A fun and carefree podcast released last month provides fascinating insight into all things nature.
Anyone familiar with Springwatch and Winterwatch will love the latest podcast by Megan McCubbin and James Stevens entitled The Frog’s B*******. As a family paper we cannot give the full name but anyone interested can probably guess it if they want to search for it.
Megan will be familiar as a presenter on the two shows as well as Animal Park while her partner James is a wildlife photographer and cameraman. She is also the stepdaughter of presenter Chris Packham.
The podcast is intimate and chatty and is recorded at their home in northern Scotland. But this isn’t inane chat, the couple have incredible knowledge of all things nature and provide fascinating and often gruesome facts about the animal kingdom.
Despite the rather x-rated title, this is a great podcast for kids as it mixes education and entertainment.
Like most podcasts, if you find their personalities annoying then it will grate but I find the couple endearing and very knowledgeable.
In the first episode, they do chat a lot and then pick the theme tune out of four jingles written by James who also appears to be a pretty talented musician.
They then challenge each other to come up with the best fact relating to blood in the animal kingdom called ‘what the fact’. Listeners are invited to vote for the best and the loser must carry out a forfeit – in this case swim in the icy waters of the river nearby.
Megan explains how the glass frog can make itself almost invisible by not only having transparent skin and muscle tissue but can even turn its blood almost clear.
James talks about venom and haemotoxins which affect your blood’s ability to clot which causes massive tissue damage and organ failure.
The podcast also invites questions from listeners. Of course, the interactive nature of the show disappears if you are listening to it some weeks or months after so it is worth catching up if you can which will allow you to get involved.
Each week, the podcast also invites a guest to talk about a topic of their choosing. In the first episode it is hedgehog expert Hugh Warwick who championed the prickly mammal and provides facts about it and why they are so important and need protecting.
There are six episodes so far - it began in mid-March - and they are being released weekly. Each one lasts roughly 45 minutes. Other topics discussed include parasites, the world’s slowest animal, mimicry in nature and parenting in animals.
It is a funny and often heart-warming show but it is also educational and helps raise awareness of environmental issues and conservation. And, if you are like me, and waiting for Springwatch to return, it is a perfect hors d'oeuvre.
The Frog’s B******* is available on all the usual platforms, such as Apple and Spotify and tends to come out each Friday.