Rylan: How To Be a Man podcast review — smart questions and sharp insights on masculinity today

The transformation of Rylan Clark from TV talent-show also-ran to beloved broadcaster has been one of the more unexpected developments of recent times. Reality TV devotees may recall Rylan — who, like Kylie and Beyoncé, is now known by his first name — as the spray-tanned contestant who sobbed theatrically on The X Factor on learning he had made it to the next round of auditions (he was later voted off). A stint on Celebrity Big Brother followed, since when he has been a fixture on radio and TV. In that time a new Rylan has emerged: big-hearted, funny, with a clear awareness of the absurdity of the showbiz world he now inhabits.

Rylan currently presents a weekend show on BBC Radio 2, a job which is all about amiable small talk. On this basis, I wasn’t sure that his new BBC podcast, Rylan: How to Be a Man, in which he interviews famous people about modern masculinity, would have the required gravitas. I was wrong. His interviewees include boxer Amir Khan, model David Gandy, comedian Phil Wang, interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, gay footballer Jake Daniels and ex-Marine and Paralympian Mark Ormrod.

It is a curse among celebrity podcasts that, at the start of a show, host and guest shower each other in compliments and reminisce about when they last met. Rylan, however, doesn’t mess about. Three minutes into his interview with Khan, he asks: “What is it like going to work knowing you are going to punch someone in the face, repeatedly, until you win?” The answer, which I won’t spoil here, seems to take even Khan by surprise.

Rylan’s opening question is the same for all: “How masculine are you feeling today?” This might sound glib, but the responses are as varied as they are fascinating and lead to reflections on such topics as fathers, sons, role models, fashion, class, porn and male genitalia. Llewelyn-Bowen delivers a remarkable lesson in the history of masculinity, calling it a “moveable concept” that became unusually fixed in the 20th century — “which is why people [such as David Bowie] wanted to react against it.” Ormrod reveals how he re-evaluated his definition of masculinity after losing both legs and an arm when he stepped on an explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan: “It’s not about bravado and being outwardly macho. It’s about developing yourself, being resilient, creating your own inner strength and power.”

It’s a reflection of the smart choice of guests and Rylan’s skill as an interviewer that each of these short episodes (roughly 30 minutes each) digs deep and ends up where you don’t expect. As host, Rylan is refreshingly direct, listens carefully and instinctively knows when to let a person speak and when to press them with a simple: “Why?” Note to other celebrity podcasters: this is how it’s done.

bbc.co.uk