Best John Metson Podcasts (2025)

1
Where does the smart money get invested in Spain? 9:51

Play Pause

2h ago9:51

9:51

In this short episode a clear, realistic, non-salesy view of where the smart money is going in Spain in 2025–2030—and whether property is still the best bet. I am not a Financial Expert, do not take this episode as any kind of financial advice. I have collated together trends and data from financial institutions, banks and financial companies.…

1
Should YOU Invest in Spain? - Spain the Fastest Growing Country in the EU 15:14

11d ago15:14

15:14

Spain's GDP grew by 3.5% in 2024 and is forecasted to grow by 2.9% in 2025. The growth is being driven by strong domestic demand, particularly household consumption and investment, which is outpacing the euro area. Is this the time to invest in Spain?By John Metson

1
Things that bite and sting and might kill you in Spain, from Snakes to Spiders and beyond 20:48

17d ago20:48

20:48

From Mosiquitos to spiders and snakes, there is something lurking or flying around here in Spain that has you on their lunch menu. How to cope with those tiny assassins and avoid being bitten or worse is what this episode is all about. This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy…

1
Mind Your Language: The Story Behind Spanish Swear Words 15:57

23d ago15:57

15:57

If you've ever stubbed your toe in Spain, you'll know that the locals don't just swear — they stage a one-man opera of profanity. Spanish swearing is a glorious symphony of blasphemy, body parts, and creative bowel movements. There are a lot of rude words in the episode so please, if you are easily offended, scroll on to the next episode.…

1
Franco was a good guy! - The return of the dark days 21:33

29d ago21:33

21:33

Franco was responsible for the "Spanish Miracle," in a recent survey 21 % of Spaniards said that the years of Francisco Franco's rule - 1939 to 1975 were "good" or "very good." Is Spain yearning to return to a time when one person possesses absolute power here in this country? Real Life - Real SpainBy John Metson

1
Gitanos, Tramps and Thieves - can you live on a budget, below the wire in Spain? 16:53

2M ago16:53

16:53

What kind and how many people are living under the wire, classed as "irregular" without paperwork living here in Spain. How does Spain treat the nomads, the minorities and the people who come here without any money or housing? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex fo…

1
The Day The Lights Went Out - The Shocking Truth about the National Spanish Power Cut 12:05

2M ago12:05

12:05

It was April the 28th and suddenly the lights went out, the fridge and freezer went silent and what followed was eight hours of chaos as a historic Blackout Cripples Spain and Portugal. BUT What is the shocking truth behind a power cut, it was Europe's Worst Blackout in 20 Years and plunged Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Porto and Seville into darkness…

1
Mind Your Language - Do You Really Need to Speak Spanish in Spain? 18:27

2M ago18:27

18:27

Do you really need to speak Spanish in Spain? Can you get by with a few words, Google Translate and waving your hands around. And which company was voted worst Company of the Year in Spain in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Ess…

1
100 not out - Live Long and Prosper in Spain 15:22

2M ago15:22

15:22

Many move to Spain chasing a healthier, freer life under the sun—but does it really happen? What are the true keys to living longer, better here? Also my glorious failure as a radio producer—paired with the legendary Pete Murray, who somehow survived my on-air blunders (though only just!)By John Metson

1
Booze, Fags and sacking Grand Tour's Richard Hamilton 21:05

3M ago21:05

21:05

Forget about the culture and language skills - are Cheap Booze and Fags the biggest danger to your succcessful new life in Spain? And, I sacked Top Gear and The Grand Tours Richard Hamilton for not knowing enough about cars, was I right or wrong to do so? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Vict…

1
Don't Drink The Water! - and the true story of a grisly death. 20:02

3M ago20:02

20:02

Is it safe to drink the water in Spain? And the horrific story of a suicide that happened right under our noses. (Contains material that some listeners might find disturbing) This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was on…

1
Puppy Dog Pails - Why has Spain a reputation for animal cruelty? 22:08

3M ago22:08

22:08

Why does Spain have a reputation for casual animal cruelty? WARNING This Episode has depictions of animal cruelty from the start. This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Producer in London, not a great on…

1
Telly Addicts - How do I watch British TV in Spain? 21:17

3M ago21:17

21:17

How do you watch British TV in Spain? And the reality of living in a foreign country, leaving our friends and family behind, have we made a big mistake? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Producer in…

