JR: Lou Mensah’s list of achievements in podcasting is certainly impressive. Creating the podcast Shade in 2019, Lou has received recommendations in The Guardian, Esquire Magazine and Grazia, as well as being the silver award winner in the 2019 British Podcast Awards for Best Arts and Culture podcast. So how would Lou describe her podcast Shade – what’s it about?

LM: “My guests champion the work of artists of colour within the wider cultural landscape. I love talking with artists whose work stimulates the senses but also has the scope to create wider conversations about inclusion. Shade is a space to be inspired by artists and their stories.

I remembered how isolated I felt being a self-taught, female photographer of colour in the 90’s, without access to inspiring conversations about art or my place within it. I also had a disability which meant that I couldn’t socialise with other artists. Back then my sense of community came from reading about other artists’ lives. When I decided to create the podcast I wanted to create an intimate and welcoming space for everyone, from established artists to listeners who
simply enjoy the odd gallery visit.”

JR: Like many podcasters, Lou has taken away some personal highlights from her time producing the show.

LM: “A highlight so far has been Season 4 which was in response to the 2020 BLM uprisings. I felt that we needed a space to process how we felt about the arts and its response to the uprisings, and how our work may change as a result. It was also an opportunity to talk with those working within the media whose job it was to respond to that seminal moment in civil rights history. I talked with the Editor of TIME, journalists from i-D and The Guardian, plus curators, photographers and critics about how the uprisings had impacted their work. I was lucky to have guests on the show who had refused to talk to other press outlets during this time.

One guest was a founding member of BLM UK, who entrusted me with his story. I am proud to have created a space for the conversations that are glaringly missing from mainstream broadcasting platforms. Sometimes podcasting can feel like talking into a void, but the response to the show affirms that the podcast caters for an audience eager to engage with and support
these conversations.”

JR: Despite time restraints, Lou is looking to the future and production for an upcoming season is in process.

LM: “As an independent podcaster I only have time to work on the show a few hours a week, so I am proud that in it’s short life Shade has garnered attention and support from some art heavyweights, including from the South London Gallery and Hauser & Wirth for example, who will continue to support Shade next season. For season 5 I am working with the Sound designer Axel Kacoutié and we are taking the show in a completely new direction. We will launch our collaboration online and at an event in September [2022]. I hope to see some Pod Biblers there!”

Shade is now in its eleventh season, but find out more about Lou’s collaboration with Axel Kacoutié, Interludes, here >>

Listen to SHADE on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps now >>

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Dr Sohère Roked is a GP, hormone expert and an adept host for the podcast It’s Your Hormones – the inspiration for the show came from a place quite close to home, or should that be quite close to work…?

The podcast was an idea of one of my patients actually! They felt the conversation we had in my clinic room was so powerful for them and suggested talking to
patients during the podcast who feel comfortable sharing their stories about their own hormone journeys. I started the podcast to spread the message about why hormones are so important and how they can affect everyone. As a GP I was seeing so many patients with symptoms that I couldn’t find the reason for, be it low mood, low energy, sleep issues, even aches and pains – when I learnt about hormones and how they can affect every area of health it was a lightbulb moment for me. As well as treating hormone issues day in and day out, I want to give people as much information as possible about hormones so they can know how it may be affecting their own health and more importantly what they can do about it.

Like most podcasts, the guests are the key component to accessible conversations to which everyone can be a part of.

I’ve been so lucky that people have felt comfortable to share their stories. Some of them are really personal, about menopause and the loss of sense of self and identity, to my good friend Mike sharing his story of depression and suicidal thoughts before he got diagnosed with low testosterone. Catherine shared her story of struggling to conceive and then coping with two little kids and her busy job, and how balancing her hormones, thyroid and taking testosterone as a woman has helped her manage everything. Tiffany shared a really interesting story about her gut health and feeling bloated and unwell for months before we worked together and diagnosed her with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). I’ve also been open with my own hormone story and how I’ve worked hard to sort out my hormone levels, especially my cortisol and adrenal stress hormones. We’ve also talked about how to manage the menstrual cycle with diet and exercise and lifestyle changes, which is more commonly known as ‘cycle syncing’. It’s been so lovely to get messages from people telling me how much they’ve enjoyed the podcast, or learning about an aspect of health they didn’t know about, such as low testosterone in men, or how vitamin D can really affect mood and energy.

With an important message and mission, Dr Sohère Roked shows no signs of slowing down and aims to keep the dialogue going, as well as keeping up with her personal projects and passions:

I’m excited to keep interviewing guests for the podcast and spreading the word about hormonal health. I have just got back from climbing to Everest Base Camp, and I’m planning on running the London Marathon next year. I also volunteer with Care4Calais in London, where we support refugees and asylum seekers with clothing, support and I also help teach English classes which is really rewarding.

Listen to It’s Your Hormones on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

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It’s cold and flu season, so let’s reach for the best medicine… laughter! Comedy podcasts are thriving: they are providing a welcome relief to the commute, they can help you get through the most mundane of chores, and they can also create conversations in the workplace and at home.

For instance, I would not be allowed to write about comedy podcasts without mentioning Chris and Rosie Ramsey’s Shag Married Annoyed. This podcast, as well as its BBC1 spin-off, has led my partner and I to consistently spill each other’s ‘beef’ with each other. “I have another Chris and Rosie for you” we would say as I relay the fact that my partner doesn’t know how to use household bins – and yes, I am bringing our personal troubles to print. Chris and Rosie have become the arbiters of our domestic quarrels.

As this goes to show, comedy can be so personal, and what is funny for one person may not be for others. So I’ve asked for some help in pulling together the best comedy podcasts. Some other Pod Bible writers have of course given us their favourite funny shows. But which podcasts are the comedians listening to and making them laugh? Don’t worry – we’ve asked some of them too! Let’s take a look…

The writers’ choices:

I, Jason Reed, recommend:
Call Jonathan Pie

I also have to give a significant hat tip to Call Jonathan Pie, a wonderfully crafted podcast which combines satire and parody. Jonathan, the frenetic news presenter, hosts a radio call-in show on the hot button topics such as Brexit, comedy, drugs, the environment, and many more issues that invariably end up becoming polarised shouting matches in conventional media. Pie plays the devil’s advocate superbly, often becoming the butt of the joke and constructed bigotry. There’s also some wonderful subtle jokes, such as the fact that Jonathan, of course, is a Ribena drinker and a Curly Wurly fan. Listen here >>

Katie Stokes recommends:
The Inspired Unemployed

“If you’ve ever thought about starting a podcast with your best friend (and I know you have), use The Inspired Unemployed as your blueprint. Matt and Jack are high school besties poking fun at life in Australia, social media, and, best of all, themselves. Diving into old Instagram posts, exposing their search history, calling up friends in baby talk – the cringe is palpable. And if the embarrassing stories aren’t enough to captivate you, the infectious laughter and sweet nuggets of vulnerability they share should be enough to win your heart. An easy, relaxing listen – the epitome of no thoughts, just vibes”. Listen here >>

