Brexitcast
BBC Radio 5 Live
Brexit sometimes seems to be calming down, but let’s face it: we’ll be talking about it for a while yet. This is a funny, up-to-the-minute and behind-the-scenes guide to Brexit from the BBC’s political correspondents, including Laura Kuenssberg, Katya Adler, Chris Mason and Adam Fleming. The ad-hoc updates—released pretty much whenever there’s a major development, including at 3am—heighten the drama to the level of soap opera, and sometimes actual opera. The journalists are generally tired, incredulous, a bit silly and incurably gossipy, and it’s a great way of following Brexit news without losing your mind.
Borrowed
Brooklyn Public Library
This new podcast from the staff of Brooklyn Public Library, above, is about the people who use the library and feel the service influences their lives. The librarian as “the guardian of magic” is the central theme here, with the idea being to bring us stories of the joy that libraries bring to everybody. There’s a trip to an enormous book-sorting machine, discussion about how librarians help people who desperately want information on difficult subjects, and exploration of the deeper meaning of an archive.
We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Goalhanger Films
Comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland’s new podcast takes an in-depth, alternative look at the Second World War. The starting point for each episode is an artefact from the time, and the pair discuss what it is and how it was used. In the first episode there’s an interesting discussion about Spitfires, and why the wings don’t break off when they crash, but dabblers beware: the conversation gets very involved. The history nerdery is strong with this one.
BBC Radio 5 Live
Brexit sometimes seems to be calming down, but let’s face it: we’ll be talking about it for a while yet. This is a funny, up-to-the-minute and behind-the-scenes guide to Brexit from the BBC’s political correspondents, including Laura Kuenssberg, Katya Adler, Chris Mason and Adam Fleming. The ad-hoc updates—released pretty much whenever there’s a major development, including at 3am—heighten the drama to the level of soap opera, and sometimes actual opera. The journalists are generally tired, incredulous, a bit silly and incurably gossipy, and it’s a great way of following Brexit news without losing your mind.
Borrowed
Brooklyn Public Library
This new podcast from the staff of Brooklyn Public Library, above, is about the people who use the library and feel the service influences their lives. The librarian as “the guardian of magic” is the central theme here, with the idea being to bring us stories of the joy that libraries bring to everybody. There’s a trip to an enormous book-sorting machine, discussion about how librarians help people who desperately want information on difficult subjects, and exploration of the deeper meaning of an archive.
We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Goalhanger Films
Comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland’s new podcast takes an in-depth, alternative look at the Second World War. The starting point for each episode is an artefact from the time, and the pair discuss what it is and how it was used. In the first episode there’s an interesting discussion about Spitfires, and why the wings don’t break off when they crash, but dabblers beware: the conversation gets very involved. The history nerdery is strong with this one.
