I don’t normally do podcasts, unless I’ve been driving all day and got thoroughly fed up of tunes. However, at the weekend I stumbled across this excellent podcast, after episode 3 I thought it must be getting near the end…overjoyed to find it’s 15 hours and over 20 episodes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/episodes/downloads

Any other recommendations for this sort of stuff, factual and interesting seems to get my attention 🙂

Factual and interesting? I’d recommend Revisionist History, Cautionary Tales (in fact there’s a few released by Pushkin that are worth your time)

“13 minutes…” is fab – the second series is ace too, about Apollo 13. 🙂

I’ve really enjoyed the Terrible Lizards podcasts – bit niche, but great if you’ve an interest in dinosaurs. Even more niche, but as a fan of motocross back in the day, the Whiskey Throttle Show is fantastic if you like 80s and 90s MX stars, all of whom seem to have interesting stories to tell. I’ve enjoyed Revitionist History, Hardcore History, How To Wow (by that Chris Evans), F1: Beyond The Grid and Grounded (by that Louis Theroux) too. Failing that, you will ALWAYS be able to find an interesting person in the Desert Island Discs back catalogue. 🙂

What good, fun, interesting podcasts?

Most of my podcasts seem to be about cars so the Smith and Sniff podcasts are my highlight, just 2 blokes talking about all sorts of randomness and car chat.

Stuff you should know
Wolf and owl

No Such Thing As A Fish – it’s the QI Elves talking about facts.

The Political Party – Matt Forde interviewing politicians. Always interesting.

The Monkey Gage.

Distraction Pieces – Scroobius Pip

The Adam Buxton Podcast

The link that Cougar put up is great btw

Blindboy

History of Rome with Mike Duncan, then the follow up on Byzantium with another dude I can’t recall the name of. An amazing body of work.

Oh and the Revolutions podcast by Mike Duncan also.

the second series of 13 Seconds is better than the first…and the first is bloody good.
There was talk of a third series about the Hiroshima bomb but it seems to have stopped.

3 to recommend

1. Behind the Bastards ; A look at the worst humans and their lives, only semi serious.

2. We have Ways of Making you Talk : James Holland and Al Murray talk endlessly about WW2,

3. I Don’t Speak German : Daniel Harper listening to the Far-Right talking to themselves in their own spaces.

Dylan Bowman Pyllars, great ultra running interviews.
Rich Roll is great.

Don’t do podcasts as such, but do do a lot of Radio 4 stuff on demand on BBC Sounds, which is basically the same thing just not as cool wiv da kidz. Notably:

– Desert Island Discs (lives of interesting people you’ve generally never heard of)
– From Our Own Correspondent (world affairs from a more personal angle)
– The Kitchen Cabinet (cookery, normally pretty funny)
– The News Quiz (Have I Got News For You, on radio)
– The Unbelievable Truth (Would I Lie To You (sort of), on radio)
– It’s a Fair Cop (copper tells funny stories from being a copper)
– Infinite Monkey Cage (science)
– Meet David Sedaris (author tells funny stories)

No such thing as a fish (Qi elves)
The infinite monkey cage (though I’ve kinda gotton bored of still not understanding what Dark matter is, after having it explained lots & lots of times..)
The Curious cases of Rutherford and Fry

.. just been pointed toward the BBC sounds app, specifically for a full cast Pratchett disc world production & much much more

Another recommendation for We Have Ways of Making You Talk.

One more for “we have ways of making you talk” and “Dan Snows History Hit”.

The BBC Sounds app is a shining example of why the BBC is so brilliant, and should be cherished. The breadth and quality of content is astounding

A friend of mine has just started a podcast called spindrift where she interviews various cycling peeps.

Death of a Sportstar and Death of a Rockstar both very good.

Marco Pantani, Diego Maradona, Freddy Mercury and Kirstie Maccoll all highly recommended listens.

I used to listen to The Moth on NPR – interesting short stories told live in front of an audience, some real gems in there.

@grum

We share the same podcast history. Byzantium is Robin pierson.

What else do you like?

I’ve also listened to http://russianrulers.podhoster.com/ which was really useful for Mike Duncans Russian revolution.

Currently listening to pax Britannia, a history of the British empire. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2GYUapLLGphp0k5qasDKtu?si=bvl03PzNTy-uTciR7p3nig&utm_source=copy-link

And behind the bastards. An insight into every evil scum bag there has ever been. It’s American and sometimes annoying but he also does modern bastards too like Manaford and Stone, Ted Cruz and even Steven seagal. The American corporation ones are so interesting. They all somehow are always linked to trump!

I tried to get into the history of China and managed the first 30 odd episodes but found it a bit tough and stopped listening.