Laviea Thomas recommends:
The Gossip Gays

“The Gossip Gays is a Weekly LGBTQ+ podcast co-hosted by season 4 UK Drag Race queen (and winner), Danny Beard and Sea DJ Billy Andrew. Over the last few months, I’ve fallen in love with this show, purely for its completely candid storytelling. The podcast covers a range of topics but is mostly based on the prefix of gay culture, lifestyle, sex and embarrassing stories, often told through text submissions by their listeners. Whether you tune in on Spotify, or you catch a glimpse of their 60-second Instagram reels, you’re bound to find yourself belly-laughing at some of the content”. Listen here  >>

Rosie Wilby, Pod Bible writer and host of The Breakup Monologues recommends:
The Way They Were

“In this charming and well-researched show, Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate reminisce with a guest about the celebrity couplings that didn’t quite make it. From Tom and Nicole, Britney and Justin to the mother of all breakups – Charles and Diana. There’s a great dynamic between the two hosts and an obvious shared passion for nostalgic pop culture. Chantal has to guess each week’s celebrity pairing from a few clues. And after dissecting the ups and downs of the relationship in forensic (some might say obsessive) detail, votes are cast as to who ‘won’ the breakup. I can’t wait for things to get meta and for one of the guests to become a subject of the show.” Listen here >>

Tom Nicholson recommends:
Paper Cuts

“In the year that the political insider podcast started eating itself, Paper Cuts has been a breath of fresh air. The idea of a newspaper review show being the great leap forward of 2023 is a little unexpected, but given how irreverent – like, genuinely irreverent, not Radio 4 panel show irreverent – Miranda Sawyer’s weekday look at the legacy media headlines is, it’s a wonder nobody’s done it before. Or, at least, done it this well and with such well-picked pundits and non-pundits from new media. It’s a very giggly, very withering, very non-earnest pricking of old media’s most pompous excesses, as well as a fond look at its foibles.”  Listen here >>

The Comedian’s Choices:

Tiernan Douieb, host of the award-winning Bust or Trust podcast, recommends:
Only Wrong Answers

“I was already a fan of Australian double act the two Kates (Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney) from their incredibly funny Katering Show, Get Krackin and recent crime comedy Deadloch. But Only Wrong Answers is a proper delight. Kate and Kate have the sort of enviable relationship that means they bounce off each others’ comments with such perfect silliness and acerbic wit that only good friends can have, and getting to listen in is a treat. Every episode so far has had me corpsing with laughter, often in public. Who knew that what I needed was an advice podcast where the hosts give zero advice and mostly tell everyone who’s written in to f*ck off? Despite a three-year hiatus, it seems this show is now nearly, almost, weekly and I’m so very, very pleased. Just brilliant.” Listen here >>

Pope Lonergan, comedian and author:
Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast

“There’s an embarrassing trend in comedy podcasting (best encapsulated by Jimmy Carr’s cringey appearance on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’) where comedians lapse into a disquisition on the nature of comedy and over-inflate their societal importance. As Stavros Halkias (at his hyper-aware, self-deprecating best) said to Burt Kreischer (at his most self-indulgent and Rogan-sphere worst) “We’re not in the armed forces. Let’s fucking relax”.

Anyway, US comics like Stavros or Matt McCusker & Shane Gillis (the Matt & Shane in Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast) are the antithesis of this development. And the episode they did with Danny McBride (especially the part about getting horny over ‘Easter pastels’) was one of the few times I’ve belly-laughed while listening to a podcast in public.

Sidenote: I’ve DEFINITELY been guilty of ‘comedy pontificating’. Which is why I hate every interview I’ve ever done.” Listen here >>

Josie Long of Book Shambles, Short Cuts and Josie & Jonny Are Having a Baby:
The Beef and Dairy Network

“I just can’t recommend this show enough, I never, ever get bored of it. It’s the comic invention of brilliant producer Benjamin Partridge. Ostensibly an industry podcast about farming, it is the most inventive, silly, wild and exciting show. It’s been going now for a decade and I recommend enjoying every episode. The most impressive thing is the amount of lore it’s built up. The universe of the show is as rich as the finest rich beef sausages. Its recurring characters and themes only get more exciting, and Ben never fails to bring in new ideas, performers and sound textures to the show!” Listen here >>

Rufus Hound, actor, comedian and presenter, too champions:
The Beef and Dairy Network (when Rufus and Josie both recommend the same show, you can’t ignore it.)

“Many of the things I’ve loved most create whole other worlds for me to step into. Dungeons and Dragons. Doctor Who. The Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. Add to this list The Beef and Dairy Network Podcast. What started as a whimsical take on a podcast for those involved – or just interested – in the production of beef animals and dairy herds has, now with over 100 episodes, become an entire universe populated with disreputable vets, horrifying product sponsorships, surreal ad breaks, alternative Yuletide folklore and customs… it’s dizzying.

Is it funny though? Yes. It is. If, like me, you grew up watching Vic and Bob, The Boosh, Ianucci, Paul Foot, Emo Philips… my gosh, yes it is. Thanks to the surrealist Benjamin Partridge’s exquisite palate and his cast of brilliant regulars, skilfully improvising it’s about as funny a thing as you can sling in your ears. Listen here >>

Three Bean Salad is Benjamin with Henry Parker and Mike Wozniak and has me regularly laughing inappropriately on public transport, so I’d recommend that too.” Listen here >>

Matt Hoss, host of Castival and Matt Hoss Talks to People He Likes:
Pappy’s Flatshare

“Pappy’s Flatshare is my favourite podcast of all time. One of the consistently funny podcasts featuring Matthew, Tom, Ben and producer Emma. Their podcast has several formats: solving beefs, chatting as an ensemble and a live panel show with guests (Plus their community-focussed patreon episodes). All of them include their sharp wit, kind hearts and big laughs. This is the kind of podcast that will make you laugh on public transport, every week. Having Pappy’s in my ear-canal is always one of my highlights of my week, I love them so much.” Listen here >>

Rich Wilson, Insane in the Men Brain and Insane in the Fem Brain:
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast

“I’d drifted away from Alan Partridge for whatever reason but was dragged back into his sports coat clad arms by my excellent friend and comedian Angela Barnes when she insisted we listen to his From The Oasthouse podcast on our long journeys when I supported her on tour – and it swiftly became one of my all time favourites. I love how unconventional it is, like when Partridge is shouting instructions off mic to his cleaner who is downstairs and it goes on for just that little too long, which is hilarious! Excellent work once again from Coogan!” Listen on Audible >>

Esther Manito, co-host Ghastly Women:
Watch What Crappens

“I love The Real Housewives – like totally obsessed. It’s my escapism, but what has made me even more in love with the franchise is a podcast called Watch What Crappens. Its hosts, Ronnie Karem and Ben Mandelker deconstruct every episode with hilarious impressions of every character. It makes me watch more real housewives episodes then I would normally just so I can listen to their take.” Listen here >>

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JR: At the age of 14 Gigi Robinson was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, but Gigi has used her experience to develop her skills in podcasting. Everything You Need Is Within is a masterclass in how to turn adversity into advocacy.

