Podcasting has become mainstream. Beginning in the early to mid 2000’s, podcasting has grown to a point where there are over 750,000 active shows available online on a multitude of platforms. There are podcasting conventions held worldwide and hosts of popular shows have garnered a sort of celebrity. A broad range of companies, like Hello Fresh and Wix, have begun sponsoring episodes to promote their services on the platform as more and more people subscribe to the service.
Within the massive volume of shows there is a large section of the podcasting world dedicated to nerdy subjects. The low production cost and easily available technology have encouraged many to create shows about their favourite hobby or pastime. These include shows featuring popular culture, fandoms and tabletop RPGs to name a few. Here is a list of 10 highly rated Nerdy Shows that inspire AND entertain!
POP CULTURE
Bad Science by Seeker pairs a scientist and a comedian together to break down the scientifically inaccurate elements of our favourite movies and TV shows. Think Avengers, The Martian, Finding Nemo, and Star Wars.
Personal Favourite: “Back to the Future”- Comedian Doug Benson discusses the logistics of time travel, wormholes and electricity with physicist Robert Hurt and string theorist Christoph Uhlemann.
The Arkham Sessions hosted by Dr Andrea Letamendi and Brian Ward takes a clinical look at the psychology of the characters found in the Batman: The Animated Series. What really goes on in the brain of our beloved Dark Knight and how he interacts with the villain of the week.
Personal Favourite: “Mad Love”- It’s an extra long episode delving into the backstory of the one and only Dr Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn is iconic in the Arkhamverse and her troubled relationship with The Joker is infamous.
Honourable Mentions
- Faculty of Horror: Two female horror journalists deep dive into everything that goes bump in the night.
- Hackable?: Actual hackers share just what is required for a hack dispelling myths from movies and tv shows along the way.
- The Losers Club: All things Stephen King.
FANDOM
Hosted by Michael Schubert (Schubes), Potterless by Multitude follows the journey of a grown man reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. To help him along the journey he enlists the help of Harry Potter fanatics to poke holes in the plot and world JK Rowling has created, has a go at predicting major plot events to come and rants about how terrible Quidditch is.
It is hard to pick a personal favourite due to the nature of this podcast, but a strong contender is Episode 68 with David Gordon. This episode features David Gordon from the one man Wizard Rock band Alas Earwax! It treats the listener to the epic electronic rap song “Enter Thicknesse.
Buffering The Vampire Slayer is hosted by professional musician and Whedonverse aficionado in her spare time, Jenny Owen Youngs, along with professional writer and former goth teen, Kristin Russo guide you through the *Spoiler Alert* Hell Mouth known as Sunnydale. Deep diving into the Buffyverse one episode at a time, they discuss the plot points, supernatural lore, and even have special guests like James Marsters who played Spike. Each episode includes and original song recapping each episode!
Personal Favourite: “Never Kill a Boy on the First Date”- This episode talks about the difficulties of dating when you are The Slayer and how the lovable Xander has a case of being The Worst!
Honourable Mentions:
FAN FICTION
Fanfiction is a modern spectacle consisting of fan made stories based off an existing media. Fangasm Podcast, formerly known as Potterotica, is hosted by Allie LaFevere, Lyndsay Rush, and Danny Chapman and it’s an anthology of fics where beloved characters get into horned up scenarios. With an emphasis on comedy within each story fandoms include Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and The Office. While definitely NSFW (and if you are listening at work, make sure you have your earphones plugged in tight and have disconnected from the work wifi), this podcast is also filled with 90s comedic references, consent and comedy gold. Consent you ask? The hosts of Fangasm have so much respect for the authors of the stories the read they ensure they get permission from every writer prior to using their work. This pod has created a massive family of inclusiveness and support and has multiple sub groups within their Facebook community.
Personal Favourite: Season 12. A Game of Thrones fic based in an alternate reality where Sansa and Arya are University students and its Guy Fawkes Night. The pairing you ask? Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane (The Hound).
Fanatical Fics, hosted by Sequoia and Kim Harris, finds and reads the craziest and funniest Harry Potter fanfiction on the internet. The hosts have a strong love for Harry Potter: having written their own fanfiction, acted in an unofficial musical based on the final 200 pages of Deathly Hallows and reading Goblet of Fire 11 times. They focus on keeping this podcast accessible to Harry Potter fans of all ages and celebrate and relive the stories written 10 or more years ago- the stuff that was written in response to the 2 year gap between publishing Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix.
Personal Fave: Acceptance? Which features guest host Mike Schubert from Potterless! No spoilers but it is insane.
Honourable Mentions:
RPG
Join The Party by Multitude is a collaborative adventure podcast that teaches listeners the rules to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as well as creating an entertaining story. Hosted by Dungeon Master, Eric Silver, and players Amanda McLoughlin and Brandon Grugle, we follow the journey of Rogue Moon Elf Inara and Barbarian Warforged TR8c as they become unlikely friends and crash a wedding to save the Royal Wedding and the Prince. Throughout the seasons there are game and story based episodes and afterparty episodes which go into and break down game play, rules and players decisions. Great for beginners and seasoned players there is something for everyone at Join the Party.
Personal Favourite: Wedding Party 1. I love that this episode has two versions. One for beginner D&D players, explaining the rules and one for pros of the game.
Hosted by the McElroy brothers Justin, Travis and Griffin along with their dad, Clint, The Adventure Zone is a D&D podcast filled with adventure and good natured banter. Building the world and characters as they go we follow this band of heroes through a number of challenges- the first being the kidnapping of their employer. The attention to detail in their world building and detailed character descriptions and the thought put into creating individual voices for each of the characters allows the listener to be absorbed into the world.
Personal Favourite: Live- Halloween Special. This episode is a wild ride! Full of the appropriate spookiness and a LIVE audience it is a hell of a time.
Honourable Mentions:
OBSCURE NERDY GOODNESS
Imaginary Worlds is hosted by radio host Eric Molinsky and focuses on the craft of world building in the science fiction and fantasy genres as a whole. Special guests include novelists, screenwriters, game developers and comic book artists discussing their process as well as the fan experience.
Personal Favourite: Actors with Pencils. A look at the new Disney live action remake phenomenon. Do they stack up against their animated counterparts or do they fail to ignite the nostalgia flame?
Hosted by the mega talented and award winning Alie Ward, Ologies is a comedic science podcast. Having studied film AND science Alie talks with a different expert (-ologists) each episode. 108 episodes with everything you’ve ever wanted to know (and never wanted to know) about things like Mars missions, beer science and slug sex. Alie asks smart people dumb questions and the answers will probably change the way you view the world around you.
Personal Fave: Egyptology. A history lesson with Egyptologist Dr Kara Cooney about the pyramids, curses and the monarchy. Very Brendan Frasier’s The Mummy.
Honourable Mentions:
- Science Rules! With Bill Nye
- Those Happy Places: A podcast about Theme Park rides, attractions and lands focusing on the stories they tell and why it matters
- Hello from the Magic Tavern: An improv audio drama about a dimensional portal behind a Burger King
Wandering Monsters, as seen in Dragon+
https://youtu.be/MYncX9U1jzI