File under: Culture & Entertainment, Media & Advertising, Transport, Web

A World In Your Ear

So, I didn’t really get podcasts when they first became popular a few years back. This is probably mostly to do with the fact that, since my commute was a) above ground and b) short, I was more than happy to just listen to the radio on the way to and from work, which seemed to coincide perfectly with BBC Radio Four’s morning slot (9am - things like Andrew Marr’s Start the Week plus The Long View, Midweek, Desert Island Discs and Thursday’s Boffinmungous (oh, alright, In Our Time, presented by Melvyn Bragg, and then on the way home at about 6.30, the comedy slot.)

Since starting my new commute, back in April, I have experimented with reading (books, not shit free newspapers), listening to music (I found KD Lang’s Hymns from the 49th Parallel to be particularly soothing as I got to grips with being trapped in a sardine tin), watching things (Seasons 1-6 of Seinfeld and the first couple of seasons of Futurama) and finally, listening to the odd podcast.

And, you know, I’m a convert. I’ve found some which are absolutely fabulous for the commute - about an hour long, and by turns intelligent, interesting, entertaining and engrossing. In fact, I find myself frequently transported out of the tube carriage and to another place, the place where my attention is when I’m watching a film or on the phone - it’s not here where my body is, but it’s not anywhere else, so where is it? - and on at least one occasion have overshot my stop through being so rapt.

So for the sake of reference, I thought I’d share a rundown of what’s on my subscription list at the moment (with asteriskification denoting the ones I ALWAYS make a point of listening to)…

Magazine

Documentaries & Features

Music

Now, obviously, I don’t listen to all of these every time there’s a new episode - but it is remarkably easy to plough through them, especially since I spend a minimum of 2.5 hours in transit each day.

I’d love to hear if you have any recommended podcasts. Stick your suggestions in the comments…

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