GR: The idea was conceived in late 2020, it was based on a conversation I had with Julia Michaels on Instagram Live. The subject was being an artist and dealing with mental health, not only online but also in our creative work. I decided that it’d be really cool to interview creators from all different backgrounds and give my platform to people who wanted to get their mission out there into the world. The show was then picked up by Spotify Live and I was with them for a year and a half which was incredible and really helped grow the podcast.

With a varied career ranging from being a finalist in the Sports Illustrated Swim Search to being a champion of issues such as chronic illness and body positivity – how does Gigi manage to keep balanced?

Dealing with a chronic illness on top of working as a content creator can definitely be challenging, especially when I’m spending 15 to 30 minutes on the phone with a doctor just trying to set up an appointment. Managing so many different things is definitely a big challenge, but thanks to a huge team and other people behind the scenes we’re able to really create a content machine, which doesn’t leave me as burnt out as I once was. If you do want to scale up, I think it’s really important to balance and delegate tasks to different people so that you can maximise your productivity. I have things that help me stay on track but I’m still a work in progress! I also spend at least two to three hours on virtual appointments during the week and two to three hours on commuting, all of which combined probably equates to a part time job.

Everything You Need Is Within hosts conversations based around social advocacy, including mental and physical health, leadership, and much more.

A big subject that I love talking about on the show is, of course, disability and accessibility online, so that we can work towards levelling the playing field for everyone. Some of my favourite subjects I’ve touched on include pay transparency, which always needs more highlighting, as well as internet activism and advocacy. I think there are ways to implement social media literacy into everyone’s work and make sure that people are really taking responsibility for platforms if they have them.

Season 4 is right around the corner…

The future of Everything You Need is Within is definitely bright; I think we have a really solid pilot series to pitch for a live talk show and hopefully work our way up not only within the podcast space but into the talk show space as well and bridge the gap between what it means to be a host in these spaces. I would say that anybody who is interested in learning about social media literacy should definitely listen to some of our episodes and make sure that they’re being intentional every time they use social media. And last but not least, always be kind online.

Gigi Robinson is an advocate for The Jed Foundation – looking after emotional health and suicide prevention.

Listen to Everything You Need Is Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

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IZZY: To be entirely honest, making this podcast was a selfish move on my part. I love to interview and champion the creatives I know & respect, and I dig any excuse to learn from a filmmaker who’s done it their way. But I ultimately followed through because, about a year ago, I realized that I was having similar conversations with many of the wonderful emerging filmmakers I coached and consulted with inside of indie spunk club – my membership platform for filmmakers.

These are directors, producers, writers and actors who are inspired to build an empowered, fulfilling career in the film industry, on their own terms, but just need some kind of blueprint or roadmap to get there. I am a director myself, who’s inspired to build this kind of a career.

I’ve always known I wanted to bring these conversations into a podcast format. I’m excited it’s finally here. My intention is to open up access to film industry insight and dissect how to strategically build a career using your individual creative voice.

Born in Australia and now an honorary American, Izzy has starred in notable series such as Puberty Blues and Underbelly, and many will have seen her in the 2018 sci-fi movie Occupation – she began her career in the entertainment world from an early age and knew exactly the path that she wanted to take.

I started professionally acting at 17 in TV and film, which exposed me to a world of filmmaking that I instantly fell in love with. I wanted to direct. I wanted to learn all of the roles on set. As well as directing, I fancy editing, production design, sound design, producing, and writing. The whole process. It’s an endless rush to collaborate with a team towards a shared creative vision. I intend on making films my whole life, I just love it!

During the pandemic and over the past few years, I’ve built a production company and coaching practice helping upwards of 60 filmmakers go from script to screen, which has taught me a whole lotta delicious wisdom juice about my own career. So came the podcast.

The podcast clearly wants to help emerging filmmakers, why is this so important to Izzy?

When I started out I really wished I had access to mentorship and guidance. Navigating this industry alone can be tough and confusing. There is also so much more I want to learn, and I figured that we can seek these answers together. I love supporting emerging filmmakers because they’re, in my mind, some of the best people I’ve met. Ideas driven, curious, playful, motivated and kind.

I believe the world becomes a more empathetic, cooler place when filmmakers from all walks of life get their stories seen and heard and experienced by an audience. Not just the dominant voices.

Filmmakers are inherently collaborative and want to network, and there is plenty of peer to peer help in the higher levels of the industry, the problem is we need more diversity in those higher level industry roles who will take bets on newer voices.

And Izzy knows that we need diversity in the industry to get new and exciting stories, she’s clear about this…

Hire women, hire queer folks, hire people of color — when our sets are equitable, the stories get better. It’s science proven. You can’t argue with science.

The Indie Spunk podcast has an array of eclectic episodes ranging from interviews with a mentoring tone, to out and out industry advice and guidance. What more can we expect as the episodes roll out?

Much more! So far we’ve had directors, writers, producers and special guests join us on the podcast who’ve worked with Sundance, created festivals such as HollyShorts, written for The Simpsons, and made award-winning films. But it’s only the beginning. I am giddy about what’s to come. We also run filmmaking workshops and events inside indie spunk club.

The podcast is all about you taking action. The best place to start is to surround yourself with a like-minded community, get busy creating from a place of curiosity, and seek guidance. You can listen to the podcast here where we get into it all.

It’s clear Izzy displays an unyielding passion for the arts and film, and the Indie Spunk podcast is part of a much wider project and conversation.

Indie Spunk podcast is an offshoot to my mentorship programs & production company, Indie Spunk, and I see it all continuing to grow as we support more filmmakers and make more films. As a director, I currently have a feature film in development, and I’m in production on a number of short films as a director and producer.

Indie Spunk can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all good podcast platforms and Izzy Stevens can be found on Instagram: @izzystevens and @indiespunk, as well as IzzyStevens.com

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Greg and Stuart both have music journalism backgrounds and an ingrained knowledge of the podcast world. Stuart explains how and why their journey with Franz Ferdinand began:

Stuart: Having worked together on independent music magazine Loud And Quiet for years, myself and Greg launched the production company New Allotment in 2020. We have learned how to make podcasts since 2016 and we wanted to set up a podcast production company that could make shows about artists away from Loud And Quiet editorial. We know Domino, Franz’s record label, really well, and they came to us with news that in 2022 they’d be releasing a greatest hits collection for Franz Ferdinand titled Hits To The Head. They told us about this idea to tell the story of the band in a podcast and asked if we’d be interested in making it. Of course we bit their hand off!

From concept to release, what was the process like? How much research, how much production work, and how did you find the whole process?

Stuart: First and foremost we worked out the format of the show – the best way to tell the story, in how many episodes, will it be narrated, will it feature the interviewer’s voice; big questions that would then inform everything.

