Disclaimer: This is a very-much-reflecting-my-own-tastes beginner’s guide to podcasts. It’s not designed to be an exhaustive list but more of a representation of what I’ve personally enjoyed this year when walking to and from work.

Let’s start with the absolute basics.

What even is a podcast and how do I listen to one?

A podcast is basically a radio show you can listen to at any time. You can listen to a podcast by streaming it on your computer (as simple as hitting the play button on the podcast’s website), or by downloading it to your computer, phone, tablet or other device. Go here for more information.

Where should I start?

Start with Serial. It’s the most notable podcast of the past year, generating huge amounts of attention and media buzz, and it’s also an excellent introduction into the experience of listening to podcasts. All you need to know is that it’s an investigation into a fifteen-year-old crime, and each of the 12 episodes looks at another piece of the puzzle. (If you’ve already listened to Serial, check out our blog post about it here.)

If you’re interested in pop culture…

My two stand-out podcasts about pop culture discussions are NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and Slate’s Culture Gabfest. Both involve groups of three or four smart, funny people sitting around and chatting about films, television shows, books, art, essays and more.

NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour lives up to its name: it always, always makes me happy and usually makes me laugh. I particularly love the host, Linda Holmes, who is warm, funny and simply delightful. Slate’s Culture Gabfest tends to skew slightly more serious and more highbrow in tone and taste than NPR’S PCHH, and hosts some really fascinating discussions. I am always keen to hear their film critic Dana’s take on the latest movies.

If celebrities chatting to other celebrities is your jam, Alec Baldwin’s Here’s The Thing is hugely enjoyable. I really like one of his most recent episodes with Julianne Moore, and that’s a great place to start.

If you’re interested in real-life stories about people and current affairs….

This American Life (note: Serial is a spin-off of this podcast) and RadioLab are both treasure troves of fascinating stories and journalism. Their extensive archives will keep you going for a long time, and cover topics so vast and wide that it’s impossible to narrow them down (money, politics, space, colour, education etc.). Some of my favourites of This American Life include Switched at Birth, Harper Highschool Part One and Two and Number 1 Party School. Some of my RadioLab favourites include Lucy and Kanzi (a terrific companion piece for anyone who has read We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves) and Juicervose.

I also enjoy Lea Thau’s very intimate and compelling Strangers podcast. The episode Jenni Rowell: Life, Interrupted made me cry my eyes out.

WTF with Marc Maron technically could be listed under comedy (Marc Maron is a stand-up comedian) but his long interviews tend to be deeply personal and less focused on humour than getting to the essential truth of who someone is. Two recent episodes I would recommend are Marc’s discussions with Allie Bosch (of Hyperbole and a Half fame) and Jenny Slate (star of Obvious Child, one of my favourite movies of 2014).

If you love comedy…

There are so, so many comedy podcasts out there that it can be quite overwhelming. My advice is to keeping experimenting until you find the one that suits your own idiosyncratic humour needs.

My preferred go-to comedy podcast is How Did This Get Made? It’s a bunch of comedians sitting around discussing a bad movie. It appeals to me because a) I love bad movies and b) I was already familiar with the work of the comedians who host the show, and just the sound of their voices puts me in the mood to laugh. Recommended episodes: Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles (not only do they delve into the awfulness of the movie, they chat with one of the screenwriters who paints a very unflattering portrait of Paul Hogan), Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1, Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2, and Sharknado.

And more…

• History buffs: Stuff You Missed in History Class or Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
• Lovers of literature: New Yorker Fiction, Slate’s Audio Bookclub
• Australian: Kill Your Darlings, The Rereaders and Chat 10 Looks 3
• TV obsessives: FireWall and Iceberg
• Budding screenwriters and film nerds: Scriptnotes
• Gender politics: Double X Gabfest
• More bad movie discussions: The Flophouse
• More interesting true stories: The Moth

Nina Kenwood