The 12 Best Q And A Podcasts (2026)

Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy have been dispensing advice to strangers on the internet since 2010, and somehow they still have not run out of absurd Yahoo Answers questions to riff on. The premise is simple: listeners and random internet posts supply the questions, the three brothers supply answers that are technically useless but genuinely hilarious. Their chemistry is the kind you only get from siblings who have spent decades perfecting the art of making each other laugh mid-sentence.

Each Monday episode runs about an hour and tends to veer wildly off-topic, which is honestly the whole appeal. One minute they are debating the etiquette of bringing a whole rotisserie chicken to a movie theater, and the next they are workshopping a bit about haunted dolls. The humor is warm and absurdist rather than mean-spirited, which is partly why the show has built such a loyal following -- nearly 30,000 Apple Podcasts ratings with a 4.9 average after 815 episodes.

The McElroys have a gift for turning the most mundane question into a ten-minute comedy sketch. If you appreciate improvised comedy that feels like eavesdropping on the funniest group chat you were never invited to, this show delivers week after week. Fair warning: their laughter is contagious enough to make you the weird person cackling on the bus.

Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann have been answering the world's questions since 2007, making this one of the longest-running Q&A podcasts in existence. Listeners send in whatever is bugging them -- practical conundrums, bizarre hypotheticals, things they could Google but would rather hear two witty Brits discuss -- and Helen and Olly tackle each one with a mix of genuine research and dry humor.

The format feels refreshingly old-school in the best way. Sound engineer Martin the Soundman occasionally chimes in from behind the mixing desk, and custom jingles punctuate the segments. Episodes arrive every two weeks, with "Answer Us Back" feedback installments in between where listeners correct, expand on, or gleefully argue with previous answers. It creates this ongoing conversation between the hosts and their audience that most podcasts only pretend to have.

What makes the show stand out after nearly two decades is how seriously Helen and Olly take the questions while never taking themselves too seriously. They will spend real time researching the science behind why your eyes water when you yawn, then pivot to a deeply silly tangent about Martin's lunch choices. The show has picked up awards along the way and maintained a strong 4.8 rating, which seems about right for something this consistently entertaining and informative.

Cal Newport is a Georgetown computer science professor and the author of Deep Work and A World Without Email, and his podcast is where he applies those ideas to real questions from real people. The format is mostly solo — Newport answers listener questions about productivity, focus, digital minimalism, and building a meaningful career — though he occasionally brings on guests like Brad Stulberg or Ed Zitron for broader conversations.

Episodes range from an hour to sometimes over two hours, releasing weekly. With 403 episodes and a 4.8-star rating from nearly 1,300 reviews, the show has attracted a community of people who are genuinely trying to work differently. Newport organizes each episode into segments: an ideas section where he unpacks a concept or trend, a practices section with actionable advice, and a Q&A block that gets surprisingly specific about individual listeners' situations.

Newport's style is methodical and logical, which means the show is not for everyone. There is no comedy, minimal small talk, and he will spend 20 minutes building a careful argument about why your email habits are destroying your cognitive capacity. But if you respond to that kind of rigorous thinking, it is incredibly useful. He pushes back hard on the always-connected default of modern knowledge work and offers concrete alternatives. The podcast is particularly strong for anyone who feels like their workday is consumed by shallow tasks and wants a principled framework for reclaiming their time and attention.

Three of the funniest people in comedy -- Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin -- sit down each week to field a question from a friend and see where the conversation goes. The questions are often deceptively simple. Something like "What is the worst party you have ever been to?" turns into forty-five minutes of increasingly unhinged stories that somehow circle back to a surprisingly heartfelt point.

The dynamic between the three hosts is what makes this show special. Tig brings her trademark deadpan that can make a single word funnier than most people's entire sets. Fortune is the warm, boisterous Southern counterbalance who will happily share an embarrassing story about herself to keep things moving. Mae brings a sharp, observational wit with a slightly chaotic energy. Together they interrupt each other constantly, and it never feels rude -- just like three friends who genuinely cannot wait to add to the bit.

Since launching in 2023, Handsome has racked up over 13,000 ratings with a near-perfect 4.9 average, which is a testament to how reliably funny each episode is. Episodes alternate between full-length shows running close to an hour and shorter "Pretty Little Episodes" around twenty minutes. The celebrity question-askers add a nice variety, but honestly, you are here for the three hosts bouncing off each other. It is comfort comedy at its absolute best.