1
Strawberry fair? Moving to Spain ..our biggest mistake? 14:04

4M ago14:04

14:04

What happens when you wake up on your first morning living in Spain and you realise you might just have made the biggest mistake of your life? What's it like to live just a few kilometres from the Mar de Plástico and how do they grow those delicious strawberries so cheaply? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swappin…

1
Real Spanish Men Don't Mop! 15:27

4M ago15:27

15:27

Is Spain's reputation for "machista" - sexist or chauvinist men deeply rooted in its historical, cultural, and political past? Is modern Spain ever going to be able to tame the Matadors and their macho ways? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a …

1
They Stole My Spanish Home - Squatters Rights in Spain 14:28

4M ago14:28

14:28

The famous Okupas of Spain - squatters with more rights than the owner of the property they have illegally entered. But are the days of the Okupas numbered? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Produce…

1
Carry On Abroad - The Return of the Package Holiday? 17:31

4M ago17:31

17:31

How a Spanish Mayor and a Bikini kick-started the Package Holiday, we carry on abroad with a look back at the great British Holiday to Spain. This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Producer in London, no…

1
Spanish Practices Trailer 1:50

4M ago1:50

1:50

This is our real life in real Spain and an invitation for you to join us on the journey. Like, it's free, follow, it's free and subscribe, it's free and really helps us make more of these episodes.By John Metson

1
The Butt of the Joke Ep 102 19:08

4M ago19:08

19:08

Why do around 25% of adults smoke in Spain? Why is it still socially acceptable to smoke in front of children here in Spain? This episode, Spain a smokers paradise? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio…

1
How do I get to live and work in Spain? Ep 101 26:02

4M ago26:02

26:02

How do I get to live and work in Spain? Is it better to rent first and buy later? The answers and our experience of buying a property in Spain. This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Producer in London, …

1
Boom! Boom! Boom! - Did somebody say we´re having a Fiesta? 29:22

5M ago29:22

29:22

In the one hundreth episode of Spanish Practices we celebrate the rhythm of Spanish life. It's brash, colourful, very very loud.. yes we are having a Fiesta. This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Produc…

1
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot, Ep 99, - Survive the Spanish Summer. 16:55

5M ago16:55

16:55

How on earth do you cope with the hot Spanish Summer Sun? This is our real life, in real Spain. Ten years of adventures since swapping our glorious Victorian House in leafy Essex for a tiny flat in a wild Andalusian village. I was once a Radio Producer in London, not a great one. Feel free to comment, like and of course follow - it really helps the…

1
Day 98 - "The End?" 7:36

5+ y ago7:36

7:36

Transcript: Day 98 The End? Sunday and the Alarma is over, Lockdown is unlocked, 99 days, it started on Saturday March 14th, but actually I consider that weekend to be the two phoney days of Lockdown. Saturday 14th March was a pretty normal day, the supermarket rammed with people taking everything off the shelves, including the toilet paper, someth…

1
Day 97 - "Of mousy women and men" 7:16

5+ y ago7:16

7:16

Full transcript: Day 97 Of mousy women and men Saturday the weather is calm, the sun is shining, I have been doing some extreme weeding on the mountainside and managed to not fall down, the one time I did I thought it was best to relax and just let my body slide to a bit where I could cling on. Our garden in Essex did not have the same extreme chal…

1
Day 96 - "Tim Tams" 8:41

5+ y ago8:41

8:41

Full transcript: Day 96 Tim Tams Friday and the I made a terrible mistake today, I try very hard now to avoid the TV news from the UK, we have enough to occupy ourselves here with events in Spain. I caught a picture of Headmaster Boris holding a packet of Tim Tams up, from what I understand following a new trade deal with Australia you will get tup…

1
Day 95 - "Bonfire Night" 8:21

5+ y ago8:21

8:21

Transcript: Day 95 Bonfire night Thursday and now just a few days before everything un locks, the end of the Alarma and the new normal will start on Monday, many Spanish can go back to work and get the working week off to.. er, well er, a two day start, because next Wednesday "we are having a Fiesta" The Fiesta of San Juan to be precise, the beginn…

1
Day 94 - "Assassination" 6:49

5+ y ago6:49

6:49

Transcript: Day 94 Assassination Wednesday and the excitement cannot be contained, I am going shopping with Chris, well to be honest he doesn't want me in the first shop, - Mercadona, he tells me he has a routine now and that doesn't include me putting unsuitable items in the shopping trolley. Never mind I am going to the Post Office instead, to pi…

