The New Yorker:

By Sarah Larson

The recent churn of tariffs, trade wars, and high-stakes financial bullying has forced many of us to think about economics more than usual—and has, perhaps, revealed how little we understand about any of it. Three excellent new documentary-style podcasts focussed on money offer some perspective. Hearing the wild stories they tell, which span decades and continents, you may be inspired to make rational financial decisions—in part because they showcase people who didn’t.

To my delight, “The History Podcast: Invisible Hands,” a BBC series about capitalism and the “free-market revolution,” turns out to be one of the zestiest podcasts I’ve heard this year. It’s narrated by the eighty-six-year-old British broadcaster David Dimbleby, who makes for a shrewd guide through a surprising narrative that includes a Sussex chicken farmer, a wartime parachuting tragedy, a vomiting conservative M.P., turmoil for nationalized industries, and, inevitably, some maddening audio of Margaret Thatcher. Dimbleby’s age, far from a liability, feels like a magic trick—rare is the podcast host in 2025 who can casually weave socioeconomics together with personal memories of the Second World War.

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