Launched in 2022, BBC Sounds’ Audio lab, returns for its third incarnation. The project has been designed to help support up-and-coming audio creatives, with the aim of advancing their creative development through building confidence and connection whilst enhancing their writing, recording, performance, and promotional skills.

Former alumni have seen great success, with an ARIA Gold award for Best New Podcast forged from the inaugural Audio Lab, and three nominations at this year’s British Podcast Awards. Black Gold is nominated for Best Climate podcast and there were two nominations for Sacred Money in the Business and Editor’s Choice ‘Specialist Award’ category.

Now four new creators from under-represented backgrounds – Hugh Sheehan, Mia Thornton, Jay Behrouzi-Sneade, and Meg Elliot – have been chosen to turn their ideas into podcasts.

As part of a collaborative paid programme, the four successful applicants will receive advice and guidance from industry professionals, access to tailored resources, and tools and experiences to connect and collaborate.

Hugh Sheehan is an audio producer and musician/composer originally from Birmingham. Much of his work explores questions around gender and sexuality, desire and shame, assimilation, and radicalism. In 2020 he was commissioned as a New Creative by BBC Arts and Arts Council England to make Lost Time – an audio short contemplating LGBTQ+ people’s experiences in getting to live life on their own terms.

Working with Reduced Listening, Hugh’s podcast will focus on lesser-known modern legal cases or pieces of legislation that concern the lives and rights of LGBTQ+ people in the UK. It will chronicle the legal proceedings and the events surrounding them and explore how each have become a part of the struggle for queer liberation. As well as the specifics of the cases, each episode will act as a lens to explore more broadly the criminalisation of queerness and its societal ramifications.

Meg Elliot is a writer, zine-maker, and mountain biker from Shropshire. She is fascinated by story, folklore, and the way memory lives in landscapes. Meg co-creates a zine exploring nature through art and writing and is one half of The InBetween Collective, an international creative group sharing stories of culture, resistance and celebration. She has also worked on heritage projects across the UK investigating the social impact of environmental projects.

Production partner, Overcoat Media, will help facilitate Meg’s successful pitch, which hooks into the resurgence of a cult fascination with the ancient past and folk traditions; how our identities are formed – both as individuals and as communities, and how landscapes (and the communities held by them) inform – in part – a lot of what makes us ‘us’. The podcast will look at how we have largely lost celebrated connections to the landscapes we’ve grown up in – many ritual festivals have been lost, and the stories once collectively remembered have begun to fade. Meg will delve into the stories that remain waiting to be rediscovered, and this podcast will work as a larger project of remembering, of celebration and community-strengthening, grounded in connections to the physical landscape.

Mia Thornton is a creative producer currently based in Liverpool. Mia is driven by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to amplifying Black voices. She has worked on a wide range of creative projects for both global brands and community-based initiatives, showcasing her talent and versatility.

Working with Audio Lab’s production partner, Manchester Reform Radio, Mia’s successful podcast pitch will delve into how black culture has helped shape different music genres. Featuring archival content, covering pivotal moments in history, the impact on the global music landscape, as well as interviews with industry experts, musicians and cultural commentators. The podcast will offer an immersive journey through music history, with black voices at its core. From the soulful melodies of jazz to the defiant spirit of punk, and the innovative beats of techno, the podcast will showcase the resilience, creativity and influence of black musicians across genres, celebrating the rich tapestry of black musical heritage, whilst challenging stereotypes and amplifying underrepresented voices in the music industry.

Jay Behrouzi-Sneade is a Filipino-Iranian journalist from Liverpool hailing from a long line of passionate cooks! Replicating global cuisine at home was a big part of her upbringing as a part of her multi-heritage expat family in the United Arab Emirates.

Working with production partner, BBC Audio North, Filipino-Iranian immigrant Jay is hoping to reconnect with her heritage, by creating a positive, food-science documentary. Jay seeks to understand the chemistry of cooking. Each episode will explore a different chemical principle, experimenting with Filipino recipes, talking to guests, and discussing the British-Filipino experience. With the help of food-chemists, Jay hopes to understand the science behind a ‘dash of this and a sprinkle of that’ and how it works together to create the food she loves.

Khaliq Meer, Audio Lab Commissioning Executive says: “It’s thrilling [to] be at the starting line again with a new cohort of fresh talent – poised for a development experience like no other. It’s been a joy getting to know Meg, Mia, Hugh and Jay. We’ve teamed them up with some of the UK’s very best audio producers so they can be led and supported to realise their creatively ambitious ideas whilst growing their skillsets on-the-job. I can’t wait to press play on what they dream up. Best of luck Audio Lab Class of 2024 – you’ve got this!”

In addition to four multi-episode projects, Audio Lab is partnering with Multitrack, a charity working to raise awareness around diversity, equity and inclusion in the audio industry, by sponsoring its award winning 12-week Fellowship programme, supporting fourteen full-time paid placements, creating three additional part-time placements for producers outside of London, and helping fund two commissions for BBC Sounds.

Pod Bible echoes Khaliq Meer’s words: “Best of luck Audio Lab Class of 2024 – you’ve got this!”

To find out more about BBC Sounds’ Audio Lab, readers can go to the website or follow BBC Sounds on Instagram and Twitter/X. 

Article wording adapted from BBC press release

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab 2024 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

In 2018 The BBC launched BBC Sounds, a new audio platform to host audio, radio (both live and pre-recorded), and podcasts. I was in the right place at the right time, a young comedian who had got to the final of the BBC New Comedy Award the year prior, so when the staff at the BBC’s W1 offices were told there was a budget for new content and a mission to find ‘new talent’, I was one of the lucky few to get the phone call to ask ‘hey, fancy making a podcast?’.

It was a call that changed the direction of my career and indeed the direction of my life at that time. Six years later, with thousands of pounds of license fee’s payers money having gone in and out of my account, an ARIA award win at London’s palladium and six different series of podcasts under my belt, I look back and wonder ‘When I answered that call, did I even know what a podcast was?’

I pitched a few ideas back in 2018 but the one that stuck was to make a show about drug use in the UK. Jacob Hawley: On Drugs was born, a kind of gonzo journalism comedy/documentary podcast where I as host would travel the UK, interviewing people, performing stand up and having conversations, all with the objective of investigating how people use drugs in Britain.

My name was above the door, and indeed I hosted it, but I was partnered by a producer named Nick Coupe. Nick had been working in-house at the BBC on a mix of radio, TV and online projects for years, and I don’t say this to be kind, but I basically struck gold in being fortunate enough to make the show with him. Thanks to Nick, the show had everything; backing music, stings, artwork done by some feckless East London graphic genius, he found us huge guests to interview, he recorded me performing stand up and chatting to my mates and cut it all up into snappy, beautiful half hour episodes that discussed everything from drug laws, people shitting themselves in front of DJ’s, even conversations with the parents of a lad I went to school with who’d OD’ed on MDMA.

We made a show. We made a hit. We reached 12th in the iTunes charts, had millions of downloads, were featured in broadsheet newspapers, we had adverts going out on TV. It was the highlight of my young career. But at the time, I didn’t stop to think that, actually, we hadn’t made a podcast at all. We’d basically made a really, really good Radio 4 show, but we’d done it on a topic that Radio 4 wouldn’t have dared to touch, and in their infancy, BBC Sounds were naive enough to broadcast.

And then lockdown hit. I received no support money from the government as I’d only been self-employed two years, Nick the producer was in a similarly precarious position, so we drafted a new idea about a lockdown themed series and had it commissioned in a day. Financially, and for a short while I thought I’d won the lottery again; I could make the show remotely, we were getting huge guests because no one had anything else on, and our numbers were still strong. I couldn’t have known that, actually, lockdown was the end for what I was doing.

Within those months where we were all locked up at home, every man and his dog started making podcasts. James Acaster partnered with Ed Gamble, Rob Beckett with Josh Widdicombe, Danny Dyer with his daughter, stars of the screen dropped down a league, formed deals with Acast et al, and found success. When the masks came off and the doors opened with lockdown lifting, these guys had taken over the top of the charts, they’d made their branded deals, and they were finding it easier than they used to find doing TV… so why would they stop?!

