I never knew how much I needed the pub. It\u2019s been a joy to see friends there again. It has felt rather surreal too, especially when you haven\u2019t got much to catch up on because you all haven\u2019t done that much since you\u2019ve last seen them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Moon Under Water<\/strong><\/a>, a new podcast presented by John Robins and Robin Allender, celebrates all the things that make British pubs such a unique and special place, by inviting a guest to think up and describe their perfect one. As well as laying down the rules for what they consider to be perfect pub etiquette, guests have to choose their favourite two drafts, two bottles, two spirits and something called a \u201cwild card\u201d (draft wines are allowed) that this pub would serve. Nish Kumar was their first guest, who advocated that all pubs should have a worn out carpet: \u201cI need to see a surface that feels like it can take on and retain smells for up to 500 years. It\u2019s the richness of that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just been pubs reopening of course, but restaurants and various outdoor attractions too. We Built This City: Greater Manchester<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>featured an interview with Masterchef winner Simon Wood about restaurants and how the city rallied together. The National Trust<\/strong><\/a> has also restarted their podcast, which talks about their attractions across the UK. The Woodland Trust<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>has also released a new episode, exploring the best of their woods and forests across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Special Place<\/strong><\/a>, which launches tomorrow, features a well-known name heading to their favourite location, or a place that changed their life. Marcus Bentley, the voice of Big Brother, will be returning to the recording studio where he voiced his iconic narrations. BBC weatherman and drummer Owain Wyn Evans will be going on a hike around the Gower peninsula. And Rhiane Fatinkun, founder of Black Girls Hike (an organisation providing a safe space for Black women to reconnect with nature), heads out on her very first night hike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever you\u2019re up to, hope you have a relaxing and fulfilling weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GUESTS ON PODCASTS THIS WEEK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have heard a great guest on a podcast, please let us know! Fill in <\/strong>this form<\/strong><\/a> and it might get featured in an upcoming newsletter.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are our podcast picks for the week ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want your podcast featured, or you have a great recommendation, all you need to do is fill in this <\/strong>simple form<\/strong><\/a> and might get featured in a future newsletter.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before We Say I Do<\/strong><\/a> – <\/strong>An interesting spin on those podcasts hosted by two celebs in a relationship, this series features couple Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall trying out all different forms of relationship counselling. That\u2019s not because they\u2019re experiencing any major problem, but \u201cpeople leave it until it is too late to seek help,\u201d<\/em> says Van Outen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s surprisingly informative, because even though we talk about the benefits of being open with our mental health, we don\u2019t talk (or know) much about the variety of treatments that are available. Throughout the series Denise and Eddie try psychotherapy, psychosexual therapy, hypnotherapy and laughter therapy (I\u2019ll pass on that one). An episode I listened to was cooking therapy<\/a>, where food and cooking is used as a gateway into talking about relationships. Even a lack of cooking by one person, where one person cooks whilst the other does not, is a talking point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life Changing with Jane Garvey<\/strong><\/a> – <\/strong>Since leaving Woman’s Hour, Fortunately <\/em><\/strong><\/a>presenter Jane Garvey has been presenting this podcast where she interviews someone who has been through an extraordinary event. Two episodes are available so far, one about a man who got addicted to gambling, went into debt, stole 1.75 million euros from his employer and went on the run. The other is about a trainee doctor, Grace Spence Green, who was left paralysed after a man fell on her from several storeys above whilst she was shopping in Westfield, east London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the lifelong consequences, she does not hold any anger<\/a> towards the person who did that to her. \u201cPeople find that really hard to understand,\u201d<\/em> Green says. \u201cIt almost makes me sometimes second guess myself. Is there something wrong?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The man went to prison for grievous bodily harm, but she thinks that she wouldn\u2019t have given it much thought if he hasn\u2019t. \u201cI think if I had any anger directed at this man I would just feel miserable, because it would just turn into this bitterness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify’s Pick of the Week: Wrighty’s House<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrighty’s House returns this week and Ian Wright is joined by Jeanette Kwakye and Musa Okwonga to chat about how setting can affect performance after Jurgen Klopp’s comments about playing at Real Madrid’s Alfred Di Stefano Stadium. They also discuss the race for the end of season awards in England, including who might be crowned Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year, and speculate who might end up with the Golden Boot this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disgustomer Service<\/strong><\/a> – If you have worked in customer services it is guaranteed that you have been involved in some surreal situations. I remember, whilst working for a tea retailer, being asked whether I could recommend presents for someone called Debbie (someone I had never met). The weirder thing is, neither had the customer, yet I was supposed to exactly know what Debbie\u2019s favourite things were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this original idea by John Murray and Kirsten Rodrigues, listeners are encouraged to send in hilarious (and occasionally horrible) customer service experiences, either as a customer or as an employee. Stories include retail workers knowing the barcode of creme eggs off by heart because they never ever scan (I can vouch for that, the code is 5020 1600) and a story of a customer who wanted a refund for fuel because they put the wrong one into their car. You\u2019ll leave with more empathy to retail workers as ever, as well as a renewed commitment to always be nice to staff in future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here To Judge<\/strong><\/a> – <\/strong>A popular British experience is not to mention when someone has made a faux pas but then comment on it behind their back. This nifty little podcast, hosted by comedians Leila Navabi, Robin Morgan and Priya Hall, searches for a divisive problem shared on the internet followed by their crushing judgements, hence the title. The conversation swings from big relationship issues to the little ones, such as the ethics of the act time to roll away when you\u2019re cuddling under the sheets (and you\u2019re finding it a bit warm).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple more podcasts to mention before we go. The Breakup Monologues<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>is returning for two new episodes, with their first on Friday 23rd April. It\u2019ll feature an interview with Jessica Fostekew from the Hoovering<\/strong><\/a> podcast, talking about how porn misrepresents queer sex and the shifting attitudes of women in relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And podcast coming soon, made by the same people behind Dirty John<\/a> and The Apology Line<\/a>, will be looking into the\u00a0 Litvinenko poisoning and the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It\u2019s called British Scandal. We\u2019ll mention it right here when it\u2019s up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I never knew how much I needed the pub. It\u2019s been a joy to see friends there again. It has felt rather surreal too, especially when you haven\u2019t got much to catch up on because you all haven\u2019t done that much since you\u2019ve last seen them. The Moon Under Water, a new podcast presented by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n