Newswise — The Smithsonian’s Sidedoor has returned with new episodes and a new host. Now in its fourth season, the podcast invites listeners to step behind the curtain into a fascinating world of Smithsonian stories.
This season begins with a vengeful tale from the newly reopened fossil hall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Behind these iconic dinosaurs lies a dramatic story of bones, betrayal and a life-ruining grudge between two paleontologists.
Season four also introduces Sidedoor’s new host, Lizzie Peabody, who joined the show as an associate producer in its third season. Peabody brings professional experience in audio production, storytelling performance and classroom teaching to the position.
“I’m very excited to take on the role of host at Sidedoor,” Peabody said. “I’ve loved working on the show over the past year, and I’m eager to share more of the hidden stories the Smithsonian has to offer. When many of us hear ‘museum,’ we have a dusty, static image in mind, and my favorite thing about Sidedoor is turning that notion on its head—creeping into unexpected places through dynamic stories of history, science, culture and art.”
This season listeners will join Sidedoor as it digs up the grave of the video game that killed the famed arcade game company Atari, meets an unlikely ally in the quest to protect and conserve orchids and explores the lingering mysteries of the Apollo missions to the moon.
Sidedoor has received more than 3.5 million listens to date. The show has cracked the top 10 charts of Apple Podcasts and remains in the top 1% of all podcasts in terms of listenership per episode.
The podcast is a collaboration between the Smithsonian and PRX, a leader in public media and the distributor of prominent audio programming such as The Moth, On Being and Reveal, as well as the Radiotopia podcast network.
“As the Sidedoor podcast captures the breadth and wonder of the Smithsonian, we’re thrilled to bring listeners a new season of stories filled with imagination and curiosity from its halls," said John Barth, chief content officer at PRX. “We’re excited, too, to welcome Lizzie Peabody as a new host—a great companion for those already familiar with the treasured institution and a welcoming guide to those who have yet to visit, but have always wanted to.”
Sidedoor is produced by Smithsonian Digital Studios. Listeners can download the podcast on Apple Podcasts or stream it on si.edu/sidedoor, where new episodes will be available every other Wednesday. Sign up for the Sidedoor newsletter or follow @SidedoorPod on Twitter to get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show.
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