Welcome to The Listening Post, where every month we get an insight into the radio listening habits of a guest contributor. Once each person has made their picks, we ask them to nominate someone for the following Listening Post.
Max Sanderson is an audio producer at The Guardian with a background in science. Before moving to The Guardian, he created and produced Science(ish) for Radio Wolfgang, before going on to produce The Guardian’s Science Weekly and A Neuroscientist Explains podcast. More recently, he has overseen production across all Guardian audio output, including Science Weekly, Chips with Everything, The Start, and one-off documentaries on The Story. His most recent project - Beyond the blade - was his most ambitious yet; a people-first approach to knife crime through the voices of those most affected by it.
Check out Max's reccomendations below...
Read more"It was Radio Wolfgang at its best with all the bells, bangs, and whistles that one has come to expect from the indie"
1. Unburnable
"This seemed to pass under the radar of a lot people - which is a real shame for them because it was fantastic. It was Radio Wolfgang at its best with all the bells, bangs, and whistles that one has come to expect from the indie. Covering an unprecedented legal battle between the Norwegian government and a handful of its citizens, their serialised treatment of the topic led to an informed and gripping listen."
"Storytelling at its very best. Annoyingly good use of archive"
2. Making Obama
“Recently, I’ve been trying to stay away from American podcasts in the hope that (a) my limited listens will instead support the stats of pods here in the UK and (b) I avoid any production American-isms creeping into my own work. That said, this series from WBEZ Chicago is storytelling at its very best. Annoyingly good use of archive (some of their own) and incredible access to those close to Obama’s meteoric rise results in a fascinating - and often surprising - insight into one the modern age’s most prominent political figures.”
"The power of these episodes comes from the simplest of places"
3. The Truth
“An old favourite of mine, The Truth has seen a renaissance of sorts in my listening week. In its sixth year and still going strong, the power of these episodes comes from the simplest of places; strong scripting and simple-yet-effective sound design. The latter of which has informed my own work hugely. Their ‘Moon Graffiti’ episode is the best kind of gateway drug.”
"I often find myself challenging my own beliefs about a certain topic; something I think we could all do with a bit more these days.”
4. Waking Up with Sam Harris
“At The Guardian, we often talk about what it is that people turn to podcasts for. And something that crops up time and time again is learning but also exposure to new beliefs and ideologies. Which is why I find myself listening to Sam Harris’ often 1+ hour conversations with academics and intellectuals (you can get the boy out of science…) And whilst the production values are low - it’s literally a conversation; sometimes via a dodgy Skype line - I often find myself challenging my own beliefs about a certain topic; something I think we could all do with a bit more these days.”
"The RSA is all about breaking down the walls of those often-mentioned echo chambers - something I’ve become hugely invested in."
5. Polarised
“Similar to the above, this new podcast from The RSA is all about breaking down the walls of those often-mentioned echo chambers - something I’ve become hugely invested in. Different from the above are the production values that come courtesy of James Shield, the RSA’s Head of Radio and someone who’s work I’ve been admiring from some time. Especially of note are is mind-bending intros; which feature the best use of archive I’ve heard coming out of a UK podcast. Their first episode ‘Liberals and Authoritarians’ is a good place to start."
