Podcast App for Ipad keeps crashing - not downloading podcasts

Hi Everyone,

I'm using the latest ipad with retina display and love using the podcast app. Since last week the podcast app is acting strangely. It has stopped auto downloading the latest podcasts. It's not just one podcast but all of the ones I subscribe to. When I open the app it looks like it is refreshing with that little circle that keeps spinning but nothing happens - in fact the app freezes and it is hard to close. It freezes also when I try to delete podcasts. It frequently crashes too. I don't know what to do to help it work again. Any suggestions?