I often get asked about what podcasts I listen to by people who are not sure where to start. Rather than list general show, I sometimes suggest individual episodes or parts of episodes which may provide a good example of the series, or might be particularly enjoyable to the person asking. Below are some of the best that spring to mind.

• .NET Rocks #1066: The New Digital Watch with Jon Stark - 26-Nov-2014

Long running (since 2002!) geek show about the Microsoft .NET software development framework, hosts Richard and Carl often diverge into sidetrack topic like this one. From 6:15 to 23:22 guest Jon Stark tells us his story of what happened when he tried to hack good nature by putting his Starbucks top-up card details online for anyone to use! Very enjoyable tale, even if the rest of the content is not to your liking.

• The Tim Ferris Show #60: Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare and Much More - 02-Feb-2015

The hugely popular and successful Tim Ferris show needs no introduction to many. This fantastic interview raised the profile of the show introducing it to many new listeners like myself. You mightn't be surprised by Arnold's approach to competition and getting the upper hand on his opponents, but did you know that he was a millionaire before ever taking on an acting role?!

• The Dead Authors Podcast #45: L. Ron Hubbard - 14-Apr-2015

This short-lived improvisation live show was hosted by HG Wells who used his time machine to introduce us to various authors from history. This episode features Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. It's a riotous affair that eventuated in a follow-up interview that's also very good. It might not appeal to those who don't have a fondness for improv like that seen on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but is definitely worth a go.

• Rugby on Off The Ball: Lions Legends Night - 06-Jul-2017

A live special recorded in Dublin during the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017 bringing together former Lions players to regale us with stories of struggle, debauchery and general unprofessional sporting standards. Obviously more of a show for fans of the game, this should still provide laugh out loud moments from even the most rugby uninterested.

• Reply All #102: Long Distance - 27-Jul-2017

The Reply All team of investigators and reporters delve into oddities and rabbit holes in the technical world. This double episode deals with chasing down an Indian telemarketing scam and brings us to some strange places and people. Intriguing, even in lieu of fully satisfactory conclusion.

• The Blindboy Podcast #18: Jockeys Porridge - 14-Feb-2018

I'll talk about how great this show and especially this episode is in other blog posts, but for now, suffice it to say I have never laughed out loud as much or as loudly while listening to another podcast episode. The humour may be hard to appreciated given how Irish it is, but I've recommended this episode to many people and everyone has enjoyed it, and some have even gone onto do the Belfast tour run by the guest, Donzo. Highly, highly recommended.

• Disgraceland #4: Norweign Black Metal: Satanic Rebellion, Murder and Worse - 20-Mar-2018

Being a big fan of metal music, particularly the more extreme side much of which has sprung out of Scandanavia, I forget that the stories detailed in this episode are not widely known. Disgraceland covers disgraceful behaviour in the music celebrity world, and in terms of out-and-out mayhem, this period of Norway's musical history won't be topped. Host Jake Brennan's polished and imagery-focussed presentation style can be hard to keep up with, particularly in later episodes but this early one gets the balance right.

• Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project #4: The Travel Bug with August Lindt - 05-Apr-2018

Back to American improvisation shows, if you struggled with The Dead Author's Podcast, you'll likely find this one too much. From what I can tell, this was a series of concept episodes orchestrated by Andy Daly to see if something ongoing would fall out of it. The most successful were the pair of Travel Bug episodes, the second recorded in front of a live audience. These are zany, off the wall and hard to keep up with, but by gum they're a whole heap of fun if you've got the patience!

• Motherfocloir #46: The Waka and the Curach - 14-Jul-2018

One for my Irish and / or Kiwi friends, family and whanau, this episode from the Irish language podcast Motherfocloir looks at the cross-section and overlaps between Gaeilge and Te Reo from the perspective of an Irish woman who is studying Te Reo as part of her PhD. It's lighthearted, not heavily accademic or preachy, and gives a balanced overview of the similarities and differences of the two cultures.