The Log Books

Since 1974, volunteers at the UK's Switchboard LGBTQ+ helpline have kept log books recording the calls they received. Those logs are now archived at the Bishopsgate Institute, and Tash Walker and Adam Zmith use them as springboards for intimate conversations with LGBTQ+ elders and peers about what life in Britain was actually like across the decades. The format is straightforward but deeply affecting. Each episode features an interview -- ranging from 28 to 62 minutes -- where someone shares their personal experiences connected to Switchboard and broader queer British history. Topics span community, family, nightlife, volunteering, and the shifting politics around LGBTQ+ rights since the 1970s. With 51 episodes and Season 4 launching in January 2026, the show keeps finding new stories to tell. The Log Books won Best New Podcast (Gold) at the British Podcast Awards in 2020, and it holds a perfect 5.0 rating on Apple Podcasts. Walker and Zmith also published a companion book through Faber & Faber in January 2026 called The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened. This is British queer history told through the people who lived it, and the helpline logs give it a documentary foundation that feels both specific and universal. It's particularly good if you're interested in how LGBTQ+ community infrastructure actually worked behind the scenes.