EPISODE 75: Donna
Strangers on a Bench
Tom Rosenthal
4.8 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2026
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ 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 : 'Donna' by Father of Fred
Stream it here : https://ffm.to/donna-soab
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. Can I ask you a slightly odd question? |
| 0:08.5 | I'm making a podcast called Strangers on a Bench, where essentially I talk to people I don't |
| 0:16.9 | know on benches for 10 or 15 minutes. Are you up for that? |
| 0:22.0 | Do you want to give it a go? Yeah. Is there a day of the week that you favour? |
| 0:49.3 | Um, I think it's got to be Friday. |
| 0:57.0 | It comes with trepidation for me. |
| 1:00.0 | Look forward to it because it's end of the week. |
| 1:02.0 | But I'm, I lost my wife three years ago, so it's hard. |
| 1:06.0 | Weekends. |
| 1:08.0 | It's okay. |
| 1:09.0 | So, hence why I'm sitting in there, I'm trying to keep himself occupied. |
| 1:15.6 | Well, I can keep you occupied for a bit. |
| 1:18.6 | Yeah, do it. |
| 1:20.6 | Can I ask why weekend set you off? |
| 1:23.6 | Too much time on my hands. |
| 1:25.6 | You know, yesterday I met a mate and went riding for five hours and then I haven't seen anyone today. |
| 1:33.3 | I got dinner at my parents at six but I'm probably going to bail. |
| 1:38.3 | You were riding yesterday, you say? |
| 1:40.3 | Yeah, yeah, yeah, just on my bike. |
| 1:41.3 | A bike with a motor? |
| 1:42.3 | No, no, no, push bike we're just uh |
| 1:45.6 | did i don't know 40 mile cold beer in a garden finish and off you go wonderful yeah it's nice |
... |
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