BBC launches boring podcast

London, UK—This spring the BBC will present the first in a series of new podcasts – fascinating stories and subject matter exclusively available as BBC podcasts.

These podcasts, hosted by a range of new, as well as well-known voices, will feature original audio created especially for the podcast medium rather than customised versions of programmes we broadcast on air. They will join the BBC’s existing podcasts which includes some of the most listened to in the UK, such as the award-winning Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review and Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy, as well as the chart topping Blue Planet II: The Podcast, Fortunately with Fi and Jane, The Assassination and Political Thinking with Nick Robinson.

Have you ever wondered what international organisation regulates wooden pallets, the cultural significance of RuPaul’s Drag Race, or the lesser known sides of some of the world’s great geniuses? These new podcasts answer these questions and more:

The Boring Talks with James Ward (above) will look at the fascinating facts behind some of the most ‘boring’ subjects starting with the exact date the world ended according to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The podcast has been born out of James’s hugely popular Boring Conference and Boring Talks events where a selection of expert speakers talk passionately about subjects often considered trivial or pointless. Episode 1&2/20 will land on 29 January and each episode is approximately ten minutes long.

• In episode one, speaker Steve Cross will dissect ‘The Destruction of the World according to Douglas Adams’.
• Episode two, writer Tracy King will delve into ‘The Algorithmic and manual pricing of books online’
• Journalist Andrew Male will take us on a personal journey through ‘The History of Yellow Lines’ in episode three
• UCL Computational Biology student Liam Shaw will explore the surprising history of ‘Wooden Pallets’ for episode four

In Unpopped journalist and author Hayley Campbell will welcome three guests to analyse pop culture and all the things people pretend aren’t important. Episode 1/10 will land on 12 February.

To kick-start the series, Hayley Campbell is joined by journalist Kat Brown, trans activist and author Juno Dawson and academic Tom Brasington to discuss the phenomenal success of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the impact it’s had on our language.

Award-winning comedian Russell Kane will be joined by a panel of non-experts each week, to delve into the lesser known sides of some of the world’s great geniuses to see who was the ‘most brilliant’ of all time. Episode 1/ 10 of Evil Genius will land on 5 March.

More podcasts will launch over the coming months. All first episodes of the new series will be available at BBC Podcasting House which allows audiences to easily sample more of the BBC’s podcasts.

Listeners can also tune in to Radio 4 Extra’s new Podcast Radio Hour to discover what their favourite podcasters are listening too and hear from the people who make them. The Podcast Radio Hour is available as a podcast and can be heard on Radio 4 Extra at 9pm every Friday.