7 podcasts you’ll love if you love The Moth

Our Digital Editor recommends some of her favourite non-fiction monologue podcasts for fans of The Moth searching for more shows…

In my opinion, the non-fiction monologue is a hugely underrated podcast style. As a listener, I get the entertainment of storytelling, the rawness of reality and the simplicity of a single voice. What’s more, the stories are often told by the writers themselves, directly speaking to me in a way that makes me slow down, really listen and consider their lived experience.

If you’ve heard one non-fiction podcast, it’s probably The Moth. One of America’s longest running podcasts (it’s been in podcast format since 2008) it constantly ranks in the podcast charts. Recorded in front of a live audience, each episode is short, well-crafted and you’re never quite sure what you’ll get – I have both cried and laughed out loud at stories whilst shopping!

So if you want to spend some time with great storytellers, here are some podcasts like The Moth that might speak to you.

TED Talks Daily

Okay, you’ve probably heard of this one! But if you like The Moth, TED Talks Daily is a great choice. Whilst The Moth tends to focus on one part of a person’s life, TED Talks often do big overviews and grand concepts. Some of the episodes cover topics at a more societal level, but many stem from a person’s own story and the emotions are often obvious. Running as a daily show for several years, there are literally hundreds of big subjects and narratives you can choose from. Why not start by stepping into the mind of a non-human narrative, with ‘What’s it like to be a giant sequoia tree? | Ersin Han Ersin’. Listen now >>

Out There

If I could have a favourite podcast (which is really difficult in this job!) it would be Out There. It explores big questions through intimate stories in the great outdoors, and those stories range from the biggest hikes across continents, to the smallest moments of feeling sand on your feet. There are some interviews and in-depth reporting, but it’s the narrative episodes that stand out. Produced by a wide range of people, the monologues are accompanied by music and field recordings that help support these stories from the heart. You could start with my episode about hiking the Camino, or learn more about International Women Podcast Awards founder Naomi Mellor’s relationship with swimming. Listen now >>

My Love Letter Time Machine

This podcast is quite unique in the way it mixes snippets of history with personal storytelling. The show is basically co-written between host Ingrid Birchell Hughes and her great-great-grandparents, Fred and Janie. Ingrid is reading us the love-letters between her great-great-grandparents spanning 1878 to 1882, and her narration does a great job of explaining the ‘characters’ (including, her ancestor Fred, his friend – also called Fred – and their friend Ted) as well as sharing her own thoughts and giving historical context. We’ve recently had a ‘save the date’ for Fred and Janie’s wedding, but it’s worth starting this on-going story at the first episode. Listen now >>

Anthropocene Reviewed

The Anthropocene is the time in which humans live a.k.a. now. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a monologue podcast where writer John Green reviews anything and everything from the world in which we live, and gives it a rating out of 5 stars. His topics have been literally anything, from ‘The Plague’ (1 star) to ‘Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Stickers’ (4 stars). Each review is like a literary commentary and they often include personal anecdotes. John is a harsh critic who rarely gives 5 stars – but it has happened. You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out what for! Listen now >>

A Mile In My Shoes

A Mile in My Shoes comes from The Empathy Museum, which tours the UK with an interactive shoe shop. The live project asks people to wear a pair of the shoes, and walk a mile in them whilst listening to the previous owners telling their story. The podcast uses the same stories, but tells us what the shoes look like at the start – it’s incredible how often the idea I get from the shoes is completely different to the story told. Proof you can’t judge a person by their shoes – and helps you empathise by ‘walking’ a mile in them! Listen now >>

Anthems

A Pod Bible favourite, Anthems from Broccoli Productions is a similar concept to A Mile In My Shoes, but with more edge and ask of the listeners. With different series covering different themes, we hear from underrepresented groups – Anthems Pride, Anthems Women, Anthems Black – as they share real life stories and rallying calls for change. The series that is likely to resonate with the widest range of people is ‘Anthems Home’, which was an amazingly quick creative response to the Covid restrictions. Listen now >>

Seize Your Adventure

As a fan of the format, it will be no surprise that I love working with monologues in my own work. Seize Your Adventure was my first step into podcasting and many of my favourite episodes have a person with epilepsy telling us a story of adventure. You get to join someone on his last ski before brain surgery and learn about carrying medication in a backpack across continents. There is sometimes rough-and-ready remote production as I was learning, but I think the episode with Amanda’s episode about trail running stands up well. Listen now >>

This article was first published in September 2021