Pick of the podcasts: Richard Vobes

By Darren Waters
BBC News entertainment reporter

Podcasting is being tipped as the next big thing in radio. There are thousands of different podcasts made by ordinary people around the globe that can be downloaded onto a PC and transferred to an MP3 player.

Apple has introduced podcast downloads into its popular iTunes music store and media giants such as CBS, ABC and the BBC are now offering a number of radio programmes in podcast form.

Here are six amateur podcasts which are worth listening to.

---

Richard Vobes A daily show from the "Willy Wonka" of British podcasting, with help from daughter Georgie Coverville A regular music podcast featuring the best and worst of cover versions down the years Mommycast A weekly show which dicuss all aspects of motherhood and babies

Mr X and Julie Music, humour and quirky slices of life from a married couple based in the state of New York Jawbone The podcast Jerry Seinfeld would have made, if he'd settled down in Cleveland with five children Hometown Tales Stories of the weird and the wonderful from small town America

---

THE RICHARD VOBES SHOW

WHO MAKES THE PODCAST?

Richard Vobes, a trained circus entertainer, and after dinner speaker. The show is also co-hosted by his 12-year-old daughter Georgie.

He said: "I had mucked about with audio before - as I have an entertainment background. About two years ago I had a little try at internet radio with a clip download site.

"I saw a lot of commuters with MP3 players and thought wouldn't it be great if they could download the show. At that time I had no idea if podcasting existed."

WHAT IS THE PODCAST ABOUT?

It is a daily magazine-style show which is described as a mix of BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4-style programming.

Mr Vobes gets out and about in Worthing, on the south coast of England, interviewing people and reporting from unusual locations.

He said: "We have a day's tank driving coming up in early August, a flight in a Microlite, rocking cimbing and a parachute jump.

"Also on the cards is a visit to a hop farm for our regular and very popular Friday Beer Show, Gay Pride and the London to Brighton vintage car rally."

Mr Vobes said podcasting appealed because he was in control.

"I have been at the edge of media, in as much pitching ideas to BBC and other TV stations, I have been banging on the door and everything has to go through gatekeepers.

"I realised this was a way of reaching an audience without the approval of one man saying yes.

"Once you start getting feedback, you start getting a buzz."