Culture

Our selection of summer podcasts

Par Sandrine Faure

Whether you're on the road to your holiday destination on a long Saturday, by the pool with your family or jogging solo, podcasts are your new August companions. Discover our selection of summer podcasts to learn, laugh or disconnect.

1) True crime à la française - Distortion

The podcast offers a new ideal platform for an old passion: true crime. Since the Serial phenomenon, there have been countless new podcasts that analyze the biggest criminal cases for our great pleasure. For our part, we have to admit that we have fallen in love with Distortion, the Quebec podcast that deals with "strange stories of the digital age". On the program: cybercrime, dark web and other enigmas of today dissected by Émile and Seb, two friends who revisit these sometimes sordid cases with modesty and respect for the victims. And we can't resist their accent and their good humour.

2) Le travail, c'est la santé (ou pas) - Work (in progress)

A podcast about work in the middle of summer is not necessarily what you had in mind. But this Louie Media production offers a fascinating analysis of the world of work in the 21st century at a time of burnouts, professional reconversions and telecommuting. We particularly recommend the last episode of the podcast ("Disconnecting: why your brain needs silence to regenerate") which focuses on silence and its benefits on our brains. The perfect companion for a day on a deckchair.

3) The classic - Down to earth

You're probably familiar with the culture show hosted by Sonia Kronlund on France Culture for the past 15 years, but the format has evolved a bit over the past few years and you can listen to the hundreds of episodes whenever you want on the Radio France app. Inspired by the cult (and brilliant) This American Life, Les pieds sur Terre offers half an hour of reportage without commentary from journalists and gives a voice to those we never really hear on the radio. By turns funny, moving or deeply shocking, these stories paint an unvarnished portrait of our society. If you're having trouble choosing, we suggest you start with the series of episodes "My daughter under the influence": chilling and fascinating.

4) Fiction à la française - Corentin Tréguier's incredible expedition to the Congo

Our favorite of the holidays! Corentin Tréguier, an officer with more knowledge of botany than military strategy, is on a secret mission to find Professor Delescluze - a French researcher who disappeared on the banks of the Congo. The French government fears that he has turned into a monkey: an embarrassment for the country and its colonial ambitions. This is the beginning of an adventure that will take you on a journey to the heart of Africa thanks to a truly stunning 3D soundtrack. Children will love this surprising tale and adults will discover a subtle analysis of the colonial drifts whose effects are still felt today. A bittersweet and terribly optimistic podcast that is a pleasure to listen to again.

5) For children - Myths and legends

If they're already fans of audiobooks, your kids will love podcasts. Myths and Leg ends from What a Story, is great for fun learning and keeping them occupied on long car rides - or for quiet time if they're past nap time. They will go on an adventure with Isis, Osiris or Anubis, face terrifying monsters with Hercules or Theseus, and also discover many stories from Nordic, Hindu, Japanese or Aztec mythologies... Enough to keep them busy for a long time and to give you a little respite!

6) For children too - Stories with music

Another story podcast, but with a musical version. Élodie Fondacci revisits tales from around the world to the most beautiful classical music in this superb Radio Classique programme. It's an opportunity to discover (or rediscover) these beautiful stories and to introduce the little ones to a whole musical universe, from Little Red Riding Hood to Swan Lake - in partnership with the Paris Opera - to superb discoveries such as the Cloud Spider and Old Man Sun.

7) To sleep - Sleep with me

So yes, it's in English, but that shouldn't stop you from falling into the arms of Morpheus (on the contrary). Created by Drew Ackerman, a chronic insomniac, Sleep With Me has all the makings of a sleeping pill... without the side effects. With three episodes a week, Drew invites you to follow him through the twists and turns of long-winded stories he tells in his deep voice, hoping to lose you as the podcast progresses. And it works, with over a million episodes downloaded each month.