Best Big Gay Nerds Podcasts (2025)

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Big Gay Nerds 309: Fishing For Clues (GURPS Yonder Star 1.3) 1:29:49

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9d ago1:29:49

1:29:49

The Melchior's officers keep looking for answers to the mysterious death, but the more information they unearth, the less sure they are of anything, including the victim's own identity! With a ticking clock hanging over them, the expedition itself could be in jeopardy--and might their own lives also be in danger? Content warning for discussion of i…

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Is real change coming to Serbia? 43:08

2h ago43:08

43:08

Serbia’s government has come under intense pressure since a deadly disaster at Novi Sad’s main railway station last November. Student-led protests have spiralled into a nation-wide resistance movement and for months, Serbians have been speaking out against corruption, a lack of accountability, and a culture of impunity in Aleksandar Vučić’s regime.…

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Hungary's plight, kids' rights, and Spargelzeit 56:58

8d ago56:58

56:58

Asparagus, lesbian family rights and Viktor Orbán’s latest power plays: like all good meals, this podcast episode is perfectly balanced. German food writer Ursula Heinzelmann joins us to explain the ‘Spargelzeit’ phenomenon that sees foodies going nutty for asparagus at this time of year. We’re also taking a look at LGBTQ rights in Italy and unpack…

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What the hell just happened in Romania (and at Eurovision)? 1:09:09

15d ago1:09:09

1:09:09

Romania, Poland, Portugal... and of course, most importantly of all (?), Eurovision. It's been a huge week of voting across Europe! This week we're mostly diving into Romania's election drama with Codruţa Simina, a journalist with an extremely helpful specialism in online misinformation and disinformation. We're also tackling the controversy over I…

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Europe, an unfinished love story 17:52

22d ago17:52

17:52

This week, a not-so-classic 'girl meets boy' story. Başak Layic, storyteller extraordinaire, reflects on what the European Dream looks like from the outside. This story was recorded live at SPUI25 in Amsterdam as part of 'Europe Up For Grabs?', an event organised for Europe Day 2025 by DutchCulture and the European Cultural Foundation. You can watc…

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Big Gay Nerds 308: What if General Grievous Was a Cool Dude (GURPS Yonder Star 1.2) 1:31:16

27d ago1:31:16

1:31:16

GASP! There's been a murder upon the Melchior! Unless her blood just Did That somehow. But just in case it IS murder, we'd better lock down the ship and look for suspects! The officers scramble to unravel this shocking mystery; will all their technology and training be enough to keep the maiden voyage on schedule?Content warning for discussion of i…

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Is a pregnant nun about to crash Poland's election? 1:12:58

29d ago1:12:58

1:12:58

In theory, the government's guy looks set to win Poland's presidential election, making life a hell of a lot easier for Donald Tusk as he attempts to undo eight years of destructive authoritarian rule under the previous rightwing populists. But might a pregnant nun swoop in and change everything at the last minute? For an explanation of this metaph…

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How to make sense of Europe's place in the world right now 46:52

1M ago46:52

46:52

The world is in flux. What's Europe's place in it, exactly? This week, we're bringing you something different: a big, sprawling conversation with leading European historian Timothy Garton Ash. Can anything good come from Trumpism for this continent? What can be done to stop autocrats like Viktor Orbán from undermining the EU from the inside? And do…

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Hungary's Pride crackdown, Ukrainian sleuths, and 158 barrels of poop 1:06:27

1M ago1:06:27

1:06:27

We've got a veritable smörgåsbord for you this week on The Europeans, from human rights in Hungary to the sorry tale of two Danish sustainability influencers whose eco-resort business went spectacularly wrong. We discuss why Viktor Orbán is concentrating so much effort on bullying the LGBTQI community at a time when Hungary has major problems to fi…

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Big Gay Nerds 307: Motley Crew (GURPS Yonder Star 1.1) 1:50:51

