My new(ish) love : Podcasts

Having never really paid much attention to podcasts in the past, thinking they were little more than idiots that can't get a paid radio job babbling into a microphone about whatever gripe they had within that week or merely just spouting some lunacy that was going through their mind grapes, I believe I was missing out as they are mostly said shite, but there are a few gems amongst the polished turds.

It all started with (ofcourse) the great Ricky Gervais, Steven Merchant and Karl Pilkington podcasts.  Without these works of genius I doubt I'd of even started listening and hunting for other podcasts.  If you haven't listened to them yet, I'd highly recommend it, Karl is amazing.  The only downside is that they are now "Audio Books" and you have to pay for them, quite rightly though, as why should people do stuff for free just because we like it and are stingy fuckers?

My next great discovery was the Adam and Joe Radio Six Music Show by the great Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish.  In terms of podcasts it doesn't get much better than this, they are comedic geniuses and I've loved them since the days of the Adam and Joe Show on tv.  Its the snipped up bits of their radio show bookended with little extra bits of them, usually apologising for how bad they think it went, reviewing their show.  If any podcast is gonna persuade you to become an addict, it is this one :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/adamandjoe/

This then led me to the amazing Collings and Herrin podcast, to be honest, if I had to, I'd have a really tough time choosing between this and the Adam and Joe podcast but, only just, I think it would win as my favourite of all the podcasts.  Its not as polished as most of the other top podcasts but its such a personal podcast, in that strange way that the internet works where you feel like you know people just because you read/listen to them so much.  Its not always hilariously funny but is always a joy to listen to and their banter back and too is getting to be much better than that of Adam and Joe.  How I do wish they'd get together and do a foursome (and then hear all the bumming jokes that would come out of such an event).  They do this every week, for FREE!  Listen to it, and listen to them all!

http://www.comedy.org.uk/podcasts/collingsherrin/

and read their blogs, they're good

http://www.wherediditallgoright.com/BLOG/index.html

http://www.richardherring.com/warmingup/

Next up is a new kid on the block, Phill Jupitus and Phil Wilding, to be honest I'd never heard of the latter Phil in this pairing, but he is a comedic genius (yes, i know, everyone is a genius in this blog post) so don't let your lack of knowledge of him put you off.  Its another of the completely recorded for free, available for free podcasts and is all the better for it.  Its basically them, asking answering a load of questions and just chatting about random stuff taking the piss out of each other (the recipe for any good podcast).  It is rather good, and they have done a foursome with the aforementioned Collings and Herrin (although without many bumming jokes).

http://www.phillandphil.co.uk/

Next up came the Armstrong and Miller podcast by timesonline, in the guise of TimeGhost.  Originally recommended by the illustrious Andrew Collins on their podcast, but in the guise of saying it wasn't really that great.  After the first few episodes of them finding their feet it does get genually great, especially when they start slipping from character or referring to their real personalities in the third person.  Its done as a piss take on art critics, but only very loosely.  Its mostly them taking the piss out of whats going on in the world and trying to make each other laugh by coming out with some truly crazy stuff.  Brilliance.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/podcasts/

And the last of my favourites is, The Bugle, the news fix of the podcast comedy world.  Headed up by John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman its a weekly piss take of the world of news.  Its a bit more scripted than the other podcasts, but doesn't suffer as it seems scripted in the sense that each does their own, ending up in them making each other laugh and react to the comedy gold that they come out with (although Andy does talk way too much about sport for my liking).  Its slightly in the vain of the Daily Show (where John Oliver also works), which isn't a bad thing.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/the_bugle/

There are a million (maybe exaggerated) other really good podcasts out there, the new humanist ones are pretty good and Radio 4 has a rather good selection of documentary style podcasts of which More or Less is by far my favourite.  A weekly look at the world of statistics, what could be better!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/station/radio4/