There was a time when podcasts essentially just provided a catch-up service for radio but in the last few years, this landscape has changed dramatically.
In a world of short attention spans and bite-sized Buzz Feed articles, the long-form nature of podcast has found its place.
The rise of the smartphone, along with the growing DIY punk rock attitude of content creation, has crafted a new wave of popular long-form entertainment that addresses our favourite niche topics or people, which radio or TV can rarely match.
If you’re already familiar with podcasts, you will know of, or already be listening to, the likes of crowd favourites Serial, This American Life, BBC Desert Island Discs and The Nerdist. This week though, in Content We Love, we bring to you not only three different types of podcast which you may not have listened to yet, but also give an insight into the formats they follow.
Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip
Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip Distraction Pieces Podcast could quite easily be misconstrued as a weekly talk show in the same vein as say, Graham Norton or Jimmy Fallon, however Distraction Pieces is far more. Scroobius Pip has the great talent of being able to hold down-to-earth, yet still engrossing conversations with a broad range of guests, including musicians, writers, actors, comics and anyone who’s got something interesting to share. Each podcast, lasting from 1 to 2 hours, gives plenty of time to offer a real uncovering of the lives of the guests. There is a fantastic mix of informal insights into household names and by way of contrast, emotive stories from the everyday people who also feature in the show.
One major appeal of Distraction Pieces is that the guests come across as not merely trying to promote their latest projects, as in more conventional interviews, but ultimately captivating the audience with their stories, creating a more genuine, lasting interest and respect for them.
Recommend Episodes
Housing for Women special – Mira, Tall Dark Friend, Blindboy of The Rubberbandits
Distraction Pieces Podcast is available from: iTunes | Android | Web
Philosophy Bites – David Edmonds & Nigel Warburton
While podcasts are excellent for entertainment, they’re also a fantastic resource for learning something new and stepping into areas which might otherwise seem intimidating. Philosophy Bites offers just that. Leading experts introduce and discuss the latest issues in the world of philosophy in easily digested 20 minute podcasts.
Even if you think philosophy sounds a little too intense, some of their scrutiny of more commonplace human behaviour such as criticism, swearing, irrationality and forgiveness might offer a surprising, refreshing new perspective.
Recommend Episodes
Importance of Arguments in Politics, Status of Animals, Power
Philosophy Bites is available from: iTunes | Android | Web
My Dad Wrote a Porno
If most of us found one of our parents had been writing an erotic novel, we probably wouldn’t be an in rush to tell anyone. Not Jamie Morton who, along with the help of his friends, James Cooper and BBC Radio 1’s Alice Levine, focuses on an extract from just such a creation in each episode.
There is a fun atmosphere to this podcast, the kind where you feel like you’re in the room with your friends and anything can start to become uncontrollably funny.
Though the topic might not be for everyone, there is something to learn from the success of this podcast’s format. Informal group podcasts seem to strike a chord with the listener due to their amiable, good-humoured nature. The secret to many of the top podcasts, such as the Football Ramble, is that they provide an easy-going forum in which we engage with the characters of the hosts and panel guests in much the same way as we do with a group of our own friends.
Recommend Episodes
Start from beginning, it’s a novel after all.
My Dad Wrote a Porno is available from: iTunes | Android | Web