Selfridges’ award-winning broadcast platform, Hot Air, is releasing a new podcast series under the store’s 2021 theme, Good Nature. This year, Selfridges is inspired by nature to make the world brighter through the creative exploration of pleasure for our own good. Over the next few months, Selfridges’ Good Nature will offer visitors physical and digital experiences responding to the natural world – this new podcast series is the first expression of theme. 

From the simple to the sublime, the podcast series celebrates pleasure in all its forms, with each of its ten episodes released weekly. Leaning on nature as a guiding force, listeners will be taken on a sonic journey into the realm of earthly delights. Each episode is an exploration into a different facet of pleasure, varying in length and form, from mini-docs and sound healing to guided walks and how-tos. These are a series of audio gifts to listeners; a manifesto to live by, an activity to follow, a permission to feel good, a moment to pause, a license to do nothing, an opportunity to escape.

This is the fourth podcast series commissioned by Selfridges for its award-winning broadcast platform Hot Air which has produced numerous short and animated films as well as podcasts in support of some of the store’s thematic campaigns. Its second output, a six-episode series entitled Fresh Eyes and released in 2018 won Best Branded Podcast Award at the British Podcast Awards 2019, one of the industry’s highest accolades.

24th March

The Pleasure of Simple Things

With life reduced to such a basic form over the last year, the simple pleasures have never felt

more important. Through a collage of user/contributor generated content and foley sound, this episode takes the listener on a unique audio experience.

Format: Vividly evocative soundscape with short interviews. Running time: approx. 7 minutes.

1 April

The Pleasure of Nothing

Sometimes, it’s hard to stop. So when it comes to being alone with your thoughts, how can you lean into that moment. Author Olga Meking talks us through Niksen, the Dutch art of doing nothing.

Format: A how-to guide to tune out the world and just do nothing. Running time: approx. 5 minutes.

Contributor: Olga Meking author of Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing

8 April

The Pleasure of Not Feeling Guilty

In this presenter-led documentary the mission is to persuade listeners to embrace their guilty pleasures. The episode deep dives into the different ways human beings experience pleasure, looking at neuroscience and psychology, picking apart the debates about how different mediums affect the pleasure centres and why people should maybe let go of guilt altogether.

Format: Engrossing and fun factual documentary. Running time: approx. 20 minutes.

15 April

The Pleasure of Colour

It is often mentioned that the colour green has a soothing effect on our mood state because it relates to abundance in nature. In this short, artist Jonathan Schofield tells us about the power of colour in nature and its healing benefits.

Format: A captivating exploration of the power of colour through sounds. Running time: approx. 7 minutes.

22 April

The Pleasure of Roaming

This documentary will look at the joys of being outdoors and the benefits it can bring to people from all walks of life. We hear from Zakiya Mckenzie, Forestry England’s writer in residence, about her time spent in the nation’s forests and how this experience opened up her heart to England in a way she hadn’t experienced before. The episode also catches up with walking group, Black Girls Hike, as they amble through the land, talking countryside and community.

Format: Documentary with multiple contributors and rich natural sounds. Running time: approx. 20 minutes.

29 April

The Pleasure of Discovery

Let’s take a walk, a walk for walk’s sake. No purpose other than to explore. Setting out on foot, cars are no good to anyone now. The episode revels in the unexpected, the unknown route, the blind corner.

The heart races as the episode drifts through the landscape and rediscovers what was missed before.

Format: A guided walk to be listened to and/or to be followed. Running time: approx. 45 minutes.

6 May

The Pleasure of Ritual

Deep dive into some rituals of nature. Interweaving narratives of the physical and the spiritual, plunging into cold water swimming and resurfacing into the realm of modern-day paganism.

Format: A documentary interweaving different contributor experiences of ritual in the natural world.

Running time: approx. 20 minutes.

13 May

The Pleasure of Sound

The benefits of sound have been known for centuries; how it can help us to relax, reduce stress, improve memory, but now frequencies have even been found to help treat debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s. In this episode, a trio of sound healings is offered for the listener’s pleasure.

Format: Multiple Live sound healings. Running time: approx. 15 minutes.

20 May

The Pleasure of Gardens

In this documentary the setting is the immersive world of pleasure gardens as John Tebbs takes us on a whirlwind tour of Victorian Britain’s favourite space for leisure and entertainment. Promenading past the menageries and musicians, the listener steals away with some young lovers as they slip back in time to revisit these parks of the past.

Format: A documentary which interweaves the voice of John Tebbs with actuality, archive and an insert of a modern-day date taking place the lush outdoors. Running time: approx. 20 minutes.

27 May

The Pleasure of Growth

With the waiting lists for UK Allotments soaring during lockdown, the desire to be more green-fingered has bloomed like never before. This episode shows how anyone can grow-their-own greens, no matter where they are.

Format: Short and entertaining gardening how-to. Running time: approx.7 minutes.