Walking The Dog with Emily Dean

Emily Dean takes celebrity guests on actual walks with her Shih Tzu, Raymond, and the result is one of the most genuinely charming interview podcasts out there. The outdoor setting does something to people. Without the pressure of a studio and a microphone stand, guests open up in ways they usually do not. You get real conversation instead of rehearsed anecdotes. The premise is simple: Emily and a guest walk together, Raymond trots along, and they talk about life. Past guests have included Anthony Horowitz, Jeremy Paxman, and a rotating cast of comedians, writers, and performers from the UK scene. Emily has a gift for making people comfortable. Listeners frequently point out that she lets guests steer the conversation naturally rather than forcing them through a rigid question list. Sometimes Raymond steals the show. With over 340 episodes and counting, the back catalog is enormous. Episodes run 30 to 45 minutes, which makes them ideal for a brisk walk or a lunchtime stroll. The show is produced by Goalhanger and hosted on Acast, so the audio is reliably good. It carries a 4.7 rating on Apple Podcasts. There is something meta about listening to a walking podcast while you are walking yourself. You start to feel like a third person on the path, just keeping pace and listening in. Even if you have never heard of some of the UK-based guests, the conversations are engaging enough that it does not matter.