Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story”, hosted by Siân Pattenden, and “MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds”, a five-part BBC Audio Labs series on Daniel Dumile’s life and legacy.
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Serial Productions’ “The Idiot” follows M Gessen’s account of a family story involving a cousin named Allen, while “The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe” tracks women who built a case against romance scammer Derek Alldred.
History and culture titles include “History’s Greatest Fails”, “A History of the United States in 100 Objects” and Goalhanger’s “The Book Club”.
Actor Sean Bean hosts the relaunched “Get Birding with Sean Bean”, while “Shadow World: Impulsive” examines impulse-control disorders linked to dopamine agonist drugs.
Other selections include “Blood Memory”, “Creation Myth”, “The Best is Yet to Come” and “City of Lights”.