We had a brilliant lead researcher in Fergal Kinney who mapped out the story of the band in a document informed by Domino’s press archive, and that then allowed us to work out who we’d interview. We then interviewed all the contributors throughout October, November and December. January was a month dedicated to editing, which was where the actual story telling started. We had 30 odd hours of audio to get down to around 2.5 hours over 4 episodes. We were also writing the narration script as we went, which we knew was going to be recorded by Rose Matafeo once we had everything in place and were happy with the edits.

It really was a mammoth job, which we realised most in the edit. Personally, I found that part really rewarding. It was like a giant puzzle, fitting together the audio we had (of course we had little idea what people were going to say on record beforehand) and making it come alive with the band’s music. Of course it helped that the story itself is so compelling, and that everyone we spoke to were so good at telling it. It was just a joy to be honest. Personally I didn’t stop to think how intimidating it was, which is probably for the best. It was all there for us to slot together, and I think a lot of that came from our early research and planning our episodes and interviews properly.

The response from the podcast world has been significant, how has the audience reaction been, and crucially, what has the band’s feedback been like?

Greg: It was really pleasing to see such an immediate, positive reaction from Franz’s huge energetic international fanbase. Even within the first couple of hours of release seeing comments and listens coming in from every corner of the world. That meant within the first couple of days of release the podcast made its way up the charts, reaching the top of the Apple Podcasts Music chart and featuring highly on others. It’s also been a thrill, a couple of months since release, that people are still coming across the podcast. Because of its evergreen nature we hope it’s a podcast people will come to discover and enjoy for years to come. Rightfully there’s lots of interest from the music community in making podcasts, but I think this was a great example of the right band, a compelling story and the ideal format. We hope to work with other collaborators to do more of it.

Why this podcast – what was it about Franz Ferdinand and their story?

Stuart: It felt like a perfect one for us. Greg and I were both at university when Franz broke, and they really did change British guitar music. Take Me Out charting at 3 after a long period of terrible nu metal and lots of straight up pop being in the charts was really exciting. That was 2003, and even since then not many bands have blown up in that way, so quickly. There’s a lot of appeal in that story alone – what’s it like to be in a band that goes from playing in a friend’s house to opening the Grammys in a year? But beyond that I’ve always been fascinated with what happens after that. How do you keep that going? What’s it like to constantly tour as much as Franz famously have? How does it feel when a member leaves?

I loved hearing about it all, and the band were very open about it, which we were really thankful for. We thought it was important to interview them all separately for that reason. It added to the production time of course, but meant that everyone could speak freely. While editing, I must have listened to the featured songs a thousand times, and yet I still really like them.

As a four part series, how does the podcast break down – with each episode what can we expect to hear and learn?

Stuart: We start in Glasgow with the band forming. Bob and Alex are trying to get a band together when they meet Nick at a party who lies to them in order to join. Nick says he’s a drummer but he really isn’t. There’s a highlight in this episode where Alex retells how he and Nick met having a fight over a bottle of vodka. We’ve also got some rare early recordings and demos in this first episode, as the band talk about their formation, playing gigs at art school house parties and getting interest from the music industry.

Episode two is all about the recording of their debut album, the impact of it and the single Take Me Out, what went into that unusual song and the extremely glamorous world it suddenly thrust the band into. Expect stories of meeting David Bowie and parties in Hollywood.

There was a lot to pack into episode three and the band reached breaking point, resulting in a punch up in Paris, and they recorded two more albums whilst barely taking a breath from world tours. Episode 4 is the band patching themselves up and reinventing themselves for what’s going to come next. Two members leave and three join. It’s a hell of a story really. Like I say, few bands have had the highs of Franz this century. And we hope that in hearing them tell the story people will get a real sense of that time in British music, and just how important Franz Ferdinand’s songs are. It helped, of course, that we had Rose narrating the series, who was the icing on the cake.

Words So Leisured – The Story of Franz Ferdinand can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all good podcast platforms.

Main photo credit Franz Ferdinand by David Edwards.

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JR: It’s ever more apparent that we need to listen to the voices who are directly impacted by race, inequality and oppression. Speaking to the team behind the Race Reflections’ AT WORK podcast, we find out more about the need for conversations around racial justice and equality.

RRAW: From the very first episode, we have dived deeply into topics such as racial trauma, joy as a form of resistance and the psychological framework of race-based traumatic stress. More recently we have discussed the concepts of scapegoating and aversive racism whilst also addressing topical issues such as the mistreatment of the Black players in the England team after the Euro 2020 Final. Racial trauma in the workplace is an issue not often reflected upon.

JR: What’s the story – how and why was the podcast started?

RRAW: Race Reflections is a fast-growing social enterprise dedicated to tackling inequality, injustice and oppression in society. We provide this through various activities including organisational consultancy, training, community engagement and content creation. Founder and Head Disruptor, Guilaine Kinouani – author of Living While Black – decided to introduce a podcast that addresses the psychological impact of racism and racial trauma in the daily lived experience of black people.

JR: Like any podcast with a social message it’s important that the listener engages and seeks to do more in the space:

RRAW: Race Reflections’ AT WORK brings the same engaging, stimulating and supportive content found on our membership platform, but in a free audible form. We hope that this podcast provides a place of sanctuary.

We talk about issues concerning Black people but also speak to issues that include people of colour generally and people marginalised in other ways. Tuning in provides you with an opportunity for reflection and exploration for and with people that want to be active participants in the conversation for change.

JR: What more can we all do?

RRAW: Visit our website: racereflections.co.uk – you will find a variety of membership options. Spreading the word and the link to a podcast episode that you enjoyed is also appreciated! We love to hear from our listeners and your ideas for future episodes can be submitted to contact@racereflections.co.uk.

‘AT WORK’, as the name suggests, focuses on inequality, injustice, and oppression AT WORK and is solution-focused. What more can we all do? Acknowledge our complicity and recognise that it’s important to think beyond interpersonal issues, considering cultural and structural issues as well to promote the well-being of staff of colour and marginalised people in our communities.

We have several exciting changes in the upcoming months as we begin to welcome different voices and perspectives to the podcast. We will be inviting exciting speakers including artists and authors from marginalised groups to add to our discussions; covering topics like the success of Black pound day, ‘taking up space’ as a black person in a social setting, and employment barriers across different industries.

Listen to Race Reflections’ AT WORK on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps. For press enquiries, contact: dionne@racereflections.co.uk. To find out more, visit: racereflections.co.uk.

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How do you go about bettering an already popular and very respected podcast? Well, comedian Rich Wilson has done just that. His show, Insane In The Men Brain has addressed men’s mental health since the start of 2019 with an array of guests who have openly spoken about their mental health journeys, but now Rich takes on a new spin-off project in the form of Insane In The Fem Brain.

So what inspired this transition?

RW: Well, Fem Brain came from a conversation I had with Jayde Adams. Jayde was of the opinion that although I’m not completely in the dark, I maybe didn’t know as much as I thought I did about women – so I decided that the only way to learn more was to go and talk to women, particularly strong, successful women that have got where they wanted to be even though the world is still a very male dominated place. It’s been truly enlightening and I’ve really enjoyed recording the episodes.

