The Podcast Hour

'The Soundtrack Show' looks at the role that music plays in creating the fictional universe in some of our favourite films. From Jaws to Star Wars, from Psycho to Jurassic Park...and beyond! We play a clip from the first of three episodes devoted to the first part of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of The Ring (2001), with a film score written by composer Howard Shore. And 'The Soundtrack Show' is hosted by David Collins.

Do you believe in aliens, or doubt that the Moon Landings ever took place? Me neither...but I didn't let that stop me from enjoying 'This Paranormal Life'! We share an excerpt from episode 67 of 'This Paranormal Life' called 'Murderous Bunny Man Escapes Asylum' presented by Rory Powers and Kit Grier.

For some reason Ben can't listen to one of his favourite podcasts, 99% Invisible with Roman Mars, on the car stereo of his Mazda. But why?! We play some of 'The Roman Mars Mazda Virus', episode 140 of 'Reply All' from Gimlet Media hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman.

Have you ever got an unexpected message or a social media notification from a name from your past? One day Stephen got a Facebook alert from somebody very special to him, who he'd lost contact with 27 years before. We share some of Carey Scheer's story 'The Only Hole In My Life' produced by Tegan Nicholls and Selena Shannon, as featured on the 'All The Best' podcast.

'When We Got To The Seventh' is a quirky fiction show [1:54-13:57], having fun with self improvement in 'Personal Best' [14:01-25:19], celebrating life's simple pleasures in 'The Pleasures of Brecht' [25:19-38:28], and where does the idea of pink for girls and blue for boys from? 'Every Little Thing' has the answer [38:28:-47:28].

Where did the idea of the colour blue for boys and pink for girls actually come from? It's a question listener Elle Ve poses on the 'Every Little Thing' helpline and it sends host Flora Lichtmann down a rabbit hole of discovery. We play some of an episode of 'Every Little Thing' from Gimlet Media called 'Pink for Girls, Blue for Boys - Why?', and the show is hosted by Flora Lichtmann and also made by Annette Heist and Phoebe Flanigan.

After years of exile from Germany through the Second World War, in 1954 the German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote a simple poem called Vergnügungen or a list of pleasures. 'The Pleasures of Brecht' is produced by Phil Smith who also composed the music (and recorded it in Brecht's house in Germany), and is a Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4, and it appeared in its 'Seriously...' podcast.

Have you ever wanted to be a better You?! 'Personal Best' is a Canadian show playing around with the expectations and the conventions of the self help genre. Your life coaches and spirit guides in this quest to be the best are Rob Norman and Andrew Norton. In an episode called 'How To Master The Art of Persuasion' they take on the case of Colleen, who's offered to sell her brother-in-law's paintings but has omitted to mention she's got zero experience and a naturally retiring personality! 'Personal Best' from The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is hosted by Rob Norman and Andrew Norton, and produced by Jess Shane and Yasmine Mathurin.

Emma Clarke is a voiceover artist and 'When We Got To The Seventh' is her fiction podcast that revolves around an encounter with a seventh something: it could be a marriage, a planet, even a victim. We play some of an episode called 'I'm Just A Very Maternal Person', written and performed by Emma Clarke and produced by Eddie Delag.

'Paradise': The unsolved murder of 2 British backpackers [1:45-13:30], 'The Cut on Tuesdays': Family money [13:31-29:38], Word nerds? Try 'Something Rhymes with Purple' [29:39-39:15] and designing a dream city in 'Nice Try!' [39:16-47:21]

Nice Try! is a 7-part series looking at the elusive idea of utopia- a perfect society or place- and how this concept's been interpreted at various points in history, from Hitler's plans for Berlin, to enclosed biospheres populated by environmentalists. And- spoiler alert- some kind of failure or disappointment usually awaits when the vision meets the reality! We share some of an episode about the city of Chandigarh in northern India, designed in the 1950s by the famous Modernist architect Le Corbusier at the request of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Nice Try! Utopian is hosted by Avery Trufelman and produced by Curbed and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Word nerds, Scrabble geeks, and language freaks are going to enjoy 'Something Rhymes with Purple'! Maggie Hough emailed me at pods@rnz.co.nz about it, as it's one of her favourite shows. It's an informative and amusing look at language hosted by two word nerds, Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth, who are also regulars on the long-running British quiz show 'Countdown'. We share an episode where they reflect on whips, filibusters, and some of the other strange expressions used around Parliament. And 'Something Rhymes With Purple' is hosted by Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth and produced by Paul Smith for Somethin' Else.

