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.

Ever fancied jumping into bed for a duvet day with a celebrity? You’d get to find out what their bedroom looks like, what pulls them under the duvet, their weird sleep habits and how they got out of bed during the tough times.

In Duvet Days, Abby Hollick jumps into bed with special guests for unfiltered, honest chat. You can listen in as musicians and artists open up about mental health, fame, recovery, childhood and relationships. In this longform interview series, Abby discusses what a ‘duvet day’ means to Emeli Sande, Munroe Bergdorf, Nicola Coughlan, Joel Golby, Camilla Thurlow, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Yola, Rosie Jones, Laura Dockrill, Hannah Cockroft, Lemn Sissay and Ray BLK.

The podcast has recently returned for series 2 so we sat down with Abby to ask her a few questions…

What is it about podcasts that appeals to you?

A mate in your ear. It’s company on a long journey or while I’m in the bath. I also love learning more about people I admire and investigating how our minds work – using podcasts as free therapy basically! Podcasts are also a chance for the world to hear stories from people who have been silenced or ignored for too long.

If you could go back to just before you recorded the first episode of your podcast and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Don’t record for hours as you have to edit this Abby! Also, It’s ok to say ‘sorry my arm has gone dead I just need to put the mic in the other hand’! For some reason I was embarrassed to say this and would stay fixed in this painful, rigid position.

Abby with Paralympian Hannah Cockroft

What makes a great podcast guest?

Funny, vulnerable, open and hopefully saying something for the first time. Someone who says it like it is and is a bit of a maverick or someone who has survived something extraordinary and has some wisdom on how to do life and cope. Also, guests whose stories and experiences have been shut out of mainstream radio for too long.

What makes a great podcast host?

A woman! I was desperate to hear more women, back in the day the longform interview podcast was dominated by men but thankfully that’s changed. I want to think the host is my friend, so a good listener and someone who asks insightful follow-up questions. I’m not surprised so many comedians have podcasts as a funny host with outrageous anecdotes is always a laugh and you want to be in the pub with them.

What’s been your worst podcast moment?

I mean I live in fear of not pressing record. When I flew to Ireland to interview Nicola Coughlan I made her tell me she could see the red light and I had pressed record before we started, as I couldn’t go all the way to Galway and mess up! I’ve definitely had tough moments when I’ve asked questions and been told ‘I don’t want to go there’ and felt like I was being too intrusive but I just apologise and say fair enough. I’m not going to stop asking the questions I think listeners want to hear.

What is your podcast/podcaster pet peeve?

It annoys me that I can’t listen to podcasts when I am editing my own podcast as I feel podcasted out. Also I say ‘so’ a lot which irritates me when I edit myself. Its also a peeve if a group of friends on a podcast all talk over each other and share ‘in-jokes’ and I feel left out.

Is there anything you found annoying as a podcast listener… but then understood when you started making your own?

I used to think ‘why didn’t the host ask this or follow-up on that?’ but when you’re in the hot seat and being the interviewer your mind can go blank or you can worry about the time pressure, your battery power etc and you can make these mistakes so I am now less judgmental as a listener. Kirsty Young is the queen of the follow-up!

Previous guest Emeli Sandé

Which one podcast episode of your own means the most to you?

It means a lot when anyone says yes to be honest as they are trusting me to sit on their bed and chat about such personal stuff but I am really proud of Laura Dockrill’s episode as she was so open about suffering from postnatal psychosis, recovery and CBT therapy. I was extremely moved by her and full of admiration and I think it’s one of the most extraordinary descriptions of a mind exploding and then she pieces it back together again. Also, she’s hilarious and our babies were born around the same time. Both her and Joel Golby, whose parents died by the time he was 25, don’t feel sorry for themselves at all and use humour to explain really traumatic things, I loved meeting them. It was also huge for me to interview Christine and the Queens the day after her gig as I am such a fan and that gig blew my mind, I went with a friend who didn’t know her and we both left shaking – her dancing is out of this world!

Which one podcast episode (not of your own) has had the biggest impact on you?

