Short Cuts

BBC Radio 4's Short Cuts is what happens when audio nerds get a free hand. Hosted by writer and comedian Josie Long, each twenty-eight-minute episode threads together three or four short audio pieces from independent producers around the world, loosely tied to a theme — neighbours, secrets, water, sleep, regret. The pieces themselves range wildly. One week you'll hear a documentary about a man who collects strangers' answering-machine tapes, the next a sound collage made from a single childhood memory, then a tender little interview with someone who runs a roadside snack stand at 2 a.m. Josie's introductions are warm and slightly unguarded, which keeps the show from feeling like a stiff radio gallery. It's also a useful sampler — if you discover a producer you love on Short Cuts, you can usually find more of their work elsewhere. Some segments are gorgeous, some are weird and don't quite work, and that unevenness is part of the appeal. The show has been running since 2012, so the back catalogue is enormous, and any episode is a fine place to start. Good headphone listening, ideally on a walk where you have nowhere urgent to be.