My favourite podcasts - International Podcasting Day

30^th September is International Podcasting day! I've always who gets to declare a day an international day of something . Surely the UN should be involved at a minimum?

Well no. Turns out anyone can if they can get enough traction going. Although it does help if you have a link to the field in question.  In this case Steve Lee (founder of the Modern Life Network) decided in 2013 that Podcasts needed celebrating more and thus International Podcasting day was born.

In celebration I thought I'd give a quick run down of some of my current favourite podcasts. If you're looking for something new why not check out an episode or two of these.

Spoiler Podcast 

A pop culture panel review show. Each episode covers a specific  film, book or TV show/episode  with a big old Spoiler warning in the very title of the show. They WILL discuss the plot twists so this is one to dip into episodes when they cover things you have already seen. But there is a fantastic selection from episodes reviewing stuff that was released decades ago to more recent releases of the last few years.  As well as the funny and insightful round-table discussion on the subject in hand  every episode also has a more built feature element covering a subject linked to the main topic. Like the Dumbo episode's feature on Walt Disney films most scary moments. One of my favourite episodes is the one covering the 80s classic "The Breakfast Club". Although that may have something to do with the fact that listening to it helped me to win a quiz night a few weeks later.

The Alusionist

Queen of British Podcasting, Helen Zaltzman, hosts this delightful delving into quirky aspects of language. A topic that in other hands could be dry is here thoroughly engrossing due to the choice of fascinating subjects (such as - why Americans and British can often think each other is rude due to the way they use "please"), Zaltzman's almost perfect presenting skills and the bite size nature of the podcast (most episodes are sub 20 mins)

Plumbing the death star 

A comedy one for the geeks, a free-form discussion between the two hosts about a question  posed about a geeky property. Some of the topics they delve into "Is the Empire Racist?" "How would you survive Groundhog day" and "Which Super Mario Bro would make the best Step-Dad"

It's quirky, Its fun but FYI it can get rude and sweary. But hey, choosing a Mario Bro for a step dad is passionate stuff, things are bound to get a little tense.

Welcome to Nightvale 

The First audio drama on my list and it is surreal genius. It takes the form of a community radio broadcast from the fictional town of Nightvale. A town where some very strange things go on.

Think 'Twin Peaks', or  'Eerie, Indianna'  and you'll get a feel for the weirdness level.  For the most part the only voice you hear is Cecil, the presenter of this fictional small town radio show. But other people do come in occasionally, being "interviewed" on the station or as a station intern (the equivalent of Star Treks Red-shirts). One guest recurring guest star has been Will Wheaton (Wesley from Star Trek TNG, or more recently playing himself on Big Bang Theory)

At first the episode seem quite self-contained but there are continuing plot points and arcs (such as the town mayoral election race) so it's well worth  starting from the beginning and working your way through.

British History podcast 

If you love history and want an in-depth guide through British history this is the podcast for you.  And I do mean in-depth. It starts at "pre-history" (before written records) and takes a very long route through every aspect of history you can think of. There are whole episodes dedicated to the food of a particular era, ones exploring aspects of the culture of average people, and when it deals with kings even that is subdivided into many episodes  to cover every possible angle the producer can think of.

To give you an idea of how in-depth this podcast goes, it has been going for over 5 years now and it's not even up to 1066 in the time-line.

But it's a fascinating and very well researched podcast that you will certainly learn things from.

Wooden Overcoats

The second radio drama on my list this one is a sit-com. Episodes follows the obstinate Rudyard Funn who runs a funeral home on island of Piffling. In the first episode a rival funeral home is opened by island newcomer Eric Chapman – a man who is more competent, more attractive and better liked than Rudyard. The rest of the series follows Rudyard's multiple attempts to sabotage Eric's business.

It is both brilliantly performed with great comic  timing and slickly produced, sounding  as smooth as anything  from the much more resourced BBC's radio production studios.

The Why Factor

A BBC podcast from the World Service and another one for people that like surprising fact they weren't necessarily expecting. Think of any question starting "why…." And it could be the topic for one of their episodes. Some recent episodes include "Why do crazes take off" and "Why do we find some voices so irritating".

Reply All

One in the American documentary/storytelling genre of podcasts made famous by This American Life, Reply All is a podcast about the internet.

Each episode they find a different real-life story or stories  that have some link to the internet and tell us that tale through narration and interviews. Sometimes its stories of internet dating at 60, Sometimes of those online messages you wish you could take back. The theme of the internet is only a starting point that sometimes leads to some gripping and personal stories.

Also check out

In the also-ran category for this this, worth checking out if you have the time

Answer me this  - Another Helen Zaltzman podcast (this time along with co-host Olly Mann). They answer listener's random questions

Home front – The BBCs World War one serial Drama, each episode originally released exactly 100 years after it is set.

This American Life – The grand-daddy of the US storytelling/documentary podcasts

Serial – The sensation that brought podcasting to the attention of the mainstream. 2 seasons available and a third apparently on the way.

Let me know any great podcasts I've missed out in the comments below.

For more information on International Podcasting day visit https://internationalpodcastday.com/