1
Day 93 - "Anyone for Tennis" 7:18

5+ y ago7:18

7:18

Transcript uncorrected: Day 93 Anyone for tennis? Tuesday and we are battening down the hatches, the wind is returning again with a vengeance, so far, the summer here has not really happened. Today it is overcast and sticky humid. Our Gym has opened, and we went last night, OK so it is not the normal evening busy, but there were people and Chris' c…

1
Day 92 "Dance Off" 7:37

5+ y ago7:37

7:37

Transcript (uncorrected) Day 92 Dance off Monday has come, I usually dread Monday as it always brings administration stuff which I really don't care for. By the way if you want to catch all 92 episodes with transcripts of Spanish Practices head over to THE secret spain dot com. Today the administration was our Spanish Tax return, I say our, as we a…

1
Day 91 "Playboy Kings" 6:43

5+ y ago6:43

6:43

Transcript (uncorrected) Day 91 Sunday and Uncle Pedro has been doing his weekly Zoom meeting, he likes to surprise the regional Governments, just to remind them all he is the one in charge. So he has brought forward the date when Spain will open its borders to everyone except Portugal, so on Monday 22nd June the Lockdown will be over, for now and …

1
Day 90 - "Holidays from Hell" 7:07

5+ y ago7:07

7:07

Transcript here: Day 90 holiday from hell Saturday your Sunday and the Spanish Government has started to talk about how they envisage foreign visitors coming to the country, the first lot will turn up on Monday, they are Germans coming to the Balearic Islands. Interestingly about 35,000 people travelled to Spain in May, whilst not holidaymakers, th…

1
Day 89 - "Fag End" 8:07

5+ y ago8:07

8:07

Full Transcript: Day 89 Fag End Friday and we are off to the Administrator to sell our old car to Carmen, what could possibly go wrong, find out later in this episode. If you want to catch up on previous episodes and full transcripts, go to the secret Spain dot com Today I have been thinking about Satan's smoke. A great many people in Spain seem to…

1
Day 88 "Plastic not fantastic" 7:00

5+ y ago7:00

7:00

Thursday and the wind is blowing and driving us mad, a new Spanish law on plastic waste might change the way we use single use plastic and three good legs cat gets a scare, oh and something in Spain that has taken longer to build than the pyramids and still isn't finished. Find out more https://www.thesecretspain.com Listen on the radio in London, …

1
Day 87 - "Fake Spanish Waiters" 6:28

5+ y ago6:28

6:28

Today the embarrassment of explaining Fawlty Towers to my Spanish friends, an internet outage, and the end of central Government control in Spain Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 87 Fake Spanish Waiters uncorrected transcript Wednesday and the Spanish Parliament has approved the Royal Decree for "new normality". It starts in a very…

1
Day 86 - "Inconvenient Death" 7:00

5+ y ago7:00

7:00

Today a story of a TV set and an inconvenient death, and speaking of inconvenience, how dare you ask to transfer money at a Spanish bank without an appointment. find out more at https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 86 Inconvenient Death uncorrected transcript Tuesday and the wind has dropped for the moment so we spent a jolly hour or so cleaning up t…

1
Day 85 - "Testing times" 10:05

5+ y ago10:05

10:05

Monday and we are off to buy our new car in the Covid19 world of car showrooms, no coffee, no handshake, just masks and security tape. Has the glamour of car buying come to an end? find out more https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 85 Testing Times uncorrected transcript Monday morning, normally I do the hateful administration work but this morning w…

1
Day 84 - "Car Share" 8:27

5+ y ago8:27

8:27

It is Sunday and I have been driving our existing car for the first time, we are buying a new one tomorrow, as in Phase 3 we can go to a car showroom. Can I say that the gear box stick is in quite the wrong place and while we are at it, so is the steering wheel. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 84 Car Share Sunday the start of a ne…

1
Day 83 - "Hey Ya!" 7:01

5+ y ago7:01

7:01

Bad news is good news for us find out why in this episode, also a reflection on the last few months as Andalusia moves into phase three of the Alarma. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 83 Hey Ya! (uncorrected transcript) Saturday, your Sunday and I thought I would take a few moments to reflect, the new normal is becoming normal and …

