Country Life Podcast is on a break

It should not be too much of a surprise to know that Country Life doesn’t like to rush into things. We’ve long railed against the idea of the ‘fad’, because all too often the ‘cool new thing’ just turns into some gimmick, and so we’ve learned to be patient.

And so it was with the world of podcasting. Could this medium, which is basically just ‘the radio on demand’, be as enduring as the radio and the spoken word itself? After years of watching, listening and waiting, it seems that it very much is. And so we decided to take the plunge and start our own, more than 100 episodes and two years ago. Typing that sentence out makes me realise how long we’ve been at the proverbial coal face, how many people I’ve met and spoken to, and how many books, articles and films I’ve had to consume. Making 30 minutes of podcast takes a lot more time than you would think.

We’re taking a break, and while I’m not sure when we’ll be back, I am sure we will be back. The world of digital media moves quickly, which is somewhat anathema to the work we do at Country Life. While I have enjoyed every single episode we have made, it is absolutely time to have a look at refreshing, updating and improving the format of the podcast we produce, so that is what we are going to do. We hope to return at some point this year, with something more entertaining and more engaging, but still quintessentially Country Life.

'Housing, architecture, art, fiction, access, cars, and Saddam Hussein’s Rolex; you can accuse us of many things, but we tried to cover it all'

It feels slightly silly to call more than 100 episodes of podcasting a single season, but to be honest I am not sure what else to call it. For this week's podcast, I had the privilege of being the person in the digital interview chair, and Toby Keel, my incredibly patient producer, will be the one asking (and answering) questions about all the things we’ve done, people we’ve met and more.

Looking back at all the episodes we’ve done, people we’ve spoken to and topics we’ve covered, it can feel a bit overwhelming. Everything from James May talking about gin and Lego houses to Chloe Dalton talking about raising a hare. We've talked about housing with Jonathan Glancey, architecture with Norman Foster, art with a curator from the National Gallery, fiction with Ken Follett, and Saddam Hussein’s Rolex. You can accuse us of many things, but we tried to cover it all. In the episode embedded above — which is also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible and wherever else you get your podcasts — you'll hear us talk about all these and many more, and we've embedded a few more favourites at the bottom of this page.

So while this is goodbye for a little while, if you’re reading this and have been a listener, I would like to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for being a part of the journey. Thank you to all the people who wrote in saying how much they enjoyed it, thank you to all the people who have stopped me at parties to tell me that they were keen listeners, and thank you to all the people who wrote nasty reviews on Spotify, your hatred fuels my passion.

And lastly, thank you to Toby Keel, for being a solid presence in sources of great stress, and for keeping me on the straight and level. I will not be back again next week, but I will be back again soon.

Greatest hits: A few highlights from two and a half years of the Country Life Podcast

James Fisher is the Digital Commissioning Editor of Country Life. He writes about motoring, travel and things that upset him. He lives in London. He wants to publish good stories, so you should email him.