People of my profile could no longer compete with the celebrities who’d taken over the top of the podcast listening charts. But cleverly, the other people on my level of profile were no longer trying to. Rather than trying to become megastars with broadcasters like the BBC behind them, podcasters on my level bought podcast mics off Amazon, downloaded Garage Band and just did it themselves. Podcasting became punk rock. You make it yourself, you put it out yourself, you find an audience by yourself, and they love you, for doing it all yourself. I watched my peers commit to a low-fi method of production but more importantly, a level of authenticity. And despite my efforts, despite journalists (nudged by the BBC’s PR teams) describing me as ‘authentic’, you can’t be ‘authentic’ and also make the kind of shows we were making, for the kind of money I was earning, with the level of production and editorial input that the BBC insisted that our shows had.

By the end of lockdown I was making the third in my series of BBC Sounds podcasts, a show about pornography and sex entitled Jacob Hawley: On Love. We made most of the show whilst dodging the protocols that come with a pandemic, we visited a porn site whilst wearing masks, the irony wasn’t lost on me and my producer that we were essentially making a show about intimacy whilst it was illegal to be too close to people.

The show did okay but numbers had been dwindling for a while. There was still an appetite for it from the listeners and the BBC, but as is often the case, things, and people, were moving on.

As I’ve already described, the whole landscape of podcasting had changed to essentially what it is today – shiny floor shows made on big budgets, with high profile hosts, funded by ads, OR basement, patreon funded, punk rock style shows that represent the alternative. I was a man with no profile making a show with a big budget that couldn’t be funded by ads. I was neither one nor the other, I didn’t fit into either category.

Also, as you’d expect with a show that was essentially a man in his 20s presenting shows on drugs and sex to a largely Radio 4 audience, we’d rubbed a few people up the wrong way, and the BBC were starting to get a bit tired of it. ‘Balance’ was the key word and the commissioners made sure I was kind to everyone, understanding of every viewpoint, and essentially didn’t nail any colours to any masts on any topics, to avoid potential complaints. That didn’t stop me writing things on my personal social media accounts that would sometimes wind people up. I was in a room once with Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC and a former Tory candidate. I don’t imagine an expensive show about drug use made by a lefty comedian who often tweeted things that wound up the older generations of the listenership was at the top of the list of things he wanted to recommission.

Things essentially came to an end because people moved on, our commissioner left as BBC Sounds cut their budgets for original content, our Exec moved back toward Radio 4 and my producer correctly found his place in the loftier world of television. I pitched a few new things to new people but the truth was I never loved the ideas I was throwing around and there was no longer either the space or appetite for someone like me doing what I could do.

What I should have done is carried one with what I was good at. I should have found a low budget way of continuing to create Jacob Hawley: On Drugs. I should have retained the IP and my own access to the RSS feed so that I could continue making the show with my name on it and getting it to the people who enjoyed it (I actually looked into the possibility of this and, despite the show having my name on it, I didn’t own it, and thus I wouldn’t be able to keep releasing shows under that name, despite that name being my name). I should have just begged Nick to keep making it with me on the side of his new job. My agents should have protected me with these rights upon signing contracts, but then, this had never happened before, podcasting was so new. These things happen.

And then I think about this sometimes and think, maybe not. I remember reading the reviews of the show on iTunes once, naturally paying attention to the only negative one I could find at the time (I’m sure there have been more since). The only two star review I could find basically said ‘it’s a fine show, but I just wish they’d hired a different host’. Now, I promise I’m not just personally hurt that this guy had enjoyed my show but specifically not the sound of, well, me. What jumps out is the fact he referred to me as the ‘host’. The host?! It was my fucking show! The whole thing was my idea! It literally had my name on it! It wasn’t the one show, they hadn’t just hired me to front it.

But here’s the thing, when you sound that well produced, when you spend that long doing different takes of the voice over, when everything is that well packaged… it isn’t really your podcast, is it? It’s the BBC’s. They’re paying for it. They’re editing it. Indeed, they had an awful lot of say on what I could and couldn’t say.

That was the lesson I took away from the whole experience. Sure, its great if your podcast sounds good, if it looks good, if its advertised well. But that’s not what a podcast is supposed to be. That’s a radio show, a TV show.

The point of a podcast is the listener should be able to get closer to you than they would if they were watching you on tele or hearing you on the radio. There should be a shorter gap between your idea and their ears, there should be less edits, less lawyers saying whether you can or can’t say something.

I didn’t give up on podcasting, but this realisation lead me to changing direction, and like many fallen stars who’ve been dumped by the BBC, I embraced punk rock.

I now make a show in my spare room, with two microphones, one that I stole from a mates warehouse, one that I bought online and I’m pretty sure doesn’t fully work. I film it on my phone.

It’s called The Screen Rot podcast. Me and one of my best mates, and indeed one of my favourite comedians, Jake Farrell. The objective of the show was simple – make something that replicates the way we make each other laugh on Whatsapp. For years I’ve been sending Jake the dregs of social media on Whatsapp, mainly as a wind up. I send him Instagram’s Nutter Of The Week, the weirdest bits of Tik Tok, and he will chastise the content, and then me for sending it to him.

That’s our show. Each week we find a different content creator. And we take the piss out of them. And we take the piss out of each other.

It doesn’t have millions of downloads, it has thousands. It will never be in a chart or listed as ‘most listened to’. But a few hundred people really love it. They message us constantly about it, they have a go at us if we’re not harsh enough on the content we’re discussing or indeed on each other. They interact with it more in their small numbers than the millions of people downloading my BBC shows ever would. They know for a fact that no one else could host it, because honestly, why would they want to?! It’s maybe not a hit, it has a cult following rather than a huge following, but most importantly, it’s a podcast. And its ours.

Listen to The Screen Rot Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

The post Jacob Hawley: On podcasting appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Before we worry about any of that however, it’s time to look back and celebrate our favourite podcasts from 2023. As is our tradition, we ended the year with the Pod Bible Listener Polls, a month long open vote where we ask listeners to vote for their favourite podcasts of the year. All of the nominees featured in the Pod Bible Magazine, on the Pod Bible Podcast, on the website or newsletter over the last twelve months – except the final Independent Podcast category, which was open to all.

The polls were open for the whole of December and closed at midnight on the 31st of December. Thank you so much to everyone who voted, we received a record number of submissions, up 30% on our previous best which is huge! Our team have now counted and verified all submissions and we’re very happy to see a good mix of classic podcasts, indy shows and new productions as well as a bunch of brand new winners and an unprecedented tie for third place in one of the categories…

Pod disciples, we present to you your Pod Bible Listener Poll Winners for 2023!

COMEDY

WINNER: WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAKE

2nd – FRENCH AND SAUNDERS: TITTING ABOUT

3rd – OFF MENU

Congratulations to Kathy Burke and the amazing team at Sony Music and Somethin’ Else for creating a runaway hit last year. Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake has taken the most morbid of subjects and turned it into a deeply entertaining and thought provoking listen, with an incredible line up of guests. Everyone knew Kathy would make the perfect podcast host when the time was right and boy has she delivered.

Kathy’s long term British comedy peers French & Saunders come second with perennial winners Off Menu dropping down to third place in what’s been yet another huge year for the dream restaurant based show.

INTERVIEW & CONVERSATION

WINNER: THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST

2nd – OFF AIR… WITH JANE & FI

3rd – CHANGES WITH ANNIE MACMANUS

What else can be said about The Adam Buxton Podcast and it’s place within the UK podcasting scene since it’s inception in 2015? The quintessential interview podcast for us and the listener votes have yet again backed us up. The fact that Adam can go on lengthy hiatus’s then reappear with no warning with another run of wonderous conversations makes it feel all the more special.

Legendary broadcasters (and fellow former Pod Bible cover stars) Jane Garvey and Fi Glover take second place with DJ Annie Macmanus making the podium in third.

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

WINNER: TALK ART

2nd – CLOSET CONFESSIONS

3rd – WHERE ARE YOU GOING? / POP OFF

We’re delighted to see Talk Art take the gold in this year’s Lifestyle & Culture category! Robert and Russell have been long term supporters of Pod Bible and it’s been a joy to witness their show going from strength to strength over recent years.

