Pick of the Podcasts: Out For Lunch, Miriam and Youssef, Lockdown Parenting Hell

Going out to a nice restaurant for lunch seems but a distant memory in these days of lockdown.

It also posed a problem for MasterChef judge and food critic Jay Rayner, whose hit podcast, Out To Lunch, was predicated on, well, going out for lunch.

Since launching last March, the first two series topped the podcast charts and recorded its millionth listener by the end of the year.

For the third series, Jay has had to adapt.

Instead of dining out in a restaurant, the food guru orders a takeaway lunch to be delivered to both his and his guest’s homes. Jay then chats with the celebrity over a video link while they eat together, yet independently.

Jay’s long believed a great meal is the perfect vehicle for disclosure, with people relaxing more and giving the best version of themselves over lunch.

Listeners seem to agree. Previous guests who were able to eat and chat with Jay face-to-face include Spice Girl Mel C, actors Jamie Dornan and Aisling Bea, and singer Jessie Ware.

In addition to the lockdown episodes, Jay recorded a number of interviews prior to the pandemic, including model Dita Von Teese and comedian Romesh Ranganathan, and these also feature in the new series.

Guests confirmed to appear for the special lockdown episodes include singer George Ezra, Wild Rose actor Jessie Buckley and former Labour cabinet minister Ed Balls.

Whether the interaction across a computer screen is as strong, revealing and honest as it is across a dinner table remains to be seen.

But at least, in these new surroundings, the celebrities can quietly push their meal aside if it doesn’t hit the spot, without Rayner noticing or being offended.

Out For Lunch (Somethin’ Else)

Miriam And Youssef (BBC Sounds)

A 10-part drama series charting the turbulent decades leading up to the founding of Israel. Miriam and Youssef is told from the viewpoints of two former neighbours.

Miriam is a Jewish refugee who emigrates to Palestine, and Youssef is a Palestinian Arab. Set between 1917 and the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948, their lives are intertwined with real-life historical characters and events.

Lockdown Parenting Hell (Apple Podcasts)

It’s a title a lot of people will be identifying with right now, but hopefully this podcast can provide a few laughs and maybe even some advice.

Comedians and friends Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe chat with a different celebrity parent each week about the highs and lows of parenting when we can’t send the wee ones to school each morning. Katherine Ryan and Jon Richardson are guests in episodes one and two.