EPISODE 42: If Only You Knew

Strangers on a Bench

Tom Rosenthal

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

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2025

⏱️ 36 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 : 'For a Mother' by Natalie Wildgoose

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

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? We're flying. We're brand new. So me and you, or the bench, it's only going to happen once.
0:50.3	I know. Isn't it funny? The chances of anyone meeting is just insane really.
0:55.0	But then if you think about too much, it's kind of maybe too much weight to carry.
0:58.0	And it's nice because I was just relaxing and then obviously like you come and approach me and I thought, oh, that's really nice that is.
1:04.0	Well let's hope it's, well. You feel like that at the end as well.
1:07.0	I know. With a bit of luck, you will, be alright. Okay, so the first question is, do you have a favourite day of the week?
1:14.6	Yep, I'd say it was a Wednesday.
1:17.6	Nice.
1:18.6	You're very certain about a Wednesday.
1:20.6	Tell me why.
1:21.6	Because I'm usually in work and I always have a Wednesday off and then just to de-stress, I come and sit here,
1:29.3	and it's the best place ever.
1:31.3	Oh, that's wonderful.
1:32.3	Yeah, it's, I love it.
1:34.3	Now tell me, with these special Wednesdays off,
1:37.3	take me through what for you is a day really well lived in the world?
1:41.3	Well, usually I think when I get off, I don't plan my day.
1:45.5	Yeah.
	...

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