I’ve got really into podcasts in the last couple of years, and I keep meaning to post about some of my favourites, so here goes. This post is mostly just an evolving list, to which I might add more commentary later. I’ve starred* my all-time favourites.

Serial Fiction:

• Alice Isn’t Dead*
• The Bright Sessions*
• The Alexandria Archives*

True stories:

• Serial Season 1. * (and all the podcasts about the podcast..)
• S-Town* (and its meta-casts)
• The Moth
• FOUND

Comedy:

• The ParaPod* Two Northern blokes, one a sceptic, one a believer, discuss a range of purportedly paranormal phenomena, mysteries and conspiracies. The blokes in question are comedians Ian Boldsworth (the artist formerly known as Ray Peacock), and Barry Dodds. Hilarity ensues as Dodds credulity tests Boldsworth’s patience to the limit, and Boldsworth mercilessly lampoons Dodds. A lot of the fun is in the dynamic between the two presenters. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard, period- regularly had me crying with laughter on my commute.
• Guilty Feminist
• Made of Human
• My dad wrote a porno
• Global Pillage
• Friday night comedy from the BBC
• Comedians Telling Stuff
• Strong and Stable

NPR (US public radio):

• This American Life*
• Found
• Invisibilia
• An Inexact Science
• Here be Monsters
• Freakonomics Radio
• Hearing Voices

Topic-driven:

• Sex

  • Meg-John and Justin

• Mental health

  • The MentalPod. A single six episode series where Ian Boldsworth (of The ParaPod) and guests discuss living with mental illness. Moving, real, and tremendously validating. Standout episodes for me included the long interview with Boldsworth’s friend Michael Pennington (Johnny Vegas).

• Game of Thrones

  • Game of Drones
  • Boars, Gore and Swords
  • Game of Thrones (ToB breakdown)

• Society

  • Heart and Soul

For bedtime:

• Sleep with me
• Welcome to Night Vale.

On my to-listen list:

• Bad Fat Broads
• Fresh Air
• Happier with Gretchen Rubin
• Hi-Phi Nation
• Hidden Brain
• How To Do Everything
• Justin Moorhouse About 30 Minutes
• Kinsey Confidential
• Kicking the Kyriarchy
• Office Hours
• Politically Re-Active
• Radiolab
• Serendipity
• Standard Issue’s Podcast
• Stuff Mom Never Told you
• Stuart Hall in Conversation
• Soul Music
• The Big Ideas
• The Bugle
• The F Word
• The Guardian Long Read
• The Jodcast
• The Loh Down on Science
• The Philosophy Podcast
• Thinky Thinky Make Make
• To the Best of Our Knowledge
• Unscrewed
• Very Bad Wizards
• Within The Wires
• Zero Books- Advancing Conversation