One?! Ok out of Maya Angelou on Oprah’s podcast, Robin Williams on WTF with Marc Maron, Zadie Smith and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the New York Public Library, Aisling Bea on Griefcast, Zadie Smith on Adam Buxton and Toure Show (can you tell I love Zadie Smith) and Ellen Burstyn on Death Sex and Money… I am going to go with Ellen Burstyn’s ‘Lessons on Survival’.

Finally, what are your plans for the podcast moving forward?

Ooh that’s a question for BBC Sounds! Season 3 hopefully as I’m hitting my stride now and I’d love to interview Lizzo. And Michaela Coel and Jill Soloway.

Listen to the Duvet Days archive on BBC Sounds, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

Read our other World Mental Health Day 2022 suggested posts.

The post THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO… Abby Hollick from Duvet Days 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.

But we know that many people are still asking “what’s a podcast?”, “how do you listen to podcasts?” and even “are podcasts free?”. If you are one of those people, here’s our guide for new podcast listeners.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading or streaming to a computer or an alternative device such as a phone. To be a little less clinical, it’s essentially a radio show that you can listen to wherever and whenever you choose without being interrupted by regular weather bulletins or travel updates.

Podcasts range from highly produced shows recorded in professional studios by major broadcasters to rough and ready homemade shows recorded on a laptop in someone’s bedroom. If you have a computer and an internet connection, you can make a podcast, making it one of the most democratic mediums around. Is it time to see what all the fuss is about?

How much do podcasts cost?

Nothing! Most podcasts are absolutely free, which makes them one of the most accessible forms of entertainment around. Many of the larger podcasts will feature adverts and some offer access to extra content or early access to episodes for a small fee, but 99% of podcasts are available for you to listen to on demand for nothing at all. There are literally millions of hours of top quality content out there for you to explore – so what’s stopping you?!

So how do I listen to a podcast?

The Spotify and Acast apps are available on all smart phones and other devices and cover a wide variety of podcasts. If you’re an iPhone user then the Apple Podcasts app should already be on your phone. The same applies for the Google Podcasts app on Android phones. Within these apps you can search for and subscribe to shows. When you subscribe, the latest episodes will be downloaded to your phone without you having to seek them out.

The Spotify app also allows you to scan codes that take you directly to the relevant podcast. You can use the Audible app to listen to Audible original podcasts.

If you prefer, you can also listen to podcasts on your computer. Use the Spotify desktop application (which is also available in your browser) or the Audible Cloud Player. 

Alternatively you can use iTunes or go direct to the website of the podcast you want to listen to. Finally, you can use your home smart speakers as a way to listen too. Just ask them to play you a podcast and go from there!

Which podcast should I listen to first?

If you’re a new podcast listener, you might be overwhelmed by the amount of podcasts on offer. But don’t worry, we’ve all asked ourselves “where do I start?” and that’s why we’re here! Our magazine is a great way of learning about the podcast landscape. Every week we also update the Pod Bible playlist on the Acast app to include a selection of shows form the latest magazine.

You can also find a podcast about your interests with some of our curated lists. Adam has pulled together 13 Football Podcasts to listen to in 2021, or you could start with the Best Sex & Relationships Podcasts. Scroobius Pip gave us 5 Solo Podcasts you need and you can find Stu’s 5 of the best Music Podcasts here.

You could check out some of the podcasts your favourite celebrities listen to with our For The Love of Pod series. And if you want to get ahead of the game, our New This Month editorial pulls together the most interesting new series and seasons every month. Or if you want to narrow it down a bit, our Where To Start articles give you an entry point to some of the most popular podcasts you must listen to.

But the very first podcast you must listen to is – of course – the Pod Bible podcast! It is the podcast podcast where podcasters talk to podcasters about podcasts and podcasting. Does it get anymore meta? The show is mostly hosted by editor Adam Richardson, but will occasionally feature the other founders of Pod Bible, Stu Whiffen and Scroobius Pip.

You can follow Pod Bible on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe to the podcast on ACAST, SPOTIFY, APPLE PODCASTS or ELSEWHERE. And drop us an email if you liked this article info@podbiblemag.com.

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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!

