Must Listen: Podcasts from unusual places

One of the best things about podcasts is the way they can transport you to places you might never normally go to.

Hannah J Davies, freelance culture journalist and Guardian podcast reviewer, has chosen four of her favourite podcasts from unusual places as part of 5 Live's Must Listen, on air every Monday at midnight on the Sarah Brett show.

She has picked: Borrowed, Duvet Days, Where Shall We Begin and Ear Hustle. At the end of the article you can hear an interview with the presenters of Ear Hustle.

Have you heard any of these podcasts? Comment below to let us know what you think.

Borrowed

"Borrowed is made by a network of libraries and hosted by two staff members of the Brooklyn Public Library.

"The podcast really gets into the human stories of the people using the libraries, whether that's the 'new Americans', the immigrants who use the library as a resource for immigration advice or history lessons of notable people, like Clara Whitehill Hunt, an amazing 19th Century librarian who made the library accessible for children.

"One episode features a woman who suffered domestic violence and was made homeless. She struck up a friendship with a librarian who helped her apply for jobs and get on a course to become an author. It's stories like that which make you realise what a sanctuary libraries are for some people."

Duvet Days

"Duvet Days is a really nice podcast, it's made by the BBC and hosted by an amazing producer called Abbey Hollick.

"She goes to her interviewee's houses and gets into, or sits on, their bed with them. Her guests have ranged from the poet Lemn Sissay to singer Christine and the Queens.

"What I really like about it is that it provides this setting for these really close, really personal interviews which prompts some really personal stories from her guests."

Where Should We Begin?

"This is a podcast set in an actual couples therapy session. It's hosted by a very forthright therapist called Esther Perel and she does one off sessions with couples.

"In each episode she meets up for a session and advises them on issues such as infidelity or a lack of intimacy in their relationship and she's not afraid to lay the law down for them... she can be a bit harsh basically!

"I think what's really great about this podcast is that while she respects her subjects, she's also not afraid to say 'have you tried this?' And really mould them, put words in their mouths and see how they feel about certain ideas, and in doing that she brings out some universal truths along the way."

Ear Hustle

"I love so much about this podcast, it's set in San Quentin prison and hosted by Nigel Poor, a volunteer at the prison, and former inmate Earlonne Woods.

"The podcast lets you see the realities of prison life which is so different, darker and more human than gets portrayed on screens. You could easily think that prison is just uneducated bad people doing bad things to each other all day, but just the fact this podcast is recorded and produced inside the prison is amazing in itself.

"They've been through so many different issues in the podcast, from being a transgender prisoner to being a victim of sex trafficking. However it is the more mundane topics that resonate most, like 'how do you sleep in prison?', 'is there music?' and 'what is the food like?'"