A Podcast Blog

The Pitch: Two comedians review fast food chains. The Product: So. These guys are funny. Comedy riffs, jokes at each others expense, structured bits; they do it all! And, yeah, they do review fast food chains. But that is the tip of this titanic iceberg of a podcast. Doughboys take the ‘Odd Couple’ hosting premise and add in a generous dash of codependency and self hatred towards their work for good measure. After a couple of weeks you stop caring about the food talk and start getting worried for the individual and collective sanity of the men who have willingly painted themselves into a corner with a cholesterol-soaked brush. After a couple of months you stop caring about whether the food will kill them and start genuinely worrying that they will kill each other. Again, it’s funny. It really is. Even when it’s not meant to be. The water and oil chemistry of the hosts elevates the worst jokes or ideas as they mercilessly roast each other. But it’s also weirdly gr

The Pitch : The QI elves, or fact researchers to you and I, meet weekly to discuss their favourite facts of the week. The Product: QI is a BBC show that punishes its guests for ‘General Ignorance’ rather than reward them for General Knowledge. It calls its researchers ‘elves’. So it’s unsurprising that this podcast is a nerdy, whimsical delight. With enough British cynicism sprinkled in to keep any over-zealous comedy bits in check. 30–45 minutes zip by in four segments, as the hosts present and then riff on each of their facts. The facts come fast, the quips come quick, and the puns are eh, punctual… It’s also a rare (from what I’ve listened to, but please recommend me others) educational podcast where women are represented, with Anna Ptaszynski standing out from the three white guys that usually co-host. I love the guys too, but the variety is nice, and she is far from a ‘token’ addition. You might not always remember the facts, but you’ll have fun along the way.