EPISODE 44: A Second Life

Strangers on a Bench

Tom Rosenthal

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

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 July 2025

⏱️ 33 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 : 'Roots' by Rosie Miles

Stream it here : https://ffm.to/soab-roots

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? Do you have a favourite day of the week?
0:46.3	No.
0:52.3	Perfect start.
0:57.0	Did you ever have one?
1:01.0	Well, probably a Sunday, because I didn't have to go to work.
1:06.0	Now, take me through a, let's pick a day, any random day.
1:11.6	Right.
1:12.6	What is your idea of a day really well lived?
1:16.6	Right. Okay. Well, I naturally wake up about five in the morning.
1:20.6	Oh, early.
1:22.6	Yep. Are you a farmer?
1:23.6	No.
1:24.6	Do you look like a farmer?
1:26.6	Oh, you never know. It's all possible. No. Do I look like a farmer? No. Oh, you never know.
1:28.3	It's all possible.
1:30.3	No.
1:31.3	I've always been an early riser.
1:34.3	Although I've been retired a long time, it's never changed.
	...

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