As recommended by: bballboyindhouse
Green Grid Radio is described by bballboyindhouse as a podcast that is able to “engage 20-something-year-olds with environmental topics in their day-to-day lives”. The podcast covers topics including hunger, food waste and clean energy from a perspective that observes the importance of environmental sustainability Photograph: PR
As recommended by: toesinthesand, SoundBoy42, carter101 and xck33I
Users who recommended Little Atoms each referenced the talk show's ability to broaden their intellectual horizons. The show is dedicated to the discussion of ideas for ideas' sake; host Neil Denny invites guests to discuss the ideas currently shaping the worlds of science, architecture, comedy, journalism, cartoons and many more bizarre and broad- ranging topics Photograph: Neil Denny
As recommended by: thisusernameistaken7 and johnmayflower
Hardcore History – according to johnmayflower and thisusernameistaken7 – takes an unusual yet deeply “enthralling” approach to figures and events in history. In this podcast, Dan Carlin explains and challenges various areas of history by asking unconventional questions about their characters and stories. Johnmayflower describes Carlin's work on this show as “well researched” and “beautifully narrated” Photograph: PR
As recommended by: Linda Anglin Yakush and Julia Furlan
KCRW's Strangers discusses our contemporary experience of strangers and strangeness – the strangers we encounter in our highly connected modern lives; the strangeness we have come to experience in this wild contemporary existence; even the strangers we can become to ourselves while in the throes of it all. Julia Furlan describes Strangers as an “excellent storytelling podcast” Photograph: PR
As recommended by: UsernameRequired
The Smartest Man in the World, hosted by Greg Proops, is recommended by a reader as “a weekly hour or so of live, off-the-cuff, vodka-powered musings”. The Smartest Man in the World's musings meander across all sorts of topics, including – but of course not limited to – jails, God, Camus, socialism and even eyeglasses Photograph: PR
As recommended by: slenderman
A compelling recommendation from slenderman describes Mixtape as “an Irish radio show that mixes ambient sounds and music with snippets of speeches, spoken word and ruminations by people such as Chomsky, Laurie Anderson, Edward Said and Gore Vidal” and further describes it as “quite beautiful” Photograph: Comstock/Getty Images
As recommended by: ffffound and ameliaposte
The Mental Illness Happy Hour is a weekly dedicated to the discussion of the mental illnesses and emotional afflications that affect so many people and yet are seldom openly discussed. Interestingly, the podcast is hosted by a comedian – Paul Gilmartin – who addresses the podcast to those who suffer from or are interested in the lived experience of mental illness, attempting to bring a sense of community and fluidity to the conversation Photograph: PR
As recommended by: Rickylee369, irishexile, grandchien and leerocketeer
Nerdist, hosted by Chris Hardwick, was very popular with users for its ability to bring humour and light-hearted insight into a broad range of contemporary issues. Chris Hardwick achieves this by interviewing characters such as comedians, actors, astronauts, wrestlers, his friends, video game creators and singers and allowing his discussions to flirt with all realms of conversational possibility Photograph: nerdist.com
As recommended by: Hilbert, SamuelSmiles and BlueJame
We Hate Movies features four comedians belonging to Private Cabin, a New York City-based comedy arts collective, who discuss an incredibly broad range of films and share their comedic and well-informed opinions on each. Hilbert recommends We Hate Movies for its impressive back catalogue of older films and for the hosts' enthusiasm in their commentary Photograph: PR
As recommended by: carter101 and bobo29
Carter101 describes The History of Rome as a “fun” and “fascinating” conduit through which to learn about the vast and twisted history of the Roman empire – the podcast is also described by one user as “quite the journey”. Host Mike Duncan, a political scientist by training, uses a series of weekly podcasts to trace the rise and fall of the empire with his witty narration Photograph: PR
