I have a colleague who became a friend, who used to start many conversations of a morning with, "I was listening to this podcast..." and she would proceed to regale us with an 'interesting fact'. Obviously, the idea of whether something is interesting or not is highly subjective, so we decided in the office that we would be the judge of the fascinating factor of her shared information. Her name is Lyn so we would ask her if it was really interesting, or just 'lynteresting'. I miss seeing her in the office, so in her honour, here are five podcasts to which I have been listening a lot in the coronaverse (this is in addition to my usual favourites).
5 Current Podcasts:
- You're Dead to Me (BBC Radio 4) - "The history podcast for people who don’t like history… and those who do. Greg Jenner brings together the best names in comedy and history to learn and laugh about the past." Recent episodes have seen the Horrible Histories author and historical consultant tackle topics such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, The History of Chocolate and Neanderthals (Tim Minchin was the featured comedian on that one).
- Is it Just Me (acast) - "Each week Jo Elvin, James Williams and a celebrity guest debate the funniest, weirdest and most pressing dilemmas: from social media to mental health, to, erm… bra washing. Are you alone in your strong opinions on trivial stuff? Tune in and find out!" Guests have included Ben Miller, Claudia Winkleman, Marcus Wareing and Lisa Snowdon.
- The Infinite Monkey Cage (BBC Radio 4) - "Witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes. With Brian Cox and Robin Ince." In the last few weeks I have both learned things and been entertained by discussions on quantum worlds, coral reefs, fire, and conspiracy theories - among the featured guests on these podcasts, comedians (Shazia Mirza; Marcus Brigstocke; Ed Byrne; Katy Brand) sit alongside marine biologists, physicists, psychologists, and forensic chemists.
- Ladies, We Need to Talk (ABC) - "a podcast for women, by women, that isn’t afraid to dive head first into the tricky topics we often avoid talking about. Join host Yumi Stynes as she tears open the sealed section on life. With sensitivity, personal stories, and serious smarts, this is for women who feel the squeeze between work, their private life, and their pelvic floor." This podcast addresses a variety of issues about which you might have wanted to know but been afraid to ask: erotic literature; toxic mums; body image; coronavirus anxiety; how to make friends as an adult, to name but five.
- Evil Genius with Russell Kane (BBC Radio 4) - "It’s good, bad, ugly - and very very funny. Changing the way we see heroes and villains in history." No (deceased) subject is safe from Russell Kane and his panel of guests as he detonates 'fact bombs' and forces them to make the reductive choice of evil or genius about icons from Emmeline Pankhurst to Pablo Picasso; Winston Churchill to Joan Crawford; Enid Blyton to Albert Einstein. You thought you knew them? Think again.
