We’re big fans of Changes here at Pod Bible. Could you tell any readers who may not have tuned in yet what they can expect?

Changes is a podcast that interviews all different types of people with the regards to the biggest changes they’ve been through in their life by zooming in on their big changes. Whether that’s changes that have happened to them or changes they have implemented; you are getting into the really knotty, interesting, meaningful parts of their lives.

Changes came third in the Interview & Conversation category in the 2023 Pod Bible Listener Polls (voted for exclusively by listeners). What is it about the show that you think people find so engaging?

I was so happy to win that award, to get to the top third in such good company as well – it meant the world. I hope that what people find engaging is the choice of the guests. We try to choose our guests because of the stories they have to tell – so the hope is that everyone has an interesting story; something that is remarkable, something that is compelling to listen to.

My interview technique is to kind of lean back, I don’t get too busy, so I like to allow the interviewee to feel really relaxed and talk as much as they like and then use the editing process later to hone and shape that into more of a structured conversation. I hope that it’s engaging – our episodes aren’t ever really long as we’re conscious of people’s time and how long they have to listen to something at any given go.

The other thing is trying to zoom in on our listeners’ needs, and how they would like to be served, and thinking in terms of What can they hear that will make them feel more connected to the world, and to themselves, and also help them to be able to navigate change in their lives better?

Has making the podcast changed you in any way?

Changes has really changed me, I suppose. First of all, it was the kind of backdrop through a period of huge change in my life from when I decided to leave BBC Radio 1 and venture into the world of writing and writing novels. So Changes has been there all the way through that. It served me really well in terms of just being able to pick the people I really really want to talk to and hear from – so my own instinctive curiosity has been served, which is amazing.

Then in terms of how I’ve changed, I suppose I’ve just learned so much. When you have these conversations with people and you really dig into people’s human experiences, you cannot help but broaden your own minds, you know? You’re learning what it is to live, what it is to be a human. The more experiences you learn from, the bigger your own mind is, but also the more empathetic you are. Learning different perspectives, I think, is a really big priority for changes. Learning how other people see the world and how other people are treated in the world and being able to really hear those voices that maybe don’t get heard that much gives you a sense of empathy and awareness of real human experience. To me that’s a really valuable thing, that’s definitely something I’ve got and that has changed me on starting it out.

Alongside Changes you also make Sidetracked with your old friend Nick Grimshaw, we imagine you two could talk about anything and make it an enjoyable listen but what’s your main focus?

The main focus for Sidetracked is just us having fun and talking about music. It’s an extension, a vehicle basically for our friendship to exist in audio form (an extension of our friendship in audio form). And it’s very much supposed to be a natural, unforced look through the week in music. So anyone we want to talk about, no matter how absurd or silly, is what we do. I really like it for that reason because it’s completely authentic to who we are as people and what our friendship is.

What’s it like to be working with Nick again?

It’s amazing to be working with Nick, I’m really really enjoying it. I also love the contrast between Sidetracked – which is all done by the BBC Sounds team – versus Changes which is run by me and my own production company, so I can just go in, have a laugh and leave every week and that’s really nice.

It’s absolutely amazing to be working with Nick again, it’s something I’ve been trying to figure out for a few years now so it’s great we’ve been able to do this.

Finally, with such vast experience in presenting on the radio and now in podcasts, what advice would you give to any aspiring hosts who may be reading?

I think the most important thing in broadcasting is truthfulness, is honesty, it’s having your listeners believe that what’s coming out of your mouth is something that is truthful and honest to who you are. So whatever you choose to do, whatever you choose to cover, whatever you choose to talk about, make sure that it is coming from a place of real passion and real curiosity on your part. I think that if that’s your bottom line – you’re off to a really really good start.

Listen to Changes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcasts >>

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Its first season of six episodes mixed international politics and Hollywood-levels of drama by bringing us the story of Big Spender – an infamous criminal mastermind from Hong Kong who took on billionaires and governments. With the background of Hong Kong reverting to Chinese rule, it’s no exaggeration to say that the story of Big Spender is worthy of a movie – in fact, more than one film has portrayed his misdeeds.

The choice of narrator for the Bad Money podcast is fittingly blockbuster worthy. Jason Wong has starred in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman, and he’ll soon be seen alongside Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant in the new Dungeons & Dragons blockbuster. His addition to this show is an example of pulling in talent from other media to redefine what a ‘crime podcast’ can be.

We asked Jason a few questions about his experience at the helm of a podcast for the first time…

Jason you’re known for both tv and big blockbusters, but I believe this is your first podcast – how do you like podcasting?

