Gone are the days when podcasts were for mums to catch up with Gardener’s Question Time from their desktop computers, instead there’s thousands upon thousands of standalone talk radio shows for the discerning gal to listen to in her spare time which download straight to your phone (witchcraft I tell you, WITCHCRAFT) with the iPhone/Android podcasts app. So, if you need a little help fighting back against the mind-numbing boredom that comes with making the same journey backwards and forwards, five days a week, here’s a few podcasts that we’re totally obsessed with for you to try out.
This American Life
Presented by the comfortingly nasal Ira Glass, America’s most popular podcast wavers between investigative journalism, amazing true stories and fiction all centered around a weekly theme. Get yourself started with #253 The Middle Of Nowhere and the two-parter (#487-#488) Harper High School.
How Stuff Works
Ever wanted to know how fire-breathing works? Or what happens when a man gets castrated? What about crack cocaine and how it came to be the drug that nearly crippled America? Hosts of How Stuff Works Chuck and Josh spend their week researching a certain subject then getting together to share their new-found knowledge. A particular fave of The Debrief? Who Killed JFK. (You’ll never guess who it was).
Re
This one brings together a mix of the best audio from around the world, from feature length documentaries from The Netherlands to music from a Texas prison. Get started with the Tit for Tat show that features the amazing story of murderer and gay rights activist Sandra Wilson.
Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast
Is it wrong to fancy Richard Herring a little bit? The middle-aged comedian isn’t classic silver fox material but his weekly podcast that features him in conversation with members of the comedy world from Stephen Fry to Stewart Lee to Isy Suttie has left us strangely enamoured with him – not to mention in side-hurting stitches.
The Moth
Recorded at the Moth events that take place all over America, this podcast features people telling stories from their past to a live studio audience. The storytellers can be from anyone from Bill Clinton’s speechwriter to the man who debated eating his child’s placenta and their work ranges from funny to completely heartbreaking. Download their new app for the best of.
Photo: WBEZ
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.