2M ago1:50:51

1:50:51

It's time to get our most ambitious campaign yet underway! In the wake of brutal oppression and bloody rebellion, a coalition of different species and cultures attempts to repurpose the tools of violence for discovery and diplomacy. One such tool, Captain River La Rosa, is being led to his first command under the Alliance's peacetime navy, and he's…

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Inside Europe: Exploring Grief 54:31

2M ago54:31

54:31

We're away this week, but you're in good company: our friends at Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's international broadcaster, are here to fill in for us. On this special edition of DW's weekly podcast Inside Europe, the team takes a break from the news to explore grief as a lens for understanding global events. Author Sarah Jaffe joins host Kate Layco…

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Tesla, Turkey, and unnecessary trash 56:46

2M ago56:46

56:46

We're taking the Schadenfreude approach to the chaos that Trump's tariffs have unleashed upon Europe (and the rest of the world). This week, our favourite Luxembourger Nina Lamparski joins Dominic to explain why sales of Elon Musk's Tesla cars have already plunged in Europe and could now fare even worse thanks to his best bud's trade policies. We'r…

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BGN Preview: Yonder Star 34:05

2M ago34:05

34:05

Take a glimpse of the future's past. A fungal acolyte examines an alien specimen. A weary turncoat recounts a brutal war. A soldier of fortune leaves his fortune behind. A captive outlaw takes some time to reflect. An uplifted entertainer sets foot among the stars. They do not know it, but their fates are intertwined...…

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Rockets, recipes and Le Pen(itentiary) 53:30

2M ago53:30

53:30

Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for the French presidency after this week's bombshell court ruling finding her guilty in a huge embezzlement case. But does she have any chance of a comeback? And could the far-right win the presidency without her? This week we're discussing the earthquake in French politics, as well as Europe's space ambi…

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How would Europe's €800 billion defence plan actually work? 1:02:47

2M ago1:02:47

1:02:47

Europe is set to spend an eye-wateringly huge amount of money on building up its militaries over the next few years, after That Guy In The White House signalled he's no longer that interested in helping us defend ourselves against Russia. But where is all this money supposed to come from? And does it matter if some countries are more enthusiastic a…

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Should Canada join the EU? 53:36

3M ago53:36

53:36

Europe and Canada have a lot in common, from their headaches over Donald Trump to a shared belief in welfare states. If Australia can be a part of Eurovision, is there anything stopping us from welcoming our Canadian friends into the EU?! This week we talk to Stanley Pignal, The Economist's semi-Canadian Brussels bureau chief, about what would be i…

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Putin's African antics, the death of Skype, and a Eurovision c-bomb 1:00:02

3M ago1:00:02

1:00:02

Thousands of kilometres from the devastating war it's been waging in Ukraine, Russia has involved itself in a swathe of other conflicts that attract much less attention: in Africa. Why? This week we speak to Beverly Ochieng, a self-described Wagner Group stalker, about what Russia is playing at. We're also talking about a foul-mouthed (?) Eurovisio…

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Big news for The Europeans! 17:20

3M ago17:20

17:20

Producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic to share a couple of nuggets of exciting news for The Europeans. You can find out all about our new partners at Euranet Plus, a network of radio stations across Europe, here. And you can read all about our crowdfunded mini-series 'Who Does It Best?' — and contribute, if you'd like! — here. Maja and …

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Germany's elections: should we freak out or not? 45:17

3M ago45:17

45:17

Germany just staged one of Europe's most crucial elections this year. The results are simultaneously shocking and not-shocking: shocking because the far-right made huge gains; not shocking because they are likely to deliver a coalition between the country's two legacy mainstream parties. So, to what extent should we be freaking out right now? In th…

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Euro-defence, euro-booze and euro-TV 1:07:17

4M ago1:07:17

1:07:17

This week, the great transatlantic break-up. How can we make sense of the seismic shift in Europe's relationship with the US since Trump took power? What does it mean for Ukraine, and Europe's ability to defend itself from Russia? As a palate-cleanser, we're also hearing all the secrets of the international TV trade. Why do people in so many countr…

