I was saving my Vesta files on to my external hard drive today (because I am very smart and attractive) and I found a list of podcast recommendations that I wrote in 2021 for a friend who was looking for something to listen to before bed.
And it made me smile because I sheepishly entitled my list of [checks notes] sixteen audio drama recommendations 'Here lies the depths of my insanity xo'. It's funny because these days I regularly review around 5-10 shows every single week!!
Anyway, if you're interested, please use the read more Time Machine to see what I thought about my fave 16 shows in 2021!
Here you find the depths of my insanity xx
Pods that are probably okay for bedtime:
Name: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Absurdity/Sci Fi/Comedy
Length: ~25 minutes
Spookiness: 5/10
Complete: Ongoing
One line description: Community radio updates from a small desert community where every conspiracy theory is true.
Pros: Main actor has the nicest voice ever (?), incredible writing, can easily dip in and out, shit loads of episodes
Cons: the ‘weather’ comes in about 2/3 of the way through and sometimes it’s quite loud
Appropriateness for bedtime: 8/10 (literally only that you might find the weather annoying)
Name: Lost Terminal
Genre: Sci Fi
Length: <10 mins
Spookiness: 0/10
Complete: Ongoing
One line description: The sentient AI on an orbiting satellite tries to make his way home
Pros: Actor has a nice voice and is very softly spoken, loosely plot driven, thought provoking
Cons: I’ve only just started listening to it so can’t vouch for the later episodes!
Appropriateness for bedtime: 9/10 (also has a short musical interlude but it’s usually pretty chill)
Name: The Penumbra Podcast (Juno Steel Series)
Genre: Sci Fi/Noir
Length: 30-45 mins
Spookiness: 0/10
Complete: Ongoing
One line description: Follow Juno Steel, Private Eye (On Mars) as he solves cases and maybe becomes the love of your life?
Pros: Literally some of the best character writing I’ve ever come across?? Funny and heart-wrenching and there’s one episode that is my go-to episode to listen to when I can’t sleep. Great backing music.
Cons: Occasional audio kissing noises. The first episode is a lot more camp than the rest, I almost didn’t get through the first ep but am vvvvv glad I did.
Appropriateness for bedtime: 7/10 – sometimes there are noisy sound effects
Name: Moonbase Theta, Out
Genre: Sci Fi
Length: ~10-30 mins (the episodes get longer as the seasons progress)
Spookiness: 1/10
Complete: Ongoing
One line description: Audio recordings from the Communications Lead as Moonbase Theta prepares for shutdown.
Pros: Main actor has a nice voice and the first season is literally just him talking so would be good for bedtime!
Cons: Can’t really think of any?
Appropriateness for bedtime: The first season or two is definitely 10/10 for bedtime, things get more chaotic in season 3
Name: The Strange Case of Starship Iris
Genre: Sci Fi/Mystery
Length: 40 minutes
Spookiness: 1/10
Complete: Yes!
One line description: Science Officer Violet Liu is rescued from the Starship Iris before life support systems fail but is all as it seems?
Pros: Just a really fun mystery with lots of interesting characters, well acted
Cons: Some action scenes get noisy
Appropriateness for bedtime: 7/10 – sound effects, might be difficult to keep track of the plot if you fall asleep during hehe
Name: The Far Meridian
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery (?)
Length: ~15 mins
Spookiness: 2/10
Complete: I think it’s ongoing but I’m not up to date
One line description: Agoraphobic Peri searches for her brother and finds that her house moves somewhere new every day
Pros: Fairly chill, some good voice acting
Cons: I’ve only listened to the first few episodes so can’t vouch for all of it
Appropriateness for bedtime: 8/10 – at least for the first few eps!
Name: The Bright Sessions
Genre: Superheroes
Length: 30 mins
Spookiness: 2/10
Complete: Yes
One line description: Dr Bright is a psychologist providing therapy to people with atypical powers
Pros: Lots of episodes and starts off just like listening in to someone’s therapy session so it’s pretty relaxing?
Cons: Some scenes of distress and violence later in the series
Appropriateness for bedtime: 7/10 – at least for the early epsI’m about 2 eps away from finishing it all and I’m kind of holding out bc I don’t want it to end …
Name: EOS10
Genre: Sci Fi/Medical/Comedy
Length: ~30 mins
Spookiness: 0/10
Complete: No
One line description: Doctor joins a military hospital base in Space to ‘help’ the alcoholic Chief Medical Officer turn his act around
Pros: I found it pretty funny and really enjoyed listening to it! It’s like Scrubs in space, really and requires so little brain power to enjoy, it’s nice like that. Talking cat 10/10.
Cons: I want to be a space doctor :( the main con is that there was an issue with an actor so the whole direction of the show drastically changes halfway through.
Appropriateness for bedtime: 7/10 – some louder sound effects but otherwise great[Note from 2026 AMC: lmao, I don't know if I'd started work on Vesta at this point yet, but I never told this friend about it!]