Pod Bible cover stars Closet Confessions take second and for the first time ever we have a tie for third place (quite the feat considering we had thousands of votes in this category!). Where Are You Going? and Pop Off share third place, two very different shows that are equally worth your time.

FILM & TV

WINNER: SHRINK THE BOX

2nd – THE DREAM FACTORY

3rd – STICKY BUN BOYS

Three brand new entries onto the Film & TV podium this year, which is no mean feat in a category with both Kermode & Mayo and Films To Be Buried With! Congratulations to Shrink The Box, the show where Ben Baily Smith and Sasha Bates take their favourite fictional characters and analyse why their behaviour causes them so much drama.

It’s wonderful to see that both second and third places are taken by two independent shows this year. User generated movie creation podcast The Dream Factory takes second with Great British Bake Off re-watch podcast Sticky Bun Boys in third.

MUSIC

WINNER: THAT’S NOT METAL

2nd – BEFORE THEY KNEW BETTER

3rd – ROCKONTEURS

Huge congratulations to That’s Not Metal, a truly independent and fan made podcast that has taken first place in this year’s music category! TNM brings you news, opinions and honest reviews from the world of Metal music every week and finished 2023 with their very own awards show.

DIY Magazine’s Before They Knew Better takes second with last year’s bronze medal winners Rockonteurs returning to third place again!

SPORT & LEISURE

WINNER: REMINDING YOU WHY YOU LOVE FOOTBALL

2nd – THE TENNIS PODCAST

3rd – FOOTBALL RAMBLE

Need a reminder as to why you love football? Look no further than this years winner in Sport & Leisure, Reminding You Why You Love Football! The perfect show for those who are not necesarily looking for up to the minute analysis on the latest round of fixtures. You can check out our chat with Seb and Owen from the show here!

The Tennis Podcast takes second place with stalwarts the Football Ramble in third.

NEWS & INVESTIGATION

WINNER: POD SAVE THE UK

2nd – THE NEWS AGENTS

3rd – A VERY BRITISH CULT

A wonderful debut year for Pod Save The UK is capped off by topping the polls for News & Investigation. Nish Kumar and Coco Khan’s weekly politics show is funny, informative and most importantly, accessible.

Similar in subject matter, The News Agents comes in at second with BBC Radio 4 investigative series A Very British Cult taking third place.

AUDIO DRAMA

WINNER: SHERLOCK & CO.

2nd – THE WITCH FARM

3rd – SPRINGLEAF

Sherlock & Co flew onto the scene in October last year and immediately topped the Audio Fiction charts with it’s superbly written scripts and hilarious performances. Our chat with Sherlock & Watson resulted in one of our favourite interviews of the year so we are delighted to see them pick up first place.

Second place goes to the BBC’s The Witch Farm with James Acaster’s Springleaf, only released in November, taking third.

OH. MY. POD.

INDEPENDENT PODCAST

WINNER: PICTURE THE SCENE

2nd – ECONOMICS IN TEN

3rd – 101 PART TIME JOBS

After finishing second last year, true crime podcast Picture The Scene have come back strong to take first place and let us tell you, they got a LOT of votes.

Ever present Economics in Ten take second place with new entrant 101 Part Time Jobs taking the bronze!

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Congratulations to all our winners, runners up and nominees and thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for their favourite shows. We’re sure 2024 will be another incredible year for podcasting and look forward to celebrating it with another set of Pod Bible Listener Polls at the end of the year!

The post POD BIBLE LISTENER POLLS 2023 – WINNERS ANNOUNCED! appeared first on POD BIBLE.

This was the fourth annual Pod Bible Polls, where we ask listeners to vote for their favourite podcasts of the year. All of the nominees featured in the Pod Bible Magazine, on the Pod Bible Podcast, on the website or newsletter over the last twelve months – except the final Independent Podcast category, which was open to all.

2022 also saw a slight change in the categories – we’re celebrating fiction podcasts for the first time in the ‘Audio Drama’ category, and a ‘News & Investigation’ poll highlights some of the big productions that came out of the UK last year.

The polls were open for the whole of December and closed at midnight on the 31st of December. Once again we received a record number of votes, but our team have now counted and verified them. We’re happy to see there’s a good mix of classic podcasts, indy shows and new productions amongst the winners and runners-up.

Pod disciples, these are your Pod Bible Poll Winners for 2022!

COMEDY

WINNER: OFF MENU

2nd – MY THERAPIST GHOSTED ME

3rd – HELP I SEXTED MY BOSS

After being pipped to the post last year, the Off Menu lads are back to prove they are the kings of the comedy podcast genre! Ed Gamble and James Acaster’s chats with celebrities about their dream menus continues to make us laugh and salivate in equal measure. It has been a massive year for Off Menu, with more merch and live shows – including their first trip over the Atlantic. So it’s no surprise their fanbase has grown and once again rallied behind them to make it to the number one spot.

My Therapist Ghosted Me and Help I Sexted My Boss have come in the second and third slots. Clearly listeners are still craving good chat between good friends!

INTERVIEW & CONVERSATION

WINNER: THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST

2nd – THE DIARY OF A CEO

3rd – HAPPY PLACE WITH FEARNE COTTON

Another return for a previous Pod Bible Polls winner, this marks the third win for The Adam Buxton Podcast. The podcast recently celebrated it’s 200th episode with old friend and regular podcast guest, film director Joe Cornish. It’s that familiarity that’s a part of keeping fans returning to Adam’s show. It’s no secret that we are fans of Adam’s and have enjoyed our own conversations with him over the years, and this poll position goes to show that he’s lost none of his flare after all these years.

Given how high it often sits in the charts, we’re not surprised to see The Diary of a CEO has polled for the first time, and previous magazine cover star Fearne Cotton has placed 3rd for the second time, having done the same in our 2020 poll.

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

WINNER: BROWN GIRLS DO IT TOO

2nd – THE GUILTY FEMINIST

3rd – EFFIN HORMONES

Brown Girls Do It Too have done it! They’ve toppled Deborah Frances-White and The Guilty Feminist off the top of the best Lifestyle & Culture category for the first time since our polls began. Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani’s show explores the messy realities, fantasies, sexpectations and navigating life and relationships as British Asian women. It’s another show that has had an astronomical year, including a tour of their live show. They also appeared at the London Podcast Festival in September and hosted the Audio Production Awards in November.

The Guilty Feminist drops to 2nd place, but the Indy podcast Effin’ Hormones builds on its success at the British Podcast Awards this year – and with fans such as Idris Elba cheering them it’s no wonder.

FILM & TV

WINNER: KERMODE & MAYO’S TAKE

2nd – FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH

3rd – CLASH OF THE TITLES

It’s a new WINNER, and a new show, but an old pairing that have been reliably among the most-downloaded podcast hosts of them all in the UK. When Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo left the BBC earlier this year, we didn’t have to wait long for Kermode & Mayo’s Take to fill the gap. The show is reassuringly familiar but the fresh format brought their takes on film and television to new listeners. Those listeners certainly voted in their masses this year! Read more about Kermode and Mayo’s move from radio to podcasting here >>

Brett Goldstein’s Film’s to be Buried With drops to second place, but considering how busy he’s been (staring in Marvel films, gracing the cover of our magazine) it’s understandable. Clash Of The Titles holds steady in third place for the second year in a row, proving there’s still plenty of films ready to do combat.

MUSIC

WINNER: NOTHING IS REAL

2nd – FOLK ON FOOT

3rd – ROCKONTEURS

Our list of the best Beatles Podcasts has been one of our most popular articles on the website this year, so it’s not that surprising to see the Beatles showing up on top here. But Nothing Is Real is a popular podcast on its own merit, even outside of the Beatles fame. Jason Carty and Steven Cockroft have enough Beatles knowledge to win the Beatles Brains of Ireland quiz, but they share stories in an accessible way for listeners.

Folk On Foot comes in second, a show that serves the folk community music with conversations and sounds of nature through plein air interviews. In a year of celebrity podcasts, we have Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp coming in to third place with Rockonteurs, the show he hosts with bass player to the stars Guy Pratt. And after several years of a BBC Sounds show topping this category, it’s somewhat nice to see the independent shows dominate this year.

