Podcasters have been all over it for ages, going all the way back to the very beginning of the boom. It’s easy to see why too.

The intimacy that podcasts can build between hosts and listeners makes it an ideal place for guests and emailers to open up and show vulnerable parts of themselves, and for listeners to eavesdrop on other people’s lives.

At the very least, someone sharing a mortifying story about the first time they met their partner’s parents will never, ever not be funny. Here are some of the best sex and relationships pods to hitch yourself to.

Savage Lovecast

Everyone’s welcome on columnist Dan Savage’s forthright sex and relationships show, which has been dispensing judgement-free advice for the best part of 750 episodes now. Savage’s dictum is always that he only goes in hard on bad decisions rather than whatever particular quirk he’s been asked to dissect. It’s not for the delicate, but it’ll certainly open your eyes to quite how varied and joyous the rich tapestry of sexuality and relationship dynamics really is. Listen now >>

The Receipts

Tolani Shoneye, Audrey Indome and Milena Sanchez started up The Receipts back in 2016, on seeing a now hilariously misinformed tweet from 3 Shots of Tequila’s Tazer Black which suggested their pod wouldn’t work with three women hosting. Six years later, The Receipts is massive, and while the hosts are happy to dive into pretty much any topic at all their ‘Your Receipts’ episodes, which often tackle listeners’ relationship dilemmas, are frequently standouts. Listen now >>

Unexpected Fluids

It may be defunct now, but if you’re after some grossout fun, look no further. This one’s all about sharing sex stories where something goes hideously, hilariously wrong. That includes the deeply misbegotten sex tips listeners have tried out, the perils of getting tech involved in the bedroom, and Dr Alex George’s reminiscences of treating erotically acquired injuries in A&E. Probably not one to stick on if you’re in the office. Listen now >>

How to Build a Happy Life: ‘How to Know You’re Lonely’

Of course, the first issue in any relationship is working out whether you actually want one or not. The Atlantic’s podcast touches on most of the very biggest questions there are – finding joy, dealing with pain, making your work mean something – and its study of the growing epidemic of loneliness in the West is also a look at the fundamentals of making relationships meaningful. It’s not just a lecture either: there are exercises to complete to turn your new knowledge into a habit you get into every day too. Listen now >>

The Log Books

After three series, this sparkling, moving, sensitive exploration of the anxieties and joys of Britain’s LGBTQ communities from the 1970s to 2003 has come to an end. Tash Walker and Adam Zmith’s dive into the logs of Gay Switchboard (now Switchboard) has been a leader in showing how podcasts can turn raw sources into affecting social history which gives voice to marginalised groups. Listen now >>

Modern Love

What with having already been adapted into a TV programme and three books, it was perhaps inevitable that the New York Times’ long-running relationships column, Modern Love, would jump to podcasting too. The format isn’t revolutionary – stories from the huge archive of stories of real, ordinary love are read, authors are interviewed, and that’s roughly it – but it’s so well put together and the trove of material so strong that it’s pretty undeniable. The relationships it details are rarely plain sailing, but it’s proof that love is a persistent, mysterious and wonderful thing. Listen now >>

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A few things she enjoyed in the last year were: spending two months working from a haunted Victorian jail cell, arriving in the middle of the Wyoming desert to the scene of a forty-year old murder, telling a family that their parents’ love story from the battlefields of WW2 would be brought to life as a podcast by HISTORY TV channel, and being given the opportunity by NASA to explore behind the curtain of the Kennedy Space Centre.

Tell us a little about your podcast…?

I have worked on many podcasts as a writer, but my first podcast of my own creation and partnership is The Letters of Love in WW2 with HISTORY UK. It was a podcast concept I’ve been working on for a couple of years, entirely told through real letters. When HISTORY said they were interested in producing it, I knew it was going to be an amazing collaboration, there is no better network than HISTORY for this production.

If you could go back to just before you recorded the first episode of your podcast and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

I would tell myself to stop worrying if people would “get it” and just make what I feel is right for the story.

What makes a great podcast guest?

There are two things that make a great guest, one is a person who really knows their subject. Even if they are nervous, their words will come naturally and confidently if they know their stuff. The other thing is the importance of making a guest feel at ease. When a podcast guest is relaxed and you make sure they know there is no pressure, and it’s not a live broadcast (and can be edited) they often forget they are being interviewed. It’s more like a natural conversation.

What makes a great podcast host?

One that has a natural passion for their subject.

What’s been your worst podcast moment?

Probably when I was on the other side of the coin. I don’t enjoy public speaking so being interviewed myself was a nerve-wracking experience for me.

What is it about podcasts that appeals to you?

I love imaging the scenes people are describing or discussing in my mind. I also love the fact that really, anyone can make a podcast.

What annoys you about podcasts/other podcasters?

Nothing! As long as people support each other and appreciate everyone has different tastes and ideas, it’s a great industry to be in.

Is there anything you found annoying as a podcast listener… but then understood when you started making your own?

Not really, but it’s impossible to truly understand the time and energy that goes into a podcast until you actually work on one.

Which one podcast episode of your own means the most to you?

Oh that’s a toss up! The first podcast episode I ever wrote, which was Casefile True Crime Podcast #42 Sherri Rasmussen means a lot to me, because I knew from that moment on I had found my calling. But also, the first episode of Letters of Love In WW2 being released and having the family be truly happy with what I had put together meant the world to me.

Which one podcast episode not of your own means the most to you?

In 2015, Criminal Podcast released an episode called “The secret People of Carville”. There was a time in our history when 450 patients with Leprosy were quarantined in a low security prison in Louisiana with 500 criminals. Over a 100 year period, people with the disease were isolated there often against their will, and in a way treated like criminals.  It’s a story about human nature, misconceptions and how for many of these patients, the facility became a place of somewhat peace. This episode inspired me to be a storyteller.

Listen to Letters of Love in WW2 on Apple Podcasts, Acast & Spotify.

The post THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO… Anna Priestland // Letters Of Love In WW2 appeared first on POD BIBLE.