Rnz: The Podcast Hour

'Death: a podcast about love, grief and hope' (Newshub) is a new locally produced show, that tries to find some answers about how we can cope with grief, and how we can help others do the same. And the story's told by a man who's experienced incomprehensible loss himself. In 2011, Mark Longley's daughter Emily was murdered in England when she was 17 years old. This bewildering event, Mark's attempts to come to terms with it, and audio grabbed from home videos of the young Emily, give the show much of its emotional resonance and its driving force. But it's not just his story: he speaks to others who have lost loved ones in suicides, illnesses, accidents, and to old age.

Overthinkers unite in 'Adrift'. 'A Way With Words' explores interesting words and phrases. 'Brexitcast' gives you a behind-the-scenes view of Brexit. And 'Here Be Monsters' offers an anxiety-laden look into our fears.

Back in Ye Olden Days 'Here Be Monsters' is what map-makers are supposed to have written over unknown and unexplored parts of the world on their charts. It's also the name of an offbeat, arty show that describes itself as a podcast about the unknown. Producer Bethany Denton made 'Hypnosis of Hunger' after she found 2 old cassette tapes in a box in her basement- on them were recordings of childhood visits she made to a hypnotherapist to help with her disordered eating. In this powerful audio story she cuts between these old tapes and her own modern day musings. 'Hypnosis of Hunger' from 'Here Be Monsters' is produced by Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman for KCRW, and the show is edited by Nick White.

Listener Janet emailed pods@rnz.co.nz about Brexitcast, a show she's got addicted to that features some top BBC journalists explaining what's going on with Brexit. As Janet writes "... it's very back-room. And surprisingly entertaining if not funny". We speak to the show's producer Dino Sofos and play clips from two episodes of 'Brexitcast' to give you a taster. 'Brexitcast' is presented by Laura Kuenssberg, Katya Adler, Adam Fleming and Chris Mason, produced by Dino Sofos (and engineered by NZer Edward Swift among others!) for BBC Radio 5 Live.

'A Way With Words' is a long-running US phone-in show that answers listener questions about the origins and use of interesting words and phrases. For example, when do clothes become laundry? Where does the saying 'high and dry' come from? And how on earth should you pronounce turmeric?! This miscellany of mangled words and unusual sayings is led by two writers, journalist Martha Barnette and lexicographer Grant Barrett, with word quiz guy John Chaneski often popping up to pose little language puzzles for you to solve.

In 'Adrift', serial overthinker Geoff Lloyd and co-host and confidante Annabel Port pick over their listeners' social dilemmas and stories about their failed interactions with other human beings. The two hosts have an easy rapport and some of the deeply uncomfortable (and often minutely detailed!) stories of social awkwardness they share will have you simultaneously cringeing, and laughing out loud.

The podcast poet: 'Have You Heard George's Podcast?' aims for social change. 'Backlisted' brings new life to old books. 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' introduces online haters to their targets. Finally, 'Words To That Effect' looks at how big ideas enter the popular imagination through books and film.

'Words To That Effect' looks at how some big ideas enter the popular imagination through books and film. Zombies, overpopulation, steampunk and imaginary countries are just some of the topics covered by the Irish writer and researcher Conor Reid and we share an excerpt from an episode called 'Dinosaurs: Palaeontology To Pyjamas'.

In 'Conversations With People Who Hate Me' the actor and activist Dylan Marron speaks directly to the people making hateful comments about him (and others) online. Four years ago Colleen tweeted "I'm not sure I hate any celebrity the way I hate Amanda Palmer". So of course Dylan engineers a conversation between Colleen and Amanda, a popular musician and writer who you might know from her band The Dresden Dolls! Episode 27 of 'Conversations with People Who Hate Me' is called 'I Hate Amanda Palmer' and is created and hosted by Dylan Marron for Night Vale Presents.

'Backlisted' takes neglected books and gives them new life for the modern reader. It's a bit like a clever book club where everyone does all the reading! The show's hosted by Andy Miller and John Mitchinson (who spent lots of time here in New Zealand growing up). We speak to John about how the podcast's getting people to buy more books, and play an extract from the episode about Angus Wilson's novel 'Hemlock and After', featuring guest Dickon Edwards.

Can a podcast be a vehicle for social change? Spoken-word poet and social commentator George Mpanga – aka George The Poet – explores that question in the unique, award-winning show Have You Heard George's Podcast?

