This Week in Podcasting: The End of an Era

End of an era. 

Melvyn Bragg has stood down as the host of In Our Time. Radio 4’s deep dive into subjects in philosophy, culture, religion and history (all introduced with the quickest “hello” on radio) has been running for more than 1000 episodes since 1998. Bragg has presented every single one. 

With the entire back catalogue available on BBC Sounds (and with an eclectic range of topics discussed from experts ‘The Evolution of Lungs’ to ‘Catherine of Aragon’), the show has risen from the ‘death slot’ on Radio 4 on Thursdays to one of the BBC’s most listened to shows around the world. The programme, which features in-depth discussions with academics and experts without being simplified, also feels perfect for the podcast age, with a significant number of listeners under the age of 35.

The BBC are to announce the new host of In Our Time soon, and over the next few weeks the podcast feed will be highlighting some of his favourite episodes. It is a big hole to fill for whoever takes over, as the show relies on extensive preparation. “I enjoy what was called swotting in my day,” Bragg said in an interview with The Scotsman. “I get the notes late Friday afternoon for the following Thursday morning. I find all the spare time I can for reading, get up very early on a Thursday morning, have a final two hours of nervousness, and away we go.”

In other news, the new leader of the Green Party has started his new podcast Bold Politics with Zach Polanski, with his first guest the activist and commentator Ash Sarkar. On the opposite side of the political spectrum, The Spectator podcast has launched Quite Right!, hosted by their new Editor, Michael Gove, and assistant editor, Madeline Grant. Don’t say that in the podcast world there isn’t something for everyone.