1: Serial
Serial is a well-known investigative podcast by Sarah Koenig. It is a production of This American Life and looks at criminal cases, trying to determine what happened. The first and, in my opinion, best series looks at the case of Adnan Syed, a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 1999. The podcast tries to look at the cases impartially, yet still creates a connection between the case and the listener. If you like true crime, this is an essential podcast .
2: Oh No Ross and Carrie!
ONRAC is another investigative podcast. Rather than true crime, however, the podcast investigates “fringe religious groups and claims of the paranormal”. The podcast is funny and engaging, looking at so many different aspects of the world. Going undercover, they try to give listeners a picture of what to expect if they themselves were to go and give a fair assessment of their findings. They have investigated Scientology, Ayahuasca, ghost hunting… pretty much everything!
3: One Bad Mother
One Bad Mother is a comedy/parenting podcast which provides a space for parents to share their parenting experiences. They ask parenting experts, and parents themselves, about issues relating to parenting. I do not have kids (and hopefully won’t for a while) but it has frequently made me laugh hearing about all the weird and wonderful aspects of parenting. It’s interesting finding out how many parents’ fails for the week are about forgetting to put nappies on their kids.
4: The Mortified Podcast
The Mortified Podcast is the podcast version of the stage show of the same name, which sees adults reading out their childhood diaries, letters, songs, etc in front of a live audience. These are short episodes, featuring a speaker or two, and are a reminder of how angsty, weird and sex-obsessed teenagers can be. It is hilarious and heartbreaking, and will make you laugh aloud in the library.
5: My Brother, My Brother, and Me
MBMBAM is “an advice podcast for the modern era” featuring three brothers who give the most unhelpful advice you can think of. That is the point though, so you can’t really complain. The brothers answer both audience questions and those from Yahoo! Answers. If you love horses, laughing at the ridiculousness of the internet, and tangents which are so off-topic they are almost “podcasts-within-a-podcast”, then you will adore this show. Fair warning: do not listen to this on level 10 of the library when writing your dissertation…
[Rachel Gillett – she/her]
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