podcasts

Listen up – 44’s Gemma Houltby explains why podcasts have become her go-to form of entertainment…

One thing I’ve noticed about myself in recent months is that I’ve become ‘hands free’ – and that’s fuelled a real podcast addiction!

Podcast addiction

I think it’s a quirk of lockdown – I spend so much time on video calls, with a headset firmly attached to me, that I’ve got used to being completely unencumbered when talking, so jotting down notes, typing or looking something up is far easier than doing the same things with a phone wedged between my ear and shoulder.

I’ve never been a fan of idle hands or silence. At work, I have a steady stream of voices in my ear as I move from meeting to meeting, call to call. And at home, there’s usually a radio on somewhere while I get on with the household chores.

But then there came the day when there was nothing on the radio I wanted to listen to (what’s going on, Radio 4?). I started to flick through BBC Sounds and chose a couple of podcasts I liked the look of. And then I listened to a couple more, and more and… I was a podcast convert.

Now, whether I’m cooking, cleaning, decorating or gardening, I’ve usually got one playing in the background. And I have a ready and seemingly endless supply of podcasts to keep me entertained and/or informed, which let me stay ‘hands free’ so that I can potter AND roam.

Fitting podcasts into busy lives

I’m not alone in my love of podcasts – they’ve become so popular because their format fits so neatly into our busy lives. Regardless of the topic you want, the time you have, or your genre preference, there’s bound to be a podcast out there for you.

According to thepodcasthost.com, there are currently nearly two million podcasts available on Apple Podcast (in 2018, the figure was 550,000). That’s a huge rise, and the site estimates that 41% of people in the US alone listened to a podcast in the month of March this year.

So, other than their convenience, why are they still so popular?

One reason is their accessibility – the huge amount of choice I’ve previously mentioned that is not only out there, but right at our fingertips.

Serial killer without the filler

Then we have the format. Long, short, serialised – whatever you want to fill however many minutes of your day, there’s one there for you. That serialisation is a fantastic benefit in itself, as it allows listeners to deep dive into subjects, creating the possibility of long-form investigations in a very accessible medium. While we might not have the time or inclination to devote to reading a 20,000-word article, we can listen to that article in bite-sized chunks while we go about our lives.

If that information is presented in an entertaining narrative, so much the better. So it’s little wonder so many investigative journalists and professional broadcasters are trying their hand at podcasting. Journalist and author Jamie Bartlett is a prime example – his in-depth investigation into the scandal and disappearance of Ruja Ignatova is told in scrupulous, yet fascinating detail in his Missing Cryptoqueen podcast.

We love to be gripped by entertaining drama. For decades, we’ve gathered around our clichéd watercoolers and whispered breathlessly, ‘Did you see x last night?’ before reliving every twist and plot turn of our favourite soap or drama with like-minded colleagues.

Now we can go one step further and absolutely revel in our fandom with like-minded souls via podcasts. And yes, before you say it, there’s one for Line of Duty, but don’t tell me anything – I’m still catching up…

Creating community

These podcasts often create communities of individuals with shared interests. And often, these communities create a feedback loop: with listeners generating content for the podcast producers.

My favourite podcast, Fortunately with… Fi and Jane, regularly pulls in more than four million listeners and has created a community of fans who regularly write in to empathise with the two protagonists, raise awareness of new issues, or give their own personal take on topics already covered during their weekly chat.

For me, it’s a chance to listen to another side of two broadcasters whom I hold in high regard. Their seasoned professionalism is put to one side as the gigglier, self-deprecating and downright funny parts of their personalities come into play during their weekly ‘chat’.

So accessible, entertaining and incredibly shareable – I say all hail the podcast. I was late to the podcast party but I’m loving every minute of it. Long may they continue to feed my brain, make me laugh and cry and brighten my chores.

Did you know that we do podcasts too? Last year we released our own podcast series, Beyond IC, where we looked at the lessons we can take from the general election and the world of theatre.

Get in touch to find out more about this or anything else IC-related – we’ll find any excuse for a natter and a caffeine injection.