[TobyD]

For anyone interested in politics, the Times Red Box podcast presented by Matt Chorley is good. Reasonably light-hearted, occasionally funny and pretty balanced.

I can't remember if I've mentioned it before but Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner is good if you like that sort of thing - extended interviews in restaurants with a range of different people.

Currently being repeated on R4, and on BBC sounds is Grayson Perry's Reith lectures, starting with Democracy has bad taste:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03969vt
Brilliant.

[TobyD]

More or Less on BBC sounds has some good statistical geekery about the current situation in recent episodes. 

The daily newscast also on the BBC is also good, and they make a good effort to make it not too depressing. 

[IanP]

More or Less on BBC sounds has some good statistical geekery about the current situation in recent episodes.   

Agreed, while the tone varies from lighthearted to more serious it always looks at the numbers in depth and is good at picking apart the simplistic headlines in the media.

Talking Politics is good, pretty serious and sometimes a bit heavy going but weirdly enjoyable if you like that sort of thing and takes a pretty wide ranging view of politics and events around the world.

[moose]

The new Ross Tucker Science of Sports podcast might be interesting listening for those concerned about a loss of form during lockdown. 

https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3MuYWNhc3QuY29tL3JlYWxzY2llbmNlb2ZzcG9ydA&episode=NTdkMGJiZDAtYzUwNi00M2Y0LWI5YWEtOGMxNzA0MmJhNjQ4&ved=0CAcQ38oDahcKEwj4lvDCoeboAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBQ&hl=en-GB

The TLDListen version is that doing nothing for weeks results in a significant loss of capability but even a small amount of training (15-20% of "normal") hugely mitigates / eliminates any deterioration, and the "little goes a long way" effect is greatest for old-timers whose level is more deeply engrained.

Admittedly most of the studies were for endurance athletes (focus on VO2 max measurements etc) so may not be entirely applicable but some did look at strength.  Whatever, I'll take my comfort where I can - clinging to the hope of not being a hollow shell of Mooseness if / when released back into the wild..

[TobyD]

 Currently being repeated on R4, the absolutely superlative History of the World in 100 objects.
Available on BBC sounds, obviously.

[jwi]

the "little goes a long way" effect is greatest for old-timers whose level is more deeply engrained.
[...]

Whatever, I'll take my comfort where I can - clinging to the hope of not being a hollow shell of Mooseness if / when released back into the wild..

A friend belayed Elie Chevieux when he hadn't climbed for 6 months. Elie still onsighted 8as. (Yeah I know, none of us are Elie Chevieux. Still a nice anecdote)

[TobyD]

Cheerful book club interesting interviews with authors improbably presented by Ed Miliband who is considerably more personable on it than he is in politics,  hes actually quite a good interviewer.

The ones with Michael Lewis and Ian McEwan I've listened to so far are good.  Lewis especially.   

[IanP]

The People's Songs with Stuart Maconie is being repeated on BBC radio and first few episodes are available on BBC Sounds.  Fairly light social history of post war UK built around 50 songs - possibly depends on how you feel about Maconie but I really enjoyed it when originally out and am re-listening to it now.

Discovered by accident yesterday that all 50 episodes are available on Spotify despite not appearing on podcast apps,

[TobyD]

Don't know if its been mentioned before but Michael Lewis' podcast Against  the Rules is excellent. 

[IanP]

Don't know if its been mentioned before but Michael Lewis' podcast Against  the Rules is excellent.

I think we have similar tastes in podcasts! Agree Against the Rules is really good, second series has just started.

Talking Politics has just started a History of Ideas strand, first 2 were really interesting, some of it was a bit over my head and don't know enough to judge properly historical/philosophical accuracy but I thought it was a good listen.

[Will Hunt]

For fans of 13 Minutes To The Moon, the final delayed episode of series 2 is now up.

[TobyD]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000k2ts

Jeremy Bowen is one of the finest foreign reporters in the business.

[SA Chris]

https://high-adventure-podcast.blubrry.net/tag/pot-plane/

just listened to the 6 episodes of this, about the "pot plane" incident in Yosemite in the 70s. Not the best production, but worth a listen.

[Ged]

Recent Freakonomics podcast episode called "make your own luck" was great.  A woman who is a behavioural psychologist and became a professional poker player talking about what poker can teach you about decision making.

[Yossarian]

Recent Freakonomics podcast episode called "make your own luck" was great.  A woman who is a behavioural psychologist and became a professional poker player talking about what poker can teach you about decision making.

Maria Konnikova

I’ve got a couple of her books in the pile but haven’t read them yet...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Konnikova?wprov=sfti1

[duncan]

The Wind of Change. The premise is the eponymous power ballad from third rate German rock band Scorpions, a massive hit in Europe and Russia, was actually a PsyOps written on the behest of the CIA to hasten the downfall of the Soviet empire. Or there is a CIA urban legend to this effect. Or it’s all a ludicrous conspiracy theory.

It features a brief history of Cold War cultural propaganda, including Nina Simone and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s CIA activities, a massive anti-drug and alcohol concert in Moscow starring pinnacles of sobriety Motley Crue and Ozzy Osborne and a prime mover in the largest drug bust in US history walking free after an implausible plea-bargain. All good spy story fun. But it’s also about how propaganda works and the nature of conspiracy theories in Russia and the USA.

[dr_botnik]

Found some of the discussion in this radio 4 piece interesting https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000my6r

Particularly the notion of democracy needing to be practiced more regularly than once every 4 years at the ballot box: the act of working with people you don't agree with towards a common purpose is the purpose of democracy. Not too religiously done, which was perfect for an agnostic such as myself.

[TobyD]

Brave New Planet listened to the first proper one today, it is 75 minutes long, but absolutely brilliant.
It's essentially a documentary about deep fakes and digitally manipulated media, and its positive and negative aspects.
One terrifying expert says what keeps him awake at night is possibility of terrorist or hostile state creating film of POTUS saying he's launched nukes at Iran, and precipitating global war. Not, as he says, likely, but eminently possible, and the consequences would be catastrophic.

[TobyD]

The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly,  a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise.  Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting. 

[Fultonius]

The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly,  a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise.  Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.

I take it Blair is still lying through his teeth? Does he get pressed much on the dodgy dossier etc?

[Davo]

The History of England Podcast by David Crowther.

Can highly recommend this. I found English history boring at school but this has totally converted me. Some of the sections (especially around the wars of the roses) are like Game of Thrones.

[TobyD]

The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly,  a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise.  Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.

I take it Blair is still lying through his teeth? Does he get pressed much on the dodgy dossier etc?

It's rather more interesting than that. Have a listen and find out. 

[slab_happy]

Some of the sections (especially around the wars of the roses) are like Game of Thrones.

Oh yeah, I believe G R R Martin's acknowledged that the Wars of the Roses was a big big source of inspiration for GoT.

If you fancy some light shuddering, I recommend looking up some of the archaeology re: the Battle of Towton (potentially the biggest and nastiest battle ever fought on English soil). It went on for hours in a snowstorm, ended in a bloody rout with no prisoners taken, and people have been turning up bones (and the odd mass grave full of skeletons of people who'd been hacked to death) ever since.

(Excuse me, I am a bit of a Wars of the Rose nerd.)

[Davo]

Thanks for the heads up about Towton. Shall definitely check it out. Have just covered that part of the War of the Roses in the podcast!

[Davo]

The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly,  a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise.  Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.

On episode 3 of this. Really well done and very easy to listen to. Some really interesting perspectives and not just focusing on did Blair lie etc...