Winner Write-Ups

Gold – Sonic Fields

Sam Tyler was nominated for the BPA’s Rising Star Award back in 2023, and with Sonic Fields, he has single-handedly created a truly wonderful piece of work, chronicling the evolution of British music festivals over the years.

Over the course of a seven-hour series, Tyler explores 60 years of British music festival history, hearing from over 50 contributors along the way. Combining his own family story with the cultural and political changes of each era, the show examines how we got to the modern music festival and how it’s a very different creature to its ancestors, for better and worse.

Strong word of mouth praise ensured the podcast attracted a number of impressive endorsements, with positive write ups in The Guardian, The Radio Times, Sunday Times, Irish Times and The Week. A second series is currently in the works.

Silver – The Lost Archives of James Baldwin

2024 marked 100 years since the birth of the American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin. While this show bears his name, it’s just as much about the person who has protected his remaining possessions in the decades since his death: a Yorkshire woman named Jill Hutchinson.

After Baldwin’s house in France went to property developers, Hutchinson rescued the personal artifacts including his desk, typewriter, record collection and thousands of other items. It’s a sweet listen about love and loyalty, with Hutchinson remaining a reluctant custodian of the treasure trove, despite overtures to museums to take it off her hands.

Bronze – Soul Music

Broadcasting since the year 2000, Soul Music predates the podcast revolution, but the show is perfect for the medium. Each episode takes a piece of music with emotional resonance, examines what it means to its listeners and then digs into the backstory of the song, with insights from professional musicians and musicologists.

Gold – Angela Harnett and Nick Grimshaw

A memorable dinner party depends on great hosts, and as Dish is essentially a dinner party in podcast form, it’s just as well that Michelin star chef Angela Hartnett and broadcaster Nick Grimshaw make for perfect company.

As a pairing, they not only have great chemistry, but compliment each other's strengths, with Angela providing food and cookery tips for guests and listeners, and Nick an expert in getting the best out of high-profile guests ranging from Stephen Merchant to Dua Lipa. The kitchen turned studio is an environment that guests don’t want to leave, and it comes across in the episodes.

The last year was an especially strong one for the show, with it generating record downloads and engagement, with an additional 250,000 YouTube subscribers, helped in part through the Tom Holland Christmas special which enjoyed some viral success.

Silver – Femi Oke

Dealing with serious subjects like human trafficking in a respectful yet informative manner is a challenge for any journalist. In Cursed, Femi Oke managed it with aplomb, telling listeners the story of Josephine Iyamu, the first person to be convicted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, after trafficking Nigerian victims to Europe and keeping them enslaved by abusing their traditional beliefs.

Oke performs the role brilliantly, respectfully explaining spiritual beliefs to listeners and offering warm tenderness to the victims, while still keeping the story moving at pace. As a result, Cursed is a thoroughly engaging listen that has successfully educated Audible subscribers on an underreported topic.

Bronze – Dan Snow

After ten years, Dan Snow’s History Hit is still going strong with three to four episodes a week ensuring it consistently ranks among the UK’s top 100 podcasts. That success is chiefly down to Snow himself, whose immersive storytelling makes both modern and ancient history thoroughly engaging.

Gold – Wedding Pros Who Are Ready to Grow

A podcast can be truly revelatory, especially when it’s in a niche that few have covered. Weddings are big business, and Wedding Pros Who Are Ready to Grow helps those with a talent for flowers, cakes, photography and more turn professional, with insights from experts already flying high in the industry.

Hosted by Becca Pountney, a UK wedding industry marketing expert, the show provides free education and confidence to those looking to build a successful business in the sector themselves. Pountney not only offers her own expertise, but brings in other business owners to share stories of what has worked and what hasn’t.

The show tackles every aspect of the wedding industry, while tackling key issues of the day from how to navigate business in the age of TikTok to diversity and sustainability. Delivered in a relatable down-to-earth manner, the show gives listeners the confidence to turn their passion into profit.

Silver – The Factory Next Door

It’s a well-known fact that the British manufacturing sector has shrunk in the last few decades, with globalisation pushing many of the jobs overseas. The Factory Next Door shows what we might lose if this trend continues, by visiting the talented craftspeople continuing to build things in the UK, from Desborough to Macclesfield.

Each half-hour episode is recorded on site on factory floors and in workshops, with the host Steve Duke meeting the people still making and hearing their stories. Each show focuses on how a single product is built, giving listeners an insight into a part of British life they rarely hear about, and hopefully inspiring them to consider a career among the UK’s makers.

Bronze – The Third Angle

Taking listeners behind the doors at some of the world’s most innovative engineering operations, The Third Angle shows listeners how design and technology can make the world a better place. From Open Bionics in Bristol to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the podcast showcases the human side of engineering, free from corporate jargon.

Gold – Elis James and John Robins

Elis James and John Robins have been making each other laugh for 20 years, and radio listeners have had the joy of joining in for the last ten. The show combines effortlessly funny freewheeling banter with regular features like John’s Shame Wall, Made Up Games, Up Your Region and Petty Parliament.

What started life as a radio show has now had its first year in the podcast-first format, and it’s as funny as ever, increasing the listenership by 36% in the process. It’s now the number-one on demand comedy title on BBC Sounds, and shows no sign of losing that title any time soon.

Fellow comedian Josh Widdicombe highlights the show’s achievement: “When the history of UK podcasting is written, Elis and John will be central to it. They have pioneered the open, honest and funny conversation that so many have since copied”.

