With so many podcasts to choose from, you may want help finding one that expands your horizons, goes outside your comfort zone, and challenges some of your thinking. Or maybe you’ve only recently discovered the wonders of this strange audio medium everyone is talking about and what to see what all the fuss is about.

It goes without saying that you should check out the established titans of the podcasting world such as the Joe Rogan Experience, Radiolab and Serial if you haven’t done so already. However, if you’re looking for something new or feel overwhelmed by the overload of choice in the podcast market, then this list will provide you with some lesser known options to get you started.

So here are five under the radar podcasts that you might want to consider…

 

Your Welcome with Michael Malice

For Joe Rogan listeners, the name may be familiar as he is a repeat guest. Hosted by author and journalist Michael Malice, this podcast will appeal to those with a rebellious streak. What makes this show stand out is its host range of offbeat interests and unique perspectives. Malice is fiendishly irreverent in his commentary, regularly exploring taboo subjects.

Every episode he interviews a guest, many of which are activists, writers or media personalities. The guests are from various different points on the political spectrum and while Malice is upfront with his own views, he facilitates a friendly (welcoming even) environment for productive dialogue and debate. Past guests have included comedians, special forces veterans, academics and professional body builders, so there’s something here for everyone.

Malice is very much clued into contemporary culture and particularly the sub-culture of the internet, providing him insight into trends that are largely unnoticed but have significant influence. This is highlighted in his comprehensive understanding of the notorious ‘Alt-Right’ political movement and the competing factions within the group, which he documented in his recently released book ‘The New Right.

 

The Fifth Column

For news and politics junkies, the Fifth Column podcast is another hidden gem. Rather than structured interviews, this podcast has a more casual format with four well-informed friends drinking whiskey and discussing current events.

Featuring Kmele Foster (Freethink), Matt Welch (editor-at-large at Reason magazine), Anthony Fisher (Business Insider columnist), Michael Moynihan (Vice News correspondent), these four accomplished writers each have a huge amount of knowledge and experience to draw from as a result of their extensive media and journalistic backgrounds.

Alongside the regular format are guests from other publications and the occasional one-to-one interview focusing on a particular issue the guest has expertise on. The connections of the hosts between them results in an excellent range of high-quality guests.

If you’ve become frustrated with televised discussion panels devolving into combative shouting matches, or the insufficient two-minute interview from mainstream news, the Fifth Column will provide a satisfying alternative. And not to mention it has a very catchy intro/outro song.

 

The Portal with Eric Weinstein

Once again, fans of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast may recognise this one. Weinstein, who has been a guest on JRE several times, is a mathematician and the managing director of Thiel Capital. Last year he started his own podcast after encouragement from friends and, no doubt, from Mr Rogan. While the podcast is still relatively new, it has already proven to be outstanding

Weinstein’s ability to break down and articulate hugely complex ideas is captivating and it quickly becomes apparent that you’re listening to an exceptional intellect. In short, he’s the professor you wish you had at university.

Some of the issues Weinstein frequently discusses include the implications of technological advancement (particularly AI), the current political dysfunction in America and, of course, mathematical theory. His views are difficult to accurately summarise as they are so nuanced. Moreover, Weinstein often draws attention to the fact that we rarely have concrete answers to complicated problems.

The calibre of his guests is also fantastic, with former interviewees including neuroscientist Sam Harris, chess prodigy Garry Kasparov and US former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

And as for the podcast’s odd name? Weinstein explained in this profound monologue.

 

Confessions with Giles Fraser

Unherd is a UK-based politics blog that focuses on current events and culture in Britain as well the wider Anglosphere. Its podcast consists of journalist and Anglican priest Giles Fraser interviewing guests in a normal interview setup, though what sets this apart from other current affairs podcasts is the focus on the deeper influences and trends within society, particularly that of religion.

Regardless of whether you’re a believer or not, there is much to be learned from the weekly guests discussing how faith, or the lack thereof, influences culture and their own lives. Though politics features heavily in these interviews, many become incredibly personal and intimate, with guests talking about some of their deepest struggles, doubts and traumas.

Fraser’s skill as an interviewer invites incredibly accomplished journalists, writers and philosophers to open up about their private inner thoughts in a manner rarely found in other podcasts. In a political climate that is often shrill and belligerent, it is remarkably refreshing to hear current events discussed with a notably more humane tone.

 

Pessimists Archive

If you’re feeling anxious about the future, or perhaps fascinated by the social impact of technology, then this is the podcast for you. It focuses on how new technology throughout history has consistently been met with suspicion, hostility and even proclamations of how it would usher in the collapse of civilisation. More importantly, it highlights how every single time the doomsayers were wrong.

From the introduction of electricity, cars, elevators and even mirrors, host Jason Feifer (editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine) shows there has always been a backlash to technological innovation, backing up these observations with intense research and mini-interviews with historians. Many of the case studies are both comical and exasperating as they highlight how the negativity towards the future is frequently misplaced and more often than not, completely mistaken.

Novels were initially condemned as it was believed people would neglect their responsibilities as they became obsessed with fictional worlds. When bicycles started becoming popular, they were alleged to cause people to go insane due to the visual distortion from the spinning wheels. In hindsight, this sounds absurd but similar attitudes towards current technological progress is still observable.

Not only is this podcast informative regarding history, it’s also, despite its title, surprisingly uplifting. So, if you are feeling uneasy about the future this podcast will reassure you that our instinctive pessimism is frequently unwarranted.