Hear here is here. Hooray! Now, first things first. An incredible number of people have subscribed to this column. What a joy that there are so many of you who love the medium as much I do. If you’ve emailed in with your recommendations, I promise I’ll listen to them – I’ve made an excel spreadsheet and everything – but there have just been so many, it’s incredible.
Please keep them coming in, I want to listen to all the podcasts I can fit into my ears. If you haven’t subscribed yet, come and join us. It’s great fun.
So, on to the recommendations. A couple of weeks ago it was my birthday, and I’ve been reflecting on my childhood and adolescence, which I think it is now fair to say has 100% ended. I have selected three podcasts that represent three major events in my teenageish years.
Grammar schools: back to the bad old days of inequality – Audio Long Reads podcast
I am one of those rare people who loved school. At 12 I won a full scholarship to a state boarding school (yes, they exist) and was taken from a run down school to what to me felt like paradise. It had lakes and woodland and horse riding and I wasn’t afraid of everyone, which is always a bonus. But it remained with me just how unfair it was that this wasn’t accessible to every child. Had I not passed that test, I probably wouldn’t have had the same wonderful opportunities that I have had.
So when I saw this podcast I listened to it immediately. The long read was written by Chris Horrie, a former secondary modern pupil, remembering the inept teachers, classroom riots and useless qualifications of the two-tier education system that Theresa May seems so keen to bring back. It was a grim listen. There are swaths of people who were written off as not worthy of a full and rich education because, when they were 11, they didn’t pass a test. It also breeds inequality, hiding under a guise of equality. It’s such nonsense.
Anyway, this was a great podcast full of warning; whether you took the 11-plus or not, give it a listen. If nothing else it’ll make you pleased that you live in 2017, which isn’t something I thought I’d be saying any time soon.
The Hilarious World of Depression
When the time came, I left the comforts of my school to go to sixth-form college. Undoubtedly it was the worst two years of my life. Prepare for some feels guys ... My A-Levels were awful and I fell into a deep depression that haunts me to this day. It started by feeling happiness drip away and then, strangely, even sadness left, leaving me with almost nothing. I did, however, keep my humour – it was a translation of how I was feeling and this podcast picks that idea up and rolls with it.
Alex Bakker got in touch to tell me about The Hilarious World of Depression and it is, as the name suggests, hilarious. I really wish that I’d had it when I was 17. It’s a show about clinical depression, with frank, moving and funny conversations hosted by comedians who have dealt with depression in their own lives and managed to laugh along. It’s a beautifully produced podcast too, the US has really nailed the art of podcast making and this is an all round joyous podcast to listen to. Definitely one for when you can feel that emptiness clawing its way back in. Here’s what Alex had to say:
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a podcast about mental health would be, well, a bit of a downer. In fact, it could be the type of podcast that people who live with depression, and those around them, might want to avoid. But then you probably haven’t listened to John Moe.
John isn’t a therapist or a counsellor or a psychiatrist or any sort of mental health professional. He’s actually a writer and radio presenter, and a long-term sufferer of depression. He’s also quite a funny guy, and that’s what makes The Hilarious World of Depression special.
There’s no advice-giving, no telling you what to do, no ‘chin up, old chap’ (or whatever the American equivalent of that might be). It’s just John and his guest – someone from the world of US comedy – essentially talking about how they cope with mental illness. The guests, ranging from standups to talk- and panel-show hosts, are amusing, surprising and very honest. It’s the kind of honesty that makes PR people spontaneously combust. It seems there’s a lot of very funny but very depressed people in Hollywood.
I’m eagerly awaiting the return of the ‘Placebo’ episodes, where listeners chime in with their stories of depression and how they deal with it. Although much shorter, and somewhat less funny, I actually found these little tidbits as useful, if not more, than the full episodes. Real people discussing their coping mechanisms. It’s the kind of thing you find yourself nodding to, if you’re that way inclined.
If you or a loved one lives with depression you’ll find The Hilarious World of Depression a useful, entertaining and amusing tool. It’ll help you think about what’s going on, give you some insight into other people’s lives and maybe even give you one of those AHA moments. Just remember, you’re never alone.
The BitterSweet Life
When college ended I was dreading the idea of actually going to any of the universities I’d applied for, but then the universe conspired to give me the opportunity to spend a year in Australia and I grabbed it with both hands. It was a year that transformed my life, pouring happiness back into me. I felt like I could breathe again; it was an enormous transition, helping me become the person I am today.
Though I’ve made a wonderful life for myself here in Europe, with a delightful partner and a happy family, a not insignificant part of me still longs for Australia and the life I had there, and this podcast was made for people like me, and for the people who stayed. The BitterSweet Life is a Rome-based podcast exploring the wonder and frustration of expatriate living. The two hosts – Katy Sewall, a new immigrant, and Tiffany Parks who moved to the Italian capital 10 years ago – bring a lovely insight as to what it’s like to take the leap, become an immigrant and make your home abroad.
It was Grace Acosta who got in touch to tell me about this podcast. Here’s what she had to say:
The BitterSweet Life is a great example of an immersive podcast experience and of excellent storytelling. My favourite episodes are those where Tiffany and Katy record outside in the plazas of Rome, or visit different churches to find Caravaggio paintings. The splash of water from the fountains, customers chattering in Italian in the bakery, the screaming swallows overhead. I feel transported to Rome, and with very itchy feet, every time I listen to these episodes.
Secondly, the story of Katy’s year was an ongoing narrative that I invested in so much that I had to hold back tears in the episode when Katy was due to leave. The podcast shifts a little in content and feel when Katy returns to Seattle, obviously due to the changed circumstances. However, I continue to listen as I enjoy the relationship between the two friends. The episodes where they record WhatsApp messages to each other in the aftermath of the election of Trump, I thought, was a stroke of storytelling genius.
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