13 Podcasts Every Gentleman Should Subscribe To

If you’re in the minority that haven’t delved into the world of podcasts, boy are you in for a treat. Whether you’re in the market for expert insight, episodic story-telling or just something funny to pass time on the commute, we’ve put together a round-up of podcasts that should be on every gentleman’s radar.

Reasons To Be Cheerful With Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd

Regardless of your political persuasion, Reasons To Be Cheerful is worth your time. Away from the bickering and confrontational politics that blights the news, each week the duo select a topic, discussing it with experts in the field, providing insight and ideas for progressive solutions before touching upon examples worldwide. Past topics covered include everything from cycle infrastructure to knife crime, with the takeaway always being: there’s smart, progressive solutions out there regardless of what side of the divide you choose to sit on.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Journalist and author Elizabeth Day hosts this interview podcast as celebrity guests detail their failures and how they ultimately led to success. Interviewees range from authors and campaigners to musicians and TV personalities, with Andy McNab, Mo Gawdat and Vicky McClure providing standout episodes. The subject matter, often brushed under the carpet in other interviews, often results in truly inspirational moments.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts

That Peter Crouch Podcast

If, like most men, your football consumption is rooted in watching the game every weekend and religiously checking BBC football gossip every morning (but not really delving any further), Peter Crouch’s podcast may well be one of the most insightful things you will ever hear about the world’s favourite sport. Discussing the parts of football so often overlooked (including what happens at the training ground, half-time, Champions League finals) and touching upon his own experiences, That Peter Crouch Podcast is a fascinating and hilarious look behind the scenes of professional football.

Subscribe: BBC Radio 5 Live

Longform

Longform works as a journalistic double-threat. Not only does the interview format provide insight into the lives and work of some of the world’s foremost long-form journalists, it also gives listeners ample reading recommendations on diverse topics (ISIS one week, the gangsters that rigged McDonald’s Monopoly the next). Well into the 300+ episodes, the podcast’s archive is a who’s who of non-fiction storytelling titans with the likes of Ed Caesar, David Grann and Jeff Maysh well worth listening to.

Subscribe: Longform.org

Have You Heard George’s Podcast?

One podcast swept the board at The British Podcast Awards recently – and said podcast was a unique eight-part mixture of drama, music, news and poetry. Baulking at the description? Don’t. It’s actually really worth your time. Created by George The Poet, Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a truly unique listening experience that delves into topics including Grenfell, the 2011 London riots, and country and self. Different perspectives, unique storytelling and a rare mixture of music and spoken word make for one surprise hit.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts

99% Invisible

If you have even the most fleeting interest in design and architecture, Roman Mars’ independently-produced but nonetheless smash hit podcast is worth checking out. An exercise in revealing unseen and overlooked aspects of design and architecture, each episode takes a truly fascinating and highly listenable deep dive. The Fordlandia episode is worth immediately downloading.

Subscribe: 99percentinvisible.org

No Such Thing As A Fish

Presented by the researchers behind popular BBC panel game QI, No Such Thing As A Fish is a frankly pointless but nonetheless extremely entertaining foray into random factual knowledge. Each of the self-described “QI Elves” take it in turns to present their favourite fact of the week, with the panel discussing each one and adding further information without the irritating extended banter that most podcasts fall foul of.

Subscribe: Audioboom

How I Built This With Guy Raz

Without a doubt one of the best podcasts on this list. HIBT is a who’s who of entrepreneurial royalty detailing the early days of their businesses and how they grew them into the household names they are today. Richard Branson, Ben & Jerry’s, IBM, Squarespace, Patagonia – you name it, the founder has an episode. Insightful, inspirational and absolutely fascinating. Start from episode one and make it your podcast addiction.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts

Revisionist History

Granted, New Yorker journalist and best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell has since moved on to the Broken Record podcast with Rick Rubin, but if you haven’t listened to Revisionist History, you need to. Expertly produced and meticulously researched, the podcast sees Gladwell delve into topics that may be taken for granted at first glance – the best example being golf. Harmless grassy pursuit of the middle-aged male or green space devouring, financial crash-inducing CEO addiction? Gladwell will certainly make you think.

Subscribe: revisionisthistory.com

Against The Rules

Following in the footsteps of Gladwell’s Revisionist History is fellow journalist and best-selling author (Moneyball) Michael Lewis’ Against The Rules podcast. Concentrating on the decline of fairness and everyone’s new-found intense hatred for the referee – financial markets and sport get the once over as well as an enlightening study of what actually makes a good adjudicator of fairness. As more and more money rides on split-second decisions in sport, and VAR is yearned for in the Premier League, Lewis’ podcast is a timely look at the all or nothing pressure we place upon life’s referees.

Subscribe: atrpodcast.com

Brexitcast

Award-winning, not too smug, informative analysis on an issue that everyone at the pub (despite pretending they do) knows absolutely nothing about. Hosts Laura Kuenssberg, Katya Adler, Adam Fleming and Chris Mason talk through the week’s pressing Brexit issues, keeping listeners up to date with actual movement and associated gossip. Cuts through a lot of the mess and makes for more informative listening compared with the evening news’ tiresome punditry.

Subscribe: BBC Radio 5 Live

The Intelligence

The Economist’s concise shot of international affairs is a helpful morning primer for those on the move. Pulling from their vast network of journalists worldwide, the podcast is a brilliant perspective on the news, but also throws up stories that should be higher up the mainstream pecking order.

Subscribe: Economist.com

Rule of Three

Away from the intensity of current affairs, cultural deep-dives and educational podcasts, sometimes it’s a welcome change to just listen to something that’s light-hearted and funny. Step forward Rule of Three, a podcast that lets two comedy writers, Jason Hazely and Joel Morris, talk to a variety of notable people about something funny that they love. Guests can pick anything from a comic book to an album, revealing why they find it funny. Charlie Brooker on Airplane! is a good place to begin.

Subscribe: ruleofthreepod.com