The Cut is the section of New York Magazine targeted at "women with stylish minds". Visit its website today and you'll find stories covering politics, relationships, work, and equality, alongside beauty, style and fashion tips. Its podcast 'The Cut on Tuesdays' covers similarly wide-ranging territory. We share some of an episode of 'The Cut on Tuesdays' (from New York Magazine and Gimlet Media) called 'Family Money', and speak to the show's host Molly Fischer about the show's approach to story telling.

Back in 1978 the bodies of two British backpackers were found in the sea off the Guatemalan coast in central America. It was obvious that Chris Farmer and Peta Frampton had been been murdered, but for nearly 40 years nobody was arrested over their killings. In 'Paradise', Stephen Nolan and Dan Maudsley try to get to the truth of who killed Chris and Peta. We play some of Episode 2 of Paradise from BBC Radio 5 Live called Death In Paradise.

Visiting a threatened Hawaiian ecosystem in 'Offshore', 'Judge John Hodgman' litigates domestic squabbles, classical music mysteries are uncovered in 'Case Notes', and the 'Outside' podcast considers what a healthy relationship with technology could look like.

Even if you worry about using your smartphone too much, the idea of simply unplugging or ditching it altogether just isn't an option for most of us. So how can we strike the right balance between our tech usage and important stuff like interacting with our family, friends and the world around us when we're not looking at a screen? It's a topic the 'Outside' podcast gets into in a new 4-part series called 'The Nature Cure'. In the first episode, Christopher Keyes speaks to digital minimalist Cal Newport, who wants us to radically re-imagine our relationship with technology.

Black magic, theft, grave digging, gruesome crimes...some of our most famous classical composers led dark and interesting lives. It certainly wasn't all powdered wigs and harpsichord recitals for genteel society! We share some of 'Haydn's Missing Head' from Case Notes hosted by Tim Lihoreau for Classic FM.

Next time you have a trivial disagreement don't just bicker and squabble about it, have it properly decided by a Minor Television Personality and self-certified 'fake internet judge'! That's the compelling appeal of 'Judge John Hodgman', a long-running show that involves the actor and writer John Hodgman adjudicating on real-life disputes that tend towards the minor and the mundane. In 'Open House Arrest' (produced by Jennifer Marmor for Maximum Fun), Eric is sharing loads of online real estate listings each day with his girlfriend Elena.

Only a select few visit the distant Hawaiian island group, Papahanaumokuakea. It's a massive but remote conservation area, covering ten islands and almost one million square kilometres of the Pacific. Nathan and Alana Eagle recorded a visit there for the podcast 'Offshore'. We share some of the episode 'Our Journey To The Last Wild Place' from the 'Offshore' podcast produced by Jessica Terrell and April Estrellon with field reporters Nathan and Alana Eagle.

A true crime parody in 'This Sounds Serious', 'Extremities' takes you to the world's most isolated places. Solving screen time struggles in the ABC's 'Parental As Anything', and reviewing every Black film ever made in 'The Micheaux Mission'.

Robert Monroe emailed us at pods@rnz.co.nz to tell us about his favorite podcast, "The Micheaux Mission". The show's name comes from the pioneering African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and in it hosts Len Webb and Vince Williams are on a mission to watch and review every single Black film ever made. We play some of 'The Micheaux Mission' episode about 'Daughters Of The Dust', an independent film from 1991 that's written, directed and produced by Julie Dash, and set on an island off the coast of South Carolina in 1902

How to manage screen time is a delicate topic in many households: like how much is too much? Are some screen-based activities better than others? And how can parents make sure they stick to the rules themselves and don't end up looking like total hypocrites!? The ABC's 'Parental As Anything' tries to find some helpful tips and solutions to everyday parenting dilemmas. And with research suggesting that children in Australia are spending 8 hours every day in front of a screen,the show's host, parenting educator Maggie Dent, asks digital wellbeing expert Dr Kristy Goodwin to tackle some of the challenges of raising kids in the digital age.

With 50 people, 75 buildings, and an occasionally dark past, Pitcairn Island's about as isolated as it's possible to get on Earth; more than 5,500 kilometres from New Zealand and just about slap bang in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. A new show called 'Extremities' finds out what it's like to live in some of earth's most remote and extreme settlements. And Pitcairn- this tiny British Overseas Territory with close ties to New Zealand- is the show's first stop.

'This Sounds Serious' is a comedy fiction show sending up the true crime genre and its conventions. In 'Missing Melissa', host Gwen Radford finds herself on the trail of America's most missing person: Melissa Turner's a 28-year-old from Idaho who goes AWOL so often she's earned the nickname 'Mel-issing'. Every other time it's happened she's shown up unharmed, but with Melissa going walkabout yet again there are fears that this time something sinister might have happened to her.