Dan Savage has been answering questions about sex and relationships since the early '90s through his Savage Love advice column, and the podcast version has been going strong with over a thousand episodes. Callers phone in with their most intimate, awkward, and sometimes jaw-dropping questions, and Dan responds with the blunt honesty that made him famous. He does not sugarcoat things, but he is rarely cruel -- more like a friend who will tell you when you are being ridiculous.

The format is classic call-in advice. You hear the caller's voice, their nervousness, the long pauses before the really personal parts. Dan listens, asks follow-up questions when needed, and delivers answers that draw from decades of writing about human sexuality and relationships. He regularly brings on therapists, sex educators, and other experts for questions that need specialized knowledge, which keeps the show from being one guy's opinion on everything.

What sets the Lovecast apart from other advice shows is Dan's willingness to be genuinely surprised by callers and to admit when he has changed his mind on something. The show has evolved alongside cultural conversations about consent, identity, and relationship structures. With a 4.6 rating across over 6,000 reviews, it clearly resonates with an audience that appreciates advice without pretense. Listeners can submit questions by calling 206-302-2064 or emailing Q@Savage.Love.

Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions, and the answers genuinely might change how you see the world. Each episode focuses on a different "-ology" -- from volcanology to thanatology to lepidopterology -- and Alie interviews the leading expert she can find in that field. But this is not a dry lecture. Alie asks the questions you would actually ask if you cornered a scientist at a party, like "Do butterflies get drunk?" and "What does lava smell like up close?"

The magic of the show is Alie's infectious curiosity. She gets genuinely excited about every topic, and that excitement is disarming enough to make even reserved academics open up. The conversations run long -- often past the hour mark -- but they rarely drag because Alie keeps steering toward the weird, surprising details that make each field fascinating. She also collects listener questions and weaves them into the interviews, so the audience plays a real role in shaping each episode.

With nearly 500 episodes and over 24,000 ratings at a 4.9 average, Ologies has become one of the most popular science podcasts anywhere. There is also a companion series called Smologies with shorter, classroom-safe edits for younger listeners. The main show is marked explicit mostly because Alie does not filter her reactions when something blows her mind, which happens in basically every episode.

Four researchers from the BBC TV show QI -- Dan Schreiber, James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray, and Anna Ptaszynski -- get together every week to share the most bonkers facts they have stumbled across in the past seven days. The format is deceptively simple: each person presents their favorite fact, and then everyone piles on with related trivia, corrections, and tangents that spiral beautifully out of control.

The show has been running since 2014 and has blown past 600 million downloads, which puts it in rare company. What keeps people coming back after 760-plus episodes is the chemistry between the four hosts and the sheer density of "wait, really?" moments packed into each hour. You will learn that a town in Wales once elected a goat as mayor, then pivot to Victorian-era dental practices, and somehow both facts will connect. The production is clean and tight -- no filler, no dead air.

There is a members-only Club Fish option for bonus content and ad-free episodes, but the main free show is more than enough to fill a weekly commute with the kind of trivia that makes you the most interesting person at dinner. The 4.8 rating from over 4,500 reviews reflects a show that has figured out its formula and executes it with remarkable consistency. If you like QI, you will love this. If you have never seen QI, start here and work backward.

Mathematician Hannah Fry and comedian Dara O Briain team up to tackle science questions sent in by listeners, and the pairing works better than it has any right to. Hannah brings the academic rigor -- she is a professor at UCL who studies mathematical patterns in human behavior -- while Dara brings the comedic timing of a seasoned stand-up who also happens to hold a degree in mathematical physics. So when a listener asks something like "Why do we get deja vu?" the answer is both scientifically grounded and genuinely funny.

Episodes clock in around 28 minutes, which is a sweet spot that keeps things focused without feeling rushed. The BBC Radio 4 production quality is excellent -- clean audio, well-edited segments, and occasional expert guests who add depth to topics that need it. The show has been running since 2016 and has built up 176 episodes across multiple series.

The question selection is part of the appeal. Listeners tend to submit the kind of everyday mysteries that nag at you in the shower: Why does time seem to speed up as you age? Why is the sky blue at noon but red at sunset? Hannah and Dara never talk down to the audience, and they are happy to admit when a question genuinely stumps them before working through the answer together. The 4.8 rating from nearly 740 reviews suggests they have found a formula that science fans and comedy lovers both appreciate.