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Jordan will be sharing her countdown of ‘The Top 10 Podcasts That Saved Me From Myself’ next week. But today, you’ll be hearing from Francesca Turauskis as the incoming Digital Editor.

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Hello Pod Bible disciples, I thought it was time I introduced myself! I’m Francesca/Fran and I’m the new Digital Editor for Pod Bible. I also produce and host my own podcast and can often be found guesting and editing on others. But I wanted my first article to give you an insight to my podcast listening habits. I also wanted to capture some Christmas joy and hope for the future. So, I decided to do a Christmas Carol inspired list of podcast listening.

I have enlisted the help of Pod Bible Co-Founder and Magazine Editor, Adam Richardson. We talked about our favourite Ghosts of Pods Past, Pods Present and Pods Yet to Come. Or, in other words, our favourite limited series podcasts from 2020, the podcasts we’re listening to right now, and some new podcasts you’ll want to subscribe to for the future…

Ghosts of Pods Past

Fran: So many of my ‘best podcasts of 2020’ have been limited series, and I don’t have space for them all. But two in particular stuck with me: the second series of 13 Minutes to Moon and The Hidden Djinn.  This series of 13 Minutes to the Moon looked at the Apollo 13 mission. It was very highly produced, and mixed interviews, narration, actual audio from NASA archives and an epic music score by Hanz Zimmer. In very 2020 fashion, the host Dr. Kevin Fong left us on a cliffhanger when he literally joined the COVID response as a doctor.

From science to spiritualism, The Hidden Djinn was a mix of mythology and journalism about the djinn (Arabian spirits). It made me question the lines between reality and superstition, and the host Rabia Chaudry has a great storytelling voice as well.

Adam: Grounded with Louis Theroux. I was a bit sceptical at first as it was right at the beginning of lockdown when all the stuck-at-home celebs were making podcasts, but of course it’s brilliant. The other one I got really into was Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave. Ingenious storytelling with a mix of documentary and scripted episodes. We had Chris Warburton and Danny Brocklehurst on the Pod Bible Podcast to discuss it and it’s one of my favourite episodes of the year. Final shout goes to a podcast series that wasn’t released this year but had a surge in recommendations due to the death of George Floyd and subsequent interest in the Black Lives Matter movement. 1619 marked 400 years of the African American struggle against racism and made me realise just how little I knew about the subject. It encouraged me to do more in terms of educating myself, listening to others and working harder to give a platform to underrepresented voices.

Ghosts of Pods Present

Fran: Passport is a travel show about the little-known quirks of popular destinations, for example Helsinki’s city-size doomsday bunker, China’s Wild West town. This week’s seasonal episode takes us to the host’s own city: ‘Barcelona: The Magical Pooping Log of Xmas’! I’m also happy Outside Voices is back. It’s an independent show from the US sharing underrepresented voices in outdoor recreation. The episodes are really well researched and mix personal stories with narration and interviews. It released four shows in 2019 and then had a long hiatus, so I’m glad it hasn’t gone! I also always have Outside/In and Out There in my podcast queue (you may have guessed that I’m quite outdoorsy).

Adam: I’ve really enjoyed the Here Right Now podcast. It explores emerging worldwide trends and discusses how everyday life is changing by speaking to experts from a variety of industries. It’s a brand new independent show and I’m excited to see how it develops. I’ve also been amazed by the growth of daily news show The Smart 7. I listen to it on the way home from dropping my daughter at school and it fits the journey time perfectly. In terms of my regular go to pods, Off Menu, Football Ramble, The Adam Buxton Podcast, Say Your Mind and WrestleMe have kept me going and provided distraction from the endless bad news this year!

Ghosts of Pods Yet to Come

Fran: Away from podcasts (and when I’m not outdoors) I also work in a library. So I’m very excited about the concept of the Broccoli Book Club,  ‘A real book club’ in a podcast format. A lot of book podcasts rely on the interview format, so the discussion aspect of this is a pull for me. On that note, a show that is sure to have fun conversations is Totally Trans: Searching For The Trans Canon. It should be an interesting new look at popular culture and literature. Looking further into the future, an ‘As-yet-untitled six-part podcast’ by Hana Walker-Brown has been announced. She’s a great producer (check out both Anthems and The Beautiful Brain if you haven’t) so I’m keeping my eye out (ear out?) for this one…  

Adam: Can we just call a truce on new podcasts for 2021 so I can keep up with everything that’s already out there? Please?!

