Podcasts have become good company to people living alone during Covid-19 lockdowns. Photo / 123RF
Podcasts have become good company to people living alone during Covid-19 lockdowns. Photo / 123RF
What do you do when you can't hang out with your friends any more? Our columnist relies on podcasts for the conversation — and company — she misses. She reveals the ones she can't live without.
I have developed a bad habit in the past year. I have started referringto podcast episodes as if they were conversations I've had with friends. When I'm speaking about a funny story or an interesting fact that I've heard through my AirPods, I will say, without hesitation, "David Lammy told me something similar," or "Nicole Kidman was talking about this a couple of days ago." Because, like so many people who live alone, podcasts have become my predominant company during lockdowns. They chat to me when I'm making my coffee, they come on walks and runs with me. They natter when I'm chopping and stirring in the kitchen. They perch on the bathroom floor and keep me entertained while I'm having a bath. Sometimes they even lie on the pillow next to me and talk me to sleep.
I know, I know. Sad. But don't start feeling too sorry for me. I have recently realised that, while the company of podcasts cannot replace eye-to-eye human interaction, they do offer a unique conversational luxury. Every time you put on a good podcast, you are privy to great discussion without active participation. All podcast hosts ask of you is to hit play and listen — that's all that's required to be a part of it. You don't have to think of something clever to say, you don't have to worry about asking good questions, you don't have to express any emotions, you don't have to show any vulnerability. You can be moved or enlightened — cry, laugh and learn along, and no one has to see it happen.
In a real social life (or what we can remember of it) we have different friends for different hang-outs. The friend for wine and ranting. The friend for tea and calm. The friend who challenges and the friend who comforts. Podcasts can be exactly the same — on my subscription list are shows that not only engage my various interests but replicate all the types of friendships that make me feel educated, fascinated, charmed, entertained or soothed.
Dolly Alderton recommends 15 podcasts that have kept her company during the pandemic. Photo / Getty Images
And while I can attest that podcast addiction is very real (a friend told me she knew she was in trouble when she spent 20 minutes deciding on the perfect podcast for taking the recycling to the bins outside), I'd take audio dependence over silence in this time of isolation. I'm all the more grateful to podcasts since they've accompanied me since last March — invisible flatmates, a community at the kitchen table.
So allow me to introduce you to some of my mates. New ones, old ones. Some I check in with every week, some every day through their archives. Until you can see your real ones, I hope these bring you some comfort too.
Music
• Soul Music on BBC Sounds discovers how a song has found importance in the lives of its listeners. Each episode focuses on a song and tells stories of people for whom the music or lyrics hold great significance. Past episodes include Lean on Me, God Only Knows and Strange Fruit. Warning — you'll cry.
• Dissect is as compellingly analytical as its title suggests — join Cole Cuchna (a musical expert) as he spends each series working through an album track by track, such as Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé's Lemonade. Dolly Parton's America is a fascinating docu-series in which Jad Abumrad investigates the relationship between Dolly and her music with politics, feminism, queer culture and immigrant culture in America, all interspersed with interviews with the great dame herself.
• Song Exploder is the ultimate fandom podcast — musicians take apart one of their songs and give an explanation or story to each component as they go. Guests include Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Laura Marling, FKA Twigs, Dua Lipa, Fleetwood Mac and the 1975.
Pop culture
• You Must Remember This is a podcast that explores the hidden or forgotten stories of 20th-century Hollywood and has a well-earned cult following. The creator and producer, Karina Longworth, narrates the highly researched episodes, exploring subjects such as blacklisting, "dead blondes" (Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield) and the Charles Manson murders.
• Listen to The C-Word on Luminary to hear Lena Dunham and the historian Alissa Bennett uncover the real story of women throughout history who have been deemed "crazy". Dunham's experience of the ups and downs of fame and Bennett's encyclopaedic expertise bring insight to subjects such as Anna Nicole Smith, Whitney Houston and Yoko Ono.
Sex
• Brown Girls Do It Too is a hilarious and intimate six-episode series in which Rubina Pabani and Poppy Jay talk about their sexual experiences with addictive candour (it has won both podcast of the year and best sex and relationships podcast at the British Podcast awards).
• Guys We F****d began as a weekly show in which the New York comedians Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson interview ex-boyfriends and lovers, and has since become an anti-slut-shaming podcast with a huge and adoring following. Subscribe to Luminary for new episodes or listen to the vast back catalogue on iTunes, for open conversations on sexuality, intimacy, relationships and consent with sex workers, sex therapists, comedians and more.
Poppy Jay's Brown Girls Do It Too won the Best Sex and Relationships podcast during the 2020 British Podcast Awards. Photo / Getty Images
Writing
• For anyone interested in writing, Longform speaks to the world's most respected journalists, essayists and interviewers about the art form of nonfiction. Expect thoughtful and intelligent conversations packed with practical tips for aspiring writers, with names such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ronan Farrow, Terry Gross, Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Ariel Levy.
• Scriptnotes serves a similar role for screenwriters, directors and those fascinated with TV and film, hosted by the screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin. Episodes include forensically detailed conversations on process, the industry, inspiration and creative challenges, and interviewees include Greta Gerwig, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Charlie Brooker.
Conversation
• No podcast will make you laugh as much as Fortunately, in which the broadcasters Fi Glover and Jane Garvey talk about anything and everything that's been going on in the week (both in the news and their day-to-day lives) with quick wit and side-splitting self-awareness. They also have a guest joining them each week — past episodes have included Nadiya Hussain, Emily Maitlis and Tim Minchin.
• For unfiltered girl talk that imitates the best kind of night in with friends where no topic is out of bounds, listen to The Receipts on Spotify, hosted by Audrey Indome, Tolani Shoneye and Milena Sanchez.
Films and books
• The writer, actor, comedian and cinephile Brett Goldstein hosts Films to Be Buried With — a charming and funny interview podcast in which he asks guests to discuss the films that have meant the most to them over the course of their lives. The format serves as a great way of discovering the tastes, sense of humour and personal stories of guests. Past guests include Rob Delaney, Nish Kumar, January Jones, Ricky Gervais and Sharon Stone.
•Literary Friction is an intelligent but easy-to-listen-to books podcast hosted by the literary agent Carrie Plitt and the writer and academic Octavia Bright. Bringing their shared love of literature and enjoyable friendship to each episode, each show focuses on a theme and includes an author interview. It is a seamless and sophisticated structure. Listen to Sally Rooney on conversation, Daisy Johnson on sisters, Reni Eddo-Lodge on race and Deborah Levy on vanity.
• Awards Chatter is the Hollywood interview podcast, with long and candid conversations with huge names such as Keira Knightley, Tom Hanks, Spike Lee and Sandra Oh.
