In a Hear Here special, we round up five of the best unscripted shows, and five of the best video game podcasts

Rachel Aroesti chooses five of the best unscripted podcasts, from a long-running improv sketch show to a musical podcast with a difference

Off Book: The Improvised Musical
Improv is one of the bedrocks of popular comedy in the US – a fact reflected in the phenomenally impressive skillsets of its best practitioners. They include Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino, who joined forces in 2017 for this musical theatre podcast. Usually accompanied by an equally talented guest, each episode of Off Book sees our hosts masterfully ad-lib an entire musical from scratch. Themes include mice and Denmark, but the subject is largely irrelevant: whatever the topic, you’ll be spellbound by their ability to magic up a hilarious – yet still convincing – songbook and script on the spot.

It Can’t Just Be Me, a frank life advice show from Anna Richardson, host of couldn’t-be-franker nude dating show Naked Attraction.

We Live Here Now, in which progressive journalists Lauren Ober and Hanna Rosin meet their election-denying, January 6-linked neighbours.

HyperFixed, a new getting-to-the-bottom-of-things show from Reply All’s Alex Goldman.