| Fully agree with your take. I find a lot of US podcasts and programming much too formulaic and predictable, with presenters far too likely to fill in with endless "OMG, wow this is totally awesome" and other worthless hype when talking of the deeply mundane and average. Makes it impossible to spot when something is rare or actually worthy of a little awe. Occasionally I find them unlistenable thanks to their alternative to the "dreary of the English accent" turning into accent as an offensive weapon. Some manage to make a New York accent sound lyrical and poetic. Applies to some Audible narrators too sadly. I do enjoy some, Mythbusters for instance. There's a few more that are worth checking out. Many Radio 4 programmes are available to download and as podcasts. + 50 Things (that made the Modern Economy). Excellent look at some surprising things that have made a disproportionate difference. Presented by Tim Harford (The Undercover Economist). He's also the presenter of More or Less. + The Infinite Monkey Cage. Superb Science and Comedy with Robin Ince and Brian Cox who make a surprisingly good double act. + Fry's English Delight. Stephen Fry exploring the English language. Deeply fascinating as most things from Fry are. + I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue for weekly silliness. + Reith Lectures. Often thought provoking, sometimes a bit too "heavy". Not to forget no end of excellent comedies - Radio 4 being the original source of Hitchhiker's after all (the books came later). |