1
Day 82 - "Dough Boys" 6:45

5+ y ago6:45

6:45

Today a story from the past about two crazy American guys called Ben and Jerry and their weird ice cream, a trip to Leroy Merlin a French owned Spanish run DIY chain. find out more here: https://www.thesecretspain.com Uncorrected transcript here: Day 82 Dough Boys Friday and another week ahead in phase 2, but no, suddenly we are moving to phase thr…

1
Day 81 - "Law and Food Order" 6:52

5+ y ago6:52

6:52

Thursday and the bloomin wind is driving us potty, along with administration, WhatsApp spats about a community pool and we have a guide to consumer law here in Spain. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 81 Thursday and a bit of a low day, hard to put your finger on it, but the weather is not helping, once again the wind is blowing, th…

1
Day 80 "Caves and Confusion" 6:34

5+ y ago6:34

6:34

Day 80, a day of confusion when we were told our house didn't exist, also we talk a little bit about Spanish Income Tax, and explore some caves in Nerja. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 80 Caves and Confusion Wednesday and the day begins in Spanish confusion as the man that is coming to service Petra and Justin's pool and will fir…

1
Day 79 - "Free Money" 7:05

5+ y ago7:05

7:05

Day 79 and slowly things are returning, restaurants are opening and the Government is giving away free money and claiming nobody died of Covid19.. although the regional Governments dispute this. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 79 Free Money Tuesday, and yesterday no deaths were reported due to the virus, but the regional Governmen…

1
Day 78 - "Brucie Bonus" 7:05

5+ y ago7:05

7:05

Monday and the day Bruce Forsyth didn't play his cards right, community swimming pools and dirty rain. The daily Podcast diary of a British couple in Lockdown Spain, phase 2. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 78 Brucie Bonus Monday oh how I loathe you, but only because it rained last night for 10 minutes, but it was that dirty calim…

1
Day 77 - "Benidorm Brits and Bikinis" 7:13

5+ y ago7:13

7:13

Today the story of a railway porter who transformed the whole of the Spanish tourism industry, a story that involves a Bikini and General Franco. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 77 Benidorm Brits and Bikini's Sunday, the eve of Phase 2 and another step toward the new normal here in Spain. Today the Spanish Tourism Minister Maria R…

1
Day 76 - "Fiestas and the F-Word" 6:04

5+ y ago6:04

6:04

Saturday and the weekend has come with some bad news if you are planning a party in Spain, this is the story of a British couple behind the police lines in Spain, a daily diary of Lockdown. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 76 Fiestas and the F-Word Saturday, and the weekend has come, and with it a rise in Spaniards testing positive…

1
Day 75 - "Property Nightmares!" 7:04

5+ y ago7:04

7:04

Today how we lost a cool £49,000 to a Spanish bank, that we will never see again. Property nightmares and how to avoid them, here in Spain. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Disclaimer, we do NOT receive any remuneration from advertising, the views expressed our our own and not others. Day 75 - Property Nightmares Friday, Day 75 phase 1…

1
Day 74 - "Shady Deals" 6:49

5+ y ago6:49

6:49

Today shady European Deals and shady terraces, as we continue our daily diary of Lockdown, Spanish style. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 74 shady deals Thursday has arrived and we are awaiting the blind men, not that they are actually blind, but they are hopefully going to fit the awning blinds that run along the top of our pergo…

1
Day 73 - "Beach Vigilantes" 6:39

5+ y ago6:39

6:39

Wednesday and there is news that tourists coming to Spain will be greeted by beach vigilantes, who will be employed to make sure we all socially distance and bathe in the correct safe way. Day 73 of Spanish Lockdown for a British couple and their three-good legs cat. Find out more here: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 73 Beach Vigilantes Wednesd…

1
Day 72 - "Gone to Pot" 6:41

5+ y ago6:41

6:41

Could legally growing marijuana save Spains Economy? Today the whole podcast is going to pot, after all it is time we started to chill and relax, before the onslaught of tourists arrive here in Spain. This is the daily diary of a British couple in Phase 1 Lockdown in Spain. Find out more here: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 72 gone to pot It is…

1
Day 71 "Peseta Pats" 6:39

5+ y ago6:39

6:39

Monday and day 71, and a few tips about buying a property here in Spain and what you need to do as a Brit, before January 2020. Find out more: https://www.thesecretspain.com Day 71 Peseta Pats Monday of week two of phase 1, we are still confused about why we have not moved to Phase 2, so I asked my Spanish neighbour from Granada. "There are not eno…