Featuring 'The Shrink Next Door', 'Inside The Comedian with David Reed', 'True Crime New Zealand' and 'Borrowed'.

'Borrowed' from Brooklyn Public Library in New York shares the stories happening between the shelves that hold the more than 4 million books in its collection. Like any good library it has reading recommendations, but it's not all about the books! Recorded in the library's own recording studio that you can book with your library card, 'Borrowed' also celebrates the other things libraries do for their communities...like helping to record and archive local history. We play some of an episode of Borrowed called 'Oil Spills and Moldy Paper' hosted by Krissa Corbett Cavouras and Felice Belle, and written and produced by Virginia Marshall.

A new locally produced true crime show- made by a husband and wife team in their spare time- has been rising up the New Zealand podcast charts to appear alongside big names like Joe Rogan, Stuff You Should Know, and The Daily. We speak to Sirius Rust (not his real name!) who initially thought that success would be getting just a few listeners.

Do you ever hear celebrity interviews that sound a little bit forced and scripted, like they're trotting out the same old answers to questions they've heard a hundred times before? If so, try a dose of 'Inside The Comedian' with David Reed. It's an interview show with a refreshing difference: the host and the guests all ad lib and make up the questions and the answers on the fly! We play extracts from two episodes of 'Inside The Comedian' featuring Max and Ivan and John Finnemore,hosted by David Reed and produced by Ed Morrish.

Doctor: patient, lawyer: client- there are some special relationships where we trust a professional to do the right thing and to act in our best interests at all times. The relationship between a psychiatrist and the person going to see them shouldn't be any different. But as 'The Shrink Next Door' shows, things can go badly wrong when we turn to the wrong person for help. We share some of Part 1 of 'The Shrink Next Door' called 'Welcome To The Neighbourhood' written and presented by Joe Nocera and produced by Wondery in partnership with Bloomberg.

'Revisionist History' challenges conventional wisdom. Then what humans can learn from the animal kingdom in '30 Animals That Made Us Smarter', 'The Beautiful Brain' investigates the link between head injuries and sport and music, fandom, and the creative process is explored in 'I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats'.

The Mountain Goats' front man, the singer and songwriter John Darnielle, talks about the songs on his latest album 'In League With Dragons' with the writer and podcaster Joseph Fink. Fink's long-running audio series 'Welcome to Night Vale' imagines life in the very strange desert town of Night Vale, through news reports, announcements and ads on the local radio station.

'The Beautiful Brain' (Audible) is a series about the brain and how it gets affected by the sports we play. The show focusses on the degenerative brain condition called CTE (short for chronic traumatic encephalopathy) which shows up in an increased risk of dementia, problems with memory, depression, aggression and personality changes. We play some of Episode 2 of 'The Beautiful Brain' called 'An Inconvenient Truth' featuring interviews with Dr Bennett Omalu, the man who made the breakthrough linking CTE to repeated blows to the head in sport back in 2002, and Ann McKee, the director of Boston University's CTE Center.

From designing better camouflage to making quieter trains, we humans can learn lots from the animal kingdom. This growing area of research- called biomimicry- is explored in a series called '30 Animals That Made Us Smarter' (BBC World Service).

With the fourth season of Malcolm Gladwell's popular show 'Revisionist History' (Pushkin Industries) starting this week, we share two past episodes. 'Divide and Conquer' tells the story of how a single punctuation mark could have changed the course of US history. And in 'Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis', Gladwell plays musical detective, enlisting the help of the musician Jack White to understand why Elvis Presley kept botching the lyrics to one of his most famous songs.

Getting to grips with death and bereavement, the problem with tiki bars, why parole fails, an obsession with escalators, and the challenge of designing Indian army rations.

Feeding an army during wartime's always been a huge logistical challenge. And those challenges were magnified for the Indian army in the Second World War. From an Indian podcast called 'The Intersection', which explores stories at the meeting point of culture, science and history, we share some of an episode called 'War And Peas'.

'People Movers' is a one woman passion project, an independent podcast mining a very particular niche: escalators! Lindsey Green was commuting through Melbourne station when she started noticing that some escalators seemed to be moving faster than others, depending on the time of day and how busy it was. So in her spare time outside her job in community radio she's researching this often overlooked form of public transport.

Parole- that intermediate step between prison and freedom- doesn't get much interest or positive coverage in the mainstream press. In the northeastern US state of New Hampshire, about half of all people on parole end up back in prison within three years. So in 'Supervision' (New Hampshire Public Radio) reporter Emily Corwin considers why parole goes wrong for so many people by following someone going through the process himself.

