Working From Home, We’re Obsessed with Podcasts

Are you listening to podcasts yet? Well neither was I until fairly recently, aside from the occasional one on youtube about a matter I was particularly interested in, on that specific day, I had never given podcasts that much thought. I always believed that if I needed information about something, the best place to get the information would be an article or a book. In fact it wasn’t until the start of lockdown that I truly harnessed the power of the podcast. After seeing an advert from ITV and BT promoting podcasts, how to use them and how they can benefit you during lockdown, I decided to look into them and the rest is history as they say.

During these times, with half the nation furloughed and the whole nation bound between their four walls, there has never been a better time to broaden your knowledge and podcasts are the perfect way to do this with podcasters producing content every week based around literally any topic ranging from lifestyle, arts, music and style all the way to politics, business, education and technology. There are even weekly podcasts dedicated to things like murder mysteries or general chit chat’s. The possibilities literally are endless, you genuinely won’t be able to run out of things to listen to. So without further ado, we give you our favourite podcasts to listen to right now from the 1st option team to you.

First up we have Sophia and her choice ‘Women’s Health “Going for Goal”’. As a fitness fanatic obsessed with all things health and wellbeing, I was delighted to discover a recent Series launch by Women’s Health Magazine, “Going for Goal”. Senior Editor Roisin Dervish-O’Kane takes you through popular wellbeing topics including nutrition, health and emotional wellbeing. The episodes are around 30 minutes each and have at least 1 guest speaker, my favourite so far has to be Dr Hazel Wallace’s appearance on “How to Meal Prep And Spend Less on Food.” There is already a wealth of content available, which is great for those (like me!) who air on the side of inpatient, recent episodes include special COVID-19 content including beating the working from home burnout.

Moving on we give you Kate’s first choice, ‘You must remember this’. For years I’ve only listened to one podcast since it’s my absolute favourite. ‘You Must Remember This” is a podcast exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. As a huge fan of film, it’s amazing to hear the stories behind the films and the stars that I love. There are seasons on the silent era, old Hollywood blondes like Marilyn Monroe and Jean Harlow, the corruption of MGM studios, the Manson Murders and individuals like Madonna, Joan Crawford and Frank Sinatra. The host, Karina Longworth’s voice takes some getting used to but once you have you really sink into the amazing, well researched stories.

Taking you slightly more towards the fashion and lifestyle industries our next choice was ‘Dressed: The History of Fashion’. As someone who is incredibly interested in fashion and clothing, in general, this was a no brainer for me, and hopefully something that you could really while the hours away with, learning about the fascinating and complex history behind the clothes we wear today. Launched by HowStuffWorks, the podcast delves into the social and cultural constructs around the why, who, what, when and wear around clothes. Some episodes explore the origins surrounding our favourite fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Coco Channel and Yves Saint Lauren while others dive into dress codes and why certain groups have an affiliation with that certain style of dress. For example, one recently was on the tradition of prom in the united states and the formation of the teenage obsession with it. After all, many subcultures and even cultures themselves have their roots and ideologies surrounded by dress sense and style so learning about fashions origins and how it links to culture, is a truly compelling and a must listen.

Next up Nina-Jade takes you back to the world of film with her choice, the exceptional ‘Scriptnotes’. As someone who has been acting my whole life and completely obsessed with acting and the whole industry, educating myself through a light hearted medium was something I had been longing for for a while. When I stumbled across Scriptnotes a few years ago it opened my eyes massively and with hundreds of episodes ready and waiting there are endless hours of content covering all aspects of screenwriting and the film industry more generally. Hosted by John August, the screenwriter behind countless Tim Burton films, and Craig Mazin who wrote The Hangover films, the podcast offers precious tips on the sweet science of screenwriting and how to crack Hollywood as well as some stellar interviews with Hollywood’s elite for good measure. I would recommend Scriptnotes in a heartbeat if you are interested in films and acting, the hosts genuinely care about educating and inspiring the listeners so give it a listen and you wont be left pondering about time wasted.

Another fascinating podcast I have been completely engrossed with in recent months is Desert Island Dishes. The captivating podcast is based on the ever famous radio 4 show Desert Island Discs, swapping out music for food. They aren’t currently making new episodes, however, there is enough of a backlog to keep you going for months. Hosted by chef and cookery writer Margie Nomura, the podcast invites a whole range of chefs and celebrities to choose five dishes that have changed their lives. It is truly fascinating to learn about such a diverse range of cooking styles, techniques and ingredients. If you are a foodie like me then this is also a must listen!

So there you have it, five incredible podcasts covering a wide range of topics that are ready and waiting for you to sink your teeth into. Give it a go and you won’t be let down!