Lazy Susan: East Coast Listening Post

On late at night and just 15 minutes long, this is an out-and-out mickey-take of Serial-type shows. Two US journalists, sisters Jenna (Freya Parker) and Dana (Celeste Dring) - complete with up-speak at the end of their sentences and NPR vocal fry - are employed by Eric Sass, "MC, host, story connoisseur" (David Elms), to report on interesting tales from the UK. They decide to investigate the goings-on of two other sisters, Gilly and Sally. Gilly and Sally are elderly English aristocrats and thus utterly eccentric, especially Gilly. Gilly's fond of shooting, shouting and, well, shagging and drugs. Jenna and Dana fulfil everything you might expect from Serial-style hosts: they insert themselves into the story, have moments of self-doubt, and describe the main characters swiftly and emotively. "Sally has a sweet, round red face," says Jenna. "Kind of like an apple in a wig." The joy of this show is partly in the silliness, but mostly in the spoofing. As a big US podcast fan I loved it.