Avid podcast listener here, it’s all I listen to when driving the lorry. Here are my recommendations:

We have ways of making you talk (Second World War chat)

Gangster on BBC sounds (it’s about Paul Massey the notorious Salford gangster)

Chernobyl podcast

Fighter Pilot podcast (interviews with pilots about the aircraft the flew)

The Bomb (about the dropping of the atomic bomb)

Real Narcos (Pablo Escobar and his cronies)

West Cork (an unsolved murder in West Cork)

Collect Cars with Chris Harris

Against the Odds

American Scandal (doing a series on Lance Armstrong just now and it’s very good)

Real Dictators

That Peter Crouch podcast is also very funny as is Shagged Married Annoyed with Chris and Rosey Ramsey.

Also listened to one about the unabomber but can’t remember what’s it’s called.

Got British Scandal in my subscribe list aswell so will get round to that next week.

Happy Listening

Oh and Banged up is worth a listen, ex convicts discussing prison etc

A few of my favourite techy/physic/science podcasts below, with a couple of Wildcard entries

Adventure Sports podcast

After On podcast

Eigenbros podcast

Lex Friedman podcast

Bill Burrs Monday morning podcast

The Origins podcast

Outside podcast

Scotland Outdoors podcast

Sean Carrol mindscape podcast

Thanks for tips, some real gems.

Banged up – brilliant, love true crime pods.
Smith and skin
Death of a sports star

I ‘ll add

The disruptors

Little slice of Cumbria- if you like the lakes he interviews owners of Cumbria foodie businesses, little chamonix cafe keswick for e.g.

My mind has been blown by Proffesor David Nuts – Drug Science podcasts.

Said in the other thread.

Comedy
Gossipmongers – local urban legends sent in and read. Hilarious.
So my do wrote a porno – read from his dads badly written porno

Bikes
unclicked – BMX interviews
The Drop in – mtb

Other
louis theroux Grounded

Don’t do podcasts as such

That was pretty much my route into podcast being an avid radio 4 listener.

For fans of metal, Devin Townsend’s podcasts are really good. A combination between musings about mental health and looking back on the process of recording various albums. He’s an interesting guy with a very reserved and understated delivery. Great for long dog walks!

Just finished Death in Ice Valley and have started on The Lazarus Hiest.

The first 2 podcasts I’ve ever listened to. I could easily get right into this. Especially as I’m finding reading harder due to an eye issue.

BBC has pushed out some outstanding content, most of it listed already

13 Minute sits up there with the very best, both series.
Fake Heiress
Americast is great if you have an interest in American politics, was at its peak during Trump though.
Where is George Gibney, harrowing stuff.
I’m Not a Monster

Desert Island Discs is truly brilliant and sits outside of, and above, all other podcasts. Tom Hanks is the best interview I’ve heard but too many good guests to list.

TeapotOne brewtime

Another one on bbc sounds is ‘1800 seconds on autism’ – probably most relevant if you’ve a passing interest in Autism.

I love Behind The Bastards. First got into it listening to Behind The Police which was a side project in their main feed. Sophie is always a good laugh. Also Robert Evan’s just doesn’t give a shit – he’ll call anybody out. Another one of his is Worst Year Ever. Sometimes funny and sometimes quite serious and thoughtful. He also did a good one a couple of years ago called “It Could Happen Here.”

Stuff You Should Know if not mentioned already.

Another Beeb one which I found fascinating was Tunnel 59, or maybe 29 or some number about the construction of a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. Had me properly holding my breath at times.

And Round Britain Quiz from Sounds. Stewart Maconie knows a lot of stuff! 😀

I second Lex Fridman. Just don’t try to follow his lifestyle regime. I can’t see anyone watching this and not feeling like a lesser human being. He doesn’t even eat until late afternoon:

His podcasts are not normally like this example, they are interviews on philosophy, technology, science etc… he was an MIT professor, so he has lots of connections to people with real insight.

Thanks for all the recommendations, plenty to trawl through and will stop the podcast hopping next time I’m searching for something!

I just copied the Moon podcasts to CD for an ill/elderly relative, wasn’t sure he’d be interested but as soon as I gave them to him he was enthusiastically chatting away about watching it on the black and white telly. Bit of a shock/reminder that the CDs are 80 minutes and you can only get one 45-50 minute podcast on each one! 15 CDs it took!

Enjoying
The Lazarus Heist atm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvg9

Real Dictators is great.
Photography Daily – the best of the zillions of photography podcasts out there
Athletico Mince – not factual at all, just Bob Mortimer being totally random
About A Girl – women behind famous rock stars, qute interesting.

I don’t do podcasts I listen to them.

I’ve actually learned a lot more about football from the Peter Crouch cast and quite enjoy Drunk Women Solving Crime.