With a mandate to learn more about the opposite sex, Rich shows humility to the fact that he is here to listen, so what has he learned over the course of series one of the show?

RW: The whole point of my podcasts is that I’m learning things. I’m talking to people from different backgrounds, different classes, different faiths, different cultures because I want to know more. It’s all about the guests that I have in, not a platform for me to bang on about myself. I feel so different to how I did when I first started. I just feel I understand people a lot more and I’ve come to realise that everyone, no matter where they’re from, is just figuring it all out as we go along. Nobody really knows what’s going on nor does anyone have any answers.

With no signs of stopping, Rich has a clear direction in where he’d like to take the podcast and inspiration behind making more episodes.

RW: I’d just love to reach more people and not from a “I want to be famous” kind of way. I get so many messages from people who’ve said that my podcasts have really helped them which blows my mind so if that’s the case, I’d love to help more people.

Why is it so important to keep this mental health conversation going?

RW: Stigmas are being lifted – but we still need to do more. We may not be the generation that benefits from it but future generations will and this is why it’s important that we’ve started this, and also why it’s important that we carry on. The world is a mad old place and you’d have to be made of stone for it not to affect you, but if we keep talking to each other, at least we can help each other through.

Rich would like to raise awareness of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, an alliance of public, private, voluntary and community organisations in England who care about suicide prevention and are willing to take action to reduce suicide and support those affected by suicide. www.nspa.org.uk.

Listen to Insane In The Fem Brain on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post THE GOOD SAMARITAN // Insane In The Fem Brain appeared first on POD BIBLE.

On the back of her huge success with her original podcast, The Really Bitchee Podcast, Christina is back and is in the midst of her latest podcast run alongside her co-host Lily Stewart for the Gin and Toxic podcast. We speak to Christina to find out about some of her personal highlights around the first podcast series and what led to the relaunch of Gin and Toxic:

Christina: The Really Bitchee Podcast was the first podcast I ever put out, so it holds a special place in my heart and gave me my start in the podcasting world. One of the highlights of The Really Bitchee Podcast was having guests that were my friends and not just people in the industry. People love realistic/relatable conversations and content, which is why my episodes with people I already knew personally performed so well; it felt like the audience could jump in the chat at any time and feel like they were talking to their close friends. This is something I want to carry over into my new show, keeping that relatability factor.

Like all of us, there’s an origin tale! So what was the aim of the podcast for Christina when it first started?

To share my stories and life experiences with my audience, and advice on being a 20-something-year-old living in NYC.

I love to talk and blabber about all sorts of topics and B.S., and I do consider myself a very open person. With this podcast, I wanted it to be an open, vulnerable space I could share with my audience in the form of long conversations. This is all quite ironic because now, looking back at the show, it ended up not being that at all. That’s exactly why I decided to stop that show, take some time to determine what I truly wanted to talk about, and then start my new show.

It didn’t take long to make an impact with the relaunch and the now titled Gin and Toxic podcast charted on Spotify in the Top Comedy Podcasts in the USA, but why the change? And what can we look forward to that’s a little bit different?

Gin & Toxic is a play on the classic Gin & Tonic, which is my go-to cocktail on a night out. The name embodies the show as a whole, representing a crazy, carefree environment. After taking a break from the podcasting world for a few months, I decided it was best to do a complete rebrand to allow myself to be even more open and vulnerable with my audience, which then let me share crazier, more chaotic stories with them.

As I said previously, the purpose of having a podcast for me was to create an open, vulnerable space to share my stories and life experiences with my audience. Although that was my purpose, I felt I wasn’t genuinely doing that with The Really Bitchee Podcast. The podcast came out when I was in a very weird stage in my life, I couldn’t keep up with the show consistently, and I also couldn’t speak my mind on situations I would’ve liked to. After taking a break from the podcasting world for a few months, I decided it was best to do a complete rebrand to allow myself to be even more open and vulnerable with my audience, which then let me share crazier, more chaotic stories with them.

Christina – and her moniker BeautyChickee – is well used to hosting conversations from an elevated platform as she has over 1.5million followers and subscribers across social media, but Christina also has her own clothing line, Bitchee. With life as seemingly hectic, it’s clear that the inspiration for her Gin and Toxic podcast conversations would never be too far away – even if it’s an deeply personal take on the subjects at hand:

Our tagline sums everything up: “a show about the messy adventures and life lessons of two un-hinged best friends, living life in NYC throughout their 20’s”.

As for the extended version, the show is a collection of stories from our crazy adventures and nights out that Lily and I have experienced. An even more significant part of the show is discussing topics and tying our life experiences into those topics to either A) inform the audience, or B) to entertain.

For example, when we did our episode on cheaters, we talked about the concept of cheating as a whole and then tied in our personal experiences with cheaters and shared those stories. I think this adds a relatability factor to the show, considering that Lily and I are just like any other 20-something-year-old navigating life. 90% of our stories are messy; we don’t have it all together. I could go as far as to say we are a couple of hot messes! But that’s what we want our audience to see: the good, the bad & the ugly: the great decisions and the not-so-great ones. In a nutshell, we’re just navigating life alongside the audience & sharing our experiences.

What’s the reaction been like to the new podcast? And are you personally enjoying the experience and the openness of the dialogue?

People love the new show from what we’ve seen! It’s been getting incredible feedback. Like I said earlier, we’ve been way more open on this show, and we share all of the crazy experiences we have together, and people enjoy hearing about that & relating to it. It makes them feel like they are part of the show. We will get DM’s from girls that say something along the lines of “I just listened to your last episode, and here’s my similar story,” which we love receiving, because we love seeing how people relate to the show. The audience sees this new, crazier, more vulnerable side of Lily and I that they haven’t seen before, and they are just eating it up!

The experience creating Gin & Toxic has been so incredible, and now doing a podcast alongside a co-host has made the podcasting experience that much more enjoyable. Before, I was doing a solo show, and it’s tough to build off of topics and ideas on your own. A co-host makes it way easier to bounce those ideas and jokes off of, overall making for a better conversation within the show. The experience has been incredible, especially since my co-host is my best friend and we get to share the experience.

There’s an indefatigable energy which comes from Christina and Lily and their Gin and Toxic podcast, so presumably the future for the show looks good – what can we expect?

More “taboo” topics to be discussed as we open up more with our audience.

We also recently started recording our episodes on video! You can now watch future full-length video episodes on YouTube and Spotify, which is incredible for people who prefer to have a visual while listening. We’re going to have some great guests as well and we already have quite the roster of guests lined up to record with! We’d also love to eventually do some live-streamed live shows, as well as some live in-person shows around NYC and any significant cities where Gin & Toxic streams are high. Overall, we are just evolving the show every day and building it out to give our listeners the best possible listening/viewing experience.

Listen to Gin & Toxic now on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcast apps.

