It is the golden age of podcasts. For an outlay of zero dollars a month, users on laptops, iPhones and Android phones can access a wealth of quality audio entertainment and information.

Big names, among them talk show hosts Conan O'Brien and Graham Norton, restaurateur David Chang and husband-and-wife comedians Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, have their own podcasts, but this list will stick to lesser-known producers who deserve a wider audience.

The podcasts listed here can be found in the Apple and Android apps, as well as through streaming services such as Spotify and podcatchers such as iTunes.

COMEDY

Comedy Of The Week from BBC Radio 4

The BBC has roughly a bajillion podcasts on tap, but this revolving buffet of delights is a personal favourite. Rising British comedians (Salma Shah, Tim Key and Ellie Taylor), whose names will likely not ring a bell with Singaporeans, are given a space to showcase stand-up and sketches. Not all of it works, but it is clear that hard work has been put in to select guests for their ability to tell jokes in an audio-only format.

Judge John Hodgeman

Actor and writer John Hodgeman has amassed a fervent following for this podcast and a related column in The New York Times. Taking on a personality that is only a slightly exaggerated version of his charmingly pedantic self, he invites combatants to his show to air trivial grievances, such as whether disposable sandwich bags can be washed and reused or whether one can wear bedroom slippers in bed. Hodgeman and co-host Jesse Thorn take the mickey out of the litigants and they love it.

Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

Nicole Byer is the host of the Netflix baking competition Nailed It!, on which she reveals only a fraction of her madcap energy. On her podcast, she and a guest, usually a comedian, focus on the topic of the title, taking into account her Tinder profile, extroverted personality and larger body shape. The sessions are funny, often painfully naked and braver than anything edgy male podcasters could ever create.

NEWS AND INFORMATION

Fresh Air

Terry Gross, the public radio broadcaster who has helmed this interview show since the 1970s, is an institution. Sometimes, guests, among them actors, politicians and authors, become awestruck in her presence. She is at once commanding, warm and well-researched, and does not do puff pieces. Guests, including conservative television host Bill O'Reilly, have stormed off mid-interview.

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

Stuck at home with a partner and nerves are fraying? Is being under the gaze of a parent all day too much to handle? Psychotherapist Esther Perel takes listeners into her consultation room (with identities of patients obscured, of course). Raised in Belgium, trained in Israel and based in New York, she counsels couples with qualities not associated with celebrity doctors and therapists. She listens and never bullies, nor does she dish out one-size-fits-all "common sense" advice.

MUSIC

The Weekly Mix

Non-profit broadcaster KEXP, which operates a radio station in Seattle, Washington, produces several excellent music podcasts. The Weekly Mix is like being friends with a gang of people with flawless taste and a bottomless record collection. There is no chatter, only quick introductions followed by an hour of non-stop, advertisement-free music that leans towards indie rock, R&B and folk from around the world.

NTS Live

Online radio station NTS, based in Hackney, London, has since 2011 become a bastion of free independent music. Guests have included British rapper M.I.A. and Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. There is a mind-boggling number of streams available, categorised by show and genre, which ranges from Australian indigenous music and chanson to Detroit house and new wave. Find the streams at nts.live