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BGN 306: It's Scary to Talk Back to Your Parents (Kids on Bikes 1.6) 1:45:32

4M ago1:45:32

1:45:32

It's the finale of our first Kids on Bikes episode! The kids (sans bikes) literally descend once more into the strange conspiracy beneath Davis, risking their own hides for the good of their new weird little friend. Can they free Duende's "parent," and when they do, could some kind of complication somehow arise from freeing a giant tentacled memory…

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Dark skies, cheap shopping and an EU laser show 51:40

4M ago51:40

51:40

Nocturnal tourism is supposedly one of the big travel trends of 2025, and from star-gazing to truffle-hunting, there are plenty of places in Europe to do it. But where is this craving for darkness coming from? This week we speak to Anna Levin, author of two beautiful books about the impact of artificial light on the world around us, about why Europ…

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Butterflies and bullied protesters 56:17

4M ago56:17

56:17

Europe's rarest butterfly lives on the outskirts of a single town in North Macedonia. So why is it possible to find specimens of this incredibly endangered animal for sale online for 30 euros? This week we speak to Kiril Arsovski Przo, one of the scientists behind an investigation into this troubling legal loophole. We're also talking about the far…

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BGN 305: Canadian Road Warriors (Kids on Bikes 1.5) 1:37:07

4M ago1:37:07

1:37:07

Having escaped the secret underground bunker with their new friend, the kids (sans bikes) need to come up with a plan for what to do next. Obviously Ryder's plan to jump the northern border and become itinerant highwaymen is GREAT, but we could at least use a Plan B. After splitting up for some side missions, the gang must break into somewhere even…

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The world needs more drag cows 47:29

4M ago47:29

47:29

In an otherwise miserable week, this podcast is delighted to bring you a joyful interview with a drag cow. At least, an interview with the person behind the cow: the Swiss artist, performer and animal rights activist Daniel Hellmann. We chat to Daniel about why he decided to channel his campaigning side into something so wonderfully silly. We're al…

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Russia's gas games 50:31

5M ago50:31

50:31

There's been a weird loophole in the war in Ukraine up until now. Nearly three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was still being paid to transport Russian gas for sale to Europe, all while Moscow continued to kill its people. What does the end of this strange deal mean? This week we ring up energy expert Szymon Kardaś to ask how Put…

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Democratic salami and boiling frogs 47:34

5M ago47:34

47:34

Between Elon Musk's meddling and Romania's election rollercoaster, the state of Europe's democracies feels a little scary at the start of 2025. This week we talk to Tom Theuns, author of a new book about Europe's failure to stop the slow slide towards autocracy so far and what we can do to fix it. Tom is a senior assistant professor of political th…

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BGN 304: Duende (Kids on Bikes 1.4) 1:20:30

5M ago1:20:30

1:20:30

Twist after twist! Our young heroes have discovered a strange series of hallways under the woods, of all places, and who do they find there but Ryder and Fiona's mother! Surely she'll have an explanation for all of this and we can trust her to be up-front about everything that's going on AND react calmly to a bunch of kids breaking into the secret …

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BGN 303: Mothmen Don't Build Secret Underground Bunkers (Kids on Bikes 1.3) 1:23:34

6M ago1:23:34

1:23:34

The meddling kids of Davis, WA are hot on the trail of a mysterious winged creature that may or may not have a sinister power over memory! But will their trusty bicycles be enough to help them when they're drawn into the woods and unsure of their own minds? Also what if one of them goes over a tree root and wipes out? There's so much at stake, and …

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Cold water, warm hearts 58:59

6M ago58:59

58:59

As the winter chill sets in, throngs of Europeans are heading each week to the nearest pond, lake or coastline to dunk themselves voluntarily in freezing cold water. Cold swimming has centuries of history on this continent, but why do it? This week we're delving into the science of why it makes us feel good — but also why it helps so many people th…