Silver – This Paranormal Life

Unexplained mysteries of the paranormal are undeniably fascinating, but plenty of podcasts on the subject end up being a little too po-faced. This Paranormal Life adds some much needed levity to proceedings, even celebrating the Halloween episode with a visit to an allegedly haunted Burger King in Puerto Rico.

2024 was the podcast’s biggest year to date. Not only did the show have some truly memorable guests, including Rhys Darby and Dan Schreiber, and make its Edinburgh Fringe debut, but it won Funniest Podcast of the Year at the Clapham Grand’s Golden Lobes too.

Bronze – Help, I Sexted My Boss

The odd problem-solving couple of DJ Jordan North and etiquette expert William Hanson has delighted listeners since 2018 and amassed nearly 40 million more listens in the entry period. The show also did a podcasting first, with a live show recorded at the London Palladium broadcast into over 400 cinemas across the UK and Europe.

Gold – Yoto Daily

Former primary school teacher Jake Harris has built a devoted audience for Yoto Daily – a children's podcast that brings daily fun, games, activities, jokes and more. Harris’ warm, personal and child-friendly style has endeared him to households all over the world.

This year has been an especially strong one for Yoto Daily, with some surprising voices making an appearance including Sesame Street’s Elmo and Sir Elton John. But the listeners are also a big part of the content, with thousands of jokes submitted by children for the “Friyay Jokes” feature, and a similar quantity of artwork produced as part of the regular draw-along features.

With new episodes released Monday to Friday, Yoto Daily reaches a massive 65,000 families every episode. New audiences keep joining the fun as older kids grow out of it, and it’s now in its sixth year with over 2,000 shows recorded.

Silver – The News Agents

It was a bumper year for The News Agents with elections on both sides of the Atlantic driving more people than ever to get a daily digest from expert political journalists Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall.

With the 24-hour news cycle breathlessly breaking multiple stories a day, these political minds are brilliant at zooming out and looking at the macro picture. And the show doesn’t just limit itself to politics, with in-depth interviews on other aspects of culture. Steve Coogan on phone hacking, Michael Sheen on the closure of British steel and Jason Isaacs discussing Trump’s impact on Hollywood were all highlights of the last year.

Bronze – The Story

The flagship daily podcast from The Times and Sunday Times aims to help its listeners understand the world in depth. From Paul Morgan-Bentley exposing security problems in a top British prison to voice notes from Amal Helles on the ground in Gaza where internet access was too patchy for a traditional interview, The Story has perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else.

Gold – Dead Man Running

In 2019, a man vanished while swimming at Monastery Beach in Carmel, California. A rescue operation sprung into action, but after a few days the story flipped on its head, as it emerged that the missing person was wanted for a string of sexual offences. What began as a missing person’s case became a manhunt.

It’s a global story, as the man in question is Kim Avis, a Scot well known in Inverness in the 2000s for his magnetic personality. The six-episode story explores what happens when a dark past finally catches up with a man, with episodes recorded across the States, Scottish Highlands and English countryside.

Interviews with victims are sensitively handled, and mixed with real-time recording of the manhunt in action. It’s no wonder the gripping series reached an audience of 2.6 million listeners, and was a regular fixture in Apple Podcasts’ top ten for weeks.

Silver – The Trapped

After airing a report on the unsanitary conditions of social housing in Croydon on ITV News, the channel received so many messages that they set up an email hotline for horror stories up and down the country.

Over four years, Daniel Hewitt investigated, creating four hours of immersive sound-rich audio exposing the scandalous imbalance of power between tenants trapped in unsafe living spaces and the people ignoring their cries for help. Not only did the series top the documentary chart, but it has given a voice to the powerless and started a conversation about social housing – a real achievement for an audio-first format.

Bronze – Stalked

After police failed to take action on her stalking case, Hannah teamed up with family friend and journalist Carole Cadwalladr to investigate instead. Backed by a soundscape of the nasty messages Hannah received over the years, the podcast captures the claustrophobic menace of being stalked as the two get to the bottom of what happened.

Gold – What’s Your Map?

The very visual nature of maps may feel like a poor match for the audio-first podcast medium, but in What’s Your Map? historian Professor Jerry Brotton proves it can be done with clever writing and sound design to bring the fascinating world of cartography to listeners.

On the show, Brotton explores the history, politics and culture of maps over the ages, with a special guest, who is asked to bring a map of special interest with them. This year saw several memorable moments, including NASA’s Heidi Hammel discussing the use of star charts and Ed Parsons, the former head of Google Maps, explaining how geopolitics can shape digital mapmaking.

The podcast proves that an appreciation of maps isn’t just for cartography experts, with activists, authors and fans of travel represented. The show has been used as a teaching aid, and has even been featured in university newsletters.

Silver – Hold or Fold

Around a quarter of UK prisoners have a problem with gambling, and Hold or Fold hosts Ben and Steve were once among the number. The two have dedicated their post-prison lives to helping others, and the podcast offers much needed reassurance to those struggling with the hidden addiction that they’re not alone.

Though they have no formal broadcast training, the hosts’ own experiences and empathy allows guests to open up in revealing ways. Highlights have included footballer Steven Caulker discussing how his addictive personality has affected his career, and comedian John Robins revealing how 18 months of gambling led to depression and isolation.

Bronze – Fun Kids Science Weekly

There’s no shortage of science podcasts, but not all are appropriate for younger minds like The Fun Kids Science Weekly. From dinosaur experts to NASA scientists, guests meet listeners at their level, bringing plenty of fun with the education, and answering listener questions along the way.

