Let’s be honest, considering the mundane gaps in our day to day life that podcasts tend to fill, there are probably more spritely subject matters to learn about than Euthanasia.

I mean, if you’re looking to kill time while vacuuming, I wholeheartedly recommend listening to a twee TED talk on living a happier life than listen to people describe in great detail, that time they helped their terminally ill father end his own life and how messy things got when the drugs didn’t work and the sounds he was making and the eventual use of a pillow to just finish the job. BUT, should you find yourself in a contemplative mood and ready to be swept up in one of the most well-produced Australian podcasts this side of Radio National’s stable of goodies, then may I suggest, Better Off Dead. 

Andrew Denton launched the podcast in February this year, having spent the last twelve months crafting the 17-episode podcast about ‘dying with dignity’. Ever the calm, calculated questioner, Denton steps his inquisitive style up to be distinctly more inflammatory than we’ve seen him before and he admits wanting to stir the pot with his poddy. “I want politicians and doctors to stop sitting on their hands while Australians needlessly suffer”, he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

One of the more stunning revelations to arise from Denton’s work for me was just how Euthanasia detractors tend to frame their argument. It’s not entirely religious, as Denton finds out when he speaks at length to those who fiercely fight the legalization on Euthanasia in Australia. So much of their fear is based around what they believe will be the rampant rallying of degenerates keen to knock off their grandparents to get their grip on an inheritance. How at first sign of laws loosening, they predict Australians will engage en mass in free for all suicidal ritual, spelling the ultimate end of all regard for human life.

Denton’s interviews in Better Off Dead spell out a distinctly different world though. Especially when speaking to actual terminally ill people who are at a loss as to why they are starting down the barrel of a slow and painful death, fully endorsed by Australian authorities.

Yes, this is the kind of podcast that’s going to leave you sobbing into your briefcase on the train to work, so be wary when and where you dive into this one. Rest assured you’ll enjoy the swim though.

Better Off Dead can be downloaded on Apple or Android devices or simply streamed above via Soundcloud.