Three Nottingham-based student podcasts you should be listening to

Throughout lockdown, many Notts students decided to venture on a new project, and start their own podcast. This pandemic may have been a lonely time for all, but these Notts students have worked hard to provide a sense of interaction between everyone whilst in lockdown.

In their podcasts, these Notts students generally aim to discuss various topical issues such as: rent strike, grace periods and tuition fees as well as societal issues like body acceptance and race.

We reached out to a few of the best, to try and help you decide which you should be listening to right now.

Put Thir-Kettle On

Put Thir-Kettle On is described by its creator – Jed Thirkettle – as “hilarious, relatable and entertaining”. Jed began recording in the very first few weeks of lockdown, back in summer, after finding a microphone in his house.

Jed is studying Economics and Politics at The University of Nottingham, and is in his third year. Like the rest of us, he was very bored and wanted something to commit to whilst also entertaining others…virtually.

‘Put Thir-Kettle On’ is a hilarious look into student life, discussing a range of themes like athleticism, muscular dystrophy, cancer, religion and gypsy heritage. Jed’s podcast streams on Spotify, with his recent series being based in Nottingham. With his favourite theme being mental health, he encourages students to speak to their close friends, mentioning that in the first lockdown he realised everyone is battling their own demons, and we need to support our friends during these tough times.

The Nila Extract

The Nila Extract is run by Nila, a third year psychology student at UoN, who describes her podcast as “raw, illuminating, potatoes.” Nila aims to use her platform to broadcast the perspectives of people of colour, LGBTQIA+ members and discard stereotypes that she was surrounded by when she was younger.

Growing up in Manchester, Nila shares how she rarely saw people that looked like her on television, in books or in movies. If she did, they were often depicted stereotypically, and held no opinions whatsoever.

Nila does discuss very taboo, emotional and uncomfortable issues, with the aim of making these more socially acceptable and not scary to the public. For example, ‘Not Indian Enough’ talks about not belonging to a single brown community, and the importance of exploring other cultures and stereotypes within the Indian community.

Through this, Nila wants students to gain a broadened perspective on issues that affect us (and those around us) whilst in lockdown. In the future, ‘The Nila Extract’ aims to reach a diverse audience and talk to those who inspired Nila when she was growing up, providing something that her younger self would look up to.

GlutenFitz

Third year UoN students, Joe and Max, started recording GlutenFitz back in December. After a very unfortunate passing of a loved family member, this inspired them to create their very first episode: loss.

Joe describes GlutenFitz as “emotional, meaningful and relatable” whilst Max adds that it is also “thought-provoking” and “witty”. The podcast is very new, but has become very popular since its interview with the one and only Andy Hoe (the owner of Nottingham’s Ocean nightclub) where he discussed the student-loved hub’s future and his own favourite memories of owning such a renown destination.

GlutenFitz wanted to remain relevant to students, tackling opinions about rent strike, the unrequited need for a grace period and the possible implementation of a safety net. Given Joe’s links to the university through the English Society – he was able to secure much needed answers about these issues directly from the decision makers. Max suggests that students can relate to their podcast as they like to include their listeners questions and areas of discussion as a main theme in recording.

Their advice

These Notts student podcasters all agreed that starting their own podcast is something they do not regret, and would encourage any other interested student to start. Jed recommended including interesting and diverse topics on your show, as well as ensuring your guests are as enthusiastic as you are (as this may cause listeners to tune out). Max and Joe both agree that a name is super important, as this helps listeners resonate with you and the type messages you want to broadcast. Nila adds that keeping your podcast relevant and thriving is easy if you are committed to its success and spreading a message which you really resonate with. Educating yourself before educating others is pivotal in spreading awareness – and remember it is your own platform and space.

Put Thir-Kettle On, The Nila Extract, GlutenFitz and plenty of other student podcasts are all available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and the University radio (URN).