Gold – The Traitors: Uncloaked

The Traitors is one of TV’s recent success stories, and with fans not able to get enough of the intrigue, the companion show was always going to be huge. But the BBC reinvented the format, with a first-of-its-kind visualised podcast, released both on BBC Sounds and broadcast on BBC2.

The hybrid show takes the best of entertainment podcasts – the irreverence, the informality and the chemistry of the hosts – and reimagines it for video and audio. Hosted by comedian Ed Gamble, the show includes celebrity superfans and eliminated stars reacting to the series’ twists and turns in real time. It combines the scale of TV with the intimacy of podcasting.

The results speak for themselves, with an average of 2.3 million viewers for each episode, and with exclusive audio-only content linked on the video version, BBC Sounds saw a 26% increase in audio streams for the second season.

Silver – This Paranormal Life

For those who like tales of the paranormal, but with less of the seriousness, This Paranormal Life is the perfect listen. Hosts Kit Grier Mulvenna and Rory Powers explore stories of the unexplained from hauntings to UFOs with plenty of laughs along the way. What other paranormal podcasts celebrate Halloween at a haunted Burger King in Puerto Rico?

2024 was a big year for the show, which has now passed 23 million lifetime listens. Not only did it include big-name guests like Rhys Darby and Dan Schreiber, but it won Funniest Podcast of the Year at the Clapham Grand’s Golden Lobes too.

Bronze – Vogue & Amber

If fans of Spencer & Vogue were worried about what to do after the former left the show, they needn’t have worried: Vogue’s sister Amber has stepped in for the latest evolution of the podcast. The show maintains the wit, warmth and unpredictability it had, now with added electric sibling chemistry.

Gold – The Coming Storm (Series 2)

The first series of The Coming Storm examined the decades of conspiracy theory that helped fuel both the rise of Donald Trump and the horrifying fallout of January 6 after he lost the 2020 election. In this second series, Lucy Proctor and Gabriel Gatehouse delve deeper down the rabbit hole, in the lead up to Trump’s 2024 election win.

Below the radar, propelling Trump to a second turn was a widespread belief that democracy and the state were already corrupted, and this is what The Coming Storm explores. With a ‘no talking heads’ rule, the cast of characters we meet over the course of the series have been involved in the story for decades.

From the anti-communist congressman with his own deep state to the original architect of the Trump meme machine who unleashed a monster, the tone is always curious, rather than condescending. It’s essential listening for those still confused by the Trump phenomenon.

Silver – Babbage

Science and technology podcasts can often either feel too superficial or too complex for general consumption. Babbage, from The Economist, is pitched perfectly, making complex research engaging and accessible to a general audience in each 40-minute episode.

From the risks of artificial intelligence to the science transforming modern warzones, Babbage often goes beyond the studio in search of answers. The show has travelled to Georgia for superbug treatments, visited DIY drone factories in Ukraine and seen the bleached corals in the Great Barrier Reef first hand for its listeners.

Bronze – Waterlands

Now in its third season, Waterlands is an auditory exploration of Britain’s rivers. Host Megan McCubbin’s deep ecological knowledge and enthusiasm for sharing it is infectious, and her curiosity helps tease out fascinating insights from the artists, scientists and grassroots activists who protect the waterways.

Gold – Cold Tapes

In a medium known for its innovative thinking, Cold Tapes took the fiction podcast to a whole new level: a murder mystery that encouraged listeners to play along at home, with a real £10,000 bounty at stake.

The self-funded podcast began with an intriguing premise: a murder committed on an Antarctic base in winter, with no way in or out for the 16 suspects. Even the police could only investigate remotely, in a series of interviews, secret recordings, autopsy reports and audio diaries that subscribers listened along to, trying to crack the case themselves.

It became something of a sensation, with 1,000 listeners paying £5 for ad-free access and a chance to win the cash. But even non-paying customers were hooked, with the podcast racking up 400,000 downloads and counting as word of mouth got more people invested in the mystery.

Silver – The Skies Are Watching

The Skies Are Watching has a fascinating premise that hooks the listener instantly. Heather disappears, only to be found again on a flight without any identification or a boarding pass. The intriguing story takes place in both 1938 and the present day, and is advanced by clever sound design, mixing on-the-ground documentary-style audio with the unnerving sounds of alien abductions and extraterrestrial transmissions.

The podcast is brilliantly acted with star turns from Guinevere Turner (American Psycho) and the wrestling legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts. It picked up the 2024 Audio Fiction Award at the Tribeca Festival, and the Best Podcast Audio Drama gong at the BBC’s Audio Drama Awards.

Bronze – Broken Veil

Taking inspiration from ‘found footage’ media like The Blair Witch Project and Ghostwatch, Broken Veil is an unsettling fiction set in the Essex countryside, where people seem to be slipping into an alternate reality. It’s a clever show, which makes the listener question things like storytelling and confirmation bias along the way.

Gold – Inbetween Man

With terms like “toxic masculinity” frequently in the news, what does it mean to be a man in the 21st century? For comedian Max Dickens, men have moved on from the model set by their fathers and grandfathers (Man 1.0), but aren’t fully realised Man 2.0 yet. His podcast sets out to explore the idiosyncrasies that journey presents.