With their blend of kitsch decor, exotic drinks, hula skirts and loud shirts, nothing said fun quite like the tiki bars and Polynesian-themed cocktail lounges that sprang up in the US back in the Fifties and the Sixties. Paola Mardo's an audio producer based in California whose show 'Long Distance' tells stories about the Filipino diaspora. She first got interested in tiki bars when she found out about all the Filipino bartenders who got jobs at these drinking spots. She even did her university thesis about them! And with these bars now experiencing a bit of a revival, she reviews their problematic cultural heritage.

'Death: a podcast about love, grief and hope' (Newshub) is a new locally produced show, that tries to find some answers about how we can cope with grief, and how we can help others do the same. And the story's told by a man who's experienced incomprehensible loss himself. In 2011, Mark Longley's daughter Emily was murdered in England when she was 17 years old. This bewildering event, Mark's attempts to come to terms with it, and audio grabbed from home videos of the young Emily, give the show much of its emotional resonance and its driving force. But it's not just his story: he speaks to others who have lost loved ones in suicides, illnesses, accidents, and to old age.

Overthinkers unite in 'Adrift'. 'A Way With Words' explores interesting words and phrases. 'Brexitcast' gives you a behind-the-scenes view of Brexit. And 'Here Be Monsters' offers an anxiety-laden look into our fears.

Back in Ye Olden Days 'Here Be Monsters' is what map-makers are supposed to have written over unknown and unexplored parts of the world on their charts. It's also the name of an offbeat, arty show that describes itself as a podcast about the unknown. Producer Bethany Denton made 'Hypnosis of Hunger' after she found 2 old cassette tapes in a box in her basement- on them were recordings of childhood visits she made to a hypnotherapist to help with her disordered eating. In this powerful audio story she cuts between these old tapes and her own modern day musings. 'Hypnosis of Hunger' from 'Here Be Monsters' is produced by Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman for KCRW, and the show is edited by Nick White.

Listener Janet emailed pods@rnz.co.nz about Brexitcast, a show she's got addicted to that features some top BBC journalists explaining what's going on with Brexit. As Janet writes "... it's very back-room. And surprisingly entertaining if not funny". We speak to the show's producer Dino Sofos and play clips from two episodes of 'Brexitcast' to give you a taster. 'Brexitcast' is presented by Laura Kuenssberg, Katya Adler, Adam Fleming and Chris Mason, produced by Dino Sofos (and engineered by NZer Edward Swift among others!) for BBC Radio 5 Live.

'A Way With Words' is a long-running US phone-in show that answers listener questions about the origins and use of interesting words and phrases. For example, when do clothes become laundry? Where does the saying 'high and dry' come from? And how on earth should you pronounce turmeric?! This miscellany of mangled words and unusual sayings is led by two writers, journalist Martha Barnette and lexicographer Grant Barrett, with word quiz guy John Chaneski often popping up to pose little language puzzles for you to solve.

In 'Adrift', serial overthinker Geoff Lloyd and co-host and confidante Annabel Port pick over their listeners' social dilemmas and stories about their failed interactions with other human beings. The two hosts have an easy rapport and some of the deeply uncomfortable (and often minutely detailed!) stories of social awkwardness they share will have you simultaneously cringeing, and laughing out loud.

The podcast poet: 'Have You Heard George's Podcast?' aims for social change. 'Backlisted' brings new life to old books. 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' introduces online haters to their targets. Finally, 'Words To That Effect' looks at how big ideas enter the popular imagination through books and film.

'Words To That Effect' looks at how some big ideas enter the popular imagination through books and film. Zombies, overpopulation, steampunk and imaginary countries are just some of the topics covered by the Irish writer and researcher Conor Reid and we share an excerpt from an episode called 'Dinosaurs: Palaeontology To Pyjamas'.

In 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' the actor and activist Dylan Marron speaks directly to the people making hateful comments about him (and others) online. Four years ago Colleen tweeted "I'm not sure I hate any celebrity the way I hate Amanda Palmer". So of course Dylan engineers a conversation between Colleen and Amanda, a popular musician and writer who you might know from her band The Dresden Dolls! Episode 27 of 'Conversations with People Who Hate Me' is called 'I Hate Amanda Palmer' and is created and hosted by Dylan Marron for Night Vale Presents.

