I’ll second Welcome to Night Vale!

I’ve also enjoyed The Penumbra. It’s a coule different speculative fiction audio dramas under one podcast. They have two ongoing storylines at the moment, and occasionally produce single shorter stories. There’s ostensibly a framing device (that’s changed from visiting rooms in a hotel and hearing people’s stories to... stops on a train?) but it doesn’t really have ant impact on the stories themselves. I personally prefer the Juno Steele storyline, which I’d describe as sci-fi film noir, and some of the one-off stories.

The only one I really listen to with any sort of regularity, though, would be David Tennant Does a Podcast.

Now, I obviously listen to it out of an obsession with Doctor Who (he did an interview with Jodie Whittaker a ways back, and I love to hear two Doctors talking to one another and pretend I'm contributing to my acting career while I just go whole hog on my obsession with fandom), but Tennant's style of really just trying to sit down and have a conversation, rather than go anywhere in particular, is one that I found myself surprisingly drawn to.

I've also found that a number of his questions, and their respective answers, are good for getting an insider's viewpoint in the entertainment industry, obviously with a focus on acting. That much is a big draw for me personally.

But overall, it's just a nice, relaxing podcast hosted by the Tenth Doctor.

Dunno if that really helps anyone, but I felt like mentioning it just in case.

I want to get more into podcasts but they're like an hour long and I have a short attention span.

That said, I'm a huge fan of Welcome to Night Vale. It might take some getting used to, but once you really get into it it's a worthwhile listen. Despite being audio-only the descriptions are so vivid you can really picture them. The story is surprisingly engaging, full of humor, surreal horror and surprisingly heartwarming moments.

Granted, this might not be much of a description, but I still highly recommend this one.

While I have slipped more into consuming youtube content than podcasts, there are a few I have been listening to that I would gladly recommend.

* Mike Duncan's The History of Rome
One of the classics of podcasting, Mike Duncan provides and overview of the History of Rome, going over all of it's several hundred year history. Much like the Roman Empire, this podcast is the one all history podcasts are compared to. Mike is that cool teacher who is not as interested in the dates and figures of history, but the stories within. He is clearly passionate about the subject, bringing an infections joy to learning history, even at it's most brutal. While the podcast has been concluded for several years, if you are at all interested in the history of the great Empire that shaped the West.

* Chris Stewart's The History of China
Extremely similar to The History of Rome (the creator credits the Rome podcast as his primary inspiration) Chris Stewart takes on the daunting task of presenting the vast, rich, and often broken history of Asia's most influential nations to a western audience. If Duncan is the cool professor, than Stewart is the excited amateur, giddy to take on the challenge before him. With an admittedly rough start, Stewart quickly grows into the role of podcaster, and learns the tricks of the trade, becoming just as processional as any NPR production. Unlike The History of Rome this podcast is still ongoing, with a new episode posted every Sunday.

* John Zhu's Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast
It is difficult to put into words just how important the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is to Chinese and east Asian culture as a whole. To put it into context for westerners, the epic history is compared to the Iliad and the Odyssey, if the books had the continued popularity of the Lord of the Rings. Everybody is familiar, at least to some degree, of the story and the characters found within. What makes it more interesting is how it is, to a greater or lesser degree, based on true history. While many would suggest just reading the book, many western readers find themselves without the needed context to really understand what is going on. John Zhu seeks to provide that context, so western audiences can truly understand why the epic has maintained such popularity for so long. If you ever wondered why you should not peruse Lu Bu in Dynasty Warriors, or wanted the backstory behind the generals in Total War: Three Kingdoms, give this podcast a listen.

* Thomas Smith and Andrew Torrez's Opening Arguments
A legal podcast with a humorous tone, Thomas Smith acts as the every man to ask legal questions and interpretations of case law from noted lawyer Andrew Torrez. If you are interested in the legal process, and having a professional's take on various aspects of the law, with a lighter tone to ease it through, give this podcast a listen.

* The Elder Scrolls Lorecast
The Elder Scrolls in one of the most popular fantasy properties in gaming, with a vast library of lore to interpret. Unlike many fictional universes, the Elder Scrolls has a very open idea towards it's canon. It is very difficult to nail down what, exactly, is true or not about the world's history, as it is all presented though in-universe understandings. What may be a mere myth to some, may be hard fact to others. As such, having somebody ready to take on the task of sharing the lore that is (mostly) accepted fact across the setting is a thrilling and difficult task in itself. This particular podcast is good for those who are relatively new to Elder Scrolls lore, the player who has neglected reading the in-game books or hasent tried any games before Skyrim. What makes this podcast interesting is how the host will bring in parallels to real-world histories and theologies, connecting the esoteric lore of this world to a more familiar concept. For this aspect alone, even if you are more familiar with the lore, I would recommend giving this podcast a listen.

* Aramithius' Written in Uncertainty
If you are familiar with the Elder Scrolls lore, however, and are more interested in the strange and unclear aspects of this setting, Written in Uncertainty will provide that deep dive into the weird and wonderful that makes Tamriel so unique. What is CHIM? What, exactly, happened to the Dwemer? What is going on in C0DA, and how does it effect the concept of cannon? These questions and more are tackled by one of the most knowledgeable people of the setting. This podcast assumes you have at least a passing familiarity with the basic concepts, so you might want to get into it after listening to most of the episodes in The Elder Scrolls Lorecast.


And, lastly, I would feel remiss if I didn't mention:

* Chappo Trap House NSFW
This is a leftist political podcast, where Liberal is a dirty word, and right-wing chuds are ruthlessly mocked. If you are not a communist, or at least commie sympathetic, this podcast may be a tad radical for you. It's also full of swearing. Lots of swearing. While the hosts can be a tad bro-cialist for my tastes, and rather edgy, the boys have provided me hours of catharsis in this capitalist hellscape I find myself living in.