10 podcasts to improve your commute and brighten your day

I just love podcasts. I listen to them basically whenever I'm walking anywhere, and I've built up quite the list now. These 10 are my favourites.

1. Woman's Hour

A confession: I used to feel a bit embarrassed about listening to Woman's Hour. It used to have a old, fusty image - may be it still does a bit. This is completely unwarranted though. I must admit I do zone out occasionally if they have guests on that don't really interest me, but they cover such a broad range of topical subjects - from serious discussions on genital mutilation and rape to YouTube culture and guilty crushes - I'm listening intently again before long. It's presented by Jane Garvey or Jenni Murray (I much prefer Jane as I find her funny and down to earth). The speakers are inspirational, clever and interesting - it makes you feel real solidarity for your fellow woman!

2. They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime

Like the rest of the world, I find true crime fascinating, and I like this podcast because it covers UK crime. Sometimes the US judicial system/terminology can be so confusing I struggle to get into a lot of US true crime stuff (to be honest, the second series of Serial just went completely over my head!) so this one makes a bit more sense. It covers stories that you will definitely have heard of in the news, and stories that were a bit less high profile. Probably not one to listen to when you're walking home from the bus stop in the dark!

3. My Dad Wrote a Porno

The hype is REAL - this one is can't-listen-on-public-transport-or-you'll-look-crazy funny. I'm sure you know the schpiel but in case you don't, Jamie Morton's dad (under his pen name, 'Rocky Flinstone') has written a series of erotic novels and Jamie reads them aloud with his friends James Cooper and Alice Levine, discussing it together as they go along. It is comedy GOLD - not only the erotic parts which will have you  c r i n g i n g to the max, the general dialogue and characters are so random you wonder what on earth goes on in Rocky's head. Stop what you're doing right now and download it.

4. The High Low

My current favourite. this podcast is presented by Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton who discuss high and low culture, from Brexit and President Macron to National Sandwich Week and The Met Ball. What I like about this podcast is that Pandora and Dolly's opinions are always so well thought out and articulate - even if I don't agree, they're always interesting and give you a unique perspective. They are also pretty funny, sometimes unintentionally, as my personal highlight being when Pandora thought that R Kelly was a member of The Lighthouse Family - that had me chuckling on the bus.

5. Elis James and John Robins

Elis James and John Robins are two comedians who also DJ on Radio X, and this is the podcast of their Saturday show. This podcast has quite the cult following - regular listeners are called 'podcast devotees', and if you've gone back and listened to every podcast from the beginning (Guiiiiilty!) you're a 'retro one-er'. It's kind of like a club - there are in-jokes, regular features (Humblebrag of the Week is my personal fave) and much fun to be had. Listen if you liked the style of former podcasts by Russell Brand, Josh Widdecombe or Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington.

6. This American Life

I love learning about America - I find the way that their society is in some ways similar to England yet in some ways so different fascinating. I like listening to different American accents and hearing stories that come from their holidays and traditions. You've probably heard of this podcast, as it's an oldie and a goodie - presented by Ira Glass it covers a different topic each time, then has different stories about that topic. So simple and it works so well. There's a huge back catalogue to listen to as well. 

7. At Home With...

This is a new podcast presented by blogger/YouTuber duo Lily Pebbles and Anna Gardner, who are two of my faves. They interview successful women in their homes, such as Jo Elvin, Terry De Gunzberg (founder of By Terry) and Lisa Eldridge. You can tell they've picked people they genuinely admire and want to talk to, as their enthusiasm shows through and makes the podcast a lovely listen. Hint - listen to this on the acast app as talk often turns to items in guests' homes and the app shows photos on the screen! 

8. Let's Discuss...

Another blogger led podcast, Let's Discuss is the brainchild of Ella (from Coco's Tea Party ,one of my favourite blogs EVER) and Monica (The Elgin Avenue). They discuss a wide range of topics from relationships and fitness to food and blogging, and their chats are very relatable and easy to listen to. Feels like you're having a chat with your friends, basically. They've just finished one series, and I'm looking forward to the next. 

9. Hashtag Authentic

I found this gem through a local blogger Facebook group that I'm part of. Sara from Me & Orla presents the podcast, and it focuses on offering advice and tips for bloggers, instagrammers and generally creative people. Her guests are always people who I've never heard of but always end up searching for and following afterwards, and she offers genuinely helpful hints. I've used them to totally up my Instagram game! A must-listen if you're a blogger and/or feeling any way unispired. 

10. Mystery Show

Last but definitely not least is this lovely, random little podcast, which in short, solves mysteries. Not Stranger Things style mysteries, but just weird little things that people who email her want to know; 'everyday msyteries'. For example, how tall is Jake Gyllenghall? Sounds like something you could just Google right? Apparently not - and the host Starlee Kine is so sweet and likeable, she makes it so much fun. There's only one series of this podcast, and I can't WAIT for it to return. Fingers crossed that it's soon.

P.S. I'm also partial to Limetown, Get It On, Oh Boy, Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People and Food Programme