'Backlisted' takes neglected books and gives them new life for the modern reader. It's a bit like a clever book club where everyone does all the reading! The show's hosted by Andy Miller and John Mitchinson (who spent lots of time here in New Zealand growing up). We speak to John about how the podcast's getting people to buy more books, and play an extract from the episode about Angus Wilson's novel 'Hemlock and After', featuring guest Dickon Edwards.

Can a podcast be a vehicle for social change? Spoken-word poet and social commentator George Mpanga – aka George The Poet – explores that question in the unique, award-winning show Have You Heard George's Podcast?

'The Document' explores how to cover a free solo climb of a 1000 metre vertical rockface, and speaks to the doco maker who profiled a homicidal African dictator. 'The Untold' takes listeners right Into the middle of life-changing stories. Finally, 'Nancy' presents a variety of stories about "queer experience today".

'Nancy' is a show that, to use its own words, offers "...stories and conversations about the queer experience today". Hosted by two friends- Tobin Low and Kathy Tu- it's a warm, funny, frequently moving look at people at various stages along the road towards accepting who they are, and who they want to be. 'Perfect Son' is Jason Kim's story from 'Nancy' hosted by Tobin Low and Kathy Tu, and produced for WNYC Studios by Matt Collette and Jeremy S. Bloom.

Imagine getting right into the middle of a true story developing around you while you're listening. That's the narrative approach taken in' The Untold', a BBC show telling stories about life in modern Britain. Its team of producers seem to have a super power! They're able to find people going through significant life events, and persuade them to talk about it all while it's still happening. We play some of an episode called 'Be My Baby' from 'The Untold', presented by Grace Dent and produced by Sarah Bowen for BBC Radio 4. We also speak to Sarah Bowen, who's been working on the show since it started 3 years and about 100 episodes ago, about The Untold's distinctive approach to audio storytelling.

'The Document' (KCRW) mashes together the worlds of documentary film and audio. In interviews with some of the world's top documentary makers, it uncovers great stories about how they do what they do; for example, how they get access to their subjects, or manage their sometimes difficult relationships with them. We feature two clips: 'The Yellow Laugh' is all about the challenges facing film-maker Barbet Schroeder in 1974 in the making of "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait", about the Ugandan dictator whose brutal regime caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the small East African country. Then Matt Holzman speaks to the directors of 'Free Solo' about one man's death-defying attempts to solo climb the famed 1,000 metre vertical rockface El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park. 'The Document' from KCRW is hosted by Matt Holzman, who produces the show with Sara Pellegrini and Mike Schlitt.

50 years on, '13 Minutes to the Moon' reconsiders the moon landing. 'Studio 360' presents the life of an opera extra. 'Running from COPS' asks if the world's longest running reality TV show can really be considered true, fair, and accurate. Finally, 'The Parenting Spectrum' offers insights into living with autism.

Finding out that you or someone you care about is on the autism spectrum is a lot to get your head around; for families, loved ones and for the person themselves. Fiona Churchman and Travis Saunders got a diagnosis for their son Patch when he was just a toddler. Patch is now a 9-year-old and in 'The Parenting Spectrum' Fiona and Travis explore what autism is and what Patch's experiences have taught them. We play some of Episode 1 called 'Diagnosis' from 'The Parenting Spectrum' presented by Travis Saunders and Fiona Churchman, featuring Patch and produced by Jennifer Lenman for ABC Audio Studios.

COPS is the longest running reality show in TV history. The format's simple. Cameras follow police officers on the beat as they catch and arrest baddies. Thirty seasons in there's now more than 1000 episodes, a new half hour show comes out every week, and repeats play everywhere TV is watched. But is the 'reality' this pioneering show presents a true and accurate portrayal of modern policing? Well not so much, according to Dan Taberski and his Headlong team. They follow the wildly popular 'Missing Richard Simmons' and last year's 'Surviving Y2K' with the final part of the Headlong trilogy called 'Running From COPS'. We play some of episode 1 'The One-Celled Amoeba' from 'Running from COPS', hosted by Dan Taberski and produced by Henry Molofsky.

'Studio 360' is a show about culture and the arts featuring stories about, and interviews with, the people writing or making some of the biggest plays, books, films, and music today. We feature some of an episode were host Kurt Andersen introducing Iggy Berlin who shares details of his life as an opera extra, or supernumerary.

Almost 50 years ago, in July 1969, the US astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong went to the Moon on Apollo 11 and then all safely came back to Earth again. A new BBC series called '13 Minutes To The Moon' reconsiders the moon landing and how close it came to failure. We play some of Episode 1 called 'We Choose to Go' and speak to the show's host, Kevin Fong. '13 Minutes to the Moon' is presented by Kevin Fong and produced by Andrew Luck-Baker for the BBC World Service.

