Podcast Thursday

• The Reunion : Playschool Anyone who was small at any time from the mid sixties to the late eighties will remember Playschool, the BBCs pioneering pre-school children's programme. It may seem twee and middle class now, but it broke boundaries at the time by featuring a mix of male and female presenters with (gasp!) regional accents and (horror!) people from ethnic minorities, one of whom was (faints!) pregnant. This programme brings together some of the presenters and producers (including Brian Cant and Floella Benjamin) from Playschool to reminisce, listen to classic clips and even demonstrate a bit of the show's famous improvised music. Perfect nostalgia for an age of innocence.
• Norn But Not Forgotten Some programmes are the audio equivalent of relaxing in a warm bath and this is one of them. The story of the language of the Shetlands, packed with examples of how this wonderfully mellifluous and expressive dialect is used now for everyday speech and poetry. Lovely.
• The Archive Hour - The Feynman Variations Professor Brian Cox looks at Richard Feynman's unique genius for explaining complex scientific ideas without compromising or dumbing down in any way. Also, serious respect is due to anybody, scientist or not, who plays the bongos wearing a propeller beanie hat.