SPORT & LEISURE

WINNER: BEEF’S GOLF CLUB

2nd – THAT PETER CROUCH PODCAST

3rd – FOOTBALL RAMBLE

Even though it’s new, Beef’s Golf Club has already grown a big community who have helped it top this year’s polls. One of the things that may have led to its success is that this show so universal in who can listen. It is very welcoming to beginners and teaches the basics, rather than serving commentary to people who are already golf fans.

Despite the epic summer of football, football podcasts didn’t quite hit the target this year despite their ongoing popularity. That Peter Crouch Podcast drops to 2nd place after winning last year, and Football Ramble drops to third after its 2021 runner-up position.

NEWS & INVESTIGATION

WINNER: CAN I TELL YOU A SECRET?

2nd – THE REST IS POLITICS

3rd – THINGS FELL APART

In the first new category, the big publishers are using their platform to bring cutting-edge journalism to UK podcasts. The Guardian’s Can I Tell You A Secret? takes a sensitive look at the subject of stalking. Produced by an award-winning team, it features moving sound design from the fantastic Axel Kacoutie (a contender for the hardest-working-person-in-podcasting at the moment). We named this as a possible Podcast of the Year in our last magazine, and the voters seem to agree.

The Rest Is Politics comes in second with its unlikely double act of Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, and Things Fell Apart was a short series from BBC Sounds, hosted by Jon Ronson, that helped us make sense of the culture wars.

AUDIO DRAMA

WINNER: THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

2nd – ELIZA: A ROBOT STORY

3rd – JACKIE THE RIPPER

This is our first year for highlighting fiction podcasts in their own category, and The Magnus Archives has proved it’s still a classic of the genre. A horror fiction podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, the show ran for nearly 6 years before coming to end this year. If you’re new to fiction podcasts, this is a great place to start.

Crowd Network’s Eliza: A Robot Story proves popular even though it came out later in the year, and shows that a sci-fi audio drama can reach a wide audience. And the gory story of Jackie The Ripper from Stak made its way to third place.

OH. MY. POD.

INDEPENDENT PODCAST

WINNER: PROPER MENTAL PODCAST

2nd – PICTURE THE SCENE

3rd – ECONOMICS IN TEN

The ‘Oh My Pod’ Independent Podcast poll is open to literally every independent podcast. Shows that win this category are hitting the all the right marks with their listeners and creating communities that can’t stop talking about their show. It is fiercely contested each year and seeing a podcast that focuses on mental health get to top of this list is testament to the way it resonates with listeners. We featured Tom’s show way back in June last year, and would like to think that helped its growth!

Once again, HUNDREDS of podcasts were put forward for this category to a massive thank you and congratulations to every podcast mentioned!

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Congratulations to all our winners, runners up and nominees and thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for their favourite shows. We’re sure 2023 will be another incredible year for podcasting and look forward to celebrating it with another set of Pod Bible Poll’s at the end of the year!

The post POD BIBLE POLL WINNERS 2022 – WINNERS ANNOUNCED! appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Tomi Dixon – Colouring In Britain

What was your introduction to podcasting as a listener?

My introduction to podcasts was through conversational podcasts where hosts and guests would keep me engaged for hours on my daily commute. The podcasts I listened to early on were 90s Baby Show and HCPod Original as they were extremely entertaining and relatable. They inspired the format of how I wanted to create my own content; that invites people into thought provoking conversations keeping listeners entertained all the way through.

Why was audio the right medium for you project?

Audio was the right medium for the project because I think podcasts have a unique ability to deliver powerful narratives that feel extremely personal. I wanted to drop people into each of these stories by combining the different components of drama, interviews and storytelling to create an immersive experience. I think it would have be difficult to deliver all of that in a media format other than audio.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from making the podcast?

It takes time! Especially if you want to get something right. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get the right wording or create the right sounds/feel. Especially if you want to deliver the story to the listener in the way you intended. The idea for the podcast seemed straight forward, but when I got into it I realised it was really ambitious! I had to take everything step by step in the project and eventually everything became manageable. So I also learned I’m capable of achieving things when I put my mind to it.

What would you like to see more of in the podcast space?

I would like to see more programmes like Audiolab because this programme gave me the platform to share stories that might not get told otherwise. It was a fantastic opportunity to share the lives and impact of 4 really significant black Britons. People that I think the country should definitely know more about. It would be great to see more opportunities like this for people to tell important stories that don’t get major exposure.

Listen to Colouring In Britain now on BBC Sounds and other popular podcast apps.

Don’t forget to check out the other interviews in this series.

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab: Tomi Dixon – Colouring In Britain appeared first on POD BIBLE.

What was your introduction to podcasting as a listener?

I’m a veteran of sorts, back in the Ricky Gervais Guardian days I became hooked, for me I could see at that time a democratisation of media production and platforming both for audio and video on the horizon. Serial (S1) of course took the storytelling aspect to another level but the weekly pods like Football Weekly have always been mainstays.

Why was audio the right medium for your project?

I’ve listened to loads of documentary podcasts and what I always envied of the storytellers was the freedom of length that the format allowed. Some are an hour others 20 minutes, some carry on for 15 episodes and others just five. So far I’ve been able to give focus to some parts of Michael’s story and themes that wouldn’t have had space in a traditional TV documentary.

I’m used to recording video and what’s great about audio is the access and freedom it allows. You don’t need to worry about permits for tripods, the shot being backlit or huge amounts of kit. The interviewee also relaxes without a camera in their face.

What the biggest thing you’ve learned from making the podcast?

I’ve never voiced anything before so it was really daunting, but my mentor Clare Walker has been instrumental in helping me to develop a performance for the mic, I’ve learnt that all that talking takes effort and skill!

What would you like to see more of in the podcast space?

I think Audio Lab and other programs like it are trying to rectify the gap that I see in the podcast world. Podcast makers that don’t have the necessary experience or backing from production companies and the like, but do have great stories and content to put out there. During the infancy of podcasting this wasn’t such an issue due to the size of the industry, but now with huge conglomerates and celebrities involved, there needs to be more ways for creators to have a voice.

Listen to Who Was Michael X? now on BBC Sounds and other popular podcast apps.

Don’t forget to check out the other interviews in this series.

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab: Hamza Salmi – Who Was Michael X? appeared first on POD BIBLE.

What was your introduction to podcasting as a listener?

One of the first podcasts I really got hooked on was Making Gay History. Each episode starts with the clicking sound of the cassette tapes that carry the voices out of the archives. Transitioning from this into what was then the exciting new digital medium of podcasts was a real thrill. Next came the calm, tender, thoughtful voice of host Eric Marcus, leading us back into history, into the sound recordings he made decades before. And then: the voices of our queer elders themselves. Their horrors and their wisdom. Wow. Making Gay History was a huge influence on a podcast I eventually co-produced, called The Log Books, and now I’ve continued to pursue a creative use of archive in The Film We Can’t See.

Why was audio the right medium for your project?

Yeah, the fact that it’s a podcast is a bit of a surprise — it’s a project about cinema! But when I researched the stories and the themes of early experimental (queer) films in the 1920s, I realised that the project is about a film that doesn’t exist. We don’t have the images. Even if the film had been made, it would have been burnt by the Nazis, as so many were. So audio is the perfect medium, no? It allows me to ask the audience to join me in imagining the images. Your visuals will be different from mine, because your mind is different. I love how audio offers that fluidity. On top of all that, I also wanted to experiment with sound more than I’d been able to do with The Log Books — using music like a score, and sound design that plays with what’s real or not.

What is the biggest thing you’ve learned from making the podcast?

There’s so much potential in the form that people aren’t using. I’m thrilled that podcasting is huge now, but I do think the industry is dominated by interview or chatty podcasts. And even documentary podcasts can be pretty formulaic (I guess their success depends on the story, not the format). Fiction podcasts are often like radio dramas with extra sound effects and studio cleanness. So I set up The Film We Can’t See so that I could learn how to make something that sounded very different, to challenge myself as much as the industry. The series takes a hybrid form, merging documentary and imagination, it was recorded on location, uses music like a film does, and references the fact that the listener will be imagining what’s happening in a way that only a podcast can.

What would you like to see more of in the podcast space?