Searching for scientific consensus on 'Science Vs', investigating the male domination of the tech industry in 'A Job For The Boys', and 'The Intersection' records life from a street corner in Silicon Valley.

'The Intersection' camps out on a street corner in Silicon Valley, close to Google's HQ, to meet the tech workers living in camper vans. We play some of 'Homeless in Googleville' from Season 2 of 'The Intersection' produced and presented by David Boyer for KALW.

Why, when and how did the tech industry get so blokey? What are the consequences of having a male-dominated technology sector? And how are people trying to change things? These are some of the questions Mary Ann Sieghart tries to answer in 'A Job For The Boys', a BBC Radio 4 documentary produced by Sarah Bowen.

'Science Vs' cuts through the trends, the fads and the opinions to get to the real science behind everything from vaccinations to fasting diets. We play an excerpt of the 'Science Vs' episode 'Fasting Diets: What's The Skinny?' from Gimlet Media, and speak to the show's Australian host Wendy Zukerman about how she got headhunted to go and make the show in New York.

'Scene on Radio' presents a powerful history of Whiteness and race; audio rich stories from the Middle East in 'Kerning Cultures'; 'The Food Chain' from the BBC looks at the history of product placement in TV and film; and Malcolm Gladwell and Rick Rubin talk to famous musos in 'Broken Record'.

In 'Broken Record' the writer and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell teams up with legendary producer Rick Rubin for longform interviews with famous musicians about their life in music. We share excerpts from two shows. The first features the DJ and drummer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (better known as Questlove or ?stlove). The second comes from a conversation between Malcolm Gladwell and Rick Rubin about the latter's work producing several Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' albums (including 'Wildflowers') in the early Nineties.

With ad blockers, premium streaming services, and set top recorders, it's never been easier to avoid the adverts in the films and shows we enjoy. So product placement- getting that thing you're trying to sell on screen, or even better into the hands of one of the main characters- is getting more important. The Food Chain from the BBC's World Service looks into the past, present and future of product placement as a way of advertising what we eat and drink in an episode called 'Is Product Placement Getting in Your Face?' presented by Emily Thomas.

'Kerning Cultures' is a podcast showcasing interesting audio documentaries from the Middle East. We share an example from Dubai called 'A Cinema, Demolished' which charts the history of the city's The Plaza Cinema, an important community hub that was torn down for a new development in 2015.

Over 14 episodes of 'Seeing White' from 'Scene on Radio', former radio reporter turned academic John Biewen enlists prominent historians, thinkers and writers (including his friend Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika) to take the idea of 'Whiteness' in modern US society, and explore where ideas about race come from, and what they mean today.

Freddie Mercury is one of the inspiring figures explored on 'Great Lives', 'WTF with Marc Maron' hits 1000 episodes, 'Movie Reviews in 20Qs' is a film podcast made in a Bay of Plenty garage, and 'The Pineapple Project' wants to help you crush work meetings.

Ever wanted to be happier, wealthier, fitter, more productive...an all-round better version of You? Well if you do, there's a podcast for that! NPR's Life Kit series, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and WorkLife with Adam Grant are just a few popular examples in this self help genre. With The Pineapple Project, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation also aims to get in on this self improvement vibe. Season 1 tackled money issues and Season 2 takes on work- from nailing job interviews to networking and dealing with a horrible boss. We share an episode all about work meetings- why so many people hate them, and what you can do about it. The Pineapple Project from ABC Audio Studios is presented by Claire Hooper and produced by Karla Arnall with sound engineering from John Jacobs, featuring Donna McGeorge and Virginia Trioli.

What happens when a Kiwi couple invite friends over to their garage to ask each other some funny, poignant and just-plain-weird questions about a newly released film? The podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Qs.

The podcaster, standup comedian and actor Marc Maron has been recording his show WTF in his garage for almost a decade, and has recently celebrated its 1000th episode. In it Maron and longtime producer Brendan McDonald pull back the curtain on their production process, and reflect on their friendship and creative partnership. There were some great stories, lots of listener emails, and some moving moments too.

'Great Lives' is a biographical show from the BBC where notable guests choose somebody who's inspired them, and tell host Matthew Parris why. In our featured episode the comedian and TV star Matt Lucas is joined by Freddie Mercury's biographer Lesley-Anne Jones, to explain why the Queen frontman has always been a source of inspiration.