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What podcasts have you enjoyed this year? Are there any we should know about? Get in touch on Twitter and Instagram.

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BBC Earth Podcast Producer, Eliza, answers Q&A’s about how to find the best contributors for each podcast, what techniques she uses to glean the best information from their experience and knowledge, as well as telling us some of the surprising and unexpected tales that have surfaced from these interviews, and how they enrich the themes of each episode.

1. How do you begin the process of finding experts and interesting contributors once the theme of a podcast has been decided on?

To begin with, themes spark ideas of who we can talk to. Our radio team in Bristol make a whole host of natural history output for BBC Radio 4 and 3, plus we’re over the car park from the natural history TV department, so we tap into the brilliant roster of knowledge at our doorstep.

After mining our own contacts, we embark on the mammoth task of finding more stories and contributors. This is mostly done online via science journals, websites and recommendations. For the rest of the year when we’re not making the BBC Earth podcast, we’re sifting and saving striking natural world stories for future series.

2. Once you have decided on a topic and focus for a particular podcast, do you tailor the content from the contributors to fit the topic, or do you often find the original theme alters once you have some content to work with?

The themes are a useful jumping-off point for research, but once we’ve found good stories, we prioritise that over the theme. When we’re editing, it’s important that the story is vivid and clear. The presenter, Emily Knight, is an expert at tying together disparate stories with her script.

On rare occasions, we’ve found that the original theme doesn’t fit with the stories anymore and something else strikes us as more appropriate, but we usually stick to the theme.

The range of contributors on each podcast is always extremely varied, the only common feature being their link in some way to the natural world and the topic being explored in that particular episode. How do you go about finding such a diverse cast of interviewees?

It’s important for us that we reflect a range of expertise and places – the BBC Earth podcast shouldn’t be left solely in the domain of scientists and environmentalists of the UK and America. For this series we’ve spoken to poets, mechanical engineers, wildlife camera-people, anthropologists… and from locations including Mongolia, Ethiopia and Hawaii.

Emily and I have slightly different interests, which also helps us look for stories in different places and reflect a wider variety of voices.

What is the biggest challenge when interviewing contributors from all over the world?

Time zones! Having to work out the best time to speak to a contributor in say – New Zealand – is extremely difficult. There’s a 12-hour time difference, so right now, it’s Friday in the UK and Saturday in New Zealand, pure chaos! That being said… it’s worth it for being able to bring listeners truly global stories.

3. What makes a good contributor for a podcast?

A few things… being a good storyteller is key. So the way they create images in the mind’s eye and use metaphor. Also, if they can communicate complex ideas so that even my Granny can understand what they’re on about, that’s a bonus. And finally, something more difficult to define which is just the quality of their voice. Does it draw you in and keep you listening? Then they’d be perfect.

4. The stories in the BBC Earth Podcast are often told with great enthusiasm and vigour by the contributors themselves – how do you get such succinct and interesting narratives from the subjects being interviewed? Are there certain techniques you use or is it simply down to careful editing?

Editing definitely plays a big part in it. We often restructure the story after we’ve done the interview, so it’s as clear as possible. We add sound design to help illustrate it. But there are ways to get the most out of the interviewee: planning what you want the final piece to be before the interview so you can structure your questions around that; asking them to re-tell the story in different ways; encouraging them to use a lot of sensory detail… Also, they may have told this story more than once, so it helps to think of new angles to have a fresh response.

5. Can you tell us about one or two favourite stories you’ve done for the BBC Earth Podcast?

Oh, it’s hard to choose – there’s something special about them all! But I really enjoyed speaking to the anthropologist Bumochir Dulam in Mongolia. It was a feat trying to set it up, but he was so kind when I finally spoke to him. He told me the story of nomad families and their camel coaxing rituals in the Gobi desert. A local musician will play the horsehead fiddle to encourage bonding between the mother and their calves.

