We all know the deal: many quality podcasts are not timeless. It can be hard to catch up with episodes that focus on the news of its day or podcasts about a subject that is no longer relevant. But never fear! Edge writers have collected below a few podcasts that are good for any day or time, perfect for your 2021 listen-list.
Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein
“We are born. We die. In between, we watch a lot of films. And some of these films shape the people we are. This is a podcast about those films.”
Discussing films is not exactly a novel thing, you can find hundreds of podcasts with discussions from film stars, filmmakers and film critics – yet Goldstein’s series offers a unique take on the heavily populated genre. Films To Be Buried With puts a fresh spin on the classic radio programme Desert Island Discs, BBC Four’s flagship show, taking the concept of personal treasures and replacing this with questions of mortality. Now, this probably sounds a bit dark without context, but I can promise you it isn’t! Films To Be Buried With takes a host of comedians, filmmakers and more and explores their life and career through the medium of film. Cinema is such an integral part of our culture, so learning how this has influenced the lives of others is a brilliant listen all year round.
– Katie Evans
Out To Lunch with Jay Rayner
Interview podcasts are by far the favourite genre in my Spotify library. They’re utterly timeless and perfect for background noise to keep your soundtrack throughout the day flowing and keeping silences (which I hate) at bay. Out To Lunch is the podcast of The Observer’s restaurant critic, Jay Rayner. Combining his love for food and interesting people, the podcast is quite literally what it suggests, Rayner takes celebrity guests out to lunch to some of London’s most high-class restaurants. There’s an abundance of crackling anecdotes and enthusiastic chatter, accompanied by killer cooking that makes you crave certain cuisines and good conversation. Guests range from world-famous actors, to television writers and Labour MPs who all have fascinating backgrounds and childhoods. Currently, on its fourth series, things have changed from ‘out’ to ‘staying in’ for lunch, but past episodes include the atmosphere and hustle and bustle of a busy city restaurants, making episodes incredibly authentic If you enjoy good food and interesting conversations that dodge the awkward small talk over lunch, then this one is totally for you.
– Olivia Dellar
The A24 Podcast
Since its founding in 2012, A24 has become one of the most prominent film companies. Responsible for the American distribution of critical darlings Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse, to name a few, the company has carved out a house style with its catalogue. Their tie-in podcast started in 2018, each episode putting two (or more, in some cases) film creatives together and having the stars interview each other. What typically ensues is a relaxed conversation about anything from dealing with the limelight (Elsie Fisher and Molly Ringwald) to the zen qualities of jigsaw puzzles (Fred Armisen and Jason Schwartzman — a favourite). Thanks to diligence with matching guests and circa 45-minute runtimes, it’s quite easy to burn through the somewhat scarce pool of episodes. The intermittency of uploads makes it more compelling to follow; new installments feel special and exciting, avoiding the all-too-common content exhaustion of overly frequent podcasts. The A24 Podcast is great wherever and whenever as a short batch of conversations peeling back the creative curtain.
– Harry Geeves
