Podcast find of the week: Operation Mincemeat on Stuff You Should Know with Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant
- Each week we highlight a contender for best podcast episode of all time – this week, Nazi-related trivia on a pod with an archive of 2,000 episodes
Launched in 2008, this venerable OG of trivia pods recently released its 2,000th episode, one of which outlines everything you ought to know about the traditional gap-year experience between high school and university. They raise the point that it is predominantly a British practice, the value of which hangs on a number of factors.
Unscripted and unrehearsed, the two journalists research each episode’s topic individually before coming together to chat about it in a way that manages to be interesting and entertaining but casual and relaxing as well. They tackle subjects such as Spam and vasectomies – not in the same episode, thank goodness – and look at the science behind break-ups or if smiling makes you happy.
True-crime fans love their treatment of unsolved mysteries, such as the case of the nine Russian hikers found dead and half naked at Dyatlov Pass. Even if you already know the general outlines of the events, Clark and Bryant’s compelling presentation of what they have researched, coupled with their obvious enjoyment of what they learn from each other, makes this an easy listen, even after hundreds of episodes.
My favourite episode for today (it changes all the time, so shoot me) is a piece of World War II trivia that I had never heard about. The subtitle tells you everything you need to know.
