Bored of the same old true crime podcast or scrolling mindlessly through Instagram for 30 minutes on the bus? Then make this the year you start swotting up on sex and relationships on your commute.
From new releases to cult listens, the wide slate of podcasts on the topic range from erotic fiction to agony aunt-ing, discussions of what it’s really like for women to squirt, and of course some good old-fashioned dirty talk.
Can’t decide where to start? We’ve got our HuffPost staff and readers to give you their top picks. Whatever you’re into, you are sure to find something you like, and will probably learn some stuff along the way, too.
Recommended by Micha Frazer Carroll, former HuffPost UK Intern
‘Modern Love’ is fantastic. It’s an offshoot of the New York Times essay series on the ways love plays out in modern life: from one night stands, to sexual fetishes, divorce, age gaps in relationships, grief. Each week, a big name actor performs an essay – Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke, Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet have all featured. The readings lasts about 20 minutes before presenter Meghna Chakrabarti returns to the essay’s original author to find out what happened next. I always come away understanding more about other people’s experiences, and sometimes my own.
Recommended by Lilly Robinson, HuffPost UK reader
You might be familiar with the name Cheryl Strayed – she’s the author behind the bestselling memoir ‘Wild’ that was made into a film with Reese Witherspoon. But Strayed is also an ear to other people’s problems and, together with Steve Almond, provides this agony aunt service for listeners, answering questions about everything from sex to love, and how your husband’s weed habit is destroying your life between the sheets.
Recommended by Alana Horowitz Satlin, former HuffPost senior editor
Unqualified with Anna Faris is a hilarious podcast in which the Hollywood actor and other celebrities and comedians chat about love and life, then offer sometimes questionable relationship advice to random guests. Past guests have included Seth Rogen, Allison Janney, Nick Jonas, Kristen Bell, freaking Ru Paul and Tiffany Haddish before she was everyone’s ‘it girl’.
Recommended by Alice Duncan, HuffPost UK reader
This podcast combines my love of plants and sex – my two favourite topics to talk about with friends. Unlike many other podcasts, Love Is Like A Plant is best examining the monotony of sex in long-term relationships rather than more unusual sexual fantasies or whatever. In effect, the LA-based hosts Sarah and Ellen ask: how do we keep the spark alive? Good for the single or settled.
Recommended by Sophie Gallagher, former HuffPost UK reporter
Ok, so My Dad Wrote A Porno isn’t strictly a sex and relationship podcast in the way others are – it doesn’t offer sex advice or explore issues around sex. But it’s well worth including. The premise, for those who’ve somehow missed it, is that co-host Jamie Morton is reading his dad’s erotic fiction (that’s right, his own father writes porn). It’s hilarious, cringey and so, so addictive. So much so that you find yourself wishing for a longer commute to work.
Recommended by Liza Hearon, HuffPost assignment editor
Kid Fury and Crissle discuss pop and hip-hop culture, but they also answer letters from listeners with their sex and relationship dilemmas. Some of the letters are hilarious and it’s hard to see how some of these people get into these situations but here we are. Kid Fury and Chrissle are best friends and you can tell from their banter – their advice is always supportive and uplifting.
Recommended by Brogan Driscoll, HuffPost UK finds editor
I was recommended it by a friend and after the first listen I was hooked. Each episode is a recording of real couple’s first relationship counselling session, facilitated by Esther Perel, a well-known Belgian psychotherapist, with issues ranging from infidelity to impotence. I love it because the anonymity allows you to eavesdrop without feeling guilty, and because Perel offers such incredible insight to the way we think and behave.
Recommended by Sophie Gallagher, former HuffPost UK reporter
Is there anything better than Will Young’s voice and the sound of tiny sausage dogs being streamed into your ears? If the answer is no, you need to listen to Homosapiens. The former pop star hosts this podcast at his London home alongside his friend Christopher Sweeney. The pair swap stories about their own love lives as well inviting over a host of guests from the LGBT community for tea and biscuits. British podcasting at its best.
Recommended by Tom Martin, HuffPost UK reader
Okay, hear me out here. This might sound niche but Swingercast is a great listen for anyone who has ever wanted to know more about, well, swinging. Hosts Allie and John share an honest look at their own sexual adventures with other swingers. They talk foursomes, double penetration and open relationships. Even if none of these things have appealed to you, it’s fascinating to learn.