I absolutely adored the whole process. Bringing life to the narration and learning how to push the narrative forward to engage the listeners. It’s something I’ve always admired from radio plays and calm sleep apps. I get the ability to merge and blend both in the podcast world.

What was it that drew you to this project?

The story of Big Spender- he was just so outrageous with his antics and adventures. Big Spender, managed to get away with so much but also paid the ultimate price. The audacity of his actions was bold and no Hollywood film could come up with what he did. The story showed the darker side of humans, greed, money and power. I guess this is why we love watching Scorsese films or Andrew Lau films in Asia. We always want to champion an underdog.

The sound design on this show is really interesting, but as the narrator you must have been quite in the dark about it during recording – what was your reaction when you got to hear the final show?

It is definitely something I was new too- adding background sound really changes the energy of the podcast. I’m in the booth reading, trying to inject energy to what I’m saying. The soundscape breathes life into the story and helps it become a more immersive experience for the listener.

Are there any podcasts you listened to in preparation for this project?

I listened to a few like Blood Ties Podcast by Geoffrey Wansell and Molly Wansell. That’s the only true crime podcast I’ve listened too.

Lastly – now they’ve made it possible, do you feel ready to add ‘Podcaster’ to your IMDB?!

Absolutely. Podcasting is a great way to consume a story- and being dyslexic I’ve always found reading challenging. Anything audio based to consume I will!

Listen to Bad Money: Big Spender on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

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Can you tell us how you got involved in The Spying Game?

We all love secrets and spy dramas. I was approached after a show for a foreign policy/defence Think Tank by the man behind New York’s Spyscape Museum – they run some great Spy-related podcasts- and we talked about me hosting one. It was the closest I’ll come to being recruited as an agent.

Why podcasting? What is it about the format that appeals to you?

It’s driven entirely by enthusiasm- the presenter’s, the guest’s, and the listener’s. You can stumble into whole worlds and hear remarkable people telling their story at a length that’s simply not possible in the usual speed-driven, short attention span media.

Do you have a favourite spy?

Connery as Bond, of course- I grew up in Edinburgh, where he did a milk round (Connery not James Bond). But this series has introduced me to a host of others- Agent Sonya and, in particular, John Le Carré, whose books I’m looking forward to reading.

You’ve spent a lot of time pretending to be other people in your career – do you think you’d make a good spy?

I’d be useless as myself- you’d have to spend so much time on the details, which isn’t my thing. Having said that, when I’m in character I can be quite convincing. I’ve fooled more than one person in the past, including a Tory backbencher in the 1990s who (unbeknown to me) called off a Eurosceptic rebellion against John Major because he’d had a positive conversation with the Prime Minister. It wasn’t the PM. It was me, and the call “saved [Major’s] bacon”.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learnt through doing the podcast?

Spying is 90% boring and 10% action, but the hidden story behind each mission is fascinating. Every episode is revealing. The most riveting was the account of Jonna Mendez, former Head of Disguise at the CIA (what a title!) who explained how to change from businessman with briefcase to housewife with shopping basket in 45 seconds. Brilliant. I must try it some time.

Listen to The Spying Game on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps.

The post Rory Bremner explores the fact and fiction in The Spying Game appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Last month, Stak launched its latest high profile entry into the world of science podcasts: Eureka! Science enthusiast Rick Edwards (5 Live Breakfast) and actual real-life scientist (and author) Dr. Michael Brooks make their long-awaited return to the podcasting world with Eureka!, mixing expert insight with playful humour and relentless curiosity.

Every Wednesday, Rick and Michael ask a new and puzzling question: Should we fear an alien invasion? What makes a psychopath? Will we ever talk to animals? From face transplants to AI robot takeovers, our brainy duo have the answers. Well, one of them does…

WHEN DID YOUR INTEREST IN SCIENCE FIRST BEGIN?

MICHAEL: I wasn’t that into science until just before I left school, when I had an amazing physics teacher called Mr Sumner. He ‘wasted’ class time discussing the uncertainties and the difficulties science creates, like nuclear waste or genetic modification. I’ve been channelling Mr Sumner ever since, I think.

RICK: I was one of those infuriating kids who constantly asked: “Why?!” And I really meant it. I was always interested in understanding why things were true, why things happened – I was never satisfied with someone telling me “That’s just how it is.” This led me to doing some quite eccentric things, like teaching myself calculus – aged 14 – in order to try and get a more precise value of pi (at this point the idea of irrational numbers was beyond me). Really obnoxious stuff. But I realised quite early on that science was the thing that might provide the answers I was looking for.

