With most people spending an average of 60 minutes travelling to and from work, this one hour window is actually valuable time that we could be using to do something productive.
Now we’re not talking about sorting through your household bills or writing up that golden pitch, but rather using the time to learn something new, or to set yourself up mentally for the day ahead. At 8am on a Monday morning, reading a book on your crowded commute can be nigh on impossible; but listening to a podcast is most certainly doable,
and if nothing else, it’s a great way to add a bit of fun into your travel time.
We’ve rounded up five of the best podcasts to help you chill, stay updated with the world around you, and just have a good old laugh to ensure you start the day off right.
THE HIGH LOW BY DOLLY ALDERTON AND PANDORA SYKES The High Low is a pop culture podcast created by journalists Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton. This podcast focuses on highbrow culture, with discussions of news and current affairs, as well as celebrity gossip, weird trends and everything you like to discuss with your girlfriends over a brew. Major topics to date have included the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the recent Sex and the City feud, unconscious bias views from women towards other women, and the rise of ‘woman spreading.’ The High low is a real mixed bag that encourages you to think, discuss and most importantly, giggle. LOVE STORIES BY DOLLY ALDERTON This podcast is hosted by one half of The High Low, Dolly Alderton, who is a journalist and author of the newly published book, Everything I Know about Love. In the past, Love Stories has featured a myriad of delightfully engaging celebrities like Ruby Tandoh, The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby, Comedian Sara Pascoe, and writer, broadcaster and human rights development worker Afua Hirsch. Dolly asks each interviewee four questions based on the topic of love. What follows is insightful, personal and often funny stories about love, rejection, heartbreak and everything in between. TABLE MANNERS BY JESSIE WARE Hosted by soulful singer Jessie Ware and her lovely mum, Lennie, Table Manners is a podcast centred around food and cooking. Each week, Jessie and
Lennie invite round a different celebrity guest for dinner, and we get to eavesdrop on their conversations (and salivate over descriptions of Lennie’s home cooking!) Guests have included Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Sandi Toksvig and many more. But to be honest, we’d be happy if it was just Jessie and her mum nattering in the kitchen. Warning: do not listen if you’re feeling hangry! HAPPY PLACE BY FEARNE COTTON After a string of highly successful books on health and happiness, Radio 1 born Fearne Cotton is trying her hand at the world of podcasts with a new show called Happy Place. A fairly young podcast with just a few episodes to date, we’re excited to see where Happy Place goes after a very successful start. Guests so far have included Dawn French and Tom Daley talking us through life, loss and happiness. GEORGE EZRA AND FRIENDS BY GEORGE EZRA This singer-songwriter is perhaps better known for his velvety tones than his podcast, but George Ezra’s newest venture is another kind of treat for the ears. George Ezra and Friends racked up a mammoth 32,000 listens after just one episode. Ezra says that for him, “podcasts have been a welcome and comforting distraction from reality” and we think this hits the nail on the head. A great chance to let the mind wander from the worries of work and life, Ezra’s podcast has featured stars like Ed Sheeran (a podcast go-to, apparently), Hannah Reid of London Grammar and Craig David. We’re hooked.
