In celebration of Pride Month, here are five LGBT+-fronted podcasts for you to listen to this week.
1. It Started With A Kiss
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Relationships and LGBT+
It Started With A Kiss is a fun new ITV Studios LGBT+ dating podcast sponsored by Tinder, which feels like a much-needed debrief between old friends. Charismatic hosts Amy Spalding and Gareth Valentino – familiar faces from the "I Kissed A Boy/Girl" TV series – get cosy on a plush green sofa with some of your favourite queer icons every week and aren’t afraid to dig into all the juicy details.
In the latest episode, they’re joined by Geordie Shore star Nathan Henry, who candidly discusses coming out on TV and shares some of his wildest dating stories. He also opens up about his new private beau and chats about his ideal first date and his big dating red flags. Together, the trio unpack the highs, lows and total chaos of modern dating, embracing all the awkward, emotional and messy moments along the way. If you’re into outrageous anecdotes, heartfelt honesty and queer love stories, It Started With A Kiss is well worth a listen.
2. By The Way… with Harriet Rose
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Culture and society
Having started her career in radio and TV presenting, Harriet Rose has recently taken the podcast world by storm with her weekly series By The Way. Touted as "the show that dives into the things no one asked about but you’re desperate to bring up", Rose sits down with guests from the world of showbusiness to discuss everything from niche obsessions and conspiracy theories, right through to more serious topics, including miscarriage, race and sexuality.
Past guests have included Joel Dommett, Jordan Banjo and Angela Scanlon, and this week’s episode sees her sit down with comedian, filmmaker, writer and presenter Grace Campbell. The daughter of Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, opens up about her career, her personality and having ADHD – a diagnosis she shares with Rose. Having chosen late comedian Robin Williams as her specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind earlier this year, she discusses their shared trait of shyness and how that benefits her career as a stand-up comedian. She also shares details of her support network, which includes the comedian Katherine Ryan – another previous podcast guest. This episode is a fascinating insight into the life of Grace Campbell and how she manages neurodivergence in the world of stand-up comedy.
3. Bad Gays
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: History and LGBT+
Bad Gays is a podcast about evil and complicated queers in history, hosted by writer Huw Lemmey and historian Ben Miller. According to Lemmey and Miller, our history is filled with them, from Alexander the Great to J. Edgar Hoover. But unlike the easy heroes, people like Oscar Wilde, Audre Lorde and Alan Turing are rarely remembered as queer or gay. It’s why the co-hosts started the podcast and profile historical icons from the past, whose lives, impact, and sexuality have been overlooked.
In 2022, Lemmey and Miller also published a book, Bad Gays: A Homosexual History, which is part-revisionist history and part-historical biography, based on their hugely successful podcast series. The latest history lesson – spread across three episodes (so far) – is on the former Labour Party politician, lobbyist and diplomat Peter Mandelson, based on the idea that his life – according to Miller and Lemmey – is a "scandalous gay skeleton key to everything that has gone wrong in politics for the West over the last 40 years". They discuss everything from what things were like for Mandelson in the late Eighties – a time of extreme homophobia due to the HIV crisis – and how this went on to impact his career and personal life. If you are looking for a podcast that forces you to think about why we remember queer heroes better than queer villains, then add Bad Gays to your podcast rotation.
4. The Read
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Comedy, society, pop culture and LGBT+
The Read is a weekly podcast series hosted by bloggers and friends Kid Fury and Crissle, who unpack the latest hip-hop and pop culture news. Powered by their flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe unless their name is Beyoncé (or her daughter Blue Ivy). The podcast also serves as an on-air therapy session for Fury and Crissle, who are still trying to make sense of life in New York – Fury is from Miami and Crissle is from Oklahoma City.
In the latest episode, they discuss what’s currently on Broadway – including Cats the Musical – and then get into the hot topics of the week. From the end of Love & Hip Hop franchise, Dave Chappelle, Kanye and T.I., to Chris Brown’s AI art, NFL player Stefon Diggs being acquitted, and why UFC is at the White House, Fury and Crissle leave no hip hop and pop culture stone unturned. They also share their mixed feelings on the Michael Jackson biopic, navigating social anxiety and friendships with autism, and Blue Ivy’s Met Gala moment. If you are looking for a podcast that is plugged into the most important pop culture moments and fails, then The Read is one for you.
5. Reality Gays with Mattie and Poodle
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Film, TV and LGBT+
Reality Gays with Mattie and Poodle is a podcast for anyone who is obsessed with dating reality TV shows, hosted by teacher and life coach Jake Anthony and clinical psychologist Matt Marr. In each episode, Anthony and Marr recap everything from TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé, Netflix’s Love is Blind, Love After Lockup, and other shows where the people are just "hot messes looking for love".
This week, the co-hosts tuck into season 12, episode one of 90 Day Fiancé across two episodes – both released this week. They reflect on the series’ longevity, the quality of the couples, who they are rooting for, and why. In part two, Anthony and Marr continue to laugh at the lovebirds, whilst also judging their choices. If you are looking for a podcast that unpacks some of the insane ways people search for love, then Reality Gays with Mattie and Poodle is for you.
