Top of the Pods

I do love a podcast, although it never occurs to me to listen to spoken-word radio. The problem with live radio, like live TV, is lack of control. Committing to tuning in at a specific time and staying right until the end is unthinkable in our current Age of Convenience. Everything must be available when we want it and in a format that suits us. I do vaguely remember a time before video recorders when you had no choice but to rush home in time to watch the latest episode of Bewitched – otherwise you’d miss it. No catch-up TV, no streaming, not even DVDs or videotapes.  Of course, Bewitched was always worth the effort.

A podcast, however, is entirely under your control. It’s edited and neatly packaged, ready to start at the press of a button.  I have to confess that, rather quaintly, I always listen to podcasts on my iPod. I love these neat little devices that slip so easily into a pocket, but the fan club is obviously dwindling and Apple has stopped making them. When I want a new one I have to search eBay and I know that one day they’ll vanish altogether.  Unwieldy, clunky phones just can’t compete with these sleek and stylish little devices. It still gives me pleasure to look at my old turquoise iPod even though it stopped working after my water bottle leaked all over it.

I’m sorry, I’m getting carried away with my love of vintage iPods when what I’d really planned to talk about was my favourite podcasts. There are so many now it’s very hard to wade through them to find the gems and, of course, it’s entirely subjective. My favourite was always Fortunately with Fi and Jane, but sadly they’re part of the mass exodus from the BBC and now they host an afternoon slot on Times Radio. Naturally I don’t listen to them live (too much of a commitment), but they follow each of their daily programmes with a podcast, giving us four a week rather than the paltry one offered by the BBC. Naturally I’m delighted, but also concerned that they’ll wear themselves out. So, listen to Off Air with Jane and Fi while you still can. They’re wonderfully funny and engaging, and they laugh with and at each other – if they were men, you might call it banter, but I don’t think women do banter. That might just be a male thing, like hugging and slapping someone on the back at the same time.

In the same vein is a newish podcast called How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams. Kaye, a stalwart of the long-standing daytime talk show Loose Women, was approaching her 60^th birthday with great trepidation. She had consistently lied about her age and couldn’t bear the thought of growing older, so she launched a podcast with Karen McKenzie, her retired and slightly older friend, exploring ways of dealing with life over 60. Like Fi and Jane, they chat to a different guest each week, but they are much ruder to each other than those two and now that Kaye has turned 60, they are really hitting their stride. Karen, with her love of dog-walking, gardening and caravanning, is a perfect foil for the career-driven Kaye.

Oh dear, this was supposed to be a list of my favourite podcasts and I’ve only managed two. There will have to be a follow-up. I’ll leave you with one more to be going on with: Something Rhymes With Purple. It’s all about the English language and is hosted by Gyles Brandreth, extroverted author, TV presenter, name-dropper, after-dinner speaker and generally cheery, articulate posh fellow, and the more retiring Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and long-time star of “Dictionary Corner” on the TV quiz show Countdown. They both love English, revelling in its rich history, shameless borrowing and constant evolution. Each week they tackle a different subject, ranging from love to Seattle to underwear to pasta and everything in between.  Perfect company when you’re doing the dishes.