Best Plodcast Podcasts (2025)

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Sound Escape 251. Hear the song of the wind on the first icy morning of winter 13:09

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4d ago13:09

13:09

A cold front has swept down from the north overnight but it's a bright morning over the frosty marshes. A breeze pushes ripples across a lagoon of deepest blue and then gently jostles the dead rushes and reeds. Nothing else stirs. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transpo…

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Blemishes and Qualifications | (Ep. 406) 15:09

5d ago15:09

15:09

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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328. Hunting for mushrooms - and legendary animals - with Kevin Parr 1:00:38

7d ago1:00:38

1:00:38

Plodcast regular Kevin Parr joins host Fergus Collins for a charming mushroom hunting walk in a wooded Welsh valley. Along the way, as the foraging basket with treats, they discuss Kev's extraordinary new book, An Unnatural History of Britain – his series of epic quests in search of animals that really shouldn't be here. It's an unmissable audio de…

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"FLICKS" Ep 98: Why Do We See Films Multiple Times? 23:51

10d ago23:51

23:51

In episode 98 of Jason Verney’s “F.L.I.C.K.S.” we look at films, filmmaking and why people may see films multiple times... even in the cinema. Jason Verney uses the latest movie by director Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another" as an example but touches on other films and experiences too. We hope you enjoy what we have to say... The main…

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Sound Escape 250. Swollen by days of rain, the stream has a new song 13:54

11d ago13:54

13:54

After 36 hours of rain, the town floods and then the waters recede, surging down brooks such as this. You pause on a bridge above, hearing a stranger, bolder song in a stream you thought you knew so well. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful…

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Small Government Dictators | (Ep. 405) 12:24

12d ago12:24

12:24

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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327. Venture out onto the wild Essex marshes with author Michael J Warren 1:02:56

14d ago1:02:56

1:02:56

This week, we're heading to the bleakly beautiful Essex marshes to meet historian and birder Michael J Warren – and thousands of waders and wildfowl in this stunning area of big skies, haunting calls and endless water. Michael's celebrated new book, A Cuckoo's Lea (published by Bloomsbury) explores how our medieval ancestors included birds in so ma…

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Sound Escape 249. The haunting calls of waders and wild geese on forgotten Essex coast 14:59

18d ago14:59

14:59

Deep in the Essex Marshes, you find solitude on a path that skirts marsh and lagoon. But you're not entirely alone – from the creeks and open water the fluting calls of waders and ducks and the deeper gutteral utterances of Brent geese create a haunting soundtrack of true wilderness. Wilderness, that is, a sole fishing boat chugs by on its lonely m…

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City of International LARP | (Ep. 404) 15:00

19d ago15:00

15:00

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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326. Join the Plodcast team for a round up of listener emails and nature chat 39:53

21d ago39:53

39:53

Join the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah, Jack and Lewis in a wild corner of the centre of Bristol for a long-awaited Plodchat – a round-up of our nature adventures plus listener emails, recordings and other funny moments we've had out in the countryside. Photo taken from Ep. 312, where the team took on the Macmillan Mighty Hike (August 2025)! Also…

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Sound Escape 248. Soft sounds of autumn on the edge of the saltmarsh 18:19

25d ago18:19

18:19

It's a still autumn morning and you've headed to the sea wall along the edge of the saltmarsh. A gentle rain falls as robins sing in the scrub on the landward side of the wall while occasional redshanks peep and lament from the marsh. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and tra…

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The Will to Power | (Ep. 403) 12:46

26d ago12:46

12:46

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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325. Roam a Hampshire woodland in search of rare hazel dormice 57:38

28d ago57:38

57:38

This week we're in Hampshire, looking for dormice. These tiny, charming little mammals are hard to find at the best of times but numbers have been declining for decades mainly due to changes to how we manage our woodlands. Plodcast host Fergus joins Ian White from the People's Trust for Endangered Species, Charlotte Rimmer who is Senior Countryside…

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Sound Escape 247. A walk through autumn leaves on an ancient earthwork 20:16

1M ago20:16

20:16

A path winds on before you, running along the top of an ancient earthwork constructed over a 1000 years ago. To the west, the land falls away into a deep river valley, to the east, fertile farmland that this fortification once protected. Your feet crunch on this year's freshly fallen beech and hazel leaves while a wind blows up for the west, breaki…

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"FLICKS" Ep 97: "Irish Film Festival 2025" (Thailand/Chiang Mai/Bangkok) 27:05

1M ago27:05

27:05

In episode 97 of Jason Verney’s “F.L.I.C.K.S.” we present a kind of 'overview' of the recent Irish Film Festival (2025) in Thailand, and again come to you from Chiang Mai. Although this review and little overview speaks about - and indeed praises - the Irish Fiklm Festival, which takes part in bioth Bangkok and Chiang Mai, podcast host Jason Verney…

