My top 5 podcasts

My name is Elise, and I'm a secret podcast addict. I listen most mornings while I clean up after His Royal Horseness, Trev, and also while I walk the dog. And at home, when I should be writing. My biggest vice is true crime, and podcasts serve up bitesize chunks to feed my habit.

Here are a few of my favourites…

Casefile

For me, the undisputed winner. Well-researched cases, some solved, some unsolved, everything from the Jonestown massacre to the case of Tina Watson, who died scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef. Perhaps not the best episode to listen to while I'm on a scuba diving holiday, but I found all the details fascinating!

And the best bit about Casefile? The presenter's voice. He remains anonymous, and maybe to Australians he just sounds like a normal dude, but I could listen to him all day. Sometimes I even have. If he read the telephone directory, I'd still tune in.

Casefile is updated mostly weekly, and has a big backlist to listen to.

Find out more on the Casefile website.

Once Upon a Crime

Another well-researched crime podcast, presented by Esther Ludlow. Once Upon a Crime runs in themed “mini-seasons” with a few chapters each. Themes included Holiday Homicides, Fatal Fans, and Killer Kids. One thing like about this podcast is that the episodes vary in length from about half an hour to over an hour, with some two-part cases. It's easy to find an episode to fit the time allowed.

As Casefile does, Once Upon a Crime concentrates on the cases, with minimal chat from the host to distract you.

Find out more on the Once Upon a Crime website.

Sword and Scale

Another true crime podcast with great variety and a huge backlist. I find Sword and Scale to be a bit more sensationalist than Casefile and OUAC, and includes more of the host's own opinions as well as some graphic recordings of crimes. I'd describe it as a bit of a “marmite” podcast for those reasons – you'll either love it or you'll hate it.

Find out more on the Sword and Scale website.

They Walk Among Us

Like Casefile, but for Brits. This podcast focuses on UK crime and is presented by a UK narrator. Again, the cases are interesting and well-researched. Episodes include John Darwin, the guy who faked his own death in a canoe tragedy and would probably have got away with it if he hadn't walked into a police station years later and claimed to have amnesia, and Bijan Ebrahimi, which had a big impact on me because it reminded me just how intolerant some parts of the country I call home can be.

Find out more on the They Walk Among Us website.

My Dad Wrote a Porno

Okay, so this one definitely isn't true crime, but it's freaking hilarious. One of the hosts found his Dad wrote a dirty book called Belinda Blinked, and he and his friends read a chapter a week and dissect everything that happened. Not one for more sensitive listeners!

Find out more on the My Dad Wrote a Porno website.

I hope you enjoy some of my picks, and if you've got a favourite podcast, do let me know in the comments – I'm always on the lookout for new shows to listen to!