'Blackout' presents a fictional world without power, 'Wild Dunedin' meets the animals of Otago, 'Against The Rules with Michael Lewis' examines fairness in modern society (and why referees are getting so much stick), and 'NB' explores non-binary life.

People use the term 'non-binary' when they don't identify as completely male or completely female. 'NB' offers a first person account of what living as a non-binary person feels like.

In a new podcast called 'Against The Rules', author Michael Lewis looks at the idea of fairness in different walks of life...in law, the media, the financial markets, and in sport...and asks why the 'referees' in all these areas seem to be under attack. In the first episode called 'Ref, You Suck' he visits the NBA's Replay Centre in Secaucus, New Jersey- the place where every pro basketball referee's decision gets scrutinised (and if necessary over-ruled) by other referees on 110 TV screens in real time during each NBA game. 'Against The Rules with Michael Lewis' is edited by Julia Barton for Pushkin Industries.

The 'Wild Dunedin' podcast tells stories about the wild things, large and small, that live around the city. For example, the southern right whale used to be a common sight- and sound!- around Dunedin and Otago Harbour. 19th century whaling pushed the species to the brink of extinction, but now there are signs that local populations could be rebounding. We play some of "Whale-come Home?" from the 'Wild Dunedin' podcast presented by Dr. Claire Concannon of Otago Museum, and DOC conservation biologist Jamie McAulay.

'Blackout' is a new fiction podcast looking at what could happen if power went down across the entire US. So imagine a world where mobile communications and the internet fail, and where news is hard to come by. How would we cope? And what communities would we form to survive? The Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek plays a local radio DJ in New England trying to make sense of what's going on. And dramatic sound design helps take you straight into the action. We play some of Episode 1 of Blackout called 'Pilot' written by Scott Conroy, directed by Shawn Christensen, starring Rami Malek, and produced by Endeavor Audio and QCode.

Going into a downward spiral on the BBC's Short Cuts, Out of The Blocks is telling street stories from a gritty city, and ordering dream dishes in an imaginary restaurant in Off Menu.

If you could eat anything at all...anything...what would your dream meal be?! It's the simple question that British comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster pose to their guests in 'Off Menu', as they ask diners at their imaginary restaurant to choose their favourite starter, main, side dish, drink and dessert. James Acaster and Ed Gamble speak to Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge on the 'Off Menu' podcast, produced by Plosive Productions.

Baltimore in Maryland (Population: 611,000) is the birthplace of baseballer Babe Ruth and of the US national anthem 'The Star Spangled Banner'. It's a historic port and manufacturing centre, with more heritage buildings per capita than any other US city. But Baltimore's also got an unwanted reputation for crime, drugs and violence. 'Out Of The Blocks' started up as a short audio project 6 years ago: an experiment to collect stories by chance, and to capture the distinctive sounds of individual city blocks. We play some of an award-winning episode of the show called 2100 Edmondson Avenue and speak to host and creator Aaron Henkin, who makes the show with photographer and musician Wendel Patrick.

You encounter a rude shop assistant, there are fireworks in your neighbourhood at what is quite clearly the wrong time of the year, or the parking space you had your eye on is lost because somebody cuts in front of you...have you ever let yourself stew on something?! Going into a bit of a downward spiral is the theme of a recent story called 'The King and I' by Natalie Kestecher on the BBC's 'Short Cuts', produced by Eleanor McDowall and presented by Josie Long (a Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4).

'Switched On Pop' goes deep on some of today's biggest hits, with musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding joined by a musical guest. We share a couple of clips: one (with guest K.Flay) about Ariana Grande's 2016 hit 'Into You' and the other where Janelle Monáe's hit "Make Me Feel" is dissected with with guest Lizzo.

Some people worry that technology could be changing the way we read. So are we all becoming skimmers and headline grasping multi-taskers, losing our ability to concentrate on a long form article, or to read a whole book?! It's a topic tech journo Manoush Zomorodi gets into in the IRL podcast from Mozilla, in an episode called 'TL;DR' (an acronym for Too Long; Didn't Read) with journalist and author Derek Thompson, Ernie Smith of Tedium, and librarian Nancy Pearl.

The English language is full of weird and wonderful words and 'The Allusionist' (Radiotopia) delights in finding the stories behind them and discovering how we're using language today. We share some of episode called 'Yes, As In' that speaks to people with unusual names, and chat to host Helen Zaltzman about her podcasting past, and what it's like to take the show on the road (she's in New Zealand next week for 3 live shows).

Getting to grips with language in 'The Allusionist', the 'IRL' podcast asks how technology's changing the way we read, and 'Switched On Pop' goes deep on today's biggest pop hits.

