Meet the tech millionaires in search of eternal life

Psychologist Aleks Krotoski investigates the Silicon Valley scions trying to cheat death in The Immortals. Plus: five of the best US politics podcasts

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In most cases, podcasts are not a natural replacement for TV. They cater to different audiences, different technology, different sensory organs even. But when it comes to the US writers’ and actors’ strikes, they’ve just shown there’s one very important way they can step into the breach.

This week, the hosts of the best late-night chatshows in the US announced they were teaming up to create a new podcast whose stellar lineup is like an Avengers of post-watershed American TV. To support the striking staff from their shows, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Myers and John Oliver have started Strike Force Five: a discussion show featuring a different host “leading the conversation” each episode. Not only is it a tantalising prospect given the talent involved, but it spotlights something that’s often overlooked: podcasts still have a surprising amount of freedom when it comes to work that can be created during the strike. Here’s hoping that Hollywood’s loss will continue to be podcasts’ gain – and that it raises tonnes of money for striking late-night chatshow staff.

In other North America-related news, this week we have a roundup of five excellent podcasts to help you understand US politics. We’re also looking at a series of fascinating shows, ranging from investigations into the people using tech to beat death to an online community of germ deniers. Another of our picks will ask: is there such a thing as a good billionaire? Not to presuppose the results or anything, but if Strike Force Five tells us anything, it’s that being highly paid doesn’t necessarily mean your heart is made of stone.
Alexi Duggins
Deputy TV editor

Picks of the week

The Immortals
BBC Sounds, available from Monday
“What if I told you that death may not be inevitable?” Technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski argues that – like mobile phones 30 years ago – it’s not that far-fetched an idea. In this mindblowing series, she investigates the Silicon Valley tech moguls who are spending millions on seeking eternal life – such as Bryan Johnson, who infuses the plasma of young people into his system, including that of his teenage son. Hollie Richardson

BBC Trending: Extreme
BBC Sounds, episodes weekly
This hard-hitting show pulls together online stories from all over the world. Its new season, Extreme, offers case studies from the fringes of social media, including germ deniers, “incels” and AI-generated videos of murder victims, to ask how the internet is affecting modern behaviour. Nell Frizzell

Drilled
Widely available, episodes weekly
The latest series of this true-crime podcast about the climate crisis points out the real threat to free speech: the clampdown on environmental protests. US host Amy Westervelt works with journalists from Nigeria, Australia and Bengaluru to share examples of climate action and how it is being oppressed. NF

Good Bad Billionaire
BBC Sounds, episodes weekly
Is there such a thing as a “good billionaire”? BBC business editor Simon Jack and Vice editor-in-chief Zing Tsjeng profile some of the richest 2,640 people on the planet to find out. They start with the obvious – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – before digging into pop star Rihanna’s riches, and then the more secretive figures who most of us don’t even know about yet who have incredible power. HR

All My Half East Asian BFFs
Widely available, episodes weekly
As the name suggests, this upbeat podcast is made by a group of mixed-race people, who are all half east Asian and half white. In the series, they explore shared cultural touchstones, including family, sex and dating, media representation and the cliche of the high achiever, by way of rice, friendship and saying tricky English words. NF

There’s a podcast for that

This week, Charlie Lindlar chooses five of the best podcasts on US politics, from a daily news digest to Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on race, class and more.
All in With Chris Hayes
For a decade now, broadcaster Chris Hayes’s nightly show that focuses on social justice and holding the powerful to account has been a bastion of the left-leaning MSNBC network’s nightly programming. Fortunately, the show is also available as a podcast, and the quickfire format translates perfectly for Americophiles wanting to make sense of what just happened stateside. Hayes’s erudite opening monologues, compelling interviews and expert guest segments mean every hour-long episode is packed with the details about the latest from Washington and beyond.

Slow Burn
Slate’s audio documentary show, now running to eight seasons, delves into notorious characters and moments from American political history, reframing well-known events and questioning what their true legacy really is. The seasons on the Iraq war, Lewinsky affair and history of Roe v Wade are compelling listens that still say plenty about the state of American democracy now. The most recent season, released in May and hosted by Joel Anderson, focuses on controversial supreme court judge Clarence Thomas, tracing his rise from a “youthful radical” in college to perhaps the most influential conservative figure of his generation.

Renegades: Born in the USA
It’s former president Barack Obama and voice of the American working man Bruce Springsteen in conversation. Need we say more? If that alone isn’t enough to sell you on Renegades, how’s this: over eight hour-long conversations, the two greats share their perspectives on how racism, growing up in the fraught 1960s and 70s, fatherhood and music have shaped their politics and life paths. Or, in Obama’s words in the opener: “Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much … Plus, Bruce just had some great stories.”

The Brown Girls Guide to Politics
A’Shanti Gholar hosts this practical guide to progressive activism, a “one-stop shop for women of color who want to hear and talk about the world of politics”. As someone in the business of training Democratic women to run for office, there’s few better-placed voices than Gholar to help you learn not only about America’s problems, but how to solve them. In the 100 episodes released so far, Gholar hears how to protect Black Americans’ right to vote, better fund Black businesswomen, solve gun violence, and much more.

Politics Weekly America
And you can always tune into the Guardian’s own guide to American politics, Politics Weekly America. Columnist Jonathan Freedland acts as host, and is joined by colleagues and other distinguished experts to dissect the last seven days of headlines from across the Atlantic. As the long, long run-up to the 2024 election gets under way, Jonathan and co examine what the state of the Republican party means for the rest of us, whether Trump will run again (and what could befall us if he does), and what chance Joe Biden has of retaining office.

Why not try …

From Quibi to the biggest Broadway bust of all-time, tales of fails in The Big Flop.

Weight for It, unpacking “the nuanced thoughts of fat folks, and of all folks who think about their weight all the time”.

Parenting confessions from Made in Chelsea’s Emily Blackwell and her mum in Mother Half.