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×Anyone who has ever been through the doors of Clearbox will regularly hear Alex start a sentence with “I was listening to this podcast…” and you’ll also hear laughter ensue, because she starts every sentence with that statement.
Alex didn’t want to confine her podcast chat just to our office, so she’s written a blog post about podcasts and her recommendations should you be looking for something new to listen to on your walk, run or drive. Over to you, Alex…
All I ever talk about, think about and listen to is podcasts (and also the Real Housewives), so who better to give you an overview of the top of the pods than yours truly?
We’re starting off with comedy podcasts because we could all do with a laugh right now…
Off Menu with James Acaster and Ed Gamble
This is a fan fave in the Clearbox team, and I think that’s because it merges talking about food with lots of jokes (always a winning combo). The premise is celebs come on to discuss their dream imaginary dining experience. Combining the sensuous description of the celebrities’ favourite meals and the quick whit of James Acaster gives you an uplifting and interesting listen.
The Elis James and John Robins podcast
Another two comedians who are the very best Britain has to offer. This show originally began on Radio X as a weekend slot but quickly picked up a cult following because of the humour, storytelling, and openness of the hosts. It’s hard to describe this show because it’s basically two best friends having a chat, but whenever you listen to it you feel like the third best friend and all your troubles melt away. I have become so obsessed over the past five years it’s now considered a personality trait of mine.
Up next is music…
This podcast is a very interesting way of looking at music - each episode is dedicated to a song and the show interviews people who have a connection to the song. They discuss how the song impacted their lives. For some, it reminds them of when they met their partner and for others, it’s a reminder of a moment between them and their parents. These stories are told while the song in question plays softly in the background. It’s an incredibly moving podcast on how important music is in our lives.
We move on to politics…
Politics is always a controversial subject, but Reasons to be Cheerful offers a safe space for big thinkers to talk about the big topics with nuance and kindness. It’s hosted by former Labour Leader Ed Miliband and renowned broadcaster, Geoff Lloyd. No matter what why you vote, or don’t vote, there’s a lot of interesting and informative content in this podcast and it is a great place to learn about future big ideas that might seem overwhelming now.
Finally, I’m going to throw in something that I don’t think can be defined….
Many people will have heard of the podcast, or at least its sister podcast Serial.
This American Life is a witty, insightful, heartwarming podcast founded and run by Ira Glass. It started as a radio show in Chicago in the 90s and has grown to become a very popular podcast listened to by over two million people. The show runs every week, and each week, the journalists and creatives on the show choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme. The show is separated into acts and in each act, we hear different stories relating to the theme. This is such a thoughtful and respectful podcast and offers a lot of unbiased, interesting knowledge on a wide range of subjects.so if you’re in the mood to learn something new - this is the one to try.
When getting the link for this podcast I stumbled across this post from the show’s creator, Ira, which perfectly encapsulates how I feel about the show and also gives the perfect starter pack who people who are new to the show…
