Bill Nighy Is the Painful Uncle You Never Knew You Needed: This Week’s Best Podcasts | culture

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Bad Advice by Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy is the hurt uncle you never knew you needed and he answers readers’ questions in his new show. It’s a brief delight to listen to his corny suggestions on topics from applying lipstick to organizing a record collection. Wisdom is dispensed with – despite his self-deprecating protests. ALexi Duggins
Widely available, weekly episodes

First conviction

Limerick native Ruth Negga narrates this RTÉ podcast about a couple convicted of performing female genital mutilation (FGM) on their young daughter. They were later acquitted but there are ongoing proceedings linked to the case. This sensitive investigation reveals widespread, tragic failures on the part of the authorities. Hannah J. Davis
Widely available, weekly episodes

Fela Kuti: Fear no one

It’s hard not to be impressed by the cast that pays tribute to one of the greatest African musicians of all time in this series about his influence. Ayo Edebiri, Barack Obama, Paul McCartney, Jay-Z, Flea… the tributes are getting very enthusiastic. Until You Go Wrong is a gripping account of how a rhythm pianist’s father was murdered for his beliefs—and how Kuti bravely defended his family. It is a fascinating and emotional autobiography. AD
Widely available, weekly episodes

The devil you know

Cyndi Lauper, leg warmers, and er… the devil! This CBC episode hosted by Sarah Marshall (You’re Wrong About Her) carefully toes the line between entertainment and oral history, examining how the Satanic Panic shaped the zeitgeist of the 1980s. Marshall delves into the people and artifacts that helped him evolve in that decade and beyond, including a controversial memoir. HJD
Widely available, weekly episodes

Hell in heaven

A young, rich American couple moves to Costa Rica to build a nature reserve and the house of their dreams. “One of them will end up dead and the other will stand trial for murder — three times over,” says journalist Becky Milligan, in the opening of a stunning series on the true story of what happened to John and Anne Bender in 2010 after they set out to make heaven. Holly Richardson
Widely available, weekly episodes