M: My favourite moment in science, the one that made me realise how ridiculous it can be, was during my PhD, when I’d had a few lunchtime pints and went back to the lab and connected my equipment up wrong. I asked a senior scientist in the lab for help, and he genuinely said the strange signal on my oscilloscope could be a sign that the experiment was altering the space-time continuum. I’ve struggled to take science seriously ever since.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO DISSECTING ON EUREKA!?

M: We haven’t planned or even discussed the episode yet, but I’d really like to get into a scientific breakdown of what is the world’s most difficult sport – and why it’s cricket!

R: I am very excited to discuss, A) The likelihood that Elon Musk will successfully upload himself to a computer and B) How quickly we would all collectively decide to switch him off at the mains. Whatever Rick and Michael discover, one thing is certain: their search will make you fall in love with science all over again. So strap yourself in, plug into the matrix and prepare for a wild ride through the wonderful world of scientific discovery.

Listen to EUREKA! now via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all podcasting platforms.

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Stak produces podcasts that entertain and inform, including some of the UK’s biggest and most popular shows – boasting a combined 4 million monthly listens and over 45 years of podcasting experience. Whether recording remotely or in our broadcast-grade London studio, we specialise in every stage of the podcasting process. To find out more or get in touch, visit our website at stak.london!

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This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

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Now, he’s voicing his passion for STEM in podcast form. Patented: History of Inventions is Dallas’ new science history podcast with the History Hit network. With inventions from the atomic bomb to condoms being covered, it’ll no doubt be another fun way to get some lifelong learning.

We caught up with Dallas for a quick-fire interview about the show…

Tell us a bit about the show – how did you get involved?

The show is about the interesting, and sometimes surprising stories of how things came to be – lifting the curtain on those famous eureka moments as well as hunting down forgotten stories that are just downright weird. I have always been fascinated by the history of science and engineering and with this show we wanted to correct the many misconceptions that surround the stories of inventions and also celebrate unsung heroes who history has often forgotten.

You’ve worked a lot in television, you’re a writer… Why was podcasting the right medium for this project?

Well, with a podcast you’re a lot freer to explore wherever you want to go! It’s just a light and nimble format. The complexities of making television often make it very unwieldy, so this series is a perfect antidote to the faff of telly. And I can do it from my house.

And it’s coming out twice weekly – that’s quite a feat! Are you nervous about the schedule?

Bring it on! Although I’m concerned about Em, our producer…

Are there any podcasts or hosts you’ve been influenced by?

I adore This American Life, with Ira Glass, which I’ve been listening to since before podcasts were invented. There’s too much good stuff out there. I tend to get influenced by whoever I’m listening to at the time and want to be them.

Thinking about the most impactful ideas, the atomic bomb will probably be on most people’s list, but condoms might be forgotten by many! How did the podcast team decide which ideas to start with?

Basically we just made a big list of stuff that interested us. Or stuff we think might be funny. Or surprising. Sometimes I’ll have an idea at 4am and I’ll Whatsapp it to Em our producer. I don’t think she minds at all.

If you have to pick, what’s the invention that has most impacted your life?

Jeepers. Too many to pick. Perhaps the Space Suit? It’s an object that I’ve been fascinated about for years and years and seems to keep cropping up in my life. There was a time I shared my flat with 4 real spacesuits. Some people think it’s a bit creepy.

Where can readers find out more?

They can stop me on the street and ask me.

You can find the show anywhere you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other podcast players. 

The post INTERVIEW // Dallas Campbell’s new science history podcast with History Hit appeared first on POD BIBLE.

His second show, Shaun Keaveny’s Creative Cul-de-sac, sees Shaun explore creativity – and the lack of it – by riffling through 20 years worth of old ideas trapped in notebooks, on old hard drives, scribbled on the backs of beer mats and the like. He then asks creative people – from Vic Reeves to Greg James – to do the same, and share with us those ideas they themselves have clung to, that never saw the light of day.

The show was launched in February alongside Shaun’s Community Garden Radio, a new radio station available through a Patreon page, with money generated going towards the podcast. We spoke to Shaun to learn more about the inspiration behind the new show, and the Community Garden Radio.

It seems you have the podcast bug now! What do you love about podcasts?

