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20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
It wasn't until last summer that I really got into podcasts.
I nabbed a lift from Berkeley down to Los Angeles and my chauffeur and friend put on Serial for the journey.
And, naturally, my life changed forever.
If you haven't already heard of Serial you have my sincerest condolences. It's only the most addictive podcast of our time.
Along with the other eight I've chosen and listed below. Get listening.
If you're into business, tech, startups or journalism you will love this Alex Blumberg-founded podcast.
This is no boring, monotone, business-jargon-filled podcast. It's designed for the ear – and is so earsthetically pleasing (yes, I made that word up).
It tells the journey of Blumberg's efforts to get his business, an actual podcast network called Gimlet Media, off the ground. Their use of sound and speech is amazing and tells the story perfectly.
It's available on both iTunes podcast app, Spotify or here.
Produced by This American Life, the only downsides of Serial, I hate to say, are the voices.
Overly-accented and enunciated American voices to be precise. But once you settle into it it's actually tolerable. You'll get used to it – trust me.
I've only listened to the first season which tells the (true) story of the disappearance and murder of a high school student in Baltimore in 1999.
Host, Sarah Koenig acts as the investigator for the case years later, and includes phone calls, interrogations, testimonies, trials and documents in this highly-addictive podcast.
The legend himself.
These podcasts, available from The Irish Times, iTunes or Soundcloud, are perfect for short journeys as they're only a few minutes long each.
You'll probably end up listen to ten in a row – they're so gas.
The most entertaining of the lot.
This podcast is straight up gas, and is the work of Jamie Morton.
Over the course of the podcast he and his mates read the porn novel his dad wrote. Aloud. On the podcast.
Together, they dissect the book, chapter by chapter. And it's both horrifying and hilarious.
This podcast is all about sex positivity, equality and liberal, left-wing morals.
Hosted by 'agony uncle' Dan Savage, this will have you both laughing and crying.
It's non-bullshit and educational – the kind of honesty we all need in our lives.
Naturally, a podcast hosted by female comedians is going to be gas – with plenty of hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments as well as serious, thought-provoking and insightful moments.
Guys We F*cked is a revolution in anti-slut shaming. Which everyone could do with a good dose of.
Each episode the hosts interview a guy they've slept with as well as chatting about some other sex-related topics – you won't be able to turn it off.
Making the world a more sex-positive place. One podcast at a time.
A podcast that discusses things that we really all should know.
Things like who killed JFK, how ocean currents work, how night terrors happen and whether mermaids are real.
Because we've always secretly wandered about all of the above.
Whether you're exercising, cooking, commuting or just sittin' on the toilet – this podcast is perfect for every occasion.
Educate yo'selves.
Another This American Life podcast, but a contrastingly different one.
Are We There Yet? was created in refugee camps all over Greece. The camps are based in a variety of places – an abandoned beach resort, an Olympic baseball stadium, a highway rest stop and the grounds of an old psychiatric hospital.
Each place tells a different person's story.
They produced a second episode called Don’t Have to Live Like a Refugee, which will bring tears to your eyes with the story of one entrepreneur's journey and another story of unexpected love.
Definitely worth a listen.
If you're a music lover then this legendary BBC podcast is definitely for you.
It's simple – they invite a guest on to choose eight records they'd take with them to a dessert island. The stories of each chosen record are amazing, attached with a plethora of memories and love stories.
Described as "a programme in which a well-known person is asked the question, if you were to be cast away alone on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose to have with you, assuming of course, that you had a gramophone and an inexhaustible supply of needles?".
The guests are people from all walks of life and include musicians, actors, professors, writers, entrepreneurs, designers, activists, doctors and journalists.
One to sit back and relax to.
Happy listening you cultured, podcast-listening legend.