In the first episode, George Ezra<\/strong> talked publicly for the first time about his experiences with Pure O, or Purely Obsessional OCD. I\u2019ll let Ezra describe what it is like: \u201cWe all know OCD. We hear of extreme cases when people have to flick a light switch a certain number of times before they can leave the house. \u2026 Pure O is when you have the thought patterns and the intrusive thoughts without any of the physical actions to relieve them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt feels like you are testing yourself, \u2018in this situation, the worst thing you could think is\u2026.\u2019 and then you have that thought. Then you’d think, \u2018George, don’t have that thought again, and so you do. Then you think, if you’re somebody that can have that thought, does that mean you are this person?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not the first time that he\u2019s spoken up about his mental health (he also hosts a great podcast called Phone A Friend<\/u><\/strong><\/a> with his friend Ollie MN<\/strong>, covering a range of topics with no judgement), but the conversation he has with Elis and James is a special, honest one. They discuss the fine line between raising awareness by talking about your mental health and protecting your personal life, as well as how aspirational lifestyles can not live up to expectations: \u201cI think in many people’s eyes, I had that. But at the same time I was feeling the worst I’ve ever felt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can listen to the episode here<\/u><\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s some other guests on podcasts this week:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have listened to an interesting guest on a podcast recently, let us know by filling in this form<\/u><\/strong><\/a> and it might get featured in an upcoming newsletter. Mid\u2022Point with Gabby Logan<\/u><\/strong><\/a> – No that dot isn\u2019t a typo, that\u2019s the branding. This podcast is about the challenges, but most of all the opportunities that mid-life can bring. I couldn\u2019t get enough of the chat with Claudia Winkleman<\/strong> in the second episode. The interview starts with this highly relatable and aspirational anecdote about getting older: \u201cWhat I love about getting older is I didn\u2019t really like the things that you were supposed to do when you were younger and thank god I don\u2019t have to do them anymore,<\/em>\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t have to queue to get into a nightclub. Disgusting! I don\u2019t have to go to a drinks party and pretend I am enjoying myself. It means I don\u2019t have to wear tight, sexy outfits.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n They then discuss how age shouldn\u2019t result in a \u2018battle\u2019 to stay young (\u201cwhy do I want to look young?\u201d <\/em>Winkleman says. \u201cI looked worse in my twenties\u201d<\/em>). Their chat was refreshing, breaking the mindset of what you think being at that age is like (if you\u2019re not at that age yet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast<\/u><\/strong><\/a> – Media reports looking into what really happened behind-the-scenes at the BBC consumer friendly show This Time<\/em> have not slowed down in recent weeks, but such scandal hasn\u2019t stopped the broadcaster Alan Partridge<\/strong> from releasing his own podcast, which he recorded under lockdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It turns out that Partridge has been a listener podcast for a long while now, as he explained in an interview to his nemesis The Guardian<\/u><\/strong><\/a> last week (\u201cNothing beats settling down with a glass of wine and a plate of sandwiches to be entertained by the ins and outs of a man found battered to death in a hedge\u201d<\/em>). He\u2019s started his own to get closer to his fans, also because he\u2019s able to get round Ofcom regulations. It starts with an episode where he puts the record straight on a whole range of issues, in particular: Twitter trolling (\u201cI always felt better after I defamed someone after amending their Wikipedia page, but I\u2019m not proud of it.\u201d<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n FYI you need to be an Audible subscriber to listen to the podcast and you have to purchase it with one of your \u2018credits\u2019 (aka it\u2019s not one of their free podcasts). But you do get 18 episodes and more than six hours of Partridge material if you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masala Podcast<\/u><\/strong><\/a> – Sangeeta Pillai<\/strong>\u2019s British Podcast Award-winning Masala Podcast is now exclusively available on Spotify. Sangeeta was also one of the winners of the Spotify Sound Up<\/em> podcast accelerator in 2018, and season one of the podcast garnered rave reviews as well as an incredibly dedicated following. The podcast discusses taboos with a range of incredible South Asian women, and episode one of season two welcomes comedian Shazia Mirza<\/strong> as a guest. Futile Attempts (At Surviving Tomorrow)<\/u><\/strong><\/a> – How to describe this podcast? It\u2019s mightily tricky. It\u2019s done by Kim Noble<\/strong>, a performance artist and comedian. In this series, he\u2019s come to realise that he\u2019s screwed up countless times and is trying to make amends in his life, which results in him making yet more mistakes and getting himself in a deeper hole. It\u2019s hard to work out what is real and what isn\u2019t (his anecdotes are mixed in with recordings positioned under his coat talking to ordinary members of the public) and after a while, weirdly, you end up not minding either way. The best way to work out whether it is for you is by listening. It\u2019s also absolutely not suitable for younger ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VENT Weekly<\/u><\/strong><\/a> – What is it like to be a young person in such an unpredictable, anxiety inducing year? In this interesting series, a partnership between VICE UK<\/strong> and Brent 2020<\/strong> (the London Borough of Culture), young people in the borough were given microphones and the opportunity to talk about the subjects they care about, and were offered interviews with experts who can help provide them with some answers. By cutting out a typical interviewer in this way, you get a rawness and honesty you don\u2019t tend to see much in traditional forms of reporting. Also\u2026 just to keep it on your radar, the Tour de France<\/em> has kicked off (later than usual) so the ITV Cycling Podcast<\/u><\/strong><\/a> has picked up again, with reaction and analysis of each stage of the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are on the hunt for some more podcasts, I\u2019m back on Podcast Radio Hour on BBC Radio 4 Extra<\/u><\/strong><\/a> with Amanda Litherland<\/strong>, where we talk about and play excerpts of our favourite podcasts out at the moment (some of which have been featured in this email). These include the career series Media Tribe<\/u><\/strong><\/a> and Two Shot Podcast with Craig Parkinson<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, surreal comedy Poppy Hillstead Has Entered the Chat<\/u><\/strong>,<\/a> the deep dive and the haunting Hiroshima series, The Bomb<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Elis James and John Robins started the second series of their mental health podcast How Do You Cope? this week. In the first episode, George Ezra talked publicly for the first time about his experiences with Pure O, or Purely Obsessional OCD. I\u2019ll let Ezra describe what it is like: \u201cWe all know OCD. We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/gallery.eomail3.com\/664dfab9-4f4c-11e9-a3c9-06b79b628af2%2F1599299184799-midpoint.jpg\")
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[Chosen by Spotify]<\/em><\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/gallery.eomail3.com\/664dfab9-4f4c-11e9-a3c9-06b79b628af2%2F1599299620902-futile.jpg\")
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The first set of episodes looked into identity (such as how non-diverse universities impact Black, Asian and minority ethnic students). The newer, second set of episodes look into a myriad of issues young people face in relation to sex and relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n