I have always been a huge fan of podcasts, I have listened to podcasts as far back at 2008 I think it was although I never really listened to them until a few years later. My first real introduction to the world of podcasts was when I was in my last year of university and had to spend hours in the classroom with two of my friends working on our coursework into the very early hours of the morning. It would just be the three of us, myself, Matt and Tom and whilst we were working, the podcasts of The Ricky Gervais show was blasting out into the room. It was in the moment I realised that podcasts can create so much comedy and can really sort of act like a ‘best friend.’ It also sort of created a special bonding moment between the three of us and I am still very much close friends with them today.

Over the years, I have learnt that podcasts can really be so much more then the ‘laugh’ and whilst I do listen to a lot of podcasts to help get me through the tough days, the good days and the times I have to work through the night, I also have found that it can be so much more.

Over the years, the idea of what a podcast is has obviously developed, especially with the pandemic and so many more have arisen and so much more content is now available and in a saturated market it can be hard to find really good shows. I have learnt that sometimes episodes of certain podcasts can really have an effect and over time I have shown my appreciation for these episodes on my social media channels.

I have previously spoken about the podcast episode that inspired me to start writing this feature, and you can read more about it here. This week we are talking about a podcast that I found incredible refreshing to listen to when it comes to relationships.

Podcast Episodes That Changed My Life –
Episode: John Robins
Podcast: Isy Suttie’s The Things We Do For Love

I have been a fan of Isy Suttie for a long time, I think it is due to the fact that her character of Dobby was fantastic in Peep Show that I instantly started to like her. I really liked the fact that the show had made such a quirky character and made the show a lot more realistic and also that it didn’t have the standard predictable characters as the lead love interests in the show.

Years later I became a fan again by reading her book The Actual One which was a great story about relationships that it become a book that I have re-read over and over again. One day, I cannot remember when it was but it was some time ago, I stumbled across this podcast that she had recorded and became an instant fan.

“…In this modern day world, we are surrounded and saturated by ‘perfect love’ and what you should expect from it and if you are not part of that world then you are not living life ‘right’ […] it can leave a lot of people feeling fed up with their own life or trying to reach a level of expectation that may not be possible…”

Isy Suttie’s The Things We Do For Love is a podcast that talks to different comedians about their experiences with love, it is filmed in front of a live audience and is sort of like a recording of a show which makes it a really good listen because it feels a lot more raw and true. The episode that I am going to talk about today is episode one because this is the show that I would say is my favourite.

I was a fan of Isy’s other half Elis James and his best mate John Robins as I used to listen to their radio show on Radio X and used to love the relationship and friendship of the duo. When I heard that Isy had an episode with John I knew it was going to be good fun because of the fact that they have a long friendship and know each other really well.

This podcast episode is fantastic for many reasons, first off, it is actually really funny and it feels like you are in the audience of a show which makes it feel very immersive. The other reason why I am a fan of this podcast is because it does something that a lot of other shows do not do – it really examines real life situations and love but not in a traditional sense, it looks at the cringe points and the ways that people have expressed love and it has not turned out with the response that you thought it would.

In this modern day world, we are surrounded and saturated by ‘perfect love’ and what you should expect from it and if you are not part of that world then you are not living life ‘right’. This can be everything from your friends on social media channels posting the perfect loved up photos with their other halves or reels/ Tik Toks of clips of romance from films, or short videos about how amazing someone you have never met love life is and so much information about how they fell in love, their perfect life etc etc. It. Is. Too. Much. Also with all these ‘perfect’ images of love it can isolate many people and it can leave a lot of people feeling fed up with their own life or trying to reach a level of expectation that may not be possible.

“… it is filmed in front of a live audience and is sort of like a recording of a show which makes it a really good listen because it feels a lot more raw and true...”

This podcast is so refreshing because it looks at the silly things that people have done to try and confess their love for someone – whether it is something like a mix tape or creating a paper mache a penguin, it is a really fun look at the way that people can be awkward in relationship. The fact that Isy is talking to people in the public eye also makes it a fun listen because it means that people can relate to it and start to feel better about their silly things that they have done in the past. It also makes you think of the things that you have done to try and impress a person.

There are many stupid things I have done to try and get someone’s attention or even to spend time with them. Everything from begging my friend to lend me their massive keyboard (that I had to then awkwardly try and carry miles across town) so that I could teach the guy I really liked how to play as he wanted to learn ..only for us to spend the whole time pressing the DJ button and nothing else, from a boyfriend finding a poem I wrote about someone else I had the biggest crush on for months before we got together and lying that’s it’s about him when he asked when he clearly didn’t have ‘blue eyes I could get lost in’ (his were brown) or dusty blond hair (brunette) and just told him they were metaphors. I mean, those are just a couple but I can assure you there are many many more. However, I think that is enough to share for the time being…

This is a really fun podcast and I highly recommend that you give it a listen as it normalises the weird and the embarrassing. Isy is a fantastic host as she is so friendly that it allows the guest to really feel like they can open up and talk freely, even if they are surrounded by an audience. I really like this episode as it feels like a really fun conversation between two friends and the icing on the cake is the mini ukulele song at the beginning and the end.