Two things. First, in terms of content: forget the awards categories, mix them up, produce hybrid forms, play with what’s real and what’s not, create space for the listener to visualise along with you, do something more with sound design than just swells and swooshes. Second, courageous investment and commissioning, as with BBC Audio Lab. I’m an indie producer with a small company, Aunt Nell. Indies like us need gatekeepers to take risks and help us to create the next wave of podcasts.

Listen to The Film We Can’t See now on BBC Sounds and other popular podcast apps. 

Don’t forget to check out the interview with Talia Randal about Blossom Trees and Burnt Out Cars. Next time, we’re hearing about The Museum Of Bad Vibes by Hanna Adan.

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab: Adam Zmith – The Film We Can’t See appeared first on POD BIBLE.

BBC Sounds AudioLabs – Talia Randall

Pod Bible: What was your introduction to podcasting as a listener?

Talia Randall: It was probably one of the big guns at NPR that first got my attention. I also loved Two Dope Queens. Recently the shows I’ve been addicted to are Harsh Reality, Wild Boys and The Trojan Horse Affair. I think an investigative podcast works best when the host really inserts themselves into the topic and doesn’t pretend to be neutral. I also enjoy The Polyester Podcast. It’s a self-published, intersectional feminist and culture show. I think the seriousness they give to seemingly throwaway or ‘bad taste’ subjects is really refreshing

In terms of audio more broadly I was very briefly involved in pirate radio quite some time ago and before that, the first thing that properly had me as a listener was Blue Jam by Chris Morris. I’d be scared to listen back to it, I can’t tell you how much that twisted my melon.

PB: Why was audio the right medium for your project?

TR: We all know that a good podcast is an intimate experience. As a listener I really enjoy the feeling of someone inviting me into a corner to have a natter about some random, interesting topic. It’s a bit like having a gossip in the smokers section of club. You hear a revelation, inhale sharply and then rush to share the secret with someone else.

Obviosity my podcast is less gossip and more feelings about nature but I want that mood to be present; a one-on-one chat with a stranger, before you know it, you’re getting to know each other really well; you’re sharing revelations with each other.

There’s also that vibe when you’re on a walk – how your mind can wonder with your feet. Spending time alone in nature is a joy and a privilege and there was something about the meandering thoughts you have on a walk that chimed with the style of the podcast.

PB: What the biggest thing you’ve learned from making the podcast?

TR: Honestly, that I can do it! I was learning everything as I went (which is usually the case for me but certainly not on a platform this big). Learning how to edit, to sound design, putting the whole thing together. I mean every time I opened my laptop was a crash course in learning a new skill with a hefty deadline looming over me. I’m neurodivergent too so holding that all in my head was messy and complex

I also learnt that I can take on the subject matter. This last time year if you’d have told me I was gonna make a nature show I would’ve howled with laughter, yet here we are! Check in with me next year, maybe I’ll be making something about another subject that will surprise me. (I’m currently open to commissions babes)

PB: What would you like to see more of in the podcast space?

TR: We need a much broader range of audio makers and stories. I think this is true of arts and culture in general. I’ve had a few comp tickets to award and industry events via the Audio Lab scheme and although there’s been lots of great things and I’ve learnt loads, there is so much more than needs to be done to make more audio creatives (and listeners) feel like they belong. For example, I might be misremembering but I don’t remember any wheelchair access at many of these events. I think there needs to be a conversation about transcripts and captions for podcasts. I’d like to see more genuine risks on lesser known talent and, honestly, we need to talk more about cash. Money and the arts are so opaque and until we stop expecting people to work for little money (or no money) we just won’t have more perspectives.

Listen to Blossom Trees and Burnt Out Cars now on BBC Sounds and other popular podcast apps. 

Come back next week, when Adam Zmith will be talking about The Film We Can’t See. Check out the other interviews in the series here.

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab: Talia Randall – Blossom Trees and Burnt-Out Cars appeared first on POD BIBLE.

At the start of December we asked listeners to vote for their favourite podcasts of the year within a number of categories. All nominees had featured in Pod Bible Magazine, on the Pod Bible Podcast or on this very website in 2021, but the final Independent Podcast category was open to all. 2021 also saw the introduction of the ‘Informative’ category, which allowed us to celebrate the podcasts that have educated us the most over the past year.

The polls were open for the whole of December and we received a record number of votes. The independent podcast category received the widest range of suggestions yet and we’re excited to check out a number of shows we hadn’t been aware of!

Voting in the polls closed at midnight on the 31st of December and all votes have now been counted and verified.

Pod disciples, we present to you, your Pod Bible Poll Winners for 2021!

COMEDY

WINNER: HAVE A WORD

2nd – OFF MENU

3rd – ROB BECKETT AND JOSH WIDDICOMBE’S PARENTING HELL

After back to back wins in 2019 and 2020,  Off Menu have been knocked off the top spot and there’s a new Comedy Poll Winner in town! Congratulations to Adam Rowe and Dan Nightingale, the two men behind the wildly popular Have A Word.

Each week Adam and Dan, alongside a plethora of special guests, chat about anything and everything, and they have a bloody good laugh while doing it. Check out their YouTube channel for full episodes and highlight clips (and to instantly become jealous of their lovely studio set up).

Visit the Have A Word website for the best ways to listen.

INTERVIEW & CONVERSATION

WINNER: JAACKMAATES HAPPY HOUR

2nd – THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST

3rd – RICHARD HERRING’S LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE PODCAST

Like Have A Word, JaackMaate’s Happy Hour is the second podcast to win their category after their first nomination and let us tell you, they received A LOT of votes. On each episode Jaack and co-ost Stevie are joined by an array of the internet’s best celebrities for full and frank conversations about the lives they lead and how they found themselves where they are today.

Listen to JaackMaates Happy Hour exclusively on Spotify.

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

WINNER: THE GUILTY FEMINIST

2nd – TAN FRANCE’S QUEER ICONS

3rd – TALK ART

The first podcast to bag a hat trick of wins in the Pod Bible Poll Winners, Deborah Frances-White and The Guilty Feminist have won best Lifestyle & Culture podcast in 2019, 2020 and now 2021! In each episode Deborah and her guests discuss topics ‘all 21st century feminists agree on’ whilst confessing the insecurities, hypocrisies and fears that underlie their principles. Can they make it four in a row next year….?

Deborah was our cover star for Issue #013 of Pod Bible Magazine which you can read here.

Listen to The Guilty Feminist on Acast or visit the show’s website.

FILM & TV

WINNER: FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH

2nd – OBSESSED WITH…

3rd – CLASH OF THE TITLES

What’s better, winning an Emmy or securing top spot in the Film & TV Category of the Pod Bible Polls for the second year in a row? We’ll let Brett Goldstein be the judge of that, but what a year he’s had! With award winning TV shows, guest appearances on American chat shows and a return to live stand up, Brett has been a busy man over the past 12 months, so keeping up a consistent release schedule on Films To Be Buried With has been a real achievement. On each episode Brett asks his guests to discuss their lives via the films that mean most to them with his 2021 lineup including an amazing variety of film fanatics including Jimmy Carr, Teri Hatcher, Barry Jenkins and Brene Brown.

You can listen to Brett discuss the show on episode #033 of Pod Bible Podcast before checking out his extensive back catalogue on Acast. 

MUSIC

WINNER: JAMES ACASTER’S PERFECT SOUNDS

2nd – YOUR OWN PERSONAL BEATLES

3rd – THE LINE-UP WITH SHAUN KEAVENY

Is it time we all agreed that 2016 is the greatest year for music, ever? James Acaster certainly thinks so and given the popularity of his BBC Sounds show it may just be time to join him. Perfect Sounds launched last year and features James trying to convince comedians that 2016 is the greatest year is musical history. Each episode gives the opportunity to discover a new artist to add to your playlist and James does a fantastic job of getting across why he loves each one.

Listen to James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.

SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

WINNER: RUSSELL KANE’S MAN BAGGAGE

2nd – GRIEFCAST

3rd – THE F WORD

On Man Baggage, Russell Kane and his celebrity panel unpack the emotional baggage that men spend their lives avoiding. With no topic off the table, Russell and his guests explore all the uncomfortable and anxiety inducing conversations that usually make men run for the door by doing what blokes do best – make daft jokes about them. You can read our chat with Russell in Issue #016 of Pod Bible magazine.