There is a freedom to podcasting. Like ALL freedoms they’re not always intrinsically positive, however in pod world they mostly are. Freedom to talk to whoever you want, say what you want within some mostly self-set limits, and freedom of form and length etc. It is a bit intoxicating after the necessary strictures of radio.

Which finished idea – and it can be anything in the world – do you wish you’d come up with?

Ooo good one… I feel like most good scripts dramas and comedies I feel that about, as, despite having tried a few times, I have never been able to get that part of my brain going. Anything from Schitt’s Creek to Cheaters, Blackadder to Breaking Bad... I would LOVE to be able to think structurally like that, and deliver the actual dialogue too. I think it’s an amazing skill. I also wonder at the people who invented musical instruments… I know it happens evolutionarily over time but, imagine thinking up a fucking guitar!!!

What would you think if someone listening takes one of your abandoned ideas and makes it into a massive success?!

Oh CHRIST I haven’t thought of that….(calls patent lawyer) Hmm… I suppose it’s better that it’s out in the world as opposed to in a notebook at the bottom of my Mahogany Box of Dreams. That is kinda the whole beauty of the idea, releasing ideas like doves at a Rolling Stones gig… only for most of them to be brutally slaughtered by predators minutes afterwards…

Can you tell us a bit more about the Community Garden Radio?

This is a beautiful thing. On my last ever link at 6 Music I basically made the point that people should not see radio shows as “just radio shows”. They are a community, a gathering point for like minds. They are beautiful, organic things. I used this phrase, “community garden”. Yes there is a person who starts the thing, but then all these other people come and contribute and tend to the idea, the concept, they buy in. This then flowered into an entity when my producer Ben Tulloh said in an offhand way “ya know, we have the tech, we could do a radio show on the Patreon”… and the rest is, if not history, a lovely weekly collection of some of the people who loved what we did at 6.

The Friday shows are kind of free, wild, silly, and it is growing all the time. There’s music, carefully curated by me, and loads of bits of daft shite I have thought of as the week has gone on. Listeners get involved and it’s just FUN. It’s going to get better and better.

Lastly, what are your go to podcasts when you’re specifically looking for inspiration?

I am a terrible old stick in the mud, I have my faves and I don’t deviate too much. I LOVE music stuff like Rockonteurs, Andrew Hickey’s History of Rock in 500 Songs, Nina Conti’s Richard and Greta, Now Where Were We with the late great Barry Cryer, Alex Lowe/Clinton Baptiste’s Paranormal Podcast is hilarious. I need to pick up some new habits so I will take some tips from you guys…

Listen to Shaun Keaveny’s Creative Cul-de-sac on APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY and other popular podcast players.

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The rules of British politics are ancient, arcane and largely unwritten – so the podcast takes the form of Bercow answering Frances-White’s questions on how our political processes work. The first episode covers the role of the Speaker, a job Bercow knows well after holding it for 10 years, from 2009 to 2019. Then later episodes look at the Whips, Private Members’ Bills and SpAds, aka Special Advisors.

Known for his barking cry of “or-der!” when MPs refused to calm down, and for his growing despair at the direction that the Conservative government (of which he was once a member) was taking with regards to Brexit, Bercow opted not to seek re-election as MP for Buckingham in the 2019 general election. Instead, he left Parliament. In 2021 he joined the Labour Party.

Why make a podcast about the machine of British politics now?

I don’t claim to know everything about the political system, but obviously I did have the rather helpful vantage point of the best seat in the house for just over a decade. I must admit that I’m a political geek who could find a reason to make this podcast at any time, but I really do think that it is now more important than ever.

One reason is that we have a government with a very large majority, which hasn’t been the case for quite some time. That calls for big questions around power and accountability. The second reason is: this Prime Minister doesn’t treat the institutions of the country with the remoteness, deference or respect they deserve. His attitude is that they’re there to be used and abused by him.

How did you meet Deborah Frances-White and get started on this project?

We were on the panel for Question Time on 6th May this year. She was absolutely brilliant: very witty, quick to get to the point, and rather derisive in her attitude towards the government.

We got on very well, and she said to me afterwards, “Have you ever thought of doing a podcast?” I hadn’t but I was open to it, and she promised to be in touch. A few months later, she suggested joining forces to make a podcast series about the political system. She’s the experienced podcaster, but I know how to navigate the highways and byways of the political system. I thought, yes, this sounds fun to me.

How would you like listeners to react to the podcast?

What we’re trying to do is to fuse political knowledge with human interest, and some semblance of humour. I don’t think it’s healthy if people are feeling fed up about politics, then their sense of disillusionment translates into indifference or to apathy. It’s much better if disillusionment can be channelled into something concrete: representation.