It's a far out true story featuring New Age thinking, The Space Race, dream telepathy, the Grateful Dead, and ESP. With the world living under the threat of nuclear attack, the idea was to bypass Cold War diplomats and the censors and link up people in America and Russia using two-way satellite link-ups called "Spacebridges".

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by the American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft is a story that only got published after his death. Now it gets a modern makeover 90-odd years after it was written and gets re-told like a true crime podcast, using conventions listeners will be familiar with from shows like Serial and S-Town.

In 'Chat 10 Looks 3' two well-known Australian journalists and media personalities- Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb- share their friendship, and details of their lives outside work. We play some of Episode 80 of Chat 10 Looks 3 called The Frump Nightie, with Annabel Crabb about to head off to a party and Leigh Sales wearing that well known item of clothing, the Frump Nightie!

Twenty Thousand Hertz is the highest frequency the human ear can hear. It's also the name of a podcast for anyone who's interested in why things sound the way they do. Host Dallas Taylor's a sound designer and studio engineer who mixes TV shows, video games, and films. And each episode takes you "behind the world's most recognisable and interesting sounds", so its back catalog of 60-plus episodes covers topics like movie trailers, Siri, muzak, ASMR, and noise pollution. We share a few examples about cartoon sound effects, sonic branding, and sounds in space.

Stories in sound from Twenty Thousand Hertz, broadcasting banter from Chat 10 Looks 3, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and a story of DIY alternative diplomacy in Spacebridge.

The US talkshow host Conan O'Brien worked as a comedy writer for Saturday Night Live and on The Simpsons before getting his own show back in 1993. In November he started his podcast 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' and we play some of his interview with the actor, jazz musician, and Renaissance Man, Jeff Goldblum. 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' is produced by Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley, and thanks to Matt and Adam Sachs for helping us to share it.

RNZ colleague Kim recommended a podcast she's enjoying called Paname. All about Paris, it uncovers the city's hidden histories, exploring all manner of strange and interesting stuff about the French capital, and the people who have lived there. The show's made by Amber Minogue who's from England but who's lived in Paris for the past 18 years. We play some of Episode 7 of Paname called La Guillotine.

It began as a bit of a joke. The writer and journalist Jon Mooalem started recording the walks he took near his home on a wooded island in the north western US. All you can hear on his podcast 'Walking' is the sound of his footsteps, and his breathing (plus the odd ad). But with some industry buzz and new listeners finding the show, people have started looking for meanings in what he's doing. Is 'Walking' some kind of mindfulness tool? Or with Jon's interest in nature, is it a coded environmental message? We speak to Jon Mooalem to find out.

His children's books have sold more than 25 million copies in just 10 years. As well as being a writer, he's an actor, comedian, talent show judge, and a long-distance swimmer: so is there anything that David Walliams can't do?! Well now he can add 'podcaster' to his CV too, with 'David Walliams' Marvellous Musical Podcast' from Classic FM.

Crew members on giant container ships crossing the world are singing karaoke to combat homesickness and loneliness. Richard Scott checks out a recent BBC programme that allows listeners rare access to one of these super-sized ships – and the sounds overheard onboard.

Karaoke battles on giant container ships, David Walliams wants to get more kids into classical music, a show that's just one guy going for a walk, a Parisian podcast telling the French capital's hidden histories, and talk show host Conan O' Brien chats to some of the biggest names in showbiz to see if they'll be his friend.

From the outside, it looked like the perfect marriage. Dan was an Ivy League-trained lawyer and academic who seemed to be on the fast track to success when he met Wendi, another bright and accomplished lawyer with aspirations to write a novel. The couple married, moved to Florida, and had children. But then things started going wrong: Wendi moved out with the kids while Dan was away at a conference, they got divorced, and things turned nasty. Then one of them ended up dead, murdered at their own home. 'Over My Dead Body' from Wondery puts journalist and writer Matthew Shaer on the trail to find out what really happened after the couple's break-up. We play some of Episode 1 of Over My Dead Body called The Husband.

Long, long ago, in a time before bagless vacuum cleaners and Marie Kondo, sweeping with a brush was the best way we had to tidy up the places we work, rest, and play. To this day, some people still derive pleasure from the simple act of using a brush or a broom. And perhaps because sweeping is such an everyday, commonplace activity it's got symbolic, even spiritual, meanings attached to it in many cultures too. All this gets explored by host and poet Imtiaz Dharker in a BBC doco called 'Sweeping The World' produced by Emma-Louise Williams, a Loftus Media production for the BBC World Service (discovered via The Documentary Podcast from the BBC).