Congratulations also to Cariad Lloyd’s Griefcast on finishing in the top 3 for the third year running and continuing to make such an important and sensitively produced show!

Listen to Russell Kane’s Man Baggage on Acast or wherever you listen to podcasts.

SPORT & LEISURE

WINNER: WRIGHTY’S HOUSE

2nd – FOOTBALL RAMBLE

3rd – TAILENDERS

A trophy in your debut season isn’t a bad way to start is it? But what else would you expect from Ian Wright, ex footballer and one of the nations favourite pundits who’s enthusiasm and passion for the game shines in every episode. Each week on Wrighty’s House, Ian is joined by a rotating cast to dissect the latest results and news stories from both the men’s and women’s game. Already a fan? Keep a close eye on Pod Bible this year…

Listen to Wrighty’s House on Spotify.

INFORMATIVE

WINNER: NO SUCH THING AS A FISH

2nd – DAN SNOW’S HISTORY HIT

3rd – DERREN BROWN’S BOOT CAMP FOR THE BRAIN

As recent Pod Bible cover stars it feels fitting that No Such Thing As A Fish have topped the first ever Informative poll, a new category created to celebrate the many podcasts that educated us throughout 2021. Each week the gang discuss a new set of facts and although largely comedy based, you never finish an episode without learning something new to keep in your back pocket for the next family meal / trip to the pub / zoom catchup.

You can watch a conversation with Dan, James, Andrew and Anna here or listen to the podcast now on Acast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

OH. MY. POD.

INDEPENDENT PODCAST

WINNER: THE CINEMILE

2nd – ECONOMICS IN 10

3rd – PICTURE THE SCENE: A TRUE CRIME PODCAST

The ‘Oh My Pod’ Independent Podcast poll is fiercely contested each year and is arguably the hardest to win. It’s open to literally every independent podcast out there so to top the charts you not only need to be a good show, you also need your listeners to mobilise and get their votes in! This years winner is The Cinemile, a podcast married couple Dave and Cathy podcast their walk home from the movies. Simple huh? Over the years the show has built a loyal following and their back catalogue is ready and waiting for you to get stuck in. So go listen to The Cinemile on Acast, or listen to their appearance on the Pod Bible Podcast back in March 2020.

You voted for over 500 different podcasts in this category so a massive thank you and congratulations to every podcast mentioned! 

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Congratulations to all our winners, runners up and nominees and thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for their favourite shows. We’re sure 2022 will be another incredible year for podcasting and look forward to celebrating it with another set of Pod Bible Poll’s at the end of the year!

The post POD BIBLE POLL WINNERS 2021 – WINNERS ANNOUNCED! appeared first on POD BIBLE.

In Have You Heard George’s Podcast?, spoken word artist George The Poet joins producer and composer Benbrick to create this narrative-style podcast where the narrator, George, delves into different themes and topics. Starting as an indy production in 2018, its huge success at the 2019 British Podcast Awards brought it to the attention of the BBC, who took it on for the second series, or ‘chapter’.  So far George and the team have released three chapters in total, and I will be choosing my favourite episode from each.

Chapter One: Episode 3 – A Grenfell Story

A Grenfell Story was released 2nd September 2019 almost two years after the Grenfell Tower fire, which occurred 14th June 2017. Here, George narrates the story of a teacher in the background of the disaster.

With George’s research, the script is full of knowledge as he tackles the issues that occur in inner city London through this teacher – she faces rejection throughout as her colleagues call her methods a nuisance, even though she is trying to get through students who are used to hustle culture. The relationship between her daughter’s father lacks stability and her relationship with George’s character seems to lack substance as he doesn’t even know which floor she lives on – this is repeated and holds significance.

The feeling of neglect that the teacher experiences mirrors what the residents of Grenfell went through – before the fire the residents expressed concern regarding the safety of the building including lighting issues and even calling the building a firetrap in 2014. As the inevitable happens and the fire occurs, what I appreciate is the humanity that George brought towards this story – it is a reminder that these were real people not just numbers.

Chapter Two: Episode 18 – Concurrent Affairs

In May 2019 George The Poet turned down an MBE, and in this chapter two finale he explains why.

George personifies the countries of Uganda and Great Britain. With the character of Uganda, although a complicated relationship both she and George want peace. When talking to Great Britain, George exclaims how appreciative he is to the BBC. Great Britain asks “tell me more about me as a country” and this is when there is a slight pause – Benbrick has been experimental with sound, pushing and manipulating what we can do with it particularly with episodes where George spirals into his mind – however here it’s quite simple.

MBE stands for “member of the British Empire” and this title does not sit right with George. He shares in detail what damage Great Britain had on Africa and its children, including gaps in information, and that this is the reason why he must fight for his identity. If you have been listening to this podcast George’s decision to reject the MBE makes sense – George has dissected his identity through each episode and tried to understand parts of himself through music and other themes. He has tried to explain his upbringing in Great Britain – though at times full of nostalgia and joy – George is transparent and doesn’t shy away from calling out its institutional and systemic faults. George makes it very clear: “Yeah Brexit is tough. Me and your pain are not the same. I’m not a member of the British Empire. I’m George Mpanga and my name is my name.”

Chapter Three: Episode 25 – Who Hurt R&B?

In Chapter 3, George and his team have developed Common Ground – a website where after you listen to an episode George asks questions relating to it, so the conversation continues. After you answer the questions, you get taken to the ‘commons’ where you get to read and listen to other people’s perspectives through voice recordings, mini essays or images.

In this episode he explores how much R&B has changed and dissects how African Americans have had a history of conveying pain and frustration through music, tracking the narrative back all the way to the 70’s. He talks about several reasons for changes. Towards the end of the 20th Century feminism affected music and divorce was on the rise among African Americans. We hear the power anthem “It’s not right but it’s okay” by Whitney Houston, and George notes it wasn’t just feminism that played a part in the number of divorces but poverty. Throughout the episode there’s examples of how surroundings shaped these men and women and the music that they created as George explains “rap music portrayed women being put down but RnB portrayed women putting their foot down.”

I shared on Common Ground that what this episode and George’s whole podcast has taught me to do is go beyond the surface – it has also caused me to think about what I grew up with and how that has shaped my identity.

Listen to Have You Heard George’s Podcast on BBC Sounds and all other apps.

The post Where to start with Have You Heard George’s Podcast? appeared first on POD BIBLE.

New Shows

Sour Hall

Sour Hall is a new Audible Original podcast drama, inspired by a Naomi Booth short story. When George inherits her family farm it’s supposed to be a new start for her and her partner Ash. But a presence haunts the farm, one that feeds on fear. To survive, Ash and George must face past traumas and embrace the things that go bump in the night, or risk being destroyed by them.

What sets this podcast apart from other horror audio content is not only the series’ unique production process (it was recorded in 360 degrees on location in Yorkshire), but also the themes it explores through the genre, such as trauma, marginalisation, race, motherhood and femininity. This is best listened to with headphones to get the full effect of the on-site recording – just don’t listen in the dark! 

You can listen to Sour Hall now on Audible.

Made of Stronger Stuff

This new podcast from BBC Radio 4 asks what the human body has to teach us about the world around us. Over 12 episodes, psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken assess how the world is changing through the most personal perspective of all – an anatomical examination of the human body. Each episode takes a specific body part and asks how we can understand it better, ourselves more, and use that knowledge to create positive change both personally and collectively. The first episode looks a our eyes (no pun intended!) and how there is a gap between what we see and what we perceive…

Made of Stronger Stuff was launched on 27th January and is available on BBC Sounds, Acast, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Reverberate by The Guardian

Reverberate is the new music, politics and history crossover podcast by The Guardian. It uncovers the unique role music has played in driving social and political change around the world, including some of the world’s most significant and revolutionary moments. This is a one-off, six part series and each episode focuses on a specific turning point in a different city’s history. As well as interviews with experts, the immersive sound design uses a single track as a way to reveal the deeper social and political issues at a single point in time. The first episode tells the fascinating story of how an unknown musician in England became an overnight pop star in Hong Kong – and how his music became the emotional anthem of Hong Kong’s nascent pro-democracy movement.

