Listen Up! Crosswords, comedy and crime!
Last month I was struck down with a rotten virus, missed a walking and writing holiday in Spain that I was so looking forward to*, and spent more time than usual lying in bed feeling miserable.**
But it’s an ill wind and all that, and what I did do when I was too fuzzy headed to read, was listen to loads of good stuff.
I downloaded the original Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio dramas on Audible – I am a big fan of the books but don’t think I’ve ever listened to these before. Thoroughly enjoyed. Though I used to laugh at Arthur Dent and, as I get older, I have an increasing amount of sympathy for him. The first series has a ‘making of’ at the end which includes Douglas Adams talking about everything from his annoyance with un-thought-through phasar weapons, to where the first germ of the idea came from***
Next I turned to BBC Sounds where I mainlined series 5 of Uncanny – including the episode in Newcastle featuring writer Matt Wesolowski – and the entirety of Lucy Worsley’s Lady Killers which features an all female line up of guest experts including the brilliant Edith Hall and crime writer Dorothy Koomson.
My fiction fix largely came from the In My Good Books podcast, hosted by Susie Green who is such a lovely interviewer.**** Especially enjoyed hearing episodes with fellow debut writers including Samantha Dooey-Miles, Anna Brook-Mitchell, Rebecca Philipson and Matilda Wilding.
Then I got very excited to get a BBC sounds alert telling me that there was a new series of The Lovecraft Investigations. This is a favourite show of mine, as podcasters Kennedy and Heawood investigate an increasingly wild world of conspiracy and
supernatural – with an excellent turn from Nicola Walker***** doing a lot of exposition in an entirely gripping way. There are four series which I’ve listened to twice, and it turns out the alert was not for a new series, but just because they are now back up on the BBC. So I’ll probably listen for a third time.
And finally…how on earth would you make a podcast about crosswords? Well Off-Grid has the
answer, and well worth your time if you fancy a sort of No Such Thing As A Fish/Dictionary Corner/Cryptic mash up. I loved taking part in an episode last year, talking about everything from trams to the Northern Lights, which you can listen to here.
*Who wouldn’t be gutted to miss this? Check Walk and Write out here – definitely plan to go along in the future.
** For context, I normally don’t spend much time at all doing this.
***Drunk. In Austria.
**** And also has such a lovely voice and accent to listen to, which tbf is a massive plus when podcasting
*****A scene stealer ever since those songs in Four Weddings and a Funeral which were checks notes 32 years ago faints clean away
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