{"id":493,"date":"2020-05-17T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-17T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greatbritishpodcasts.com\/?p=493"},"modified":"2020-05-18T08:50:17","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T07:50:17","slug":"podcasts-to-tune-into-while-social-distancing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatbritishpodcasts.com\/picks\/podcasts-to-tune-into-while-social-distancing\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcasts to tune into while social distancing "},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Next week is a\u00a0BIG<\/strong>\u00a0week in the podcasting world \u2013 we will be announcing the nominations for the\u00a0British Podcast Awards<\/a>\u00a02020. The awards, powered by Acast<\/a>, celebrate the very best in British podcasting, from true crime to wellbeing, from current affairs to comedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nominees, carefully chosen by an expert panel of independent judges, will be unveiled first on a livestream on the\u00a0@britpodawards<\/a>\u00a0Twitter page on Tuesday 19th May at 1pm. But if you happen to miss the announcement, there will then be a special edition of this very newsletter on Tuesday too! It will be featuring all of the nominations and links to their shows. The awards are due to take place in July, making it a perfect opportunity to start bingeing and back your favourite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, here are the podcasts that we are recommending this week, split according to whether they feature the coronavirus or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coronavirus Podcasts<\/strong>

Jacob Hawley\u2019s Job Centre<\/a> – The coronavirus has changed the way all work, and that\u2019s not just the fact that many of us are now working from home. Entire industries have been brought to a standstill, whilst key workers and certain industries have never been under more pressure. Fresh from the critically acclaimed series on drugs<\/a>, Jacob Hawley<\/strong> presents a new series finding out how different people\u2019s jobs and careers have been affected in the past three months, and asks whether it will ever return to what it was before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phone A Friend with George Ezra & Ollie MN<\/a> – I have always been a fan of this podcast, which literally consists of a phone conversation between George Ezra and his friend Ollie talking about what has been on their mind. Yet in the pandemic it has become even more essential, as they both open up about their mental health and how we can all collectively cope. Timely, as it is Mental Health Awareness Week next week too.

No Really, I\u2019m Fine. Mental Health Against Coronavirus<\/a> – The mental health podcast has been doing some interesting mental health perspectives on lockdown that I haven\u2019t given much thought about until now, from how body positivity has been affected by the lockdown to how nurses have been trying to stay positive<\/a> during difficult shifts. 

The Motherkind Podcast<\/a> – The coronavirus has also been particularly challenging for families, with many of us trying to balance looking after children whilst also making it seem that we are dedicating all of your working day to our employers. This podcast, hosted by Zoe Blaskey<\/strong>, looks at this incredibly challenging situation.

Coronavirus Newscast <\/a>– Finally, I found the BBC\u2019s daily coronavirus podcast very useful in explaining the changes<\/a> that came into force in regards to meeting others, working and exercising this week. They also point out the many strange loopholes in the rules (one of my favourites I\u2019ve learnt this week is that you can\u2019t see your parents in your own house at the moment, but if you decide to sell your house they can come round and view it without you being there.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve got a podcast suggestion for us (it can be your podcast, or one you like), you can fill in the form here<\/a>. Also, if you’ve seen a good guest on a show, or you know there’s someone good coming up, you can fill in our guest form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-Coronavirus Podcasts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harry Potter At Home<\/a> – A big week for fans of Potter, as stars associated with the wizarding world are reading out chapters from the book. Why? To help banish boredom. The series starts with Daniel Radcliffe <\/strong>reading \u201cThe Boy Who Lived\u201d<\/em> from The Philosopher\u2019s Stone, with Eddie Redmayne<\/strong>, Noma Dumezweni<\/strong> and Stephen Fry<\/strong> set to read future chapters. The podcast is biweekly and exclusively available on Spotify, but it doesn\u2019t matter whether you are a free or a premium subscriber. You can also watch the chapters if you fancy, on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swipe Left, Swipe Left<\/a> – None of us can date at the moment (unless socially distancing in a park is really your thing) but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t talk about an embarrassing dating story, or unusual anecdote about how we fell in love with someone. This excellent storytelling dating podcast, presented by Gavin Wong<\/strong> and Claire Crofton<\/strong>, has returned for a second series with a simple premise: an embarrassment shared is an embarrassment halved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scarlett Moffatt Wants to Believe<\/a> – A bit of nonsense. Scarlett Moffatt <\/strong>and her boyfriend Scott<\/strong> have launched a new podcast looking at the world conspiracy theories, working out whether any of them have any basis in reality. The joy from listening is not necessarily the topic of the podcast. It is Scarlett\u2019s enthusiasm, Scott\u2019s cynicism and the fact that they constantly try to undermine each other\u2019s argument. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking Out Loud with Konnie and Liz<\/a> – Ever met someone who works in a really interesting and cool career, but are then too afraid to ask them any questions about their job in case you sound stupid? You\u2019re not the only one. In this new series Konnie Huq<\/strong> and Liz Owens <\/strong>ask all the questions for you, with the logic that any no question is a stupid question. Recent episodes have included 101\u2019s on the world of politics with The Economist\u2019s<\/a>Anne McElvoy<\/strong> and the dark web and bitcoins with the Missing Cryptoqueen\u2019<\/a>s J<\/strong>amie Bartlett<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s some interesting guests on podcasts this week include…<\/p>\n\n\n\n