During the past few months, I’ve had a longer commute than usual. This is why I subscribed to a lot of new podcasts. Compared to my experiences from a couple of years ago, podcasting has really evolved. There are a lot of quality podcasts out there – both from traditional publishers and independent podcasters. The following podcasts are my favorites right now.

Germany, Memories of a Nation

Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum highlights important events in German history. The podcast accompanies an exhibition in the British Museum. Even – or maybe especially – as a German, the 15 minute shows are quite fascinating. I really liked the episode on Gutenberg.

Serial

From the makers of the brilliant This American Life, this podcast surprises with a new format: one long story, told throughout multiple episodes. The first story sheds light on a highschool murder case from the 90s. Really captivating.

The Economist: Editors Picks

These often quite short episodes, are excerpts from the Economist print issue. Good journalism in digestible audio bits.