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The manosphere, the 'TikTok messiah', and 132 hamsters 54:28

6M ago54:28

54:28

We've got a heady mix of Romanian politics, online misogyny and animal-based chaos for you this week. Friend of the show Andrei Popoviciu joins us to explain why his dad and many other voters backed the TikTok-fuelled campaign of far-right Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. And we ring up three young people from Greece, Ireland and Li…

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BGN 302: The Mystery of the Scraped Knee (Kids on Bikes 1.2) 1:27:58

6M ago1:27:58

1:27:58

It's time for a good old-fashioned autumnal street fair in Davis, Washington! While Shelly works a fortune-telling side hustle and Terry tries to sniff out a case for Knife Money, the Whitehurst sisters literally stumble into a seemingly mundane incident that will lead all four of them down an unexpected path... Surely there isn't anything mysterio…

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BGN 301: Welcome to Davis (Kids on Bikes 1.1) 2:10:31

6M ago2:10:31

2:10:31

Back in the 90s, we were in a whole new tabletop campaign led by returning cast member Elliot! Genny, Elly, Sara, and Saturn are gearing up to play Kids on Bikes Second Edition, a game about strange goings-on in small-town America. This episode is mostly about designing the quirks of the specific small town we'll be playing in, and then working out…

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Has Donald Tusk fixed Poland? 57:22

6M ago57:22

57:22

It's been a year since Donald Tusk took power, filling liberals and progressives in Poland with hope as eight years of rightwing populist rule came to an end. But how much has Tusk's coalition really improved things? This week Dominika Lasota of Wschód, an increasingly influential force that has been holding Tusk's government to account, joins us t…

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The perils of standing up to Iran from Europe 48:30

7M ago48:30

48:30

From Turkey to France and the UK, Iranians who've challenged the regime at home have often sought safety in Europe. But how safe are these dissidents, really? This week we speak to Fariba Nawa, host of 'Lethal Dissent', a fascinating new podcast series that investigates Iran's efforts to silence those in exile on European soil and beyond. We're als…

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A special announcement from The Europeans 15:55

7M ago15:55

15:55

Producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic for a very special announcement from The Europeans. We’re incredibly excited to make this series for you. Please help us turn it into a reality! Sign up to support this project here: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast Got ideas for places we need to go or people we need to interview for this serie…

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BGN 300: (Shinobigami 3.3) 2:51:51

7M ago2:51:51

2:51:51

For our three hundredth episode, we have almost three hours of intrigue and conflict both supernatural and interpersonal! There's almost too much to really summarize it, just rest assured that this really is one of our biggest, gayest, and nerdiest episodes yet. And this is coming from the person who ran MASKS, so the bar is pretty high.Content war…

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Spain's floods, Moldova's election, and what the kids of Europe are watching 1:03:01

7M ago1:03:01

1:03:01

The world may be transfixed by the US election results, but this was a huge week for news on this side of the Atlantic too. This week we're trying to make sense of the cataclysmic floods in Spain, and talking about another presidential election with major consequences — the one in Moldova. Plus, a much-needed palate-cleanser: we're delving into a f…

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Is this the end of Georgia's European dream? 50:02

7M ago50:02

50:02

Georgia's pro-Russian ruling party claims to have won last weekend's election — a fraudulent election, according to a mounting pile of evidence. A country that was once on the path to EU membership is now veering much closer to the Kremlin. Is there any hope left? We ring Anna Gvarishvili, Tbilisi-based journalist and head of the Investigative Medi…

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BGN 299: Ninja Fights and Frought Nights (Shinobigami 3.2) 1:18:11

7M ago1:18:11

1:18:11

As the clandestine cruise gets underway, the ninja of the Shadow War begin to clash, with tenuous alliances and deadly rivalries forming in instants. Blood will be drawn, secrets will be revealed, and the phrase "platonically cucked" will be uttered. Listen, things take a turn, I don't really know how to explain it without context, you'll just have…