Episodes explore the stereotypical stumbling points for men: a love of solitude, an inability to recognise feelings, and a lack of friends to discuss them with. Powerfully open and honest with a wonderful soundtrack from the musician Rich Legate, the show has been used to provide talking points for men’s groups.

Despite running on a shoestring budget, the show’s influence has been impressive. Dickins and Legate were invited to do a live version for the launch of The Brothers Arms (the first men’s health pub), and to parliament for the launch of the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys.

Silver – Why Mums Don’t Jump

One in three women are affected by pelvic floor dysfunction, but it’s rarely discussed openly. Helen Ledwick launched the Why Mums Don’t Jump podcast to try and break the stigma, with a unique space for sufferers to not only laugh, cry and cringe together, but to find information and support.

Since launching, the podcast has spawned a book, an animated film, national media appearances, charity collaborations and been a part of major women’s health events. One listener even curated an in-person exhibition dedicated to the show, highlighting its importance in reaching women who too often feel isolated thanks to the condition.

Bronze – My Life with Dementia

Dementia is a devastating syndrome not just for sufferers, but for those supporting them too. Fronted by the actor Jim Broadbent, each episode of Dementia UK’s six-part podcast tackles a different aspect of living with dementia, from those unexpectedly providing caring duties to those grieving a loved one.

Gold – The History Podcast: The Brighton Bomb

For the 40th anniversary of the Brighton Bomb attack, the BBC produced a fascinating series exploring the story of an attempted assassination of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. It was the biggest assault on a British government since the gunpowder plot in 1605.

Narrated by Belfast novelist Glenn Patterson, the series explores the motives for the attack, the manhunt for the bomber and the political implications of an event that are still being felt today. An immersive soundscape mixes archival audio with new interviews, survivor accounts and expert analysis.

Above all, the sheer number of near misses and ‘what ifs’ in the story makes it a fascinating turning point in British history. Indeed, the show also reveals how the police were able to avert a follow-up IRA bombing campaign aimed at England’s beaches with just hours to spare.

Silver – The Guernsey Deportees

In 1942, as part of Germany’s occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War, more than 1,000 Guernsey residents were forcibly moved to the Biberach internment camp where they spent their lives until the war ended.

In The Guernsey Deportees, Ollie Guillou tells their story with the help of historians and first-hand accounts from four of the surviving islanders who made the journey over 80 years ago – including Guillou’s own grandmother. It’s a story not just of deportation, but of resilience and courage which remains important to this day.

Bronze – Sing It Pink

Sing It Pink is a fascinating look at the 40-year history of London’s Pink Singers, the oldest LGBTQ+ choir in Europe. With each episode hosted by a different choir member, the show provides an intergenerational dialogue, showcasing how societal attitudes have transformed over the choir’s four decades.

Gold – Moves and Shakers: A Podcast About Life with Parkinson's

Sir Nicholas Mostyn, Gillian Lacey-Solymar, Rory Cellan-Jones, Mark Mardell, Jeremy Paxman and Paul Mayhew-Archer have, by their own account, just two things in common: interesting careers in the public eye, and a Parkinson’s diagnosis. They never intended to become campaigners – creating the Movers and Shakers podcast to have “a laugh and a moan” – but that is ultimately what they’ve become.

After starting the show, the hosts were pleased by the cries of recognition from listeners about dealing with the disease, but shocked to hear what less high-profile sufferers had to deal with. The fear that comes with waiting over a year for a diagnosis, or the humiliation of being forced to explain that Parkinson’s won’t get better on a benefit’s application form.

With listeners’ experiences in mind, the six created the “Parky Charter”: a manifesto for better Parkinson’s care. Taking the case to politicians across the political spectrum, the campaign has secured pledges of action and a Commons debate on Parkinson’s.

Silver – A Slice of Bread and Butter

A Slice of Bread and Butter tackles the important issue of food insecurity in a unique and affecting way. Produced by The Bread and Butter Thing – an organisation that brings nutritious and affordable food to the UK’s most deprived communities – the podcast gives voice to those at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis.

By drawing attention to real-life stories from those on the front lines, it fosters empathy and raises awareness about communities struggling across the UK. But it’s inspirational, too, showcasing the humanity of grassroots efforts that make a tangible difference to people’s lives.

Bronze – Shadow World: The Willpower Detective

After reporting on financial abuse permitted by power of attorney orders, BBC reporter Sue Mitchell received scores of emails and letters concerned about loved ones. The podcast series follows Mitchell’s investigation of one frequent offender, not only triggering a police investigation but helping to shape a wider Private Members Bill on the subject in parliament.

Gold – Widowed AF

Widowed AF is an invaluable resource for those who have experienced the unthinkable and lost a spouse. It’s a lifeline for those navigating the journey of grief and loss, dealing with the challenges of widowhood and mental health, while championing the importance of community support.

Widowed young and with three young children, host Rosie Gill-Moss is a wonderful interviewer, facilitating candid and honest conversations with those who have also lost their partner. The interviews are often raw and emotional, but always honest, helping listeners cope with their emotions and, most importantly, realise they’re not alone.

The show features a diverse range of guests who have experienced loss in many different ways, and it explores the many challenges they face after the event from raising children solo to dating after widowhood. As the podcast says, every widow has a story, and with Widowed AF, Gill-Moss is determined to ensure they’re all heard.

Silver – The News Agents (Inside the Murky World of Facebook)

In March 2025, The News Agents’ Emily Maitliss became one of the few journalists to speak to Sarah Wynn-Williams, the whistleblower whose book, Careless People, alleged widespread wrongdoing at the world’s biggest social network, Facebook.

