YOUTUBE CHANNELS
Last night as I was thinking about what I was going to say for this second part of my ‘Best of 2025’ I realised that although I don’t watch television and I have only seen ONE new release film in 2025, what I DO watch is YouTube content. It is one of my ways of relaxing after study and there are several YT channels I view regularly. An example is the yearly advent countdown produced by Ashens and Nerd3 – honestly, if you know, you know. It was something I got into during probably the first Christmas lockdown during the pandemic and it’s now one of my highlights in the lead up to Christmas (there is honestly not much else I enjoy about Christmas these days, other than the food). Of course that only happens during December, so during the rest of the year I have some main-stayers.
Grackle (also Extra Grack) is still very much a mainstay. I’ve been watching Grace for…probably five years now and her regular vlogs make me feel as if I’m catching up with a friend. She’s just fun and friendly and I love her channel.
Another regular is I’m Autistic, Now What? Again, although it is more topic focused, I enjoy the way Meg presents her topics and the research she makes into them. Sometimes her videos can be a little long but she presents them with solid, fact-heavy arguments. I really enjoy her work.
Of course I am still loving Words Unravelled, the etymology based channel run by Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris. They’ve offered up some great content this year, including a show filmed in the U.S. where Rob and Jess met face-to-face for the first time. There is nothing more satisfying than watching Rob blush when some more ‘risque’ content is aired.
There are several foodie channels I watch: Sam Wilder, Star Holroyd, Barry Lewis – I do dip into some Lad Bible stuff too and I still regularly watch the Try Channel.
I have also enjoy the content of Chris Spargo this year.
But….drum roll…my YouTube Channel of 2025 is Evan Edinger‘s channel. I’ve been watching Evan for a couple of years now and his content has just gone up and up and up in quality and production. His videos are expertly researched, thought-provoking, entertaining and wonderfully filmed and edited. He covers all kinds of topics and he makes every single video fascinating. If you haven’t watched any of his videos or are unaware of his channel, I can highly recommend dipping in. He also has a second channel titled Evan Edinger Travel which is equally great. His tour of Vietnam this year was spectacularly presented.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR
This one is going to be a TOUGH one as I have devoured and enjoyed so many podcasts this year! My main areas of podcast listening fall into investigative journalism/current affairs, true crime, history, some drama, and comedy. I have a lot of examples below – and that’s not even all the podcast content I’ve listened to this year. I do love me a podcast!
Tortoise Investigates: includes series titled; Dangerous Memories – upper middle class art students under dubious therapist; The Gas Man – illegal attainment of chemicals for warfare in the Middle East; Who Trolled Amber? – the coverage of the Depp v Heard divorce trial and whether Amber Heard was publicly vilified; Dr Anti-Vax – investigation into Andrew Wakefield; Walter’s War – a modern-day Walter Mitty story.
World of Secrets – includes series titled: The Child Cancer Scam, Death in Dubai, The Killing Call, The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam; a joint investigation by the BBC World Service and CBC.
The Pitcairn Trials – Pitcairn has 37 people and a scandal that pushed the island to the brink of extinction.
Inside Murder Trial: Girl in the River (I did also listen to the previous series titled A Deadly Affair) – a trial with three accused of the murder of 14 year old Caroline Glachan whose body was found at the River Leven near Renton, West Dunbartonshire in August 1996.
The History Podcast: Invisible Hands – the story of the free market under Thatcherism; The Magnificent O’Connors – a family history of the marriage between a lawyer and a convicted (but contested) murderer; The House at Number 48 – secrets of a potential German spy in the Eisner family; The Arrest – a rush to get an international warrant to arrest former Chilean dictatorial president Augusto Pinochet as he arrives in London for surgery in 1998.
Archive on 4: Aleister Crowley – Master of the Dark Arts, How the Muppet Show Began in Britain
Shadow World: BBC investigations including; Anatomy of a Cancellation – an author’s work is put under fire through calls of racist language used in the text; The Peoples vs McDonald’s – the fast food corporate giant taken to task for allegations of illegal advertising; The Grave Robbers – relatives of recently deceased loved ones robbed of inheritances by canny online fraudsters. Other investigations not included here were also wonderfully produced and delivered.
The Con: Kaitlyn’s Baby – Another joint investigation by the BBC with CBC into a woman who emotionally scammed and abused doulas across the world (but predominantly in Canada) by claiming to be pregnant and requiring help during a still-birth.
A Short History of… witness history’s most incredible moments and remarkable people. Topics this year included: John F Kennedy, Nero, Bob Marley, Nelson Mandela, Picasso, The Berlin Wall, Watergate, Pearl Harbour (in three parts), The Salem Witch Trials, Anne Frank (which was the first episode I listened to that hooked me in), The Spanish Flu, The Mitford Sisters – and these are to name but a few. There are two episodes each week.
Real Dictators: explores the hidden lives of history’s tyrants. This year the list included: Tojo, Manuel Noriega, Lenin, Fidel Castro, Idi Amin, Franco, Gaddafi, and Robert Mugabe.
Titanic: Ship of Dreams – explore life and death on the most infamous ship in history. (It’s a 13-part epic!)
Music Uncovered: Kate Moss explores the creative evolution of David Bowie.
As far as comedy goes, I enjoyed regulars The News Quiz, The Naked Week, and newbie – Unspeakable which combines etymology with comedy and is presented by Phil Wang with the assistance of Susie Dent.
Last but not least: The Archers and The Archers Podcast!
I don’t know how to decide. There is too much! I think all the investigative series are the ones I have found most riveting and harrowing to listen to. The Pitcairn Trials was fascinating and The Con: Kaitlyn’s Baby was really disturbing in quite an unimaginable way.
Yeah, I think my Podcast of the Year 2025 would be The Con: Kaitlyn’s Baby with the runner-up awarded to The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam (as part of World of Secrets).
I’ve given you lots to listen to!
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Finally…on to album of the year. I’m surprised by how much new music I listened to and purchased this year. All the titles below, apart from the Billy Nomates album (which I MUST rectify) I have bought this year.
Billy Nomates – Metalhorse
Zoe Graham – TENT
Goodnight Louisa – Marathon
Quad90 – Self-titled
Cloth – Pink Silence
Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear
Me Lost Me – This Material Moment
Hamish Hawk – Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 0
Brooke Combe – Dancing at the Edge of the World
With that said, some of these albums have yet to be listened to or have either only been partially listened to or only listened to once and not since. I won’t say which ones as I’ll embarrass myself. I’m embarrassing myself by admitting it. It’s just that listening to music as opposed to going to gigs has taken a real back seat this year. And when I have sat down to listen to music, it has been back catalogue stuff, mostly. Yeah, I know! I keep primising myself that I will give myself an hour a day, or at least a few hours a week to listen to some music on physical formats. I NEED to listen to Hamish’s album! It’s not on Spotify so the only way I am going to hear it is by playing the vinyl. It arrived on 6 Dec and I still haven’t played it.
Anyway, without further ado …
Drum roll, please….
Because I have listened to it so much this year, my Album of the Year 2025 goes to TENT by Zoe Graham! Congratulations, Zoe! My runner up is Pink Silence by Cloth.
