My Top Ten Podcasts

Who remembers their first podcast? I can't remember mine, but I got an iPod Nano around 2005 and think it would have been not long after. I suspect it would have been a football one, but something inside me says comedy. Anyway, here are my top ten podcasts from past and present. The top 4 are in the right order, the rest I'm not so sure with. The more recent stuff I'm just getting in to (This American Life) may get a mention in the future.

10: Mayo and Kermode's Film Reviews - Their frank and honest analysis of the Sex and the City movie was a work of art.

9: Adam and Joe - I liked their XFM ones over the BBC 6 Music ones, very silly.

8: Al Murray - Probably the worst editing ever, but the brutality added to the comedy in my opinion. The oi oi pub landlord character is looking a bit tired and work out these days, but in 2007 is was more fresh.

7: TIME's Top 100 Albums - A musical education if anything.

6: Edinburgh University Enlightenment Series - This saved me reading a lot of books on the Scottish enlightenment, the one by Tom Devine is exceptional despite his over-articulation of words at times.

5: Exploring Environmental History - Providing environmental history material to the masses; you get them when interviews become available. Sometimes they are over the phone or over Skype which makes it a bit amateurish, but you know you are getting to know more on up-to-date research.

4: Russell Brand - Like Adam and Joe, the best ones were from 6 Music; irreverent nonsense, wonderfully delivered.

3: 5-Live's World Football Phone-in - A recent addition, wonderful to hear discussion on football which is engaging, enlightening and not a whiney rant on the English League by rank pundits.

2: Football Weekly - From the Guardian, presented by James Richardson of Italian Football fame, sometimes the pundits get on my nerves but you get a good hour and a half every week.

1: Off the Ball - Taken from the BBC Radio Scotland show on a Saturday, presented by Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove, this is sel-classified as a load of nonsense. The funny side of football is on the agenda, and regularly some of the guests are top drawer. Some of it shouldn't be on the radio on a Saturday lunchtime, but it helps keep it on its toes!