Bibz Picks | My Favourite Malaysian Podcasts

Whether it be a long drive, or an easy run in the evening, I absolutely LOVE listening to podcasts. They’re really easy to listen to, I love the stories and the discussions podcasts contain and it is quite simply a fantastic way to just unwind and relax.

So, here are a couple of Malaysian based podcasts that I love listening to. They vary quite largely in following and what they cover, but they all have a hook and a certain WOW factor that makes them worth listening to.

(These are not in any particular order)

1. Mamak Sessions (English)

Source: @mamaksessions IG

I’m pretty sure MOST people from Malaysia (and probably beyond) know JinnyBoy - of Hitz.FM and YouTube fame (mainly).

I would say this is probably one of the setups which have a really high production value - you have hosts who have A LOT of experience doing these kind of shows, you have splendid effects, wonderful sound quality (studio level) and a whole lot of famous guests appearing on the show.

The topics range from just personal experiences like what they hated their piano teachers when growing up, to just interview type of podcasts - like the one with Nicol David pertaining to her recent retirement announcement.

I would say that this would be the place where you’ll be able to see more of your well known Malaysian or International figures.

Frequency: Once a week (Released every Thursday)

Main Hosts: JinnyBoy, Shu Faye Wong (Twitch Streamer), Ryan Yee (Figure skater) & Brandon Ho (TV Host, Emcee) - Usually JinnyBoy + 1/2 of the following names

Where to Listen: YouTube, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts

Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes (usually more to the 45-1 hour mark)

2. Takeaway Table (Tabletop) Podcast (English)

Source: Takeaway Table FB Page

In a way, you’ve got a similar background behind the Takeaway Table. Brothers Ming Han and Ming Yue have a pretty interesting background which they share on the podcast. From starting out trying music, to building a successful YouTube career for themselves with TheMingThing, they’ve decided to take the plunge and join the podcast universe.

They way I would describe the Takeaway Table would be a podcast that probably hits home with most listeners. This is a podcast that focuses on (at present) people with similar backgrounds to them - people in social media, actresses, even Steven Lim from Buzzfeed! - and exploring childhood experiences and funny memories.

In many ways, there is a very fun childish feel to this podcast that makes me enjoy listening into this podcast. In addition, there is that VERY Malaysian feel with the Ming brothers at the centre of it all. Whether it be the really relatable experiences or that young and vibrant feel to this podcast, this is one that I love listening to on short drives when I’m out and about.

Frequency: Once a week (Released every Monday)

Main Hosts: Ming Han & Ming Yue (TheMingThing on YouTube) usually with an additional 2 guests

Where to Listen: YouTube, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts

Duration: Earlier episodes are quite short (10-15 minutes) but it looks like they’re aiming for an hour now

3. The Macha Men Podcast (English)

Source: Prakash Daniel Comedy FB Page

The way that I would describe this would be pretty much: straight up fantastic Stand-up Comedy. Basically, you have Malaysian comedians Kavin Jay & Keren Bala Devan teaming up - pretty much sometimes even recording their live performances - and basically it is a stand up comedy show on audio.

And what I must say is that I never would have expected to laugh so much listening to a podcast! This is just straight up lots of fun. Word of warning though, please only listen to this if your sense of humour is a little bit more open to casual racism and lots of offensive jokes (most directly at themselves or at slight jabs at each other).

This is one of those fast paced, non-stop fun kind of podcast that you want to listen after a boring day at work, or maybe even in the morning just to wake you up.

Frequency: Once in a blue moon (Questionable schedule, but they are still active, with the most recent episode at time of writing being last month)

Main Hosts: Kavin Jay & Keren Bala Devan

Where to Listen: Spotify, Podbean & Apple Podcasts

Duration: 1 hour + (normally the length of their live shows)

4. Yum Cha Sessions (English)

Source: YumCha Sessions FB Page

Honestly, this is one of the podcasts that I think is REALLY underrated (I mean literally 66 views kind of underrated) despite having some really interesting discussions between them.

I guess this would be a podcast that is a bit more free and easy regarding their topics - they’re a bit more free to talk about more sensitive topics - one of which is racial discrimination in job applications that I really enjoyed listening to.

What you have with the Yum Cha Sessions is basically an in between of Mamak Sessions and Macha Men Podcast - in the sense that Yum Cha Sessions is loose on the language, but tackles their topics in a similar way at which JinnyBoy tackles the discussions.

However, I would say one of my personal downsides with regards to this podcast in particular would be the audio quality. You can kind of tell the difference in production quality between this one and the others simply with the background noise and the quality of the audio coming through. But this is a really nice up-and-coming podcast to listen to if you’re looking for something new to listen to.

Frequency: They have 17 episodes, released every Sunday, and they’ve been trying out a new ‘videocast’ format, but their schedule has been quite stable once a week

Main Hosts: Poighai, Andrew & Jon (Sorry, I don’t know that much about these 3, but they’re a fun bunch)

Where to Listen: YouTube, SoundCloud (But they don’t really update on here)

Duration: They’re quite consistent on the between 35 and 40 minutes

5. Ais Kacang (Malay + Chinese + English)

Source: Ais Kacang Website (See below for a link)

The last pick of mine on my list isn’t actually a podcast, per se, but rather a network. This is a pretty interesting concept whereby they pool together and make a network of podcasts catered to the Malaysian audience.

They’ve got a whole lot of different types of podcasts - whether it be recipes in the form of podcast, personal finance, movies and even ghost stories - they’ve pretty much got anything and everything you could possibly want in their catalogue.

In addition, I think this is one of the few places where you can find a lot of podcasts of different languages just pooling together and making each other better. A pretty fun concept just to explore if you have some specific interests that you’re looking for.

They have shorter kinds of podcasts (around 15 minutes) and certain podcasts are still running with a regular schedule on their website.

Where to Listen: Website