The BBC took home six gold awards at last night’s British Podcast Awards, including Listeners’ Choice plus three silver and two bronze commendations.
Nominations for the awards showcased the range of podcasts available on BBC Sounds with everything from political insight, entertaining and open chat, current affairs analysis and brilliant dramas represented.
Brexitcast was voted the best UK podcast by fans, receiving the Listeners’ Choice Award. The ‘unashamedly geeky’ podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC News offering behind the scenes insight on Brexit in both Westminster and Brussels with the BBC’s Political Editor Laura Kuennssberg, Europe Editor Katya Adler, political reporter Chris Mason and the BBC’s man in Brussels Adam Fleming is a regular chart topper and continues to grow each month.
Moment Of The Year was awarded to 5 Live’s You, Me And The Big C, a fitting tribute to creator and host Rachael Bland who died in September 2018 from breast cancer.
Dustin Lance Black’s exploration of surrogacy for 5 Live, Surrogacy: A Family Frontier took home the award for best family podcast.
That Peter Crouch Podcast scored another goal for 5 Live, winning the Spotlight Award. With insight into life as a top-flight footballer with former England, Liverpool and Spurs striker Crouch, the BBC’s chief sports writer Tom Fordyce and Radio 1’s Chris Stark, the hit series is the BBC’s biggest sports podcast.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry with Eddie Mair, which provided daily analysis into the inquiry into the 2017 fire, took home the award for best current affairs podcast.
BBC Local Radio’s Multi Story won the award for best radio podcast. Presented by Becca Bryers, Multi Story tells a diverse range of stories from across England.
Radio 4’s innovative drama The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward and documentary series Tara and George both received