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Do men really talk? We’re currently facing a major mental health challenge in society with suicide being the biggest killer of men
under the age of 45, so what can we do to make sure we’re really airing our thoughts and fears?

Comedian Russell Kane hosts the podcast Man Baggage where he talks to celebrities and an array of people in efforts to tussle with the real problems that men face. So, how does Russell personally feel about male mental health and how does he like to handle the subject?

RK: Men’s mental health – it’s an iceberg problem. Most of it is hidden – and incredibly deadly. There is a space to use humour and banter to get a certain type of man to engage. That’s the area I’m interested in.

There’s a new episode each Tuesday where Russell leaves no topic off the table! The podcast was previously titled Boys Don’t Cry and this title also perfectly summarised many of the issues that the podcast is inherently about. At what point did Russell personally decide that he wanted to do more for men’s mental health?

RK: When I saw, finally, that the long needed conversation around men’s mental health was beginning – but that it was somewhat dominated by worthiness. There is nothing wrong with worthiness – but a certain type of working-class man is put off by the seriousness of it.

The Russell Kane’s Man Baggage podcast blurb rather wonderfully says it all:

“Russell and his guests explore all the uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing conversations that usually make men run for the door by doing what blokes do best – make daft jokes about them.

Are men biologically more reckless? Are women naturally more assertive than men? Should all men wear a watch? Thought provoking, insightful and laugh out loud funny, Man Baggage takes you to all the best places.”

As Russell points out, as the host he tries to make the conversations funny, accessible and engaging so that we can all partake in the themes. It’s often the case that men can avoid emotional baggage, hence the need for the podcast – what are his personal highlights?

RK: Easily – the episode about heights. I cannot believe what a divisive topic it is to men and women, to reflect on how tall they are, and how much insecurity and toxicity lies beneath it.

What more can we do – what advice would Russell personally give to make sure that we carry on these conversations?

The number one piece of advice I gave to all blokes is check in twice. Most men will tell you everything is okay, so you’re gonna need to be a little bit annoying when you’re checking in with a friend you’re worrying about. Don’t worry about being annoying, you might save his life.

Listen to Russell Kane’s Man Baggage now on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts.

This article was first written in August 2021 and featured in Issue #016 of the Pod Bible Magazine. Subscribe to the magazine so you never miss an issue. 

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Comedian Suzi Ruffell is no stranger to the podcast world; her show Like Minded Friends with co-host and friend Tom Allen has proved very popular and funny, often talking about the strangest topics.

Suzi has now released a new podcast called Out with Suzi Ruffell with the intention of speaking to inspirational figures from the LGBTQ+ community. Still in its first season, Suzi has already hosted some emotional conversations with truly fascinating guests, and she had a clear idea from the outset of what she wanted to create.

I really wanted to create a podcast that had a hopeful and positive message about being queer. There is a long tradition in the LGBT+ community of people sharing their coming out story, I thought a podcast would be a great way to share those stories and celebrate the guests journeys from realising they were different to finding their place in the world. I noticed there wasn’t anything quite like what I wanted to do so I just went for it. It was probably only about two months from first speaking to the team at Keep It Light Productions before the first episode came out.

Not only has the LGBTQ+ audience responded well, but Suzi is keen to point out that all ears have turned towards the podcast and its engaging chats.

I’ve loved creating this show and the listener reaction has been brilliant, part of the show is sharing audience correspondence and I have been blown away by how many people have got in touch. It has also reached beyond the queer community and I have received so many emails from straight people who have loved and been inspired by the guests on the show.

Like many podcasters, Suzi has had some personal thrills in producing the series, and she’s been shown wonderful hospitality too…

I have been so lucky with guests, an Oscar winner, a Bafta winner, notable broadcasters, writers, comedians, activists, and a Baroness Pretty impressive for series one. I can’t pick a favourite, they were all brilliant and special. The first episode I recorded was Dustin Lance Black, he won an Oscar for the film Milk, which is one of my favourite films. Dustin is also an activist who has always fought for the rights of the oppressed. Spending an hour listening to him and his story confirmed to me we were making something pretty special. Also the amount of beautiful listener stories we have received and folk telling me what the podcast means to them has been very humbling. I just want to keep creating a show that is thoughtful and funny and that people enjoy. I already have the beginnings of a very exciting line up for series 2.

Suzi would like to raise awareness to akt, a charity that supports young people from the LGBTQ+ community in the UK who experience homelessness or hostile living environments, lending support via safe homes and employment, education or training, not to mention a welcoming and open environment that celebrates LGBTQ+ identities.

Out with Suzie Ruffle is now in it’s third season. You can listen now on ACAST, SPOTIFY or your favourite podcast app.

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Having worked at the apex of the British music industry in the 90s, Secret Drug Addict (SDA) has since gone on to be very open about his adventures. His Twitter avatar is suitably clandestine but he has appeared on numerous podcasts to talk about his fascinating life and his journey as someone in recovery for drugs and alcohol. Ever honest, ever charismatic, and always with self-deprecation in his tone, SDA never fails to get people to listen and take note, but what does the man behind the balaclava listen to in the podcast world, and what was his introduction to this world?

SDA: I’m actually a bit embarrassed about it but I’m quite late to podcasting. Any spare time I’ve had in the past was spent listening to records, friends would send me links saying, “You’ve got to listen to this podcast, you’ll love it!” – but I would just never bother. Initially I suppose I just couldn’t get my head around the idea of just listening to somebody talking when I could be listening to music instead, it’s like why would I want to listen to someone just chatting about something when I could be listening to the new Sleaford Mods record or some rare reissued album by Funkadelic? But, as my Secret Drug Addict profile grew online I started getting invites from people to be on their podcasts and initially I just said no to all of them but I kept getting asked so I thought maybe I should actually make an effort to check a few out to see what they were all about and the more I listen to the more I found that I thought were actually pretty good.

One of my favourite pods that I’m listening to at the moment is The Rialto Report, which is about New York during the golden age of pornography, its a really well made series that I highly recommend checking out if you don’t already know it.

If I’m being honest though it wasn’t really until I listened to Stay Free: The Story of The Clash with Chuck D and Dolly Parton’s America (which btw is my favourite ever podcast) that I really “got” podcasting and now I actually listen to far more podcasts than I do albums. Most of the podcasts I tend to listen to are probably about music, football or sex but weirdly some of my favourite pods are ones that I don’t even really have any actual interest in what they’re about but they’re just made by people who you can tell have a real love for what they’re doing. The sound quality is absolutely shocking, the editing is terrible but you can hear their passion and for me I think if you’re doing a podcast that’s the most important thing.

PB: As alluded to, SDA is always receiving offers to take part in a podcast, he’s become a go-to guest on a range of subjects, such as addiction, drugs, sex, rock and roll (of course), music and activism. Due to his colourful life in the world of 90s Brit Pop, and having worked with the biggest bands of the day, it’s no wonder he’s such a desired guest.