Reverberate launched on 27th January. Listen now on Acast, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Figureheads with Warwick Davis

Figureheads is a new the 5-part series where Warwick Davis talks to the brains behind some of the UK’s biggest cultural institutions. Each episode will explore the inner workings from leaders of world class sporting and entertainment organisations, exclusively sharing their big business experiences and lessons with takeaways for all business owners. Guests include Baroness Sue Campbell, who talks about creating a legacy with Barclays FA Women’s Super League, and Melvin Benn, the Managing Director of Live Nation’s Festival Republic, who talks about the unexpected challenges of live events.

Figureheads was released on 7th January and you can listen now on Acast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

New Seasons

Off Menu – Seasons 5

Pod Bible can’t hide our love for Off Menu! The newest series got off to a great start with comedian and creator/star of the TV show Feel Good, Mae Martin! This episode includes tales of Ed trying to smuggle a ninja star into the kitchen and James reminiscing about shrimp. If you’re new to Off Menu and not sure where to dive in, be sure to read this Point Of Entry article by super-fan Twitter account @nocontxtoffmenu to get started.

Series 5 of Off Menu launched 27th January. You can listen to Off Menu on Acast, Spotify and all other podcast apps.

Life, Interrupted – Season 2

In Life, Interrupted, TV presenter Simon Thomas interviews well-known celebrities and notable individuals, about their toughest times in life in order to understand how crisis and desperation can lead to hope and inspiration. Episode 1 of the new season sees Philip Schofield talk about writing his new book, his father’s death and how his family dynamic changed after he publicly came out as gay last year.

Series 2 of Life, Interrupted launched on 11th January. New episodes of come out on Mondays and are available on Acast, Spotify,  or wherever you get your podcasts.

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If you’d like to tell us about a new podcast, you can email  info@podbiblemag.com with the show description, release date and artwork. We will share as many launches as we can!

The post 6 new podcasts to listen to in February 2021 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

At the start of December we asked listeners to vote for their favourite podcasts of the year within a number of categories. All nominees had featured in Pod Bible Magazine or on the Pod Bible Podcast in 2020 but the final Independent Podcast category was open to all.

The polls were open for the whole of December and we were once again blown away by the number of votes received. Podcasts have been an integral part of people’s 2020, with the format making it easy to adapt to the various restrictions we’ve all endured. Not only were people finding more time to listen to podcasts, many were purchasing microphones and starting their own shows too.

Voting in the polls closed at midnight on the 31st of December and all votes have now been counted and verified.

Pod disciples, we present to you, your Pod Bible Poll Winners for 2020!

INTERVIEW & CONVERSATION

WINNER: THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST

2nd – DISTRACTION PIECES PODCAST WITH SCROOBIUS PIP

3rd – HAPPY PLACE WITH FEARNE COTTON

The Adam Buxton Podcast is our Best Interview podcast for the second year running! A fan favourite, and a staff favourite, from the cheery singing in the intro to his insightful and considered opinions in his conversations with his guests. Dr. Buckles popped up throughout the year, providing a comforting distraction when we needed it most and with guests from Zadie Smith to Paul McCartney, Adam’s back catalogue continues to go from strength to strength. Congratulations to Adam and here’s to many more ramble chats in 2021!

Listen to The Adam Buxton Podcast on Acast, or via Adam-buxton.co.uk.

COMEDY

WINNER: OFF MENU

2nd – SH**GED MARRIED ANNOYED

3rd – FRENCH & SAUNDERS: TITTING ABOUT

As one of our Editor’s go-to podcasts, and a leader in the world of podcasts featuring a genie and a magic restaurant, Ed Gamble and James Acaster’s Off Menu has been crowned Best Comedy podcast for the second year running!

Each week guests are invited to the dream restaurant where they are asked to describe their ideal meal. Choices can come from any place and any time, from Michelin starred restaurants to Nan’s Sunday lunch and everything in between. As they approach 100 episodes the show continues to provide regular belly laughs, particularly when guests order something contrary to James or Ed’s philosophy of good food. Another well deserved win for a podcast that kept many of us smiling during such a difficult year.

Listen to James & Ed discuss the show on episode #012 of the Pod Bible podcast. Visit the Off Menu website or listen via Apple Podcasts, Acast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

WINNER: THE GUILTY FEMINIST

2nd – HOMO SAPIENS

3rd – TALK ART

It’s back to back wins for Deborah Frances-White and her team as The Guilty Feminist wins best Lifestyle & Culture podcast for 2020! In each episode Deborah and her guests discuss topics ‘all 21st century feminists agree on’ whilst confessing the insecurities, hypocrisies and fears that underlie their principles. This time last year, The Guilty Feminist was formatted as a live show, often recording in front of a live audience. Whilst 2020 saw a lot of Deborah’s live shows cancelled, it has not been a washout – as well our becoming a Pod Bible Poll Winner, The Guilty Feminist also won Gold at the British Podcasting Spotlight Award and continues to adapt with ease to these strange times we’re experiencing.

Listen to The Guilty Feminist on Acast or visit the show’s website.

FILM & TV

WINNER: FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH

2nd – KERMODE & MAYO’S FILM REVIEW

3rd – HOW DID THIS GET MADE

After coming in second place in 2019, Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein has switched places with national treasures Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo to become this year’s Best Film & TV Podcast. Based on the fact that we are born and we die, and in between we watch a lot of films, Films To Be Buried With is funny, interesting and surprisingly philosophical. Host Brett Goldstein asks his guests to discuss their lives via the films that mean most to them with his 2020 lineup including an amazing variety of film fanatics including Edgar Wright, Sharon Stone and Romesh Ranganathan.

You can listen to Brett discuss the show on episode #033 of Pod Bible Podcast before checking out his extensive back catalogueon Acast. 

MUSIC

WINNER: JAMES ACASTER’S PERFECT SOUNDS

2nd – HIP HOP SAVED MY LIFE

3rd – LIFERS WITH ED GAMBLE

It’s time to crack open the Cawston Press as James Acaster has made his way to the top spot in another category! Perfect Sounds launched in April this year and has a simple premise: James tries to convince comedians that 2016 is the greatest year for music, ever. Although 2016 may seem like a random year initially, it is meaningful – at the start of 2017 James had a mental crisis, and listening to music from the year prior went a long way in helping him get through it. After listening to so much from that year, he became convinced it was the best year for music of all time. We’re still not entirely sure, but the fact that David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ album and Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ both came out that year is a solid argument.

Listen to James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.

SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

WINNER: SEX POWER MONEY

2nd – GRIEFCAST

3rd – OUT WITH SUZI RUFFELL

Sex Power Money is this year’s Best Social Conscience Podcast! In it, comedian Sara Pascoe turns her attention to things that really matter to humans – sex, power and money. The series is an accompaniment to Sara’s book of the same name, and includes interviews people who have experience around sex work, stripping and pornography. The great thing about this series is how it allows people who are so often talked about to speak for themselves, while exploring the history of subjects like ‘whore stigma’ and the ramifications of our current laws around selling sex.

The Griefcast topped this category last year, but whilst votes were extremely close, it just lost out to Sara’s brilliant podcast in the final days of voting.

Listen to Sex Power Money on Acast or wherever you listen to podcasts.

SPORT & LEISURE

WINNER: SOCIALLY DISTANCED SPORTS BAR

2nd – TAILENDERS

3rd – FOOTBALL RAMBLE

We couldn’t get to the end of this list without a podcast produced in response to the pandemic. With so many events cancelled this year, and regular pub chats about sports impossible, it is no surprise that the Best Sport & Leisure Podcast is The Social Distant Sports Bar. And it’s also no surprise that a sports podcast in a year with so much sport cancelled offers listeners much more than sport commentary. Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero get together remotely and try to talk about sports clips from the past over some drinks, which mostly leads to them getting distracted by most things and talking about everything else.

You can read more about The Socially Distant Sports Bar inour Have You Heard? article then listen on Acast or their website.

