The Orbiting Human Circus – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

The Orbiting Human Circus

The Orbiting Human Circus

WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents

Fiction
Fiction
Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/64d. Total Eps: 29

Simplecast
Discover a wondrously surreal world of magic, music, and mystery. This immersive, cinematic audio spectacle follows the adventures of a lonely, stage-struck janitor who is drawn into the larger-than-life universe of the Orbiting Human Circus, a fantastical, wildly popular radio show broadcast from the top of the Eiffel Tower. WNYC Studios presents a special director’s cut of this joyous, moving break from reality. Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Julian Koster, Tim Robbins, Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, and featuring Mandy Patinkin and Charlie Day. Season one of The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) is a co-presentation of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents.
Site
RSS
Apple

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts
  • 🇩🇪 Germany - comedyFiction

    31/07/2025
    #77
  • 🇺🇸 USA - comedyFiction

    30/07/2025
    #92
  • 🇺🇸 USA - comedyFiction

    29/07/2025
    #68
  • 🇩🇪 Germany - comedyFiction

    28/07/2025
    #73
  • 🇺🇸 USA - comedyFiction

    28/07/2025
    #75
  • 🇺🇸 USA - comedyFiction

    27/07/2025
    #73
  • 🇺🇸 USA - comedyFiction

    26/07/2025
    #96
  • 🇩🇪 Germany - comedyFiction

    25/07/2025
    #80
  • 🇺🇸 USA - comedyFiction

    25/07/2025
    #70
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - comedyFiction

    24/07/2025
    #100
Spotify

    No recent rankings available



RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all
RSS feed quality
To improve

Score global : 63%


Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Episodes published by month in

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

New OHC Song and Live Shows!

jeudi 20 avril 2023Duration 01:22

New Orbiting Human Circus song — The Lost Angel — out now on Merge Records, everywhere! Plus, live shows! See https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows for info and tickets. 

Introducing Milky Way Underground

mercredi 22 septembre 2021Duration 02:52

Introducing a new fiction podcast from members of the team behind The Orbiting Human Circus: Join siblings Lydia and Elijah on a fantastical, surreal journey through a mysterious dreamworld as they search for their missing father. A unique audio adventure about the difficulties and the joys of growing up and becoming yourself, fit for the whole family. Brought to you by TRAX from PRX. www.milkywayunderground.com

Naughty Till New Years: Eighthly, a Booth by the Seaside

Episode 8

jeudi 20 février 2020Duration 30:32

What was REALLY in the shoeboxes?

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Featuring Drew Callander, Harrison Beckwith, and Julian Koster. Written and directed by Julian Koster and produced by Christy Gressman; with musical composition and arrangement by Thomas Hughes, music by the Music Tapes, and piano performance by Andy Lauer; lead editor Grant Stewart, editor Jaanelle Yee, and assistant editors Emily Marinoff and Jeff Tobias, with Julian; sound design by Jonathan Siri-Mohs, foley by John Ringhofer, and lathe cutting by Steve Espinola; engineering by Vincent Cacchione; and additional production and mixing by Will Stanton.

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com.

Naughty Till New Years: Seventhly, the Gift

Episode 7

mercredi 5 février 2020Duration 22:12

The story of an unusual gift and several strikes of lightning.

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Featuring Drew Callander, John Cameron Mitchell, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Dan Solomon, Miche Braden, Nicholas Carter, Jessie Shelton, Harrison Beckwith, Jonah Mussolino, Andy Lauer, Walter Lowery, and Julian Koster. Written and directed by Julian Koster and produced by Christy Gressman; with musical composition and arrangement by Thomas Hughes and music by the Music Tapes; lead editor Grant Stewart, editor Jaanelle Yee, and assistant editors Emily Marinoff and Jeff Tobias, with Julian; sound design by Jonathan Siri-Mohs, foley by John Ringhofer, and lathe cutting by Steve Espinola; engineering by Vincent Cacchione; and additional production and mixing by Will Stanton.

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com.

Naughty Till New Years: Sixthly, the Flea Talks

Episode 6

mercredi 22 janvier 2020Duration 22:13

Tim Robbins stars as the flea. Yes, we convinced an Oscar winner to portray a flea. Poor man. He did nothing to deserve this.