Name: Mabel
Genre: Folky Horror Business
Length: ~15 mins
Spookiness: 6/10 – I would say it’s more atmospheric than scary.
Complete: No
One line description: Anna works as a carer for an old lady in her big house and leaves voice mail messages for the lady’s grand-daughter, Mabel.
Pros: Some really nice pieces of writing. The writers started writing this together and are now MARRIED, excuse me??? That feels like a pro.
Cons: I got a little lost towards the end of Season 3 and am yet to pick it back up
Appropriateness for bedtime: 4/10 – can be unsettling, sometimes there’s screaming lol
Name: Kane and Feels
Genre: Paranormal Investigators
Length: I honestly can’t remember
Spookiness: 3/10
Complete: No
One line description: Holmes and Watson if they investigated ghosts and did even more drugs
Pros: It’s like BEAT POETRY!!!!!!! The music is so good and the actors’ chemistry is off the scales
Cons: The first episode is arguably the weakest of the bunch but worth getting over that minor bump for the enjoyment of the rest of it!
Appropriateness for bedtime: 5/10 – some loud sound effects, especially in the first episode
Pods that maybe aren’t as good for bedtime but I love them so much and it would be REMISS of me not to share xx
Name: The Magnus Archives
Genre: Horror
Length: ~20 minutes
Spookiness: 8.5/10
Complete: ALMOST
One line description: The Magnus Institute takes statements from people who’ve had strange experiences.
Pros: each episode ‘statement’ is a wondrous piece of writing in itself but it also has this incredible overarching plot that has made me re-evaluate the way I engage with horror full-stop.
Cons: Scary
Appropriateness for bedtime: Pfft, I mean . . . (1/10)
Name: Alice Isn’t Dead
Genre: Horror
Length: ~30 mins?
Spookiness: 8/10 (More for violence than actually bone chills)
Complete: Yes
One line description: A woman trucks across America to find her presumed dead wife.
Pros: It’s SO good. So well written. I just really GOT under my skin to the point that a someone said the word ‘Praxis’ (which is relevant) and they should have just punched me in the stomach, it would have felt the same. The main actress has a delightful, sweet voice.
Cons: None
Appropriateness for bedtime: eeeeeeeh. I found it made me a little jumpy, 1/10Honestly, it made me reflect on love in a way that few other pieces of media have ever made me do.
Name: Janus Descending
Genre: Sci Fi / Horror
Length: ~30-40 mins (I think)
Spookiness: 9/10
Complete: Yes
One line description: Scientists go to a new planet and what they find there ain’t too pretty.
Pros: YO this is the cleverest pod I’ve ever listened to. The episodes flip between the characters’ perspectives but one story is told chronologically going forwards and one is told in reverse. It’s SO CLEVER. I wept.
Cons: I wept.
Appropriateness for bedtime: If you wouldn’t have Alien playing while you’re trying to sleep, don’t listen to this while you try sleep. 0/10
Name: Dreamboy
Genre: I don’t even know
Length: ~45 mins
Spookiness: 4/10 – again, more atmospheric
Complete: Yes
One line description: A musical experience of the gayest disaster to ever grace your ears.
Pros: the music and writing is just something else, leagues and leagues beyond any other podcast I’ve ever listened to. Like, the production on this is immaculate.
Cons: It’s very NSFW in parts, like so very NSFW that I think very carefully about whether I want people to know I’m a fan haha
Appropriateness for bedtime: 5/10 – It’s not spooky, but I found it atmospheric enough to unsettle me and also some of the songs are just BOPS like I couldn’t sleep and listen to it
Name: I Am In Eskew
Genre: Horror
Length: ~30 minutes
Spookiness: 8-9/10
Complete: yes
One line description: David Ward is trapped in a horrifying city that doesn’t want to let him go.
Pros: Excellent, top notch horror. Genuinely scary and so well written. The main actor’s voice is very soothing though, as is the co-star’s. There are emotional twists in this that made me just sit and think about life for a while.
Cons: None, if you like horror then this is almost defs one of the best podcasts out there. I wish I had written this!
Appropriateness for bedtime: maybe if you’re a psychopath, idk. 0/10
Name: The Silt Verses
Genre: Horror
Length: ~45 mins
Spookiness: 8/10 – but it’s early days right now and I suspect it might get scarier
Complete: No, there’s only 5 eps now but it updates every two weeks
One line description: Two prophets of a long-dead God go on a pilgrimage to bring it back.
Pros: Same writer as I Am In Eskew so you already know it’s going to be incredible. It’s very scary already but also such an incredible exploration of faith and horror and what motivates people.
Cons: No-one else I know listens to it . . . sure would be nice to have a fellow listener!
Appropriateness for bedtime: nope I feel in my bones that this will end up being a firm fave of mine one day!!!!