Chelsea Handler answers listener questions the way she does everything else -- loudly, honestly, and with a joke that lands about 80% of the time (which is actually a great batting average for comedy). Co-hosted with Catherine Law, the weekly show brings in celebrity guests who help tackle questions about love, sex, family drama, weed, grief, and basically anything else listeners throw at them.

The format works because Chelsea is genuinely willing to be vulnerable alongside her bluntness. She will roast a caller for staying with an obviously terrible partner, then share a story about her own worst relationship decision. The celebrity guests range from fellow comedians to therapists to actors, and the best episodes happen when a guest pushes back on Chelsea's first instinct. Catherine Law keeps the show grounded and organized, which is necessary when Chelsea is involved.

With over 300 episodes, the show has covered an enormous range of human problems. Episodes vary in length -- some full interviews run over an hour while bonus minisodes might be fifteen minutes of rapid-fire advice. The tone is consistently irreverent but surprisingly empathetic. Chelsea has talked openly about losing her brother, going to therapy, and learning to be less of a control freak, and those moments give the comedy real weight. If you want advice that comes with no filter and occasional profanity, this is your show.

Scott Rank holds a PhD in history and hosts what might be the most prolific history podcast out there, with over 1,100 episodes since 2017. The show has a dual format that sets it apart: some episodes are long-form interviews with bestselling history authors, while others are call-in Q&A sessions where listeners ask Scott absolutely anything about the past.

The call-in episodes are where the Q&A magic happens. Listeners submit questions like "Could the Roman Empire have survived if it adopted gunpowder?" or "What was daily life actually like on a pirate ship?" and Scott treats each one with genuine scholarly enthusiasm. He does not just give the quick Wikipedia answer -- he provides context, brings in lesser-known primary sources, and is honest about what historians still argue over.

The interview episodes are equally strong, featuring authors who have spent years researching specific topics like the Spanish treasure fleet, Soviet Olympic doping programs, or the financial maneuvering of the American founding fathers. Scott asks good follow-up questions and is clearly well-read enough to push back when a guest oversimplifies. The show has built an audience of nearly 4,000 raters on Apple Podcasts, and the weekly release schedule means there is always something new in the feed. It is the rare history podcast that works both as entertainment and as genuine education.

C-SPAN's Q&A has been a Sunday evening institution since 2005, hosted by Peter Slen, featuring hour-long conversations with people who are actually doing consequential work in politics, journalism, and public affairs. The format is deliberately unhurried in a media environment that rewards hot takes -- each episode gives a single guest a full sixty minutes to explain what they think and why.

The guest list reads like a who's who of nonfiction publishing and political journalism. Historians working on new books about American institutions, foreign correspondents back from conflict zones, investigative journalists with years-long projects -- these are the kinds of voices that get space here. Peter Slen's interviewing style is notably restrained. He asks clear questions and lets the guest talk, which sounds simple but is actually rare in political media.

The show has been running for two decades now with 377 episodes in the podcast feed, carrying a 4.4 rating. It is not flashy, and it does not chase trending topics. Instead, it provides the kind of deep, substantive conversation that used to be common on television and is now mostly found in podcasts. If you care about understanding policy and politics beyond the daily news cycle, this is one of the most reliable sources for it. The production has the straightforward, no-frills quality you would expect from C-SPAN -- no sound effects, no comedy bits, just smart people given room to explain complex subjects.

This BBC Radio 4 program is the British answer to the town hall meeting, and it has been running in various forms for decades. Alex Forsyth hosts the main show, where a panel of guests from politics, business, science, and the media sits before a live audience and takes questions directly from members of the public. The companion segment, Any Answers, is presented by Anita Anand and gives listeners at home a chance to respond to the issues raised.

The format creates a kind of accountability that rarely exists in political broadcasting. When a cabinet minister or shadow secretary sits on the panel, they are not talking to a journalist who will politely move on -- they are facing a room full of people who actually live with the consequences of policy decisions. The questions are often pointed and personal: "Why did my mother wait fourteen hours in A&E?" hits differently than a journalist asking about NHS funding.

Episodes run around 45 to 50 minutes and arrive weekly. The show travels to different venues across the UK, which brings regional concerns into national conversation. Production quality is what you would expect from the BBC -- clean, professional, with good audience microphone work so you can actually hear the questions being asked. With 85 episodes in the current podcast feed, it is a relatively compact archive for new listeners to explore. The 4.1 rating suggests a politically engaged audience that appreciates the direct democracy of the format even when the answers frustrate them.