9 Podcasts To Listen To On Your Commute
To steer you away from the usual Serial-esque fare, we asked Team Whistles (the members with the longest commutes) what they are putting their headphones on for. Providing a little bit of escapism, our round-up of the best podcasts to listen to right now is guaranteed to transform your daily grind.
The Guardian's Audio Long Reads
If you are time-poor, tune into The Guardian’s Audio Long Reads podcast for a selection of their finest long-form journalism. Topics covered include immigration, crime, business and the arts, with each podcast discussed under 40 minutes, giving you the opportunity to start your day a little bit wiser.
Listen here: The Guardian, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Dear Sugars
Cult favourite column-turned-podcast Dear Sugars is a radically empathic advice show, but to say the hosts give just “advice” would be an understatement. The Sugars (Cheryl Strayed author of Wild and Steve Almond) take on questions from the lost, lonely and heartsick and offer fresh perspectives with compassionate insights. If you’re of a sensitive nature, expect to shed a tear or two on your commute.
Listen here: WBUR, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Table Manners
A podcast about the familiarity of food and family around a dinner table is the essence of Jessie Ware’s Table Manners. The British singer and her mum Lennie co-host the weekly podcast that invites guests from the worlds of music, culture and politics to drop by Jessie Ware’s very own kitchen for a bite to eat and a good old chat.
Listen here: Acast, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Still Processing
“Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham are working it out.” is the prelude to The New York Times’ Still Processing, a pop culture podcast unpacking the pleasures and pathologies of America. Devouring TV, movies, art, music and the internet, NY Times cultural writers and critics Morris and Wortham search for discussion points that move them to tears, awe and anger, with an incredible mix of personality and thought.
Listen here: The New York Times, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Second Life
Hillary Kerr, the co-founder of the digital fashion website Who What Wear, spotlights successful women who have fearlessly mastered career changes in her weekly podcast Second Life. Expect to learn from visionaries, designers, CEOs and artists who have overcome missteps, trying moments and outright failures, and may just inspire your next professional move.
Listen here: Second Life, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Beyond Today
BBC Radio 4’s Beyond Today is a daily podcast that asks one big question about a feature story in the news. Hosts Tina Daheley and Matthew Price search for the answers that have the potential to change the way we see the world, from asking who is to blame for the Australian wildfires to how is an Oscar nomination really chosen?
Listen here: BBC Radio 4, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Out To Lunch with Jay Rayner
What happens when famous names get to dine with one of the world’s top food critics at a restaurant of his choosing? A riveting conversation with crackling anecdotes, Jay Rayner dines with the likes of Grayson Perry, Stanley Tucci and Jessie Ware in the delightful Out To Lunch, a half-culinary half-nonsense podcast that is set to lighten your daily commute and may leave you feeling hungry.
Listen here: Acast, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
Backlisted
Arguably one of the most popular literary podcasts around, Backlisted delves into the books that may have slipped under your radar. Presented by the author Andy Miller and the founder of crowdfunded publishers Unbound, John Mitchinson, Backlisted invites a writer to discuss why their book of choice deserves a wider audience. This podcast requires a little more attention but to keep you invested, the chosen books are revealed in advance to allow listeners to read ahead.
Listen here: Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
How To Fail with Elizabeth Day
Not everything can go according to plan, and Elizbeth Day (former journalist for The Observer) recognises that. How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is a podcast that celebrates the things that haven’t gone right and each week a new interviewee explores what their failures have taught them. Actor and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, political activist Gina Miller and writer Olivia Laing are a select few who have made appearances on Day’s podcast, each offering enlightening words of wisdom.
Listen here: Acast, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify.