Recommended by Liza Hearon, HuffPost assignment editor
I’ve been reading Dan Savage’s column and listening to his hit podcast for years and still love his advice and political rants. His outlook challenges a lot of beliefs that feel inescapable in society and he’s really helped shape my perspective.
Recommended by Nancy Groves, HuffPost UK head of life
The Hotbed takes Salt-n-Pepa’s advice to heart and talks about sex. A lot. TV presenter Cherry Healey teams up with journalist Lisa Williams and blogger Anniki Sommerville with the mission to help us all lead more fulfilling sex lives. Working mums the lot of them, they don’t shy away from talking orgasms – or scoops. Not only did they bag the first interview with Rebecca “I Took The Cat” Humphries after she left comedian Seann Walsh, it was on the Hotbed that MP Jess Phillips first suggested we teach schoolgirls about masturbation.
Recommended by Sophie Gallagher, former HuffPost UK reporter
My First Time is a podcast (and accompanying column) produced by the team at Broadly. They sell it as a ′mostly sexy sex’ but I would classify it as an explanatory podcast that looks at different elements of sex – in the last week I’ve listened to episodes on squirting, pegging and another on bisexual unicorns. Safe to say it’s probably not for the prudes among us, and you might want to be extra careful if listening at your desk.
Recommended by Sarah Wilkinson, HuffPost UK reader
This one won a British Podcast award in 2018, giving it the official recognition I think it has deserved for ages. Looking at LGBT stories, Probably True tackles issues in the queer community as well as sharing hilarious (and often filthy) personal experiences. I think it combines serious with smutty and manages to hit the mark on both, which these things often fail to do.
Recommended by Anonymous, HuffPost UK reader
I don’t want my boss to know I spend most of my days at work listening to short erotic novels on my computer. But I massively recommend this to anyone else who is bored of looking at spreadsheets. Kiss Me Quick, hosted by Rose Caraway, magically combines that feeling of a bygone era of stories when stories would be read aloud on the radio, with a very modern sex appeal...
Recommended by Alice Duncan, HuffPost UK reader
Female comedians Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson do a great job in this podcast of bringing together feminism, anti-slut shaming and good old fashioned sex. In some episodes Fisher or Hutchinson bring on a guest who they’ve slept with (I know! amazing!) and ask them about the experience. If you’re interested in other people’s sex lives, tune in.
Recommended by Sophie Gallagher, former HuffPost UK reporter
There are so many LGBT sex and relationships podcasts out there but this is one of my favourites – it neatly straddles both parenting and sex (something that is not always easy to do) but obviously is a gap in the market. Lesbian mums Robin Hopkins and Jamie Kelton talk about everything from making babies to raising them, and raising families in non-traditional ways.
Recommended by Nadine White, HuffPost UK reporter
It’s a fun, straight-no-chaser podcast presented by three young women – Tolly T, Ghana’s Finest and Milena Sanchez, who discuss everything and anything. From relationships to “situationships” to everyday life experiences, it’s all about girl talk with no filter. Listening to this podcast is like having a conversation with a non-judgemental big sister who only wants the best for you. Starting out on Soundcloud, they’ve now been snapped up by BBC 1Xtra! And no wonder. The platform speaks to the ordinary women and especially women of colour – who are marginalised voices in the podcasting community.
Recommended by Nancy Groves, HuffPost UK head of life
Podcasts are a bit like records. It’s nice to listen to the latest releases but equally satisfying playing catch-up with overlooked gems. This is one of them, in which US writer Julia Bainbridge tackles possibly the most prevalent human condition of our times: loneliness. “But it’s not a bummer!” she insists, rightly. Interview focused, the 26 episodes range from exploring the trends for solo dining and travel to the extreme aloneness of motherhood, addiction and mental illness. And what emerges, ironically, is the consolation of shared experience. Check out Episode 14 – Bainbridge’s own story – for why she made it.
Recommended by Sophie Gallagher, former HuffPost UK reporter
Another sex podcast from a publication that takes a fresh and funny look into the less-frequented parts of sex. Questions such as how are antidepressants affecting your sex life? And how do you actually have a threesome? Plus Bustle have named it after a Backstreet Boys song – how could you not like it?
This article was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated as part of our How To Get Off series.