Commutes on a rammed Northern Rail service are made somewhat bearable if I've got a decent podcast on the go. But what do you do when you've run out of content by mid-week? Find some new ones of course! And here are some of my best picks...
It'll come as no surprise that this makes the list - I've mentioned it in loads of tweets and newsletters over the years - their content lands squarely in the middle of the territory I operate in. Roman Mars is your host and he tells stories of some of the most effective (yet mostly unnoticed) designs in the world
There are episodes on Lance Wyman, Frank Lloyd Wright and loads more but, at the risk of shaming myself, two of my favourites are the design of the carpet at Portland's airport (...no really, check it out!) and one on flags. Rock 'n Roll!
Note to Self
One from WNYC's stable here, Note to Self is a weekly, tech focused, podcast that deals with the human side of tech - how it's enhanced our lives as well as the price we've paid along the way. Their recent episode, "Should We Post Photos of our Kids Online" was a real head scratcher for me and is a great example of what they do best.
Check out the Note to Self podcast here.
Another from WNYC, Radiolab - perhaps along with This American Life - sort of feels like the Grandaddy of podcasts.
It's not just the content that rules here, the audio production is incredible. The very best episodes are truly immersive and you'll lose hours of your life to it before you know it.
They've an archive stretching back years so if you're yet to discover it, you'll have hours and hours of incredibly thought-provoking and super interesting content to get your teeth into.
Here's three of the best to get you started:
Prolific podcaster Stephen Dubner, alongside co-host and economics professor, Steve Levitt explore 'the hidden side of everything' in this podcast loosely based on economics.
I wouldn't describe myself as someone that's that into numbers but they do an amazing job of applying economic principles to almost anything, sometimes giving you a completely new perspective.
Again, they have a whole back catalogue of content to go at but try these two to get you started:
The latin word for "Invisible forces" Invisiblia explores the reasons and theories of human behaviour.
It's not as rich in history as some others on the list - it only started in 2015 - but there are some cracking episodes out there. Check out: The Problem with the Solution.
Some of you reading this won't be old enough to remember the Adam & Joe show. Nevertheless, you should check out this wonderfully silly and at times profoundly heartwarming podcast, from Adam Buxton.
The format takes the shape of on the road interviews with other comics, singer/songwriters, film directors and actors.
There are some 40 odd episodes so plenty to go at. A favourite of mine is this one with his old pal, Louis Theroux.
Enjoy!