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Naughty, naughty Switzerland 53:52

7M ago53:52

53:52

Wine fraud, migration policy and climate litigation: there's something for everyone this week. Back in April, Switzerland's government lost a groundbreaking European court case and was ordered to rewrite its climate policy. Has it actually done that? No, no it has not. We speak to Geneva-based climate lawyer Seb Duyck about whether Switzerland can …

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BGN 298: Three's a Cruise (Shinobigami 3.1) 1:20:30

8M ago1:20:30

1:20:30

We return to the Shadow War of modern Japan, where rival factions of ninja struggle for control of temporal and supernatural power. A symbol of both these things has fallen into the hands of an unscrupulous foreign businessman, and he wants to auction it to the highest bidder... on his personal cruise ship! Now, alongside countless criminals, mysti…

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Russia's mysterious sabotage campaign 45:56

8M ago45:56

45:56

Arson, vandalism, attacks on NATO vehicles: around Europe, mysterious acts of sabotage have been multiplying. And there's a pattern: the perpetrators were recruited on Telegram via accounts linked to Russian agencies. This week, we hear from Marta Vunš about how she and other journalists went undercover to figure out how this recruitment actually w…

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Using grandma to make people cry about climate change 51:26

8M ago51:26

51:26

Why is it so hard to talk about climate change in a way that actually makes us... feel something? This week, our producer Katz Laszlo talks to an Icelandic writer who manages against the odds to do just that: Andri Snær Magnason, author of — among many other things — the hit memoir 'On Time And Water'. We're also talking about the German politician…

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What do the European Union and Barbie have in common? 47:22

8M ago47:22

47:22

Are European leaders living in a Barbie-like dreamworld? This week, the idealised fantasy of the EU versus its awkward reality. Far from being a continent of grateful europhiles, a lot of people feel apathetic about the European project at best. Paweł Zerka joins us to discuss why non-white, young and Eastern Europeans feel especially left out of t…

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Mussolini, testicles, and the Schengen zone 41:00

9M ago41:00

41:00

Last week we brought you geopolitics, this week we're bringing you testicles. Why has male contraception remained such an underground idea, despite decades of research? We speak to Paul Labourie, one of a growing number of men (in the francophone world at least) who are turning to DIY contraception devices to take on more of the responsibility in t…

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Swedish authorities say it's fine if you listen to this podcast 56:11

9M ago56:11

56:11

We're back from our summer break! Rym Momtaz, the new editor-in-chief of the Strategic Europe blog, is here to catch us up on the main political developments we missed over the summer, from Ukraine to France. We're also talking about Sweden's suggestions for cutting kids' screen time, and a possible crackdown on outrageous concert ticket prices. Th…

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BGN 297: Evicted! (Masks Epilogue) 2:01:05

9M ago2:01:05

2:01:05

Our Masks campaign may have reached its conclusion, but the stories of our four young heroes have only just begun! For this episode we're squarely in Freeform Mode as we explore the immediate and long-term futures of our cast. What kind of hero will Pate become with her newfound powers? Will Luka be able to have some normality? Which ties will Juno…

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BGN 296: Back to Where It All Began (Masks 6.23) 1:43:24

10M ago1:43:24

1:43:24

It's time for the final episode of Masks: a New Generation! At least for now. Just how big of a bang will it go out with? Will the New Wave become ascendant torch-bearers for superheroism or a bunch of vilified outlaws? What move will Agent Tan pull next? And what about that freaky robot? Forget all that, what the hell is a skrull? Listen on to fin…

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This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: Kinga 32:24

10M ago32:24

32:24

This week, we're re-releasing another of our all-time favourite episodes to entertain your ears during our summer break. First aired in 2022, it's a story from our long-running series, 'This Is What A Generation Sounds Like', and it takes us to Georgia. Thanks for listening! We'll be back in September. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'…