After suffering the travesty of the Music app that Apple foisted upon us in iOS5 that renders podcast playback an utter pita on the iPad, I downloaded Downcast the other day. It was recommended in the gripe&moan (valid gripes and moans, I was one of the gripers!) thread re: the terrible Music app.
Anyway, Downcast is very good for podcasts! Universal app, using it on my iPhone too, can't see me going back to the default Music app even if Apple 'fess up and put it back into a fit state. I'm really pleased with it, should have got it ages ago, offers the kind of functionality (auto retrieval of podcasts etc) that ought to have been baked into the iPad anyway. Amazing that Apple instead took features AWAY from the Music app instead, sheesh. Don't much care now I have Downcast though.