The Podcasts

I’ve been a regular podcast junkie since 2006 when I connected up my new Sony Walkman[1] to the Internet and found I could sync quickly and easily with the BBC.  I’ve now upgraded to the excellent Podcast Addict which tells me that, so far in 2018, I’ve spent 24 days – yes, 24 whole days – listening to podcasts; that’s more even that last year’s 15 days and 5 hours.

To make some kind of sense of that, I thought it was time to blog what it is that I’m spending my commuting and exercise time actually listening to.  These aren’t my “recommendations” are don’t represent a comprehensive trawl of the vast number of podcasts out there.  Comment below if you have suggestions of your own.

News and Politics

It’s hard to beat The Economist: Editor's picks for a weekly review of the news.   And for a roundup of the week’s news in politics, it’s FT Politics.

I particularly like Talking Politics for a pure-politics play whose subject is not dictated solely by recent events.  It’s sometimes a discussion group, other times an interview and occasionally even a lecture or briefing.

For more detail on specific issues I like both The Briefing Room and The Inquiry. 

For an interview with active politicians that won’t make you scream at the radio, try Political Thinking with Nick Robinson.

Science

My favourite weekly magazine programme about science is Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea, which is just that bit more snarky than BBC Inside Science.  I also take Nature Podcast, which luckily overlaps with Futureproof only rarely.

Two podcasts that aren’t news-driven are Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe (a cartoonist and a physicist explain the “big-questions” of universe) and I’ve just begun with The End of The World with Josh Clark.

Finally, I always listen to Physics Frontiers every fortnight or so.  It features two very well informed physics guys who kick around a topic at the frontiers of modern physics.  Now, if I’m honest, there’s no doubting this is highbrow stuff that mostly sails right over my 1982 physics & astronomy BSc, but I can’t stop tuning in anyway.

Cricket

The Analyst Inside Cricket is either an incisive weekly summary of recent cricket played, team news and so on; or, during major England matches, it reports daily from the front.

I usually listen to some of Test Match Special, but the feed can become overloaded with post-match player-interviews (overrated), lunchtime guests and so on; and then nothing for weeks.

Switch Hit Podcast comes every few weeks and is worth listening to.

And finally, I would love to see a relaunch of The Drinks Break, mostly because it features the estimable Elizabeth Ammon.

Chess

OK, so this is niche, and there aren’t too many to choose from.  Joel Benjamin’s weekly video is excellent, but you’ll need a subscription if you want more than the 5-minute preview.

Perpetual Chess Podcast is an interview format, often quite long, and not always do I finish.  The best are by people who’ve done more in life than just play and teach chess for a living.

The excellent Chess: The Full English Breakfast is now only rarely available, but a must-listen when it does appear.

Society and Culture

The high-brow In Our Time is always worth listening to, although I don’t always get to the end of the more obscure arty subjects.

Making a recent re-appearance is Wireless Nights, a documentary on what some people get up to at night.  I also like Trending, which highlights a topical subject from social media.

Investment and Business

The 10-minute business-news podcast, FT News Briefing, is essential early morning listening and similarly Investors Chronicle each week.  The latter is especially good when John Hughman is in the chair. 

Although only rarely appearing these days, Stuff that Interests Me is Dominic Frisby’s mouthpiece for his off-beat views on gold, Bitcoin and libertarian politics.  Always interesting.

Others

I’ve just started with CYBER, a discussion programme about information-security that looks promising.

And a mention for Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy, which is an unashamedly laddish discussion mostly about sport, cars and so on.  The first two series were excellent - surprisingly so - but it’s maybe reached the point where the opinions and anecdotes are now being recycled.

To chill for a while, I go to the Hypnagogue Podcast, of curated music.

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[1] Amazing device, the Sony Walkman. A tiny screen and only several millimetres deep, it could also sync video with the iPlayer for a few years.  I still have it now.