'The Document' explores how to cover a free solo climb of a 1000 metre vertical rockface, and speaks to the doco maker who profiled a homicidal African dictator. 'The Untold' takes listeners right Into the middle of life-changing stories. Finally, 'Nancy' presents a variety of stories about "queer experience today".

'Nancy' is a show that, to use its own words, offers "...stories and conversations about the queer experience today". Hosted by two friends- Tobin Low and Kathy Tu- it's a warm, funny, frequently moving look at people at various stages along the road towards accepting who they are, and who they want to be. 'Perfect Son' is Jason Kim's story from 'Nancy' hosted by Tobin Low and Kathy Tu, and produced for WNYC Studios by Matt Collette and Jeremy S. Bloom.

Imagine getting right into the middle of a true story developing around you while you're listening. That's the narrative approach taken in' The Untold', a BBC show telling stories about life in modern Britain. Its team of producers seem to have a super power! They're able to find people going through significant life events, and persuade them to talk about it all while it's still happening. We play some of an episode called 'Be My Baby' from 'The Untold', presented by Grace Dent and produced by Sarah Bowen for BBC Radio 4. We also speak to Sarah Bowen, who's been working on the show since it started 3 years and about 100 episodes ago, about The Untold's distinctive approach to audio storytelling.

'The Document' (KCRW) mashes together the worlds of documentary film and audio. In interviews with some of the world's top documentary makers, it uncovers great stories about how they do what they do; for example, how they get access to their subjects, or manage their sometimes difficult relationships with them. We feature two clips: 'The Yellow Laugh' is all about the challenges facing film-maker Barbet Schroeder in 1974 in the making of "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait", about the Ugandan dictator whose brutal regime caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the small East African country. Then Matt Holzman speaks to the directors of 'Free Solo' about one man's death-defying attempts to solo climb the famed 1,000 metre vertical rockface El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park. 'The Document' from KCRW is hosted by Matt Holzman, who produces the show with Sara Pellegrini and Mike Schlitt.

50 years on, '13 Minutes to the Moon' reconsiders the moon landing. 'Studio 360' presents the life of an opera extra. 'Running from COPS' asks if the world's longest running reality TV show can really be considered true, fair, and accurate. Finally, 'The Parenting Spectrum' offers insights into living with autism.

Finding out that you or someone you care about is on the autism spectrum is a lot to get your head around; for families, loved ones and for the person themselves. Fiona Churchman and Travis Saunders got a diagnosis for their son Patch when he was just a toddler. Patch is now a 9-year-old and in 'The Parenting Spectrum' Fiona and Travis explore what autism is and what Patch's experiences have taught them. We play some of Episode 1 called 'Diagnosis' from 'The Parenting Spectrum' presented by Travis Saunders and Fiona Churchman, featuring Patch and produced by Jennifer Lenman for ABC Audio Studios.

COPS is the longest running reality show in TV history. The format's simple. Cameras follow police officers on the beat as they catch and arrest baddies. Thirty seasons in there's now more than 1000 episodes, a new half hour show comes out every week, and repeats play everywhere TV is watched. But is the 'reality' this pioneering show presents a true and accurate portrayal of modern policing? Well not so much, according to Dan Taberski and his Headlong team. They follow the wildly popular 'Missing Richard Simmons' and last year's 'Surviving Y2K' with the final part of the Headlong trilogy called 'Running From COPS'. We play some of episode 1 'The One-Celled Amoeba' from 'Running from COPS', hosted by Dan Taberski and produced by Henry Molofsky.

'Studio 360' is a show about culture and the arts featuring stories about, and interviews with, the people writing or making some of the biggest plays, books, films, and music today. We feature some of an episode were host Kurt Andersen introducing Iggy Berlin who shares details of his life as an opera extra, or supernumerary.

Almost 50 years ago, in July 1969, the US astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong went to the Moon on Apollo 11 and then all safely came back to Earth again. A new BBC series called '13 Minutes To The Moon' reconsiders the moon landing and how close it came to failure. We play some of Episode 1 called 'We Choose to Go' and speak to the show's host, Kevin Fong. '13 Minutes to the Moon' is presented by Kevin Fong and produced by Andrew Luck-Baker for the BBC World Service.