Life

Radio review: Duvet Days strangely addictive

Nuala McCann

Nuala McCann

Nuala McCann is an Irish News columnist and writes a weekly radio review.

Nuala McCann
Nuala McCann Nuala McCann

Duvet Days Podcast

Wireless Nights Radio 4

Hey do you fancy a duvet day? This podcast sounds a bit trite. Un-roll your eyes and have a listen.

Producer Abby Hollick’s favourite place ever is bed.

She gets to wangle her way into the bedrooms of “awesome” people and convince them to let her under their duvets.

Abby talks in a soft whisper, like you would do in bed.

I listened to Bryony Kimmings, performance artist, whose current show is “I’m a Phoenix bitch”.

In a previous show, she went on a quest to track down previous boyfriends and find out who gave her chlamydia.

In her latest show, she talks about splitting up with her boyfriend, the horror of post natal mental health – “less depression more psychosis” - and her baby being seriously ill.

First baby? There’s clearly a huge conspiracy to keep the planet populated, she said.

“We’re all told that it’s going to be the happiest time of our lives, even by other women,” she sighed.

This podcast feels like two close friends chatting. There was brutal honesty.

Take her description of post natal psychosis.

“I had the feeling that there were insects infesting my home .... spiders were plotting, I could hear them talking.”

Duvet Days is intimate and strangely addictive.

If you need to come up from under that duvet, then head out into the dark dark night.

Jarvis Cocker’s Wireless Nights is back. Join him on a night wander around Dungeness.

Think stars, a lighthouse beam slicing the darkness and a nuclear power station glowing like a small city.

Jarvis is out with a torch. Ssssh .... there are others on night walks on the beach or looking for birds and there is even a Chinese fishing party.

And somewhere out there in the black inky waters Mark Daniels is swimming.

Suddenly under the duvet sounds tempting.