Howzat? 5.1 / 6

In a world full of true crime podcasts that largely concentrate on ‘orrible things like murder, kidnapping, and the darker elements of Guantánamo, a show based on a scandal involving sporting equipment brings some welcomed levity to the table and I would even go as far as saying that it reinvigorates the genre altogether. 

Broomgate from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) centres on the oft’ pilloried winter sport of curling – the activity involving one person skidding on a strip of ice, skimming a rounded stone towards the other end with the help of two other people, using a glorified brush to help it along its way. Think horizontal ice darts minus the beer bellies. 

The series of 5 episodes is hosted by John Cullen, comedian and former “semi-professional curler”, to whom the sport of curling means much more than looking up the technicalities of the sport’s scoring system every four years at the winter Olympics. He’s a red-blooded ice schuffler but with one important difference here: he balances the serious business of the scandal (and to some, it’s really serious) and adds the knowingly ironic eye-roll of perspective to the whole thing. 

The story, itself, can be surmised as such: curling usually uses two people to brush along the stone. However, a piece of equipment (the broom, naturally) promises to upend the traditions altogether by being much, much better and typically requires only one person to do the job. A lack of legislation around equipment use means that the curling teams using the new broom tech win more (shock!) Some curlers get upset (sad) Some get angry (drama!) Before eventually, there’s some resolution (phew!)

But this series is much more about the story because it’s the presentation that wins the day here. Cullen’s voice is truly refreshing and his Canadian ‘lilt’ makes me want to listen more. Also, the show is very well produced. The interplay of real-life “footage” and the narrative framework work incredibly well together, and as such, keeps you interested in a story that, on paper at least, wouldn’t be that much of a pull.  

Ultimately, Broomgate deserves the accolade of the 5.1 / 6 score. Why? 

Because of this small but not irrelevant fact: I listen to enough podcasts as it is, however, everything about this show made me want to listen to the whole series in one, binge-tastic, curling fest. 

GF