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Starring Tim Robbins, John Cameron Mitchell, Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Dan Solomon, Miche Braden, Nicholas Carter, Hy Wolfe, Jessie Shelton, Magali Charron and Alaska Charron Cacchione, Juno McLarnon and Keiran McLarnon, Walter Lowery, Julian Koster, and Julian’s grandmother, Charlotte Koster, as Laeticia’s downstairs neighbor. Written and directed by Julian Koster and produced by Christy Gressman; with musical composition and arrangement by Thomas Hughes and music by Gauvain Gamon, Benjamin Miller, Kolja Gjoni, and the Music Tapes; lead editor Grant Stewart, editor Jaanelle Yee, and assistant editors Emily Marinoff and Jeff Tobias, with Julian; sound design by Jonathan Siri-Mohs, foley by John Ringhofer, and lathe cutting by Steve Espinola; engineering by Vincent Cacchione; and additional production and mixing by Will Stanton.

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com.

Naughty Till New Years: Fifthly, Do You Dream?

Episode 5

mercredi 8 janvier 2020Duration 24:07

Dreams run amok as we learn new things about John Cameron, Laeticia, the stagehands, Coco, and of course the Janitor, when we return to a stunning cliffhanger moment in the broadcast ballroom.

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Starring Walter Lowery, John Cameron Mitchell, Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Dan Solomon, Nicholas Carter, and Julian Koster. Written and directed by Julian Koster and produced by Christy Gressman; with musical composition and arrangement by Thomas Hughes and music by the Music Tapes; lead editor Grant Stewart, editor Jaanelle Yee, and assistant editors Emily Marinoff and Jeff Tobias, with Julian; sound design by Jonathan Siri-Mohs, foley by John Ringhofer, and lathe cutting by Steve Espinola; engineering by Vincent Cacchione; and additional production and mixing by Will Stanton. 

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs.Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com.

The Orbiting Human Circus Holiday Vacation

mercredi 18 décembre 2019Duration 29:38

Take a holiday break with The Orbiting Human Circus.

This episode isn’t a part of the story of The Orbiting Human Circus in Naughty Till New Years, but the flea and the whole OHC gang will return in Naughty till New Years on January 8, 2020, with biweekly episodes running all the way through the end of April. 

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. This special holiday episode featured Larry Ratso Sloman in First Night, Drew Callander in A Visit from the Platypus, and in the stagehands scene, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Dan Solomon, Miche Braden, Nicholas Carter, and Julian Koster. It also featured, as many episodes do, musical composition and arrangement by Thomas Hughes.  

Written and directed by Julian Koster, and produced by Christy Gressman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com. 

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Look for Into the River Thames (The Old Seagull Explains) beginning December 23, 2019, on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Bandcamp and more. Listen today on your preferred digital music service provider. 

Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman.

Naughty Till New Years: Fourthly... How to Disappear (Lesson III of III)

Episode 4

mercredi 11 décembre 2019Duration 11:16

If you haven’t disappeared yet, don’t worry — there’s still time! Listen now!

Stay tuned for a special holiday episode next week. 

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Starring Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Walter Lowery, and Julian Koster. Written and directed by Julian Koster, and produced by Christy Gressman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com. 

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. In this episode, you heard the song Into the River Thames, which was written by Julian Koster. Gauvain Gamon was the live musical director. It featured Gauvain Gamon on bass, Benjamin Miller on piano, Kolja Gjoni on drums, and North the Singing Saw, who was encouraged to sing by Julian. Look for Into the River Thames soon on your favorite digital music service provider!

Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman.

Naughty Till New Years: Thirdly... How to Disappear (Lessons I and II of III)

Episode 3

mercredi 4 décembre 2019Duration 21:54

We are introduced to a startling ability of the Janitor’s.

New episodes every other Wednesday.

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Dan Solomon, Walter Lowery, and Julian Koster. Written and directed by Julian Koster, and produced by Christy Gressman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com. 

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman.

Naughty Till New Years: Secondly, the Past

Episode 2

mercredi 20 novembre 2019Duration 26:59

We travel back in time to the janitor’s first nights at the tower in this, Naughty Till New Years’ second installment.

New episodes every other Wednesday.

A co-production of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, David Barlow, Dan Solomon, Nicholas Carter, Walter Lowery, and Julian Koster, with Magali and Alaska as the Chouinard family. Written and directed by Julian Koster, and produced by Christy Gressman. For full credits and more information, go to orbitinghumancircus.com. 

Music from the show is released by Merge Records: https://smarturl.it/OrbitingS2songs. Become a Friend of the Orbiting Human Circus on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/orbitinghumancircus, check out shirts, pins, and more at https://topatoco.com/collections/orbiting-human-circus, and follow us on Instagram @orbitinghumancircus or Twitter @orbitinghuman


Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Discover shows related to The Orbiting Human Circus, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
Forever35
Welcome to Night Vale
Alice Isn't Dead
Within the Wires
Sleep With Me
Hey Riddle Riddle
You Are Good
I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats
Don't Give Up Skeleton: A Dark Souls and Bloodborne Podcast
Our Plague Year
© My Podcast Data