What podcasts does Rick Edwards listen to?

For The Love of Pod! The TV presenter, journalist and host of the BBC Radio 5Live Breakfast Show Rick Edwards told us about his Top 5 favourite podcasts in Issue #018 of the magazine. Whilst he’s on paternity leave after becoming a father for the first time, we hope he still gets a chance to stay plugged into his favourite shows!

Don’t forget to check out Rick’s science podcast EUREKA! co-hosted with Dr. Michael Brooks.

THE FAULT LINE: BUSH, BLAIR AND IRAQ

I will freely admit that going into this podcast I thought “surely I already know how we got from 9/11 to the Iraq War” but it turns out – 1 did not. This is forensically detailed, both fascinating and horrifying in roughly equal measure. David Dimbleby is a terrific host, and his presence lures in some big name interviews. And yes, one of those big names is a pretty candid Tony Blair. I believe there is a new series of The Fault Line out now, this time tracing the path from an unsolved homicide to the uprising in Portland a couple of years ago. Listen on your podcast app >>

RATIONALLY SPEAKING

One of the few podcasts that I find myself regularly checking the homepage of for new episodes. I have a (healthy) addiction to it.

Rationalism is a way of trying to figure out how the world works, as opposed to how you might like it to. The subjects covered are US-centric but very wide-ranging. In my opinion, Julia Galef is the best interviewer working today – she is smart, very-well researched, asks exactly the right questions and doesn’t shy away from confronting her guests where necessary. This is a great example of a show that will absolutely make you feel smarter. Listen on your podcast app >>

MORE OR LESS

Just to really ramp up my geek credentials, More or Less is my long-term favourite podcast. As a numberphile, I love Tim Harford and the team’s light-touch approach to the numbers all around us. It’s been especially invaluable during the pandemic, casting a measured eye over the suspicious statistics and unlikely claims flying around in the media. They are the masters of cool debunking – and you always come away with the sense that Tim is not angry with people for getting their numbers wrong, he’s just disappointed. Listen on your podcast app >>

THE ALFIE BROWN SHOW

You could be forgiven for thinking that the last thing anyone needed was another comedian with a podcast. But you’d be wrong, because we actually do all need Alfie Brown’s new show. Mercifully, it isn’t him just chatting inanely to a fellow comic. Rather, it feels like we’re getting a new full-length stand-up show – at least a work-in-progress – every week. I’ve been watching them on YouTube (does it still count as a podcast? Dunno) and it feels pleasingly intimate. Alfie is a deep thinker, he’s coruscatingly honest at times, but that’s not what you’ll keep coming back for, which is this – he is really, really, really funny. Listen on your podcast app >>

SLOW BURN

Every season of this podcast is dynamite. Its trick is a neat one – take a very well-known, very well documented historical event or person, and then somehow surprise the listener with new detail, great access and original analysis. I loved the Biggie and Tupac season and the Watergate season but the one that really blew me away was the second season, all about Monica Lewinsky and the impeachment of Bill Clinton. The ins and outs (ahem) of that story were a revelation to me. And there’s no doubt that it has formed the basis of the latest series of American Crime Story (which is well worth a watch, too). Listen on your podcast app >>

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We hope you enjoy these podcasts recommended by Rick Edwards! Read more For The Love of Pod articles in the Pod Bible magazine, which you can read online or buy in our shop.