Campaigning can only really come from some sort of rudimentary understanding of the system. You don’t have to be a political specialist to campaign for political change, or for the policy of your choice, or the removal of a policy you don’t like – but it does help if you know a bit about the way the system works now.

Do you see podcasting as a natural move on from your role as Speaker?

My late father used to say, “John, generally speaking, is… generally speaking.” He died before I got into Parliament, but he wouldn’t be altogether surprised that I ended up as the Speaker. He was an armchair politician of a distinctively right-wing flavour, and he used to speak in paragraphs. So, insofar as I have a speaking style which some people find rather quaint and eccentric, or even antediluvian, it is rather inherited from my dad.

In addition to guesting on a couple of semi-political podcasts, with Ed Miliband and others, I’ve also been on sporting podcasts, thanks to my obsession with tennis, and with Arsenal. We’re very lucky that I’m doing this interview at all, as I’m still nursing my wounds from Arsenal v Everton last night, where we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Somebody said to me, when I left my office job, that I should try to do things that make my soul sing – and I feel that podcasting makes my soul sing.

Listen to John Bercow’s Absolute Power with Deborah Francis-White on Acast, iTunes, Spotify, Google: 

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Redefine You: A Conversation for Wellbeing has been a true blessing in my life. At the beginning of lockdown, like many, I went from an abundance of travel for work, to a stand-still. During this time, my mind was racing on how I could give back some of the knowledge I have accrued over my years in the body image and wellness space.

As artists, we regularly deal with the fear of the unknown professionally and still have to show up for ourselves. Now the whole world was dealing with the fear of the unknown and they may not have explored the tools they already had access to within themselves.

I wanted to give back my knowledge on how I’ve walked alongside my anxiety, even on the most challenging of days, and still showed up for myself. Then I became curious about friends of mine in the industry. What was in their toolbox? We often get asked about our professional achievements, but what about our personal ones? The ones where we struggled yet still succeeded; felt lost yet suddenly became found through an ‘AHA!’ moment; when we finally took ownership of who we are and all that we are.

I wanted to celebrate those moments – the good, the indifferent and beyond. I wanted an audience to know they are never alone in their journey to become grounded in the power of them. Even the people they admire the most experience these feelings and have had challenging moments behind the scenes.

Once you find the courage to make ‘you’ a part of your daily practice and build a personalized toolbox to revert back to on your stumbled moments that you too will be okay, succeed and live a beautiful life.

What started as an InstaLive series (purely created to give back inspiring stories of ownership to self and mental health awareness) has now turned into this overpouring love of a podcast, with a community of people waiting to support you in your journey to become grounded in the power of you.

As we hit our twentieth episode, the impact I get from each one of the stories being told is far too much to put into words.

I have been a body activist for years, yet silently suffering with crippling social anxiety at times, and feeling shame for not being able to grasp why these emotions would arise when I am such a people person. To hear stories outside myself is a true reflection that there is so much strength in vulnerability, and you are not alone in where your mind may wander. It gives me another reason to feel grounded in knowing it’s okay to not be ‘okay’ in a journey to become connected to an ever-evolving self.

We all struggle at times, fall down, turn those moments into life experiences and work hard to find our way out. It just so happens that we just don’t talk about it publicly enough to know that this has been true, time and time again. The stories shared in Redefine You will surprise you and leave you feeling encouraged to look within. What may serve you from their journey that you can apply to yours? When a guest shows vulnerability in such a way, it encourages us all to look within.

Redefine You with Hayley Hasselhoff shares conversations with inspiring friends of mine in the industry. We hear their stories of true ownership in self and their mental wellbeing journey along the way. I’ve learned how we all experience mental health challenges but that they can arise in different forms for each person; that not one mental health condition can be categorized yet it helps another when you put a face to it; how validating our emotions – even without knowing the answer – is always the first step; that hearing another lived experience can help us in healing our own; and how feelings like grief can catapult into many aspects of someone’s lives.

We have had guests speak about living with an eating disorder, grief, imposter syndrome, losing a loved one through death by suicide, the beauty of putting ‘pain to purpose’ when being diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and so much more.

I thank each and every beautiful, fearless guest I have had on for the impact they are making by telling their truth and the beauty in that. I can only hope the podcast inspires you to look within and guides you to lead a life being grounded in you.

Listen to Redefine You with Hayley Hasselhoff now on SPOTIFY, Hayley’s website, or other podcast platforms.

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