A Study In Scarlet Released; Zephyrus One Available; Season Three of Whimsical Wavelengths; Season Three Of The Collector, Amazon Music On Podcasts; iOS 27 Apple Podcasts
A Study In Scarlett Released
Noiser is expanding its collection of classics, including Sherlock Holmes Short Stories narrated by Hugh Bonneville, Pride and Prejudice narrated by Dame Julie Andrews, and Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories narrated by Sir David Suchet, all part of these serialized literary adaptations. Released episodically, the productions bring classic literature into modern audiences' listening habits, making timeless stories feel more accessible than ever.
Noiser’s latest podcast series, A Study in Scarlet, the very first Sherlock Holmes story, narrated by Hugh Bonneville (Paddington, Downton Abbey), is now available.
Originally published in 1887, A Study in Scarlet introduced the world to Holmes and Dr John Watson. The seven-part audio adaptation brings Conan Doyle’s dark and atmospheric original to life, from the foggy streets of Victorian London to the deserts of Utah.
Sherlock Holmes’s enduring popularity has lasted over 130 years. Moreover, narrator Hugh Bonneville brings his distinctive voice to the iconic characters and is one of the most interesting characters on Downton Abbey — the 7th Earl of Grantham.
The series launched on 17 September on the Sherlock Holmes Short Stories podcast feed, which was the second-biggest podcast last year on BBC Sounds.
Check it out. “It’s elementary, my dear reader.” That’s Holmes humor. I think.
Zephyrus Available
Audio dramas and speculative fiction are so much better when independent podcast creators develop them. That’s the case here.
Zephyrus One is a fully produced, 14-episode audio drama written, produced, sound-designed, scored, and mixed by Dave Huston.
Here’s a brief synopsis: Hoping to redeem his reputation and be reinstated as a NASA pilot, disgraced astronaut Sam Reed gets more than he bargained for when a routine mission ends in catastrophic failure. Stranded and hunted by authorities on his return, Sam realizes the world he came back to is no longer the one he left behind. As he navigates a global conspiracy and a reality he barely recognizes, he must confront the wreckage of his personal life while fighting for his very survival. This action-packed sci-fi audio drama plunges Sam into the ultimate collision of fate, identity, and a mission that could change humanity forever.
The creator/host, Dave Huston, is an audio engineer by trade, with 20 years of experience at Paramount as a sound designer and post-production mixer.
Dave says: “I’ve applied everything I know about audio production and sound design to this project, and it holds its own sonically against anything on Audible.”
Dave spent three years writing this series, and in 2024 he gathered some actor friends to record the pilot episode with live voice actors. With his completed pilot, he cold-emailed Audible and ended up in several meetings, but they ultimately passed, saying the financial risk of an unproven creator was too high for them to take on.
So Dave turned to ElevenReader to bring the rest of the series to life — and it worked out far better than he expected, letting him finish all 14 episodes without compromising the sound or performances he’d envisioned from the start.
Season Three of Whimsical Wavelengths
Whimsical Wavelengths is an award-winning independent science podcast hosted by volcanologist and geophysicist Dr. Jeffrey Zurek. The show explores how real science works, looking at messy data, imperfect models, and the human side of research rather than offering bite-sized summaries. Episodes cover a broad spectrum of natural and physical sciences, ranging from geophysics and planetary discovery to food science and the history of scientific paradoxes.
My favorite episode so far is the scientific and Historical look at the rise of leaded gasoline — When industry poisoned the world. In that episode, Dr. Zurek examines the complicated legacy of Thomas Midgley Jr., an engineering genius who solved “engine knocking” but inadvertently triggered a global lead-poisoning crisis. Dr. Zurek explores the 1920s corporate landscape where GM, DuPont, and Standard Oil formed the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation, and how they prioritized industrial “needs for speed” over known public health risks. It’s a story of internal combustion, periodic table breakthroughs, and the “Sausage-Making” of corporate science that shaped the 20th century
“I started the show to return to my academic roots somewhat and as a creative outlet. Covering all natural sciences, episodes typically feature interviews with researchers discussing a scientific paper they published or contributed to. Sometimes I present a solo episode, looking more closely at the history of scientific ideas or my own past publications,” notes creator/host Dr. Jeffrey Zurek.
The show has won the American Writing Awards Best Podcast Of The Year in the Science category. Tired of TikTok science from influencers who couldn’t pass Intro to Chemistry, check out Whimsical Wavelengths.
