Strangers on a Bench
Tom Rosenthal
Have you ever walked past a mysterious stranger on a park bench and wondered about their lives? Tom Rosenthal (singer-songwriter by trade) has spent the past year walking through various parks across the UK and Ireland, approaching random bench-dwellers and asking if he can sit next to them and record their conversation. Every stranger remains anonymous, neither name or place of work is ever revealed (even to Tom himself), leading to greater openness, intimacy, and surprising revelations from the participants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 30, 2026 • 56min
EPISODE 81: Down For Life
A chance bench conversation ranges from river swims and ritual healing to breaking family cycles and sobriety. Skateboarding, drumming, and anarchist ideas surface alongside reflections on fatherhood, marriage, and aging. Stories about Kansas childhood, Native ceremony, and phenomenology add unexpected depth.
12 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 59min
EPISODE 80: Pépito
A candid park-bench conversation moves between dating app misadventures, the long aftermath of an abusive relationship, and the slow work of recovery. They chat about reporting to police, therapy, and how journals can unlock forgotten memories. Lighter moments include childhood snacks, playful meet-in-person app ideas, neighbourly bird-feeding mysteries, and simple joys like Legos and travel plans.
Mar 16, 2026 • 44min
EPISODE 79: Cormorants and Lewis Hamilton
A candid park-bench conversation about theatre beginnings, finding lifelong creative friends, and training at RADA. He recalls touring, TV recognition, awards, and voicing Napoleon in a game. Personal moments include family Sundays, a tender Hinge romance and the world’s best kiss. He shares nature encounters from humpback whales to cormorants, plus honesty about separation and a pending health scare.
Mar 9, 2026 • 38min
EPISODE 78: We Forget How To Play
A candid park conversation about raising a child with autism and how childcare has shifted from play to paperwork. Nostalgic stories of youth, music and roaming London before phones. Reflections on parenting regrets, family dynamics and finding joy in small playful moments like supermarket trolley dancing. Thoughts on aging, friendships at work and dreaming of quiet solo reading retreats.
Mar 2, 2026 • 57min
EPISODE 77: I See Dead People
A candid park-chat about finding calm in cemeteries and nature. A person reveals they 'see dead people' and describes psychic mediumship, spirit guides, and shamanic training. Strange childhood seances, a near-drowning bliss, and calming a dying relative are recounted. The talk covers why they avoid commercializing their abilities and how spirit-led moments shape everyday choices.
Feb 23, 2026 • 39min
EPISODE 76: Success, Sex, and The Cause
A spontaneous bench conversation about choosing creativity over career and why quitting for less money felt right. They talk about finding love after friendship and an unexpected intimate turning point. The guest describes discovering painting, nature rituals, and how weather affects mood. Family rifts, an autism diagnosis, and learning to set firm boundaries also come up.
Feb 16, 2026 • 41min
EPISODE 75: Donna
A man recalls losing his wife Donna and how weekends magnify his loneliness. He explains how caring for a tortoise keeps her memory alive and describes small rituals that comfort him. Conversations cover grief, guilt about finding joy again, shifting friendships after loss, and tentative steps toward rebuilding life and connection.
Feb 9, 2026 • 56min
EPISODE 74: Tuesday is Green
A stranger describes seeing days and letters as colours and discovering synesthesia. She recounts running away at 14, surviving with false papers, and time at Centrepoint. Recovery, sobriety and AA meetings reshape her life. Stories of family betrayal, guilt, travel on kibbutzim, and sound healing surface. She is writing memoirs and talks about healing, unity and gong baths.
Feb 2, 2026 • 1h 3min
EPISODE 73: Shut The F*** Up and Enjoy Your Life
A stranger shares tense frontline memories of reporting in conflict zones, including being shot at and a shotgun near-miss in Cairo. He talks about survival habits like an emergency gear bag, cash stashes and hiking as rehearsal. He describes inner voices, tunnel vision from intense work, unconventional relationship bonds built on walking, and frustration at ignored warnings about underreported wars.
Jan 26, 2026 • 46min
EPISODE 72: Just Ask The Trees
A chance park bench conversation covers a cancer diagnosis, career burnout in private equity, and the therapy of ‘asking’ trees for calm. They talk quitting, coaching and rebuilding identity after high-pressure finance. Surgical recovery, keeping slow practices alive, and how to raise kids with presence also come up.
