The only part of the episode I didn't like was the fan introduction. For me, it was like hearing a toast at the wedding of someone you don't know very well -- you realize that there was something very meaningful there for them, but it just doesn't carry over.
If you're going to add material to the intro/outro, I'd like to see author comments. One of the things I like about buying anthologies of previously-published stories is that they usually add comments from the author about where they got the idea, how it fits into the larger scheme of their work, details of their life at the time, etc. that sort of thing would interest me, but a relatively spare intro/outro may be the best choice. Length does get to be a problem, at least for me.
I agree with everything Windup said, but I want to second this. Forewords aren't a problem in print because the reader can skip past them and return to them later if they're interested. I strongly prefer an afterword in audio: even when I trust the podcast not to include any spoilers, a foreword is X minutes of chat that won't really mean anything to me until I've heard the story. An afterword can be stopped if I wasn't interested in the story, paused if I want to think about it some more myself before continuing, or played if I know I want to hear some reaction.
So I'd prefer extra comment at the end, and I'd prefer it to be something really worth listening to. Author comment should be the gold standard, insightful analysis is silver and a distant bronze is general praise.
Of course the risk is defusing the forum comment by saying all the clever stuff in the podcast.
I loved the story, by the way. And the telling.