Another highlight was going to pigeon fancier Jon Day’s house in East London. It’s rare to do these interviews in person due to geographical constraints, so it was a joy to meet Jon and his flock of pigeons in person.

When do you feel it’s necessary to steer the discussion during an interview?

As producer, I’m always steering the discussion… We have limited time booked in a studio and it’s crucial we get all the pieces of the story, so we don’t regret missing something afterwards. Also, someone may be so used to telling the story in a particular way, that it’s important to steer them away from that and encourage them to tell it in a way that has the most impact.

6. As well as interesting people featured in the podcasts, there are also a host of fantastic creatures scattered throughout the series – my favourite being the lone whale in ‘Isolation’. Do you prefer letting nature and science speak for itself, or is human experience important?

It’s important to let nature and science speak for itself, which is why we often have experts on the podcast who expand our understanding of the world through their research. But nearly always, there’s something deeper going on with the scientist – their study will have affected them in some fundamental way, and that’s interesting to probe. For example, Doug Larson is an ecologist in Ontario, Canada who discovered an ancient forest living above a motorway on an escarpment. These trees were protected by being out of sight from humans and were successful because they needed little resources to survive. Studying these trees for years affected Doug’s outlook on the world and made him think about his own future, and how to live well in old age. For me, a story can be more moving when you hear how the natural world has influenced human experience.

The podcast themes are often large constructs reflecting ideas relating to the human condition – isolation, lack of control, ritual etc. When creating a podcast, how important is it to you that it connects with listeners in a metaphysical way?

The metaphysical level is where we hold our values, morals and outlook –and we can learn how others experience this through stories.

For series three I spoke to Rāwiri Tinirau about the Whanganui River of New Zealand and its 170-year battle. To Rāwiri’s people, this river is an ancestor and so should be treated as such. He told the story about how the river was finally granted personhood status in 2017. On one level, there were the facts of the story and the long-running legal case. But on the metaphysical level, there were the deep, emotional connections his people have had for hundreds of years, and it’s through bringing both elements together in a story that we can truly understand its gravity.

Questions by Chris Knowles

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

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1. The first satellite recording of the ‘milky seas’

The vast patches of incandescence spotted by numerous mariners on the oceans at night have for centuries remained a mystery. Floating above the water level like a thick glowing mist for miles in every direction, these rare and utterly beautiful phenomena have been puzzled and pondered over by sailors and scientists alike. We do know that the effect is caused by billions of bioluminescent bacteria, but as Steven Miller, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University says, “there is not concrete evidence of how they form, (or) why they form”.

Working with highly sensitive satellite equipment he believed he had the tools to finally observe and record this spectacle. By matching reports from the captain of steamship Lima, a vessel sailing off the coast of Somalia in 1995, who observed a whitish glow on the horizon – followed by the ship being surrounded by “a field of snow” 15 minutes later – he was able to match the precise time and date of satellite pictures which identified for the first time, a ‘smudge’ of light in the exact same location.

“It was the first confirmed satellite view of a bioluminescent milky sea” he goes on to say, a discovery that has lead to more satellite imaging of sightings of bioluminescence and the beginning of understanding this rare and amazing natural occurrence.

2. Fossilized DNA and preserving endangered species

We would love to see a Dinosaur  cloned, making Jurassic Park a reality, or perhaps a woolly Mammoth, but with the discovery of fossilized DNA it is extremely unlikely according to Beth Shapiro of the University of California. Beth studies DNA in fossils in order to find out why some ecosystems are more resilient than others. “Dinosaurs are all rocks..” she says “..the only thing we can get DNA from are the things that died more recently than that”. This is because we would need a preserved cell from the extinct animal, and these are impossible to find in anything other than more recently extinct species. Cloning by extracting the nucleus from a preserved cell and inserting it in to the egg of the nearest current species has the theoretical potential, but so far it has not been successful in cloning an extinct organism. What is possible and more exciting for Beth is applying these and other techniques to endangered species where there are real possibilities to help save them from becoming extinct. One technique she is most inspired by is genome editing technology, where a living cell can be manipulated by inserting specific sequences of letters to create stronger DNA codes. She uses the examples of coral where specific attributes of the DNA code in more robust species are being transferred to less successful coral species in order to give them a greater chance of survival.

