It’s 8.05 and you’re crammed onto a packed commuter train as you prepare for a busy day in the office. What do you do? Tune in to a brilliant podcast, of course, and, these days, there is something for everyone. Whether you are looking to make your commute more productive, decompress from a stressful day or simply divert from your neighbour’s morning breath, here are some of our favourite podcasts for the daily commute.

Media Masters
www.mediamasters.fm

Hosted by Paul Blanchard, The Media Masters podcast is a series of extended one-to-one interviews with people at the very top of the media game and is brilliant motivational listening on your way to work.
Length: Under an hour
Best for: Media strivers on the morning commute
Start with: Jessica Coen, Editor-in-Chief of Mashable | Lorraine Candy, Luxury Content Director of The Sunday Times and Editor-in-Chief Style magazine | David Yelland, former Editor of The Sun.

Tiny Desk Concerts
www.itunes.apple.com

Eavesdrop in on a host of brilliant musicians performing live concerts at All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen’s desk in the NPR Music office in Washington. You can listen (or watch if you prefer the video version) and the vibe is chilled and personal, like you are actually there with Tinariwen or Adele (not crammed onto a commuter train with your nose pressed into a stranger’s armpit).
Length: Under 20 minutes
Best for: Music fans
Start with: Lianne La Havas | The Shins | Wyclef Jean

Freakonomics Radio
www.freakonomics.com

Discover the hidden side of everything with the author of Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics, Stephen J. Dubner and this award-winning podcast. Talking with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs, Dubner and his co-host Steve Levitt delve into diverse topics such as the gender pay gap, evolution and the secrets of the German economy with a mix of geniality, humour and economical insight.
Length: Under an hour
Best for: The economically inquisitive
Start with: How to Become a CEO | Why is My Life So Hard | How Big is My Penis (And Other Things We Ask Google)

The High Low
www.itunes.apple.com

Brought to you by journalists Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes in a follow up to their popular PanDolly Podcast, which they retired in 2017, this refreshingly breezy, weekly podcast picks over both the trivial and the political in the form of witty, funny, light-hearted and articulate chit-chat from an unashamedly posh girl duo. “Like an hour long catch-up with a couple of girlfriends,” says one commuting listener.
Length: 45 minutes
Best for: Smart, funny ladies who like to stay informed (but not in a boring way)
Start with: Food snobbery, the Suffragettes & Kylie Jenner’s secret pregnancy | Women’s unconscious bias towards other women and Kim Kardashian

TED Talks Daily
www.itunes.apple.com

Bringing you the latest TED talks in audio format every day of the working week, this podcast lets you listen to some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers, offering insights into everything from Artificial Intelligence to Virginity and everything in between. It’s like “nutrition for your head” according to one listener.
Length: Around 20 minutes
Best for: Daily inspiration
Start with: We need to talk about an injustice | The business benefits of doing good | You aren’t at the mercy of your emotions

Desert Island Discs
www.bbc.co.uk

For more of a wind-down, on-your-way-home sort of podcast, you can’t beat Desert Island Discs. Feel the day’s tensions melt away with the instantly recognisable tune of ‘By the Sleepy Lagoon’ (composed in 1930 by Eric Coates and with added seagulls), the dulcet tones of presenter Kirsty Young and the always-entertaining interviewees.
Length: 35 minutes
Best for: Kicking back at the end of a long day
Episode highlights: Keith Richards, Tom Hanks and, most recently, chess maestro Gary Kasparov

March 2018