SDA: I honestly can’t remember all the podcasts I’ve been on. Once I’ve done a podcast I tend to just completely put it out of my mind as I’m so critical of myself that I don’t like to think about them or even listen to them once they’re done as all I’ll do is find faults in them. Although saying that a few that I can remember being on are Stop And Search, Say Why To Drugs, We Are The Stigma, Rehab Confidential and I’ve literally just done one with the Lions Barber Collective so that one is still fresh in my mind. It’s always nice to be invited onto someone’s podcast. If I’m honest I can’t really think of a better way to spend an hour or two of my time than drinking coffee and chatting. I always thought I was a quiet and shy person but since I stopped doing drugs I’ve realised just how much I actually like hanging out and talking to people.

PB: Even though his moniker suggests he’s a closed book, Secret Drug Addict often addresses the most sensitive of subjects. Having risen to the ranks as Twitter royalty, SDA began to take part in what’s known as a ‘Twitter Takeover’ – the idea being that Twitter profiles with a large following lend their account to someone in efforts to help raise awareness to important issues. For quite some time SDA has Twitter taken-over the Welsh international football player Neville Southall’s account, allowing him to tweet about many subjects and forging many allies. The self-publishing world of social media and podcasts has an appeal to SDA’s way of working.

SDA: For a start you’re not reliant on commissioners or editors or restricted by the way they want to tell a story or approach a subject. All you need is an interest in a subject and a microphone and you can literally make a podcast about whatever you want, however you want. I think there’s something quite punk rock in that.

I actually find it pretty easy being open about my life, especially around my experiences with addiction and mental health. There’s nothing I’ve done and nothing that’s happened to me that I’m secretive about or that I’m embarrassed or ashamed to discuss with someone. I personally find freedom in not allowing myself to be held hostage by the shame or embarrassment of my experiences. I’ve also found out that by being open and honest about my struggles I’ve actually indirectly helped other people who were struggling with their own issues. I’ve honestly lost count of the amount of times that after hearing me on a podcast or seeing something I’ve tweeted or even just meeting me out socially at like a gig or a pub and after asking me why I’m not drinking alcohol someone has then got in touch and me asked if they can have a chat about their own drinking or drug taking with me.

PB: The big question is: with such a big social media following, and with cult status secured, not to mention a go-to guest for podcasts… will we see Secret Drug Addict dip his own toe into the world of podcasting?

SDA: Actually it’s funny you ask that because I’ve actually had some discussions recently about maybe doing something. So far most of the conversations have generally been around doing one that’s basically an extension of the Secret Drug Addict stuff I do on Twitter and Instagram, so essentially something in and around drugs, addiction, sex work and mental health stuff, but because of my background of working in the music industry a couple have been about maybe doing something that’s either music or pop culture related. So far nothing has grabbed me yet and if I do one it has to be something that I’m 100% into and passionate about rather than just something I’m doing for the sake of it, but it’s definitely something I’m interesting in pursuing so if anyone out there has any ideas or wants to collaborate and do something with me then feel free to drop me a DM on Twitter and we can have a chat about it.

Twitter @ScrtDrugAddict // Instagram @scrtdrugaddict

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Mental health is an issue that we’re all beginning to talk more about, but what exactly gave Yvette and Ellen the seeds of inspiration to start a podcast about mental health?

Yvette: Both Ellen and I have long term mental health issues, we know how isolating it can feel. We’ve both written about mental health and this felt like the next step. We’ve covered everything from schizophrenia to anxiety and borderline personality, and we’ve had celebrity guests including Ruby Wax, Audley Harrison, Kelly Holmes and Rose McGowan.

Ellen: Back in 2017, when we started the podcast, I was in the middle of a personal series about my own mental health journey, called Getting Better, and the response was incredible. I was getting messages every day from people thanking me for speaking up and saying that as a result of my articles they had gone to the doctor and finally asked for help, so podcasting felt like the perfect medium because it’s intimate. You can hear people telling their stories in their words.

Collecting memories along the way, the podcast has also taken to the stage:

Y: I’ll never forget our first Mentally Yours Live – a panel event in which top speakers Natasha Devon, Matthew Todd, Carl Anka and Dr Pragya Agarwal discussed mental health and work. We had a great turnout and it was brilliant to meet listeners in person. One listener in particular said it had really helped her when she was off work, which meant a lot.

E: My favourite episodes are always the ones where we talk to someone with a radically different experience to our own. Talking about mental illness when you yourself are struggling can bring up a lot of emotional stuff and it can be draining. I’ve recorded some episodes then gone home and cried because it resonated too much. I’ve had to learn how to decompress after each episode and be aware that listening is emotionally challenging.

As ever with podcasts, there can often be guests and topics that the hosts would love to get stuck into, so what would those topics be fore Mentally Yours?

Y: I’d love to have Mariah Carey on. She has bipolar disorder and it would be interesting to hear how she’s managed it throughout her life and career. I’m a huge fan too, so I’d just like an excuse to talk to her to be honest.

E: I would love to cover psychopathy. It’s another area that I have preconceptions about that I would love to have challenged, and ‘psychopath’ is such a strong label that it would be so powerful to have someone come on, say they identify with that label, and explain what it means to me

And what may the future hold for the podcast?

Y: As well as more great guests and interesting topics I’d love to host more live events and to also do some episodes out on location too. There’s a lot of great projects going on and it would be good to go to them if we can.

E: I’d like to chat to someone in the government and funding side of things to get their perspective on why on earth mental health care still isn’t being properly funded. We’ve had a mental health nurse, and someone who set up a ‘poetry pharmacy’ to prescribe poems to people struggling – I like what we’re doing at the moment, which is coming at mental illness from different angles.

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Listen to Mentally Yours, on ACAST, SPOTIFY and OTHER PLATFORMS. Read more Good Samaritan articles in the Pod Bible magazine, which you can read online or buy in our shop.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram so you don’t miss the rest of our recommendations for podcasts about mental health. 

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After broadcaster Mark Goodier suffered a stroke in 2016, he found that there weren’t too many resources to help survivors, this led him to set up Stroke Stories, a podcast dedicated to those who have lived-experiences.

STROKE STORIES: There weren’t many resources that were available to help stroke survivors during their recovery. Also, once a stroke survivor is away from constant medical supervision, and their friends and family return to their normal, daily lives, it can be a lonely time. The podcast is there to fill in that gap: to give stroke survivors an opportunity to tell their story in their own words, and in doing so providing insight and support to other survivors.

WITH OVER 100,000 SUFFERING STROKES IN THE UK, IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT STROKE STORIES HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY.

SS: The podcast is there as a resource for survivors and their families. Often, the stories will involve the guest telling us about their stroke and aftermath, the challenges that they faced while recovering, and their tips and advice that they pass on to other survivors. A universal theme from all of our stories is that sometimes getting your life back takes time but for most people, a rewarding and fulfilling life is very achievable. A stroke can be an incredibly isolating experience, and the feedback we’ve had suggests that having these stories readily available can help survivors realise that they aren’t alone in the world.

SO, WHAT SHOULD WE BE AWARE OF?