3. The singing wolves

Well, not strictly wolves, this discovery of African wild dogs (aka painted wolves) singing to each other was made by Nick Lyon, one of the producers of the BBC Dynasties series, whilst on location in Zimbabwe tracking and observing a pack of painted wolves for an episode in the series. Circling the wolves in a helicopter one day he noticed that they were opening their mouths, so he landed the helicopter in order to find out why. On alighting he was greeted by a sound he had never heard before, indeed something he believes nobody before had ever observed from this species – the wolves were singing! Pairs were singing to each other before coupling off, but at certain points the whole pack were singing in unison. The wolves had recently and unexpectedly been made leaderless, which is an unusual situation for them to have been in, so it is thought that possibly it was a response to this. At this point we can only speculate on the reasons for this amazing scenario, but luckily Nick was able to record the sound on his mobile phone, and since then work has begun to try and understand this unusual, never seen before behaviour.

4. A new ecosystem

Finding a new species is the dream of most explorers, but to locate a whole new virgin ecosystem became an unbelievable reality for ecologist Julian Bayliss. Using satellite imagery to scour Northern Mozambique he came across a dense forest like area of vegetation in a crater on top of what appeared to be a mountain. On further investigation this mountain (named Mount Lico), turned out to be an inselberg, a sheer piece of non-volcanic rock, and according to the local inhabitants, nobody had ever scaled it in living memory. He embarked on a mission to investigate it further using a drone in order to see over the lip of the crater, and what it captured confirmed all his wildest hopes. When the photos from the drone were recovered and downloaded on to his laptop later it showed that “the whole of the forest was there…it was really the first view of a lost world…”.  When an expedition finally took him in to the forest, new species of butterflies, amphibians and mammals were recorded, and scientists are still finding treasures in its undisturbed terrain.

5. Discovering caves – miracles of darkness

Tim and Pam Fogg are climbing experts who work for the BBC getting people in to very difficult places, often underground. They have been on extensive worldwide cave explorations, one of which took place in complete darkness for 8 continuous days, where they woke up each day to the disconcerting effect of complete silence and total blackout. When they visited the stunning caves of the Northern Borneo rain forests in 2004, where huge limestone tunnels and amphitheatres hide treasures of giant stalactites and stalagmites, they discovered their undisturbed footprints in a passage that they had traversed in 1989 – nobody else had been there since.

These caves are really the last largely unexplored places in the world, comprising their own ecosystems that can include rivers, fish, and wildlife such as snakes, centipedes and cave crickets. Tim says about their expeditions, “We’ve been lucky enough to take a lot of steps that no other human has ever taken and cast light on places that no other human has ever seen and no light has ever been .. and that’s pretty special!!”

Written by Chris Knowles

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

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Finding footprints and signs of activity will tell you what’s happened on last night’s hunt, but once the animal vanishes into the tangled undergrowth the only way to track it is to stand and listen for a call. Not from the tiger itself, but an alarm call from potential prey alerting their fellow animals to the location of the predator. In this way, Webb and his crew could track the calls and therefore the tiger’s progress through the jungle. The team’s local guides would then be able to predict its path and where the tiger was likely to emerge.

Webb’s team found one of the most useful vocal indicators were langur monkeys, who amazingly use a barking alarm call for leopards and a different call for tigers. Chital deer, favourite prey of tigers, respond to the langur alarm call and begin a persistent barking of their own. One of the most defined calls to listen for when tracking is given by sambar deer, who make a guttural squeak when they become aware of a tiger in the vicinity. An explosion of alarm shouts from different animals that echoes around the jungle indicates that the tiger has been hunting.

Webb was also surprised at how vocal the tigers were themselves, calling to each other, growling during mating and roaring afterwards.

Humans have always had a desire to communicate with animals, but a wide vocal range is beneficial to other inter-species communication too. Learning new sounds means parrots, for instance, are able to change their vocalisation to blend in with new flocks and learning new sounds can also be a way of showing off brain power in a mating ritual. Beluga whales and dolphins learn hundreds of new vocalizations throughout their lives and orangutans and even elephants have been recorded appearing to imitate human speech.

