COVID-19 Friday Five: More Podcasts

We're allowed two hours of exercise now. I walk. I listen. Sometimes I listen to the birds and sometimes I listen to podcasts. Here are some of the podcasts to which I listen.

5 Podcasts:

1. David Tennant Does a Podcast With... (Somethin' Else and No Mystery) - The former Doctor Who star chats with his showbiz friends. It's very star-studded and a bit lovely-dahling, but it makes one realise how many great actors he has worked with, from Judi Dench, Olivia Colman, Elisabeth Moss, Billie Piper and Cush Jumbo to Ian McKellan, Neil Gaiman, Michal Sheen, John Hamm and Brian Cox. At this stage there is no Season 3 planned, but there are still 21 episodes to get to grips with at this stage.



2. Eyes on Gilead (SBS) - As a companion podcast to The Handmaid's Tale, a group of intelligent and interested viewers (Fiona Williams; Haidee Ireland; Sanar Qadar; Natalie Hambly) discuss and dissect each episode after it has finished. More than just examining the plot, they suggest possibilities and refer to design and direction elements that highlight the intricacies of the show. There are also bonus interviews with actors (special love for Yvonne Strahovski - well, it is Australian), composers, make-up artists, costume designers, directors and the series creator. It's one for the fans. 



3. Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics (BBC Radio 4) - a friend introduced me to this podcast after I read Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships, which re-tells the story of The Illiad from the perspective of the women involved (it's excellent - more on that later). In a sort-of spin-off from the original series, Natalie Haynes does a series within the podcast in which she 'sits down' for the myths. In a move that will surprise absolutley no one, the first one I listened to was on Penelope. There are also episodes on The Odyssey, Clytemnestra, Helen of Troy, Penthesilea and Medusa. Plus, there are the original episodes on Cicero, Plato, Sophocles, Virgil, Ovid, Aristotle, etc. It's told in a light, informative and entertaining manner. I remember most of it, and can happily go back a few weeks later to remind myself of the bits I missed first time around. 



4. The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed (BBC Radio 4) - I've got a bit of a thing for Simon Armitage. No, not like that (although I do love his voice). I've met him (twice) and I'm in his book, Gig (although not by name). He taught at the polytechnic where I studied (although not at the same time) and we know some of the same people, and have a shared interest in myth (The Odyssey; The Green Knight; King Arthur). He is busy writing haiku in his shed at the bottom of his garden (or so he would have us believe) and he interviews some iconic figures from my growing-up days. So far I have listened to the episodes featuring Jo Whiley, JK Rowling and Johnny Marr. I look forward to listening to the back catalogue including interviews with Maxine Peake, Antony Gormley and HRH Prince Charles.



5. The Skewer (BBC Radio 4) - Described as the news retwisted as a comedy treat, it is a biting satire on politics and current events using the very effective sampling techniques that put words into other people's mouths. It's irreverent and devastating in 15-min chunks with dazzling wit and British pop-culture references that might stump some living outside the UK.

Who's Your Doctor?

I’m a Tom Baker girl myself. He was the one I grew up with. I felt reassured by his avuncular charm, and I hid behind the sofa and was terrified of the monsters who attacked him (even if they were made out of egg-boxes with  plungers and whisks for appendages). Before he made me laugh as the pompous voice (over) of Little Britain, he was saving the galaxy one planet at a time and haunting my dreams with K-9, his scruffy perm and his ridiculously long scarf.

Like James Bond, there are the ones you fancy (Daniel Craig/Paul McGann); the ones that make you laugh (Roger Moore/Peter Davidson); the ones that are just plain wrong (Timothy Dalton/Colin Baker) and the ones who define the character (Sean Connery/Patrick Troughton).

Him Outdoors is a fan of Jon Pertwee – personally, I can’t see past Worzel Gummidge. Of course, this is a problem and the reason why some who you think brilliantly embody the role, leave before they become typecast.

Christopher Eccleston was great with his gritty Salford accent but he wanted to do other things; mainly stage, which makes me yearn for England. He will always be DCI Bilborough from Cracker to me – murdered by the stunningly charismatic Albie; the first time I ever saw Robert Carlyle, but that’s another story…

I went off Dr Who – it was a kid’s series, right? – and although I kept an eye on the latest incarnation, it wasn’t until David Tennant assumed the mantel (with aplomb – is it possible to assume one without?) that I fell back in love with the franchise.

Of course, it’s Christianity 101 (a being that looks like us, but isn’t one of us, spans time and saves our souls over and over again – sound familiar?) but I love the simple storylines where nothing gets too complicated and it will work out alright in the end. And I love David Tennant; the man can act!

The baddies are excellent as well – along with the sexy sidekicks, that’s another James Bond parallel – and the other brightest star before he fell (classmates and equals in everything except the path they chose; again, I'm sure I've heard of that before somewhere...) is The Master. I must admit I would willingly go over to the dark side if John Simm were his embodiment.

Him Outdoors doesn’t like Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) – I’m not quite sure why (maybe he’s still pining for Billie) but he says she fancies herself far too much; she’s young.

So, what do we think of Matt Smith? On the evidence so far, I like him. His first episode in which he goes through a range of foods before finding that he likes fish fingers and custard reminds me of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh and his penchant for malt extract.

He wears a tweed jacket and a bow tie. He is arrogant and dismissive while still being compassionate and slightly naïve – he’s young, in other words. His scripts are good and he delivers the lines confidently. He has a floppy fringe and an edge, and no, I wouldn’t invite him home to mum; she’d fancy him too (she likes Johnny Depp. I told her to stick to her own… Paul Newman for example – she can have him – oh, and dad).

So far; so Gallifrey – but is he just what the doctor ordered? Only time will tell…