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324. Enjoy a mindful walk along the mighty earthwork running through the Welsh Borders known as Offa's Dyke 50:34

1M ago50:34

50:34

From the end of Saxon England last week, we head to the height of Saxon power in Mercia and the reign of King Offa (757-796). Plodcast host Fergus takes a walk along Offa's great work – a massive defensive earthwork that ran along much of the Welsh Borders and can still be encountered today. What is Offa's Dyke and why and how did Offa build it? Li…

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Sound Escape 246. Kingfisher calls and dipper song on the rushing river 10:22

1M ago10:22

10:22

You've wandered down to the river to listen to its gentle song – but what's that strange birdsong? A metallic chirruping from the far bank... it's a dipper, it's while bib bobbing at the water's edge. And now a kingfisher zips past with a hoarse, high-pitched whistle. Moments of magic on an overcast autumn day. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Esca…

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All the Interviews | (Ep. 402) 13:01

1M ago13:01

13:01

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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323. The Plodcast meets Norman and Saxon warriors at the Battle of Hastings 1:08:42

1M ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Witness the reenactment of the Battle of Hastings – on the very site in Sussex where the future of England was changed forever in 1066. English Heritage invited the Plodcast to meet the people re-enacting Norman and Saxon life and then watch the battle unfold. So tune in with Plodcast host Fergus for an unforgettable day out in the countryside. Fin…

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Erin Ranney 'I just completely fell in love with cameras' 40:08

1M ago40:08

40:08

In this episode we go for a Bristol wander with camerawoman Erin Ranney. We chat about growing up in bear country, her route into natural history filmmaking and separating work from worth. Follow us on Instagram: @Plodcast Erin on Instagram: @e.ranney Erin's website https://www.erinranney.comBy Mandi Stark

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Sound Escape 245. Listen to the whispering reedbed as the sun sets over the wetland 17:11

2M ago17:11

17:11

A golden autumn sun is dropping behind the hills. A soft wind rides down from the uplands, over the lake and stirs the reedbed. Among the whispers carried on the breeze, you hear croaks, calls and gurgles of waterbirds and even frogs perhaps. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax…

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A Grand Instance of Taking the Bait | (Ep. 401) 15:31

2M ago15:31

15:31

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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322. Discover the history of England in 25 poems - with Catherine Clarke 1:00:25

2M ago1:00:25

1:00:25

Explore the history and identity of England from Saxon times to the modern day through 25 poems. Host Annabel Ross meets author Catherine Clarke in the heart of England by the River Thames to discuss her work analysing famous and not-so-well-known verse that sheds light on how a nation sees itself. A fascinating and highly relevant journey – with s…

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Sound Escape 244. Hear the song of the River Usk in Autumn 20:16

2M ago20:16

20:16

It's early in the morning and the human world is awake and bustling. But down by the river you pause to watch the water glide over its stony bed and listen as it composes a gentle, soothing chorus. Robins and long-tailed tits drop in from time to time with small, beautiful solos. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard …

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Heaven and the President | (Ep. 400) 14:55

2M ago14:55

14:55

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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321. Secrets of the darkness on a night walk with Andy Flack 56:55

2M ago56:55

56:55

As the evenings draw in, we're heading out with environmental historian Dr Andrew Flack to experience how the night change our sensory perception of the world. He has written a new book called Dark Natures: Finding Life in the Shadows, which is out soon. Annabel Ross is your host this week, looking at how humans and animals adapt to the dark – and …

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Sound Escape 243. The sounds of an English churchyard in early autumn 12:00

2M ago12:00

12:00

You've wondered down a country lane to find a small, ancient church with a square tower. Crumbling gravestones covered in moss or lichen lean here and there in the churchyard but no one is around. You find a welcome bench, sit down and simply listen. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help y…

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Warfare By Any Other Name | (Ep. 399) 11:02

2M ago11:02

11:02

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press

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320. Wander the beaches of North Cornwall with artist Sarah Adams 53:59

2M ago53:59

53:59

In this episode, we head back to high summer and the North Cornwall coast. Plodcast host Fergus takes a beach walk with artist Sarah Adams. Venturing into murmuring caves, Sarah shares valuable insight into the inspiration she takes from the rock formations, the light and the shadows – and how she goes about her work. And she's brought art material…

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Sound Escape 242. Footsteps though a beechwood full of fungi 13:33

2M ago13:33

13:33

We're walking in beechwoods in a vale high up in the Welsh hills. Leaves are beginning to fall but the sound beneath your feet is the faint rustle of last year's leaves. Among them, an extraordinary variety of fungi are sprouting and the air is heavy with the scent of mushrooms. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard f…

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The Race Realism Pipeline is Real | (Ep. 398) 15:06

2M ago15:06

15:06

For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/By Canon Press