From The Anthill to Coronavirus: What You Need To Know and BudPod: This week’s top podcasts

The Anthill

Why are conspiracy theories so hard to suppress? What is the meaning of nothing? These are some of the questions raised in The Anthill, a brainy podcast that gives ideas probed in universities a new lease of life. 

In each episode, host Annabel Bligh interviews academics about a particularly chewy topic, from pain to the personalisation of healthcare. 

The show deftly bridges the gap between the dusty world of academia and our own.

 

Coronavirus: What You Need To Know

If your preferred reaction to the coronavirus pandemic is to try to think of almost anything else, give this podcast a swerve. But for anyone wishing to stay on top of things, it’s a must. 

In each episode, ITV journalists dig into what’s going on and interview experts in relevant fields, from epidemiology to statistics. 

Start with the fascinating episode on how the lockdown could affect the economy and go from there.

 

BudPod

‘Neither rain nor snow nor dead of night shall keep BudPod from its appointed task,’ declaims comedian Phil Wang at the start of a recent episode – to reassure listeners that his podcast will plough on through the pandemic. 

I’m grateful. On each episode, Wang and a chum, Pierre Novellie (also a comedian), zigzag between a dizzying array of subjects, from knife-fighting to Wiccans. 

It’s a kooky and meandering podcast but oddly soothing – and very funny.

 

Girl Taken

Five years ago, Rob Lawrie, a former soldier who was volunteering at a refugee camp in Calais, was arrested at the border for trying to smuggle an Afghan girl into Britain.

This fascinating ten-part BBC series uncovers how Bru, the ‘girl taken’, came to meet her unlikely smuggler and the impact that Lawrie’s rash decision had on his family. 

The tale is sharply reported and full of swooping reveals. I gobbled it up.