Season Three Of The Collector Is Available
The Audio Zoo Podcast Drama Network is an immersive audio drama collective produced by Jerry Bader (author and screenwriter) and Sash Mutze (sound designer and voice actor). They specialize in sophisticated, neo-noir audio dramas — adult tales of crime, intrigue, desire, and survival featuring damaged but relatable characters.
Jerry Bader writes dark, dramatic, and oddly humorous scripts, developed from a career as a novelist and screenwriter. Sash Mutze leads the voice acting cast as director, actor, and sound designer.
Ear Worthy reviewed this show in June 2026 and assessed season one, a six-episode run averaging 15 minutes. The writing was superb, as is the immersive sound design. The voice actors handle their roles like pros. The result is a captivating narrative about crime, redemption, guilt, and cruelty. The show nods to The Sopranos, so if you enjoyed that HBO show, you will love The Collector.
Season Three picks up in the aftermath of the violent upheaval that transformed Joey’s world, finding him caught in an increasingly complicated scheme involving stolen diamonds, organized crime, international criminals, and a mysterious coded black book containing the secrets of the underworld.
The Audio Zoo Podcast Drama Network is an incubator for creative, bold fiction in immersive, radio-style drama. The writing is crisp, and the sound design is artful and innovative. Author and Screenwriter Jerry Bader and Voice Actor and Sound Designer Sash Mutze have created a masterpiece for a mature audience interested in the Neo-Noir style of storytelling: adult tales of desire, struggle, and survival.
Amazon Music Launches New Video Podcast Partnerships & in More Countries
Amazon Music has announced new partnerships with several leading podcast hosting providers and publishers to expand its video podcast catalog. Amazon Music customers can now access shows hosted on ART19, Triton Digital’s Omny Studio and Flightcast, with additional hosting providers SiriusXM (inclusive of SiriusXM Media, AdsWizz and Simplecast), Megaphone, and Libsyn expected in the following months.
These new partnerships will give Amazon Music customers access to video and audio podcasts from publishers iHeartMedia, SiriusXM, Spotify, NBC Sports, and Headgum, including popular shows such as Hey Jonas!, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb, Pro Football Talk Live with Mike Florio, and Solved with Mark Manson. Amazon Music is also expanding video podcasts beyond the US to customers in Canada, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan.
Amazon Music now supports monetization for video podcasts, allowing creators to dynamically insert video ads into their shows while maintaining existing brand sponsorships and baked-in ads. Publishers and creators will retain full control over their hosting, ad inventory, and audience targeting.
That remains to be seen. Too often, large companies such as Spotify promise the moon and deliver the bird.
Shea Simpson, Head of Spoken Word for Amazon Music, gushes, “Industry data confirms what our customers have been telling us — they want the flexibility to watch their favorite podcasts, in addition to listening. As video consumption continues to grow, we’re constantly looking for ways to expand our offerings for customers to engage across formats. By working with leading podcast publishers, we’re bringing the top video podcast shows to customers across the US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan — spanning true crime, breaking news, celebrity interviews, and more. Just as importantly, we’ve built this in a way that lets creators keep full ownership of their hosting, ad inventory, and audience monetization.”
What’s left unsaid here is that only the “popular” shows get this “special treatment.” How about the thousands of superb indie podcasts with loyal fanbases?
iOS 27 Brings New Features for Apple Podcasts App
Apple announced that the Apple Podcasts app on tvOS has been completely redesigned and now supports video podcasts and premium subscriptions from your favorite shows. A full tvOS-style sidebar navigation lets users move between familiar tabs like Home, New, Library, and Search. Users can quickly return to what they’re playing in the full-screen Now Playing view. They can also access the channels they subscribe to and the topics they favorite.
According to Apple, podcast show pages have been redesigned on tvOS to showcase show art and let you quickly resume where you left off or navigate between episodes. Episode lists now include episode art, so users can quickly scan the list and find just the right episode to play.
Channels from users’ favorite podcast networks are also now available on tvOS. From a channel page, users can browse shows from a network or subscribe for additional benefits like ad-free playback and early access to episodes.
Apple Podcasts now offers expanded support for video podcasts on macOS. Episodes that include video are clearly labeled, and pressing play launches the player directly into video playback. Video can be expanded to full-screen playback or played in Picture in Picture mode for a minimal video player.
Video episodes across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS now include full read-along transcripts, chapters, and media links. A new search bar at the top of a podcast’s show page, in the See All Episodes view, helps you quickly find the episode you’re looking for.
For more news on podcasting, podcast industry trends, new podcasts, and podcasting events, subscribe to Podnews.
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Check out books by Frank Racioppi. Everything from novels and nonfiction to podcasting books and essays. Coming in 2027: The Best Independent Podcasts Of 2027.
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