Maitliss’ interviewing skills prise out some jaw-dropping details, including allegations that Facebook worked “hand in glove” with the Chinese Communist Party and would target vulnerable teenage girls with adverts promoting slimming and beauty products. Released ahead of publication and before Facebook sought a legal block on the book’s promotion, this interview is a highlight of The News Agents’ impressive year.

Bronze – The Louis Theroux Podcast

Fans of Louis Theroux’s TV work will feel immediately at home with his podcast, which brings the documentarian’s brand of intelligent, playful and occasionally confrontational discussion to the long-form interview format. The guest list is deeply impressive, with the last year featuring Tracey Emin, Germaine Greer, Sharon Stone, Baz Luhrmann and Barry Keoghan.

Gold – The Conversation’s Curious Kids

The Conversation website hosts some of the sharpest academic analysis around, but one of the best parts of the site is the Curious Kids column, where experts answer children’s questions in simple terms. In 2024, the site introduced a podcast version to answer kids’ burning questions about space, dinosaurs, trees and even the cuteness of dogs.

This isn’t just an audio version of the column: it’s a two-way conversation between expert and curious kid, featuring interactive experiments. In one memorable moment, Jacco Van Loon explains gravity to young Miles using a tea towel, a tomato and a pea.

To ensure great rapport, host Eloise Stevens facilitated pre-chats to give the children confidence for the real thing and to keep the academics’ language age appropriate. For listeners, the sound production is exquisite, transporting audiences at home to the deep sea and space, making the eight-part first season essential listening for curious kids of all ages.

Silver – Evie Asks… How Are You?

Every three minutes, a child in England is referred to mental health services for anxiety. Evie Asks… How Are You? seeks to tackle the problem head on with a friendly, calming podcast that helps children understand their emotions via storytelling, lively movement and imaginative play.

Hosted by CBeebies’ Evie Pickerill, each short episode is a space for four to eight year olds to reflect, reset and recharge their energy. The format is deliberately interactive and repeatable, with children encouraged to float their worries away in “Up, Up and Away”, physically shake off tension in “Wiggle and Shake” or enjoy the simplicity of stillness with “Calming Butterfly”.

Bronze – Yoto Daily

Bringing games and activities to a devoted audience, former primary school teacher Jake Harris’ warm, child-friendly style has made his a must-listen podcast to thousands of households. Along with the engaging interactive content, the show’s sixth year has seen excellent surprise cameos from Elmo and Sir Elton John.

Gold – DNA Trail: The Promise

Just before Laura Ancell’s father died in 2006, the BBC journalist made a promise that she would find her grandfather – a man that her Dad had never known. The series covers Ancell and her mother’s journey to fulfill that promise: a journey that takes them from the south coast of England to New Zealand to find the truth.

The podcast is aimed squarely at those who seek a deeper connection with their ancestry, culture and identity. Other than the twists and turns of the story, the heart of the podcast is the relationship between Ancell and her mother. It’s a beautiful, relatable relationship that leaves the audience sharing their joy, grief and laughter until the final credits roll.

The show has inspired listeners to go on their own DNA trails, giving Ancell’s father a greater legacy than she could ever have imagined when she made the promise 24 years ago.

Silver – Big Boy Energy

Following on from the success of the BPA award-winning Brown Girls Do It Too, Poppy Jay hosts a spin off show that’s all about men. In Big Boy Energy, Jay seeks to ask some big questions of men: What do they want? How does fatherhood change a man? Does a man ever get over his first love?

Guests like Kae Kurd, Shabaz Ali, Ramzan Miah, Asim Chaudhry and Ryan Lanji seek to answer Jay’s burning questions, with thought-provoking answers touching on everything from Mummy’s boys and body image to queer relationships and brotherhood.

Bronze – Life After Prison

Our justice system is based on the idea of criminals deserving a second chance, but the help for those leaving incarceration is limited. Life After Prison is a series that offers support for those struggling to adjust after serving their time, as well as for their friends and families.

Gold – Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion

Migrants making the journey across dangerous bodies of water to safety in Europe has been a huge part of news bulletins in recent years. Facilitating this wave are gangs of people smugglers, and in this fascinating series investigative journalist Sue Mitchell and former soldier Rob Lawrie seek to track down one of the most notorious.

Known by the codename of “Scorpian”, the gang leader Barzan Majid slipped free of arrest in 2022, escaping a ten-year prison sentence. Mitchell and Lawrie’s journey to eventually meeting with an unrepentant Majid takes them through France, Belgium, Italy, Turkey and finally Iraq.

The journey sees the two uncovering new evidence linking Majid to deaths via failed small boat crossings, and gives listeners uncomfortable insights into the world of human trafficking gangs. More importantly, it shines a light on the lack of international cooperation when it comes to tackling the root of the people smuggling industry.

Silver – Who Killed Emma?

In 2021, Sam Poling’s series Who Killed Emma? sought to uncover the identity of Emma Caldwell’s killer. It led to her confronting Iain Packer, a man with a history of abuse against women who often took sex workers to the spot where Caldwell’s body was found.

The series picked up last year with five episodes covering the aftermath, where Packer was finally brought to justice. Sentenced to 36 years in prison for the murder, Poling was a key witness helping to secure the conviction. The five new episodes see Poling hearing from new victims and former police officers discussing the failings of the original investigation.