SS: Every 6 seconds, someone will suffer a stroke. That’s 15 million people every year, and roughly a third of those will die from their stroke. The majority of the rest will be left with disabilities that they will often carry with them for the rest of their life. Strokes can happen to anyone at any age. Because stroke is so widespread and can affect such a large cross section of the world’s population, we want to feature as many people from the widest possible range of ages, backgrounds, and locations.

LIKE MANY ILLNESSES AND PROBLEMS WITH HEALTH, STROKES ARE INDISCRIMINATE, THEY CAN IMPACT ANY OF US AT ANY TIME, THIS IS WHY STROKE STORIES IS KEEN TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING AND RAISE AWARENESS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS:

SS: The good news is there are things that we can do that can decrease risk: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. Keeping a check on the amount of alcohol we consume and the amount of exercise that we do, getting enough sleep at night, and managing your work/personal life properly to ensure that you aren’t consumed by stress.

AND DON’T FORGET THE SIMPLE THINGS TOO!

SS: Something else that is important is understanding how difficult life post-stroke can be for a survivor. If they are left with mobility, speech, or fatigue issues then they can often find themselves out of work and less able to navigate the day to day. If you know, or are related to a stroke survivor, then doing something as simple as sending a text or calling them up to check on how they can really make a difference in their recovery.

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Listen to Stroke Stories on ACAST, SPOTIFY and OTHER PLATFORMS. Read more Good Samaritan articles in the Pod Bible magazine, which you can read online or buy in our shop. 

The post THE GOOD SAMARITAN // Stroke Stories appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Flixwatcher is set to hit 200 episodes, but like any good film series we need an origin story – how did Flixwatcher come about? Helen and Kobi explain:

H&K: We met after we joined a film quiz team together in London and talked about starting a podcast after a few months. We came up with the idea at Kings Cross after we’d been to a Guardian Masterclass hosted by Helen Zaltzman. We chose films on Netflix as pretty much everyone has it and letting guests suggest the films would be more interesting than us just picking our favourites.

The early days: How were the first few episodes?

H: We recorded our pilot remotely, and that was a complete disaster! Kobi kept dropping out, one of the guests was making too much noise and it was all quite chaotic. We decided then that recording four people was best done in person. Thankfully tech has improved massively and recording remotely online at present has been mostly without too many problems. The format hasn’t really changed much over the years but the film selection on Netflix has probably improved as some of the earlier film picks were a bit hit and miss. We do try and encourage people to pick “half decent” films. It’s not as fun to record when everyone is down on a film!

K: We haven’t really struggled to get interesting and fun guests on the show but I often think back to those first few recordings where a few lovely people (especially Dave and Jen from The Family Tree Pod, Dave and Cathy from The Cinemile, Tony and Jay from How to Write a Tune and Felix and Tom from Wooden Overcoats) took a gamble on us and joined us even though we hadn’t released an episode. We wouldn’t be anywhere without those guys so thank you!

Are you both film fans yourself – what do movies mean to you personally?

H: I’ve really missed going to the cinema this past year. Watching a film at a cinema is such a special experience, it’s not just getting to see a film on the big screen, it’s everything from picking your favourite seat, guessing the trailers and overhearing people’s reactions when they’re walking out. They’re the ultimate escapism for me.

K: Of course! You can’t have a film podcast and not love films. It’s been tough not being able to go to the cinema over the past year. I’d probably watch 2-3 films a week in the cinema and hadn’t realised how the experience had been an important part of my self care until it was gone!

What are some of the personal highlights from the previous episodes?

H: We rarely have really, really terrible films to review but when we do it’s usually hilarious – like Ciara Baxendale from Wooden Overcoats podcast picking Bee Movie and when Dave from The Cinemile picked Arq.

Being introduced to Agnès Varda by Jeanette from Sudden Double Deep with Faces Places was an absolute joy.

Having directors like Mat Whitecross for The Other Side of the Wind and Gareth Evans for Enter the Dragon was fascinating! Getting to hear them talk about film from the perspective of directing and creating was so interesting.

Hannah Dunleavy from Standard Issue on the Creed episode describing Sylvester Stallone as a ‘sentient piece of corn beef’ still makes me laugh. I really enjoy it when listeners send their Twitter reviews with creative emoji ratings too.

K: Adam Buxton making a song up on the cuff still makes me laugh when he first came on the show. But I love when people choose films that I would never have chosen in a million years and they turn out to be great and these can be as varied as “All About Eve” to “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”.

As mentioned by Kobi, Flixwatcher has hosted podcast royalty in Adam buxton and Joe Cornish, but what other guests have they particularly enjoyed?

H: One of the best things about our podcast is we get to meet so many interesting people and hear what they’re up too. Difficult to name only a few but we nearly have a full house for the Wooden Overcoats and Empire Magazine. Recording remotely this year has meant we’ve gone global with guests joining us from New Zealand and America… we had to do some timezone maths to get that to work. For our 100th episode special it was great fun to have Cathy and Dave Cinemile host while we picked the films. We’re looking forward to Sam and Louise from 90 Minutes or Less Film Festival hosting the 200th episode specials.

K: Aww man… I’ve loved every one of the episodes! We really appreciate that people take the time to pick films that we all watch – most people have busy lives! It’s lovely to meet new people, especially as we know very few of them before they join us and we’ve made some really good friends as a result and love being part of the podcast community.

Like anything in life, expect the unexpected…

H: For our first live show at Latitude Festival the original guest couldn’t make it and Aisling Bea was (pretty much a) surprise guest for us and the audience. Back when we used to record in Camden there was a didgeridoo performance in the room next door – that was a surprise for us!

Any dream guests that they would like?

H: The podcast community is amazing, we’ve been really lucky as pretty much everyone we’ve asked has said yes. Kermode and Mayo, Louis Theroux, Edgar Wright, Tailenders (Jimmy Anderson is a big Sandra Bullock fan!) would all be fun guests.

K: Absolutely! From the podcasting world I’d love all of the “How Did This Get Made” crew to join us. Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham from “Still Processing”, Lauren Lavern and Kirsty Young as current and past “Desert Island Discs” presenters would be amazing, as would Zach Braff and Donald Faison from “Fake Doctors Real Friends” and also Hrishikesh Hirway From “Song Exploder”. From the film world it would be great to hear from more directors, producers and writers so people like Kate Herron, Amma Asante, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Lin Manuel Miranda…. We’ve also had most of the “Wittertainment” stand-ins join us now so it would be lovely for Sanjeev Bhaskar to join us, but yes, Kermode and Mayo would be lovely to get a “Full House”.

Flixwatcher celebrates – they hit 200 episodes! How does that feel to reach such a landmark, and are we able to look forward to more episodes… another 200 perhaps?

H: It’s an amazing achievement! As long as more films get added to Netflix, people keep listening and guests want to come on we’ll continue!

K: It’s great to be here! I have no idea how many episodes I would have thought we’d get to, but I would have laughed my ass off at the notion of 200 episodes when we started this! We’ll definitely keep keeping on…

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