OH. MY. POD. INDEPENDENT PODCAST

WINNER: MONKEY TENNIS – THE ALAN PARTRIDGE FAN PODCAST

2nd – SCRIPT SIRENS PRESENTS: SIREN SCREAMS

3rd – THE BRUISED BANANA – AN ARSENAL PODCAST

By popular vote, the Oh. My. Pod. Best Independent Podcast 2020 is Monkey Tennis – The Alan Partridge Fan Podcast. The definitive Partridge fan podcast has been running for four years now, and in that time has received acclaim from places such as The Daily Telegraph. Hosts and guests analyse the entire Alan Partridge universe – including (in quite a meta way) the new Alan Partridge – From The Oasthouse Podcast.

In this category we opened up the polls for listeners to submit any independent or amateur podcast they felt deserved recognition. It’s a real testament to the love for this fan podcast that having an official Alan Partridge podcast has not made this one less popular. Listen to Monkey Tennis on Acast.

You voted for over 400 different podcasts in this category so a massive thank you and congratulations to every podcast mentioned! 

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Congratulations to all our winners, runners up and nominees and thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for their favourite shows. We have no doubt that 2021 will be another incredible year for podcasting and look forward to celebrating it with another set of Pod Bible Poll’s at the end of the year!

The post POD BIBLE POLL WINNERS 2020 – WINNERS ANNOUNCED! appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about? 

I’m Vickie Donoghue. Natalie Mitchell and I are playwrights from either side of the Thames estuary who also write for screen and radio. Our podcast drama is a thriller set in Kent about The Pied Piper returning to contemporary Britain. It’s about a detective and her daughter uncovering a terrifying force and their battle to discover the truth. It’s an unnerving, spooky story enhanced by an incredible soundtrack by Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to? 

I’m still a bit of a podcast novice (having two small children has helped that!) but the first one I listened to was by Simon Stephens for The Royal Court Theatre in which he interviews a different playwright in each episode. I absolutely love it as I am such a nosy person and I adore hearing how each writer works, their process, and even how they set out their working day. It’s the little secrets that come out that is so engaging and the rapport that Simon has with each fellow writer. It’s very inspiring.

As a writer, why did you decide to write for the podcast format?

With both of us having previously written drama for Radio moving to tell stories in a podcast format seemed very natural. The story of The Piper and it’s connection to music leant itself to the audio form. In fact, music was absolutely key for us. We always knew we didn’t want a physical embodiment of The Piper, and wanted a haunting motif. Getting someone of Natasha Khan’s calibre who totally got and nailed the brief was amazing. The music is a character in it’s self. We were also really excited to get stuck into long form storytelling because as a writer opportunities like that don’t come up very often.

Tell us about the process of writing and producing your podcast?

The Piper was produced by Somethin’ Else and directed by Kate Rowland who has years of experience in producing and directing Radio and was previously Head of Radio Drama for the BBC. The idea for The Piper came to us quite a few years ago but once Kate had successfully pitched it to Something Else, Natalie and I only had a few months to write it before we went into an intense week of recording it. Kate likes to record on location rather than creating soundscape and atmosphere in a studio so it was a cold week in December 2019 that we got the series completed (my god the actors were incredible!). Kate and Steve Bond (our Sound Designer) then got the first edit done, but then the first lockdown happened. The process was then slowed up, however, on reflection, coming out in the Autumn of 2020 was perfect as it’s a Halloweeny, spooky thriller and a podcast that you definitely want to snuggle up and close the curtains for!

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

As I said, I’m nosy, so any podcast where I can hear about an artist’s process is a winner for me. I love learning from other creatives. I’m also a bit of news junkie so love the BBC’s Newscast. It’s really interesting watching journalists that have very serious roles on our televised news programmes being a bit looser and a bit more honest about what’s going on politically in the world. Hearing them actually laughing is so weird! I also love supporting my mates and their fantastic podcasts – Funny Mummies, Hardcore Listing, Hoovering and I love anything by Fearne Cotton – Happy Place or even Sounds of the 90’s (where I can relive my youth!).

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about your podcast?

Head to BBC Radio 4 or BBC Sounds and search The Piper, where the trailer and all episodes are now available to download and listen to. Enjoy!

The post Introduction to The Piper podcast appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Lone ranger Adam is here to single handedly bless you with the week’s podcast freshness and moves being made all over the podcast board, with a main feature on ‘Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave’ with Danny Brocklehurst and Chris Warburton, followed by recommendations from Jasmine and the Black Gals Livin’ crew, and Sangeeta Pillai of Masala Podcast.

LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS GUESTS!

Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave • BBC Sounds • Spotify

Black Gals Livin’ • Acast • Spotify

Masala Podcast • Spotify • Homepage

LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS RECOMMENDATIONS!

Broken Pussy Podcast • Soundcloud • Spotify

Where Should We Begin? • Acast • Spotify

PODBIBLE LINKS!

Pod Bible Magazine

Pod Bible Twitter

Pod Bible Instagram

Pod Bible Facebook

Pod Bible Email

The post #061 • Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave • Black Gals Livin’ • Masala Podcast appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: Why did you feel it was important to revisit this story in podcast form?
MOBEEN AZHAR: Podcasts encourage a more intimate kind of story telling in my view.  I wanted to tell the story of what I found whilst investigating the death of Yaqub and the story of what happened when I reported my findings. The podcast is about drugs, relationships, family hierarchy, police, honour and shame. When Hometown (the TV series) came out, what unfolded was like a soap opera. It involved backlash, threats and drama. The podcast allows that story to be told as well as the more pressing story of ultra-violence and drugs gangs.

PB: “True Crime” is a podcast genre often populated with programmes seen as more entertainment than investigative journalism. What is it like creating a podcast like Hometown that is so deeply personal, but still falls into the True Crime genre?
MA: I am not a snob about things being entertaining. I am a snob about stories being told well and with authenticity. Drama for the sake of drama is no good if it’s not real. There were just so many narratives and competing strands, so we wanted to find a way to build a flow whilst maintaining the reality of what unfolded. The making of the series was a story in itself and so we stuck to the real-life chronology of what unfolded. All the twists and turns make it genuinely jaw dropping in moments. It is entertaining but never strays from an exploration of true crime.

PB: How important was your relationship with your producer/editor during the making of Hometown?
MA: I loved working with the very talented Pete Sale. He produced the podcast along with the brilliant team at Forest. These relationships are crucial, especially with a project that is so personal. If you can’t tell your producer a story, how are you going to share it with the rest of the world?

I have a background in radio and television production so I tend to have an opinion on everything. The team at Forest is all about collaboration so it was a mutually beneficial relationship with the emphasis always on elevating the story telling and making something that we are all really proud of.

PB: How has exploring and expanding on the story told in your documentary through an audio-only formatted impacted your work? Did it present new or unique challenges?
MA: There are most definitely challenges, primarily because Hometown was such a visual story. The drug dealers, kingpins and whistle blowers who spoke to me with their identities concealed provided a view into a world in which speaking out can get you hurt – or worse. We could express that visually for the TV series, so we had to develop a shorthand to adequately express that in the podcast. That came with very specific challenges, for example, if you distort a contributors voice to keep them safe but you can’t use subtitles, how does the audience know what they are saying?

These are all nice problems to have and ultimately the strength of the material carried us through. For this reason, I also think anyone that had seen the series will probably enjoy the podcast and vise versa. There is enough space between them to warrant your attention.

PB: Are you interested in doing more work in the podcast space in the future?
MA: This was the second full length podcast series I’ve made. In 2019, I was part of the team that made the 10 part Fatwa, about the Rushdie affair, for BBC Sounds. Prior to that I’ve always loved telling stories on more traditional radio strands like Radio 4’s Crossing Continents or Assignment from the World Service.

Podcast is just a more intimate mode, I guess. I remember when we set out to make the Hometown TV series for BBC Three, we said “what if we make a TV series with podcast sensibilities?” So it’s almost poetic that the material has ended up in podcast form.

I plan on making more podcast content.  I genuinely love the form and it feels that we are just getting started in terms of how we can tell stories in this medium.

Hometown: A Killing is available on BBC Sounds and everywhere you get your podcasts. You can follow Mobeen on Twitter.

The post Mobeen Azhar’s Hometown: A Killing Podcast appeared first on POD BIBLE.