Podcasts are wonderful when you’re driving a long way and the news is too annoying (which is most of the time at the moment!)
These are my discoveries, I hope you find this list helpful
BRILLIANT
The Rest is Politics – I’m going to say it in public, I LOVE Rory Stewart! – and Alistair Campbell is a good foil. This feels like the only really grown up discussion of current politics, and it’s just brilliant.
Answer me this – any question that the listeners phone in will be answered, with quite a bit of amusing chat and unusual facts mixed in. Un fortunately now finished, but a huge back catalog to still enjoy.
Athletico Mince – amazingly creative and bizarre and hilarious collection of football impersonations, meat restaurant menus, bad songs, quizzes and comedy character creations , I just love the creativity of this podcast, it’s my favourite of them all
Dear Joan and Jericha – Sounds like a respectable and almost cosy medical phone-in but it is in fact an incredibly filthy and bizarre comedy. Not for the easily offended!!
Soda jerker – interviews with famous musicians about how they wrote their most popular songs and albums
More or Less – the numbers behind the news and how they get misquoted and distorted
The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry – science explained, and questions answered, with humour
ALSO GOOD
Sliced Bread – are the latest ideas / products actually any good? From expensive sunglasses to SAD lamps, tooth whitening to posh running shoes.
What You Will Learn – quick precis of key books
Diary of a a CEO – I prefer his personal musings to the episodes where he interviews other people, but all good
99% invisible – an in-depth study of how design and architecture are all around us, influencing us without us realising
Redhanded – we learn the details of real life criminals and con artists
I Spy – real life spies interviewed
No such thing as a fish – interesting factoids discussed – they laugh a bit too much at each others’ jokes, but it does contain some GREAT facts!
You’re Wrong About… – great investigation and discussion about thing we think we know about
Intelligence squared – just that
This paranormal life – two complete idiots discuss possible paranormal theories like is Donald Trump a Time Traveler? Surprisingly interesting
That Peter Crouch podcast – amusing and informative football chat – what is it really like to be a professional footballer?
Reasons to be cheerful – weirdly featuring Ed Miliband the show considers genuine ways to make the world better. Mostly serious but with a little bit of humour as well
Soul music – famous songs examined, with the effect they had on people’s lives
Desert Island Discs – classic
In our time – personally I like the science ones but Melvyn Bragg covers all the knowledge in the world, …how on earth does he do it?
Song by song – The complete works of Tom Waits, one song at a time. Start with rain dogs!
Fast forward – alternative visions of the future explored
How to be awesome at your job – interviews with all sorts of business experts, including me in episode 162, but it’s a good format and lots of interesting ideas to be had
Adam Buxton – interviews people, funny and enjoyable
The Week Unwrapped – three obscure stories from this weeks news examined
The Wealthy Speaker podcast – specialised podcast for people who speak or want to speak for a living; very meaty, this podcast tells you everything
Off Menu – Ed Gamble and James Acaster laugh with guests about their ideal meal, and loads of other things in the process
Happiness Spells – 5 minute meditative lists of things that make us happy: spiders webs with frost on them, log fires in pubs, opening the foil on a new jar of coffee….
