EPISODE 41: A Common Humanity

Strangers on a Bench

Tom Rosenthal

Documentary, Bench, Random, Society & Culture, Park, Strangers, Conversation

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tom Rosenthal approaches a stranger on a park bench and asks if he can sit down next to them and record their conversation.

This is what happened!

Produced by Tom Rosenthal

Edited by Rose De Larrabeiti

Mixed by Mike Woolley

Theme tune by Tom Rosenthal & Lucy Railton

Incidental music by Maddie Ashman

End song : 'Read it Back Aloud' by Roo Panes

Stream it here : https://ffm.to/readitbackaloud

Listen to all the end songs featured on the podcast (so far) on one handy playlist :

https://ffm.to/soabendsongs

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Instagram : @strangersonabench

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello, sorry to bother you.
0:05.0	Can I ask you a slightly odd question?
0:09.0	I'm making a podcast called Strangers on a Bench
0:14.0	where essentially I talk to people I don't know on benches for 10 or 15 minutes.
0:19.0	Are you up for that? Do you want to give it a go? Okay, you're feeling ready. How's the ice cream?
0:48.3	Very good, actually. Yeah, always it is. Okay.
0:52.3	So the easy starter, is there a day of the week that you favor?
0:59.0	Friday, probably.
1:04.0	Probably.
1:05.0	Probably.
1:06.0	So it's not a touch and go?
1:08.0	Well, I'm retired for 12 years now, but I still get that excitement about the end of the week,
1:17.0	even though I really liked my job.
1:20.7	But I still look forward to Fridays, and of course, when have I got news for you is on.
1:26.6	That's an added bonus at the end of the day.
1:29.2	Take me through what for you now is an ideal Friday spent in the world.
1:37.2	Yeah, I'm usually getting up not long after sunrise.
1:42.5	Fresh, straight at it.
1:44.4	Straight at the world.
1:46.2	And then
1:47.1	ablutions,
1:50.4	breakfast.
	...

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