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Irish Independent

Podcast reviews: New ways of living and dying, and Miriam Margolyes' very frank father

Health is wealth – and a highly lucrative industry. From biotech and terminal diagnoses, to celebrities revealing their medical hurdles, topics range far and wide on these life-affirming shows. While a niche cohort of filthy rich spend millions on cryonics and the likes, most mortals put thought into 'dying well' rather than living forever. The Art of Dying Well (Apple, Spotify), presented by James Abbott, puts emphasis on the time we have left, and how best to support ailing loved ones. Palliative care has become a key part of political debate in recent years but Abbott's poignant episode Caring for Pa is a personal story of Matt Parkes whose father Jeff – suffering with a rare neurodegenerative palsy – was actively suicidal, which came into conflict with Matt's Catholic faith. The series has comparatively lighter moments too, such as the Art and the Afterlife episode in which historian Lynne Hanley, ex Sotheby's auctioneer and priest Father Patrick van der Vorst, and baroness Sheila Hollins, explore how art and culture – such as memento mori – have helped and shaped societies' views on death. Many admire actress Miriam Margolyes (83) for her unbridled candour. Many find her uncouth. She's certainly a gift from the gods for Dr Oscar Duke, author of How to Be a Dad, on the inaugural episode of Bedside Manners (Apple, Spotify) in which she attributes her corporeal openness to her GP father who normalised the likes of flatulence and ear wax ('I want to fart first, let me lift a buttock,' are her first words to Dr Duke). Margolyes's health challenges have been well documented on various TV series, including The Real Marigold Hotel and Miriam's Big Fat Adventure but the aural intimacy of a podcast adds more nuance as she describes her knee replacement and heart surgery, late-life fitness ('I've been greedy and lazy, and the body takes it revenge,' she says here), and the often overlooked importance of maintaining a social life in older age ('the way to keep going is interaction, it's as important as drinking water and not eating too much'). In contrast is an interview with Strictly professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, the very picture of health – but is blighted with chronic psoriasis. Opposition voices of biotech worry it could create 'designer babies', biological weapons and other Frankenstein-like scenarios – but it appears to be too late to return the genie to the bottle. In its latest episode, The Next Five (Acast, Apple, Spotify), which analyses trends in healthcare and business, discusses the wide potential and pitfalls of biotech in improving our future quality of life.