Not all animals can do it, however; there are particular brain circuits that control the muscles for vocalizations, and only some animals have them. A set of over 50 genes showed a similar pattern of activity in the speech-control centres of several vocal learners, including humans, parrots, songbirds and hummingbirds. This means humans use the same genes to speak as songbirds use to sing. Animals that can’t learn new sounds, like chickens and macaques, don’t activate these genes in the same way,

As Webb puts it, it’s very exciting to home in on “monkey frequency” and use the animal’s calls to track the progress of another animal you cannot see. Rather than talking to the animals, as Dr Doolittle said, maybe we should focus on listening to them.

The BBC Earth Podcast returns this autumn with more stories of wildlife, habitats and human experience. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the first episode!

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ERIC AND THE BEES

The importance of nature’s healing qualities has been identified and encouraged in recent years. One man who fully appreciates this is former soldier Eric Grandon. After leaving the military, Eric suffered from terrible PTSD that left him unable to function and considering suicide frequently. But Eric was saved by being gifted two beehives. “Once I got into the hive for the first time, that’s when the magic happened,” he says. Working with the bees completely changed Eric’s mental state: “The outside world went away.” The cohesiveness of the beehive replicated the order of the military life Eric had lost. It’s fair to say that bees saved his life.

MIKE AND THE WHALES

Loneliness can be one of the most damaging and emotionally destructive experiences anyone can encounter. But one man has taken the solitude of one majestic creature and transformed it into a beacon of hope. Mike Ambs loves whales and is intrigued by their song. But one particular whale caught his interest – a lone blue whale who sings at a far lower frequency than any other, known as the 52-hertz whale. “It was a really unique calming sound. You feel it more than you can hear it.” But, as a consequence, this whale is never answered. But Mike thinks the perseverance of this whale is a parable for hope. He has shared the sounds of the whale which has helped people with insomnia to sleep and writers to overcome writers block.

THE DESMONDS AND THE CHIMPS

The mysteries of the blue whale may continue to elude us, but other creatures are far more familiar. Chimps live in family units and have incredibly strong bonds with their mothers. When these bonds are broken, baby chimps can suffer massive trauma. Jim and Jenny Desmond, experienced primate specialists, visited Liberia with plans to stay for a month but ended up opening a reserve for chimps orphaned by the illegal bush meat trade. “They sleep in the bed with us. They go with us everywhere.” The Desmonds care for these infant chimps, providing the 24-hour nurturing and care they need to survive and grow. “It’s pretty crazy, you have a chimp attached to you all the time. If not more than one.”

LAUREN AND THE LAKE

Nature also provides a great way to escape. Sometimes metaphorically in terms of ‘losing yourself’ for just a moment, sometimes more specifically. Florida native Lauren Gay found herself in a crumbling relationship and knew she had to act. She travelled solo to The Azores and discovered a green and glorious paradise. “I call it my natural church,” she says. Sitting by a beautiful lake with unusual blue and green waters formed by volcanic eruption, she realised this destruction wrought something beautiful and that the turbulence of her own relationship would eventually lead to something positive. Lauren now blogs and podcasts about her adventures in the wild.

SACHA AND THE SWANS

Every year, Bewick swans conduct a truly epic journey travelling from Russia to their winter home in the UK. But in recent years fewer and fewer have survived the journey. No one really knew why, but ecologist Sacha Dench decided to find out. And to do that, she realised she would have to fly with the birds as they made their way across Europe. There was just one problem. Sacha hated flying after taking a traumatic, turbulent flight. But the welfare of the birds overruled her phobia and she took to the air in a tiny paramotor, following the flight of the birds and raising awareness to those on the flightpath, suspected of hunting them. The plan appears to have worked as those once dedicated to hunting the swans are now protecting them. “They’ve started to care about the future of the Bewick swan.”

The BBC Earth Podcast returns this autumn with more stories of wildlife, habitats and human experience. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the first episode.

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

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