Podcast phenomenon Serial officially drew to a close today. No more Adnan, no more Jay, no more Mail Kimp.

If you’re one of the many people who had never heard a podcast before Serial, you might be wondering what to listen to now. Fear not – we are here to help.

Here are seven of the best podcasts out there to keep you going until Sarah Koenig returns with season two…

1. This American Life

This American Life host Ira Glass
Ira Glass does more than say: “Previously on Serial…” (Andy Kropa/Invision/PA)

What’s it all about?

If you liked Serial, it’s highly implausible you won’t like This American Life – it’s the show that spawned Koenig’s podcast juggernaut, after all. Hosted by Ira Glass, who you’ll recognise from saying: “Previously on Serial,” it delves into the real lives of people in America. There’s almost never a bad episode, whether it’s a series of light-hearted shorts around a theme, or one of their more serious hour-long specials, like the investigation into why a much-loved community doctor seemingly for no reason killed his father. You won’t get one story unfolding week by week like Serial, but you will get incredible narratives told in interesting ways.

If you listen to one episode: Dr Gilmer and Mr Hyde

2. Radiolab

What’s it all about?

The ultimate popular science podcast. Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich take on an enormous range of subjects from space to blood to issues of a more philosophical nature. The podcast, which is also notable for its innovative use of soundscapes, throws up more ‘wow’ moments than any other. One recent show told the story of the amazing role Disney films played in the childhood of an autistic boy, while another explored with incredible precision the origins of HIV and Ebola.

If you listen to one episode: Juicervose

3. Answer Me This!

What’s it all about?

If you’ve heard of one British podcast, it’s probably Answer Me This! It was one of the first in this country to really catch on, and it’s still going now. Pretty much the simplest format imaginable – people write in questions, then hosts Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann answer them – it’s funny, smart and just wonderfully likeable.

If you listen to one episode: The Best Of AMT 2014

4. Isometric

What’s it all about?

This is not one of those podcasts where you don’t have to be interested in the subject matter to listen to it – this is a gaming podcast, and while in a way it feels like a bunch of friends sitting around having a chat, it really is intended for gamers. That said, it might be the most accessible gaming podcast out there. Plus, in these Gamergate times – they’re particularly good at dealing with that, by the way – it’s definitely a good thing to listen to a gaming podcast which women are well represented.

If you listen to one episode: Slippy Likes The Barrel Roll

5. Startup

Startup is a podcast about one man’s attempt to start up a company (called, slightly oddly, Gimlet Media) making podcasts. More specifically, Alex Blumberg is passionate about narrative journalism, so the fact his podcast came out at almost the exact same time as Serial could hardly be more fortuitous. If the thing you liked about Serial was revisiting the same characters week after week, you might well get a lot out of Startup – Blumberg is joyously neurotic and a delight to spend time with, and you’ll find stuff out about a world you probably don’t know much about.

If you listen to one episode: How To Divide An Imaginary Pie

6. Reply All

What’s it all about?

If you enjoy Startup, you’ll want to start listening to the podcasts Gimlet makes. The first of those – well, the first aside from Startup – is Reply All, which is about some of the more obscure corners of the internet. As with a lot of these podcasts, the theme is really just a structure in which to tell amazing stories about people – one recent episode focused about one man’s guilt over accidentally inventing pop-up advertising, and another was about an app which gets strangers to deliver messages in person. You’ll be amazed a series about the internet can be so warm. Also, it’s only a few episodes in, so you can start listening now and say you were there before it was cool.

If you listen to one episode: We Know What You Did

7. Spark London

Best Of Spark London #1 – Helen Zaltzman

What’s it all about?

There are a host of live storytelling podcasts, including The Moth, which is arguably the great-grandparent of them all. But if you’re going to listen to one, why not check out the best of British? The stories from the Spark podcast are gathered from storytelling nights throughout London and could be about just about anything. Often people turn up at these nights with no intention of getting on stage, but end up telling the best story of the night.

If you listen to one episode: Best Of Spark London #1 – we’ve embedded it for above!