Bronze – The BelTel

With three episodes a week, The BelTel podcast brings exclusive stories of politics, crime and history to an audience that wouldn’t typically pick up a newspaper. Featuring a stable of respected Northern Irish journalists, the show goes beyond what news podcasts typically cover, from looks inside the country’s most prolific crime gangs to exploring local political scandals.

Gold – Prison Radio Association

The Prison Radio Association is doing amazing work supporting both people in prison and those returning to the community. As well as running National Prison Radio for those behind bars, the charity has launched a series of podcasts doing great things to support ex-prisoners turning over a new leaf.

Life After Prison is hosted by two ex-prisoners, and tackles the problems that those who have served their time often face when returning to society with relatable advice and stories. The Secret Life of Prisons, meanwhile, examines prison life through the eyes of someone who has worked in prisons for 20 years and a co-host who was incarcerated for four. Hold or Fold aims to assist former prisoners with gambling addictions, while Outside is produced by trainee producers after their release.

The network not only has noble aims, but produces great podcasting work that deserves a listenership beyond the prison community.

Silver – History Hit

Ten years ago, Dan Snow recorded his first episode of History Hit: an interview with his father, recorded on a phone in a Travel Lodge. A decade later, and History Hit is just one of a stable of eight podcasts, broadcasting 16 episodes a week and racking up 9.5 million listens a month in the process.

This year has not only seen more stellar work on podcasts like The Ancients, Gone Medieval, After Dark and Betwixt The Sheets, but seen the network co-produce Endurance on Disney Plus and launch the Assassin’s Creed inspired Echoes of History with Ubisoft.

Bronze – Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment’s roster of shows includes some of the biggest names in podcasting and radio: Elizabeth Day, Dan Jones, Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo, to name but a few. In 2024, the network’s audience grew a massive 30% – a vindication of its choice of quality over quantity.

Gold – Journeys With Grace

Grace Gigi Ogun is exceptionally talented as Journeys with Grace deftly demonstrates. Not only is the show a compelling one-woman production in its own right, but it shows just how many strings she has to her bow, from semi-professional football to her dreams of making music professionally (some of which features on the show).

These disciplines would be hard enough to juggle on their own without the presence of Crohn's disease – a type of IBD where parts of the gut become swollen and inflated, leading not just to discomfort and digestive issues, but a feeling of fatigue that can’t be fixed with rest.

Growing up in Brixton brought its own problems too, with the area of South London then known for crime and violence. Nonetheless, Grace’s story is one of endurance, survival, hope and humour: it’s a wonderful new addition to the world’s podcast library.

Silver – Strangers on a Bench

Strangers on a Bench is proof that everybody has a story to tell. Created by singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal, the podcast aims to demonstrate the kinds of amazing stories you can hear when you talk to strangers.

In this series, the park bench is the studio, and it’s all the better for it. From a father who cycled to India to the man jailed for assault now looking to spread love, the show highlights the rich tapestry of life. With no marketing plan, it became a word-of-mouth success, attracting positive coverage from The Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic and The Economist.

Bronze – Inbetween Man

Comedian Max Dickens believes that while the current generation of men have improved from the sometimes toxic examples set by their fathers and grandfathers, they are still somewhere from being a fully developed Man 2.0. The show explores stereotypical stumbling blocks for men trying to do better in an honest and open fashion.

Gold – Momfessions

While often presented as an unambiguously happy time of life, motherhood sometimes doesn’t live up to expectations for various reasons. Mums who are struggling with their new lives can find themselves lonely, depressed or guilty for not experiencing motherhood as they believe they should.

Momfessions aims to break that stigma with anonymous voice notes from real mothers sharing parts of their lives that parents are often too ashamed or afraid to say out loud. Rage, guilt, grief and loneliness: whatever they’re feeling, it’s the unfiltered truth for the show’s listeners.

Accompanying the confessions, host Laura Guckian is joined by either an expert or an inspiring Mum to respond to the issues raised in the voice note. It’s much needed support and solidarity for struggling mothers, and it’s been a hit with listeners since launching last year. As one said: “This should be blasted out of every NHS maternity ward.”

Silver – Dear Daughter

When Namulanta Kombo had a baby, she began writing the new arrival letters, imparting wisdom for her daughter to read one day. When she won a BBC World Service competition looking for new African voices in podcasting, she found a way to bring the project to more people than ever before.

Each episode of Dear Daughter is based on a letter from a real person to their daughter, younger self or daughter figure, giving us fascinating insights from guests at different stages of life with a diverse range of perspectives. With Kombo’s natural hosting warmth, guests open up, sharing their wisdom, advice and stories in a manner that is often truly inspirational.

Bronze – Still Parents Podcast

The Still Parents podcast is an invaluable resource for bereaved Dads, encouraging them to embrace their emotions and speak out about how devastating it feels to lose a baby. Each episode features personal stories and provides support, helping men avoid the stereotypical trap of suffering in silence.

Gold – Mia Thornton

In 2024, 27-year-old Mia Thornton was picked as one of four producers at the BBC Sounds Audio Lab – a podcast accelerator programme that seeks to develop distinct voices to effectively present under-represented stories and ideas.

It’s fair to say that Thornton grabbed this opportunity with both hands. Over nine months, she created Instrumental: Black British Trailblazers – a superb five-part docuseries that explores Black artists’ contributions to classical, punk, dance, folk and pop music. Thornton combines accessible storytelling with a sense of curiosity which is just perfect for the medium, and she has since secured work at the BBC Sounds Curation team to continue her audio career.

