Listening PLEASURES
Feeling positive has been a challenge for all of us during these recent, difficult times. It’s also a challenge when your working life involves grieving families and funerals. For the most part my work is incredibly uplifting and fulfilling. But there are practical pressures that can take their toll if you don’t regularly plug into the things that bring you joy and help to de-stress.
Exercising outdoors has always been good for me. That heady mix of nature, the changing seasons and burning off a few cake calories. I’m an early morning exerciser – running, cycling, or walking when the sun comes up – and I like to drown out my heavy breathing with music or a podcast. My podcast choices tend to follow my passion for history, nature, a bit of poetry and art, life stories, and general chit-chat between interesting people.
Here are a few podcasts I’ve enjoyed during the last 12 months…
Melissa Harrison is a nature write and novelist who lives in the Suffolk Countryside. Every week she takes us into the countryside around her Suffolk village to help us stay in touch with the outside world, nature, the weather, and the changing seasons. Complete with nature sounds and guest spots from other nature lovers, it’s just a beautiful 30 mins or so that I was hooked on from the first episode.
I’ve been listening to Adam Buxton for the last couple of years. He’s a lovely, funny man – a writer and performer – who lives in Norfolk and has a dog called Rosie. He has a vast library of podcast interviews with all sorts of people, from fellow comedians, to actors, directors, writers, campaigners. There is swearing! And some silliness at times, but always entertaining.
This is billed as a history podcast for people who don’t like history but it’s also enjoyable for those who do! Greg Jenner (best known for being the historical consultant on BBC’s Horrible Histories) is the presenter, and each episode includes a historian and a comedian so we can ‘learn and laugh about the past’. Episodes range from The Ancient Olympics to Josephine Baker, and it’s good for people like me who get all-consumed with the periods of history they love (Tudors and Medieval) and miss the opportunity to learn about all the other interesting stuff!
I could listen to the northern voice of our Poet Laureate Simon Armitage all day – he could read out his shopping list, frankly. But this is a lovely series where he invites guests into his garden writing shed to discuss life, language, the human voice, accents and the environment. He’s been translating an old middle English poem called The Owl and The Nightingale, and both birds are included in the chat. Lovely.
This is Louis in lockdown, speaking to well-known people about their life, work and how they’ve been coping during the last few months. If you like Louis, this is an enjoyable bit of chat - sometimes light-hearted, other times quite deep (as you’d expect from the master documentary maker) – and podcast guests include Lenny Henry, Troy Deeney, Boy George and Chris O’Dowd.
One of my weekend pleasures is a lazy breakfast with the Sunday Times and I love its Culture Section, including Art Critic Waldemar Januszczak, known as Waldy to his friends. In this podcast he teams up with art historian Bendor ‘Bendy’ Grosvenor, to look at interesting things that are happening in art, with lively discussions about artists and paintings, as well as their ratings for things like best art gallery websites.
Frank Skinner, the comedian, and poetry? Well yes, and it’s brilliant! Frank loves poetry and over six episodes takes you through six poets and their poems he likes best. He is so enthusiastic and really wants you to enjoy the poems. You don’t have to be into poetry to appreciate these little gems. Just tune in for the ride.
Another long-running Radio 4 favourite with Melvyn Bragg and assorted academics and experts discussing everything from The Lancashire Cotton Famine to Zeno’s Paradoxes – the latter being one of those episodes where I don’t have a clue what’s going on. BUT, I always learn something. And with the podcast series they leave in a few moments at the end where the original radio programme went off air and they all have a cup of tea and discuss what they missed out.
What have you been listening to?
Please let me know if you’ve enjoyed any podcasts recently – whatever the subject matter. Email me here.