As part of her spell with Audio Lab, Thornton spent some time at Reform Radio in Manchester, a not-for-profit arts organisation and production company. As well as producing content, the organisation runs workshops for unemployed people in the North West to gain new skills.

Silver – Marnie Duke

The very promising Marnie Duke shot to the podcasting world’s attention with The Hole Truth – a three-part anthology series, exploring how much of America fell down conspiratorial rabbit holes and the term “conspiracy theorist” became less a pejorative and more a badge of honour. The show attracted plenty of praise, and was picked for The Guardian’s selection of the week’s best podcasts when it was released.

Duke’s talent also caught the attention of The Future Justice Project, which has now commissioned her to produce a series about the myriad problems of the criminal appeals system, where innocent people face insurmountable odds to clear their names.

Bronze – Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty showed her Rising Star credentials fronting the BBC’s Diddy on Trial visualised podcast – a potentially tricky subject matter, given the legal limitations on reporting on an active court case. Despite this, she showed superb range: just as comfortable discussing showbiz gossip as providing insightful commentary on both hip hop and the Black experience.

Gold – Criminally Queer: The Bolton 7

Criminally Queer is both a shocking story in its own right, and also shockingly recent. In 1998, seven gay and bisexual men were convicted of the archaic crimes of breaching the Sexual Offences Act 1956 for undertaking consensual group sex two years earlier.

While the sexual activity happened behind closed doors, police found a video recorded by one of the men during a dawn raid and a prosecution was subsequently sought. This documentary series reveals shocking details from the trial, while deftly exploring how societies criminalise certain kinds of sexual activity while turning a blind eye to others.

A 2000 appeal to the ECHR followed, and the Home Office ultimately offered an out of court settlement and a promise to change the law. But as with the best documentaries, there are still parallels between the historic events recalled here and debates about sex education and identity still ongoing today.

Silver – The Affair… with Anna Williamson

A show studying infidelity could feel sensationalist in the wrong hands, but the broadcaster, author and therapist Anna Williamson handles the subject matter with great sensitivity and professionalism. Each episode features intimate interviews with those who have experienced betrayal from a partner, or those who have betrayed others, helping listeners understand the emotional and psychological impact that infidelity can have on relationships and families.

It’s an engaging listen packed full of meaningful dialogue and emotional depth. The safe space provided ensures that interviewees are open and honest, giving listeners a new perspective on their own relationships and personal challenges.

Bronze – All Out with Jon Dean

Since launching in 2024, All Out has consistently hit the top spot on the UK sexuality podcast lists, with its brand of open, educational and thought provoking LGBT chat. Focusing on the shared life experiences and challenges of gay men, the podcast is also a video hit with almost 25,000 YouTube subscribers and millions of views across all platforms.

Gold – The Upshot

The Upshot isn’t your average sports podcast. Rather than delivering match reports and arguments about the form book, the podcast shares gossip from beyond the training ground, let alone the stadium. Think drunken nights out, locker room fights and the chaos that occurs when egos collide, all gleefully shared to the show’s loyal listeners.

The stories seem unreal, routinely calling out the absurdities of the sporting world. The show has shared how Neymar Jr. used a doppelganger to get out of the doghouse, how the Lazio eagle handler had penis-enlargement surgery and how the Iditarod dog sledding world saw a disqualification thanks to inadequate moose gutting.

Once a newsletter of over 100,000 subscribers, the switch to a podcasting format has seen The Upshot go from strength to strength with 300,000 monthly downloads and over 2,000 Patreon subscribers.

Silver – How to be Superhuman

How to be Superhuman is perfect workout listening: a podcast that inspires listeners to break personal records as they hit the tarmac or weight bench.

Rob Page – an endurance runner who has run across America – is a terrific host, meeting guests with incredible stories from across three continents. From the first woman of colour to walk to the South Pole solo to the surfer who recovered from a broken back to ride the waves again, the discussions are as engaging as they are motivational.

The team behind the podcast got superhuman results in the judging period too, with social media engagement increasing by 400% year on year.

Bronze – The Sports Agents

Hosted by two of Britain’s top sports broadcasters in Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman, The Sports Agents covers an unrivaled breadth of sports. From doping to gender politics, the two cover the big issues from the world of sport with insight, and have continued to attract big name guests like Mo Farah, Lando Norris, Luke Littler and Leah Williamson.

Gold – The Traitors: Uncloaked

The Traitors: Uncloaked is a new kind of podcast. It combines the scale of event TV with all the irreverence, informality, intimacy and chemistry of podcasting. This reinvented format allowed the show to be broadcast both on BBC2 and BBC Sounds, giving podcasting the status it deserves.

The comedian Ed Gamble hosts the show, accompanied by celebrity superfans and joined by players eliminated from the game itself. Audiences delight in seeing and hearing them respond to the twists and turns of the programme in real time.

The companion show to one of the big recent reality TV success stories was always going to be huge, but this reinvented hybrid format led to great results. An average of 2.3 million viewers tuned into each episode, and with exclusive audio-only content linked from the video version, BBC Sounds saw a 26% increase in audio streams.

Gold – The Guernsey Deportees

Released just weeks before the 80th anniversary of Guernsey’s liberation from German occupation, The Guernsey Deportees tells the story of how more than 1,000 islanders were forcibly moved to the Biberach internment camp in 1942 on Adolf Hitler’s orders.

With the help of historians and four surviving islanders forced to make the journey to Germany, Olilie Guillou tells a story of resilience and courage. One of the four survivors is Guillou’s own grandmother, Jill Chubb, who was just three years old when the events unfolded, giving it added emotional depth, alongside the historical importance.

With few survivors still alive to tell the story, this is an important piece of oral history, and it’s received plenty of attention. From a sold-out spot on a stage at Guernsey’s Literary Festival to being featured on German Public Radio, the show is keeping the islander’s treatment alive for current generations to study.

Gold – Kill List

The dark web is the wild west of the internet, where all kinds of criminal activity takes place. One seemingly sinister website offered a ‘hitman for hire’ service, where users could request a murder and pay in Bitcoin. The site was actually a scam, with the creator taking payment without fulfilling the requests, but that didn’t mean the buyers’ intent wasn’t real.

Internet researcher Chris Monteiro hacked the site and was able to see all the orders made by wannabe customers, with disturbing detail about the targets they wanted killed. Unable to get help from the police, journalist Chris Miller and his team took matters into their own hands, reaching out to the targets to warn them their lives were potentially still in danger.

As well as being a thoroughly engaging listen, the show has had a hugely positive impact on those whose lives were in danger, prompting 35 arrests and 28 convictions to date.

Silver – Murder at the Stables

Murder at the Stables is a ten-part docudrama series covering the death of Katie Simpson, a 21 year-old showjumper. What initially seemed like suicide would eventually see the conviction of her sister’s partner – Jonathan Creswell – who had raped and murdered Simpson, rather than finding her hanged as he originally claimed.

Three of Simpson’s friends would later admit covering for the killer, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland also has questions to answer, failing to thoroughly investigate Creswell, despite a previous conviction for domestic abuse. The series attracted over a million downloads, with 83.3% of listeners completing the series.

Bronze – Dead Man Running

Dead Man Running starts off as a missing person’s case, but quickly becomes a manhunt when it emerges that the target has a string of sexual offences to his name. This six-part series travels from California to Scotland, and explores what happens when a man’s dark past finally catches up with them.

Gold – Lleisiau Cymru: 1 Mewn 2

When Mari Grug was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, one of the first things she did was to look for an appropriate podcast to help her process the devastating news. While there are plenty of shows offering help and support to those diagnosed with cancer, none of them were in Grug’s first language of Welsh, so she decided to make one.

Across six episodes, Grug not only shares her own experience with the illness, but is also able to introduce experts and those who have gone through a similar ordeal. Doctors, pharmacists, friends, fellow cancer patients, and even her own mother have appeared on the podcast, discussing everything from chemotherapy to sharing the bad news with friends and family.

The podcast is honest at discussing topics that people might be uncomfortable raising, including how cancer affects people’s sex lives and dealing with financial hardship during treatment. An essential programme for Welsh speakers with cancer.

Silver – Yr Hen Laith

Yr Hen Laith (“The Old Language”) is a fascinating deep dive into Welsh history. In the show, Welsh and Celtic literature expert Professor Jerry Hunter of Harvard and Bangor Universities guides Cardiff University’s Richard Wyn Jones through the story of Welsh literature from the dark ages to the modern day.

The second season picks things up with the Tudors, the arrival of the printing press and the publication of the Bible in Welsh for the first time. Listeners are introduced to the works of Morgan Llwyd, William Salesbury and Rhys Prichard, and there’s even a special live episode discussing Hunter’s new book about the Welsh regiment in the American Civil War.

Bronze – Siarad Siop Edo Mari a Mailir

Since winning the Best Welsh Language podcast at the 2023 BPAs, Siarad Siop Edo Mari a Mailir has expanded from just covering RuPaul’s Drag Race into a broader pop culture show. Retaining the sass, but now free to explore the world beyond Drag Race, the show is pure smart, joyful escapism.

Gold – Miss Me?

With Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver separated by the Atlantic Ocean, a high-quality video link between the two was all important. But more than that, with Allen and Oliver both instantly recognisable cultural figures with bold visual identities, the podcast creators decided that video wasn’t just going to be an add-on to the audio: it was integral to the show.

As a result, you don’t get grainy footage – unless it’s a deliberate artistic choice, as with the Billy Eilish interview. The team installed 4K DSLR cameras, professional lighting and studio-quality audio equipment in both hosts’ spare rooms. For when the two are on the road, there are remote travel kits that can instantly create a studio in any space.

The result is both professional and informal. Interruptions from family members and pets are actively encouraged for an authentic, intimate experience, all captured in perfect detail. The approach seems to have paid off, with Miss Me? Racking up over 115 million views.

Silver – Staying Relevant

As stars of Made in Chelsea and The Only Way is Essex, Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks know a bit about the power of video, and Staying Relevant pushes the boundaries of visual podcasting in a self-aware and entertaining way.

Unscripted and unpredictable, the show lends itself to video with the two riffing on fleeting fame, relevance and each other’s flaws. Viewers can see the genuine friendship between the pair, in a way audio-only doesn’t allow. The results are impressive, with over 85,000 YouTube subscribers, and more than 765,000 followers between Instagram and TikTok.

Bronze – Help, I Sexted My Boss

The chemistry between etiquette expert William Hanson and TV presenter Jordan North creates viral moments like no other podcast. Help, I Sexted My Boss aims to make the audio and visual channels complementary to each other, but some moments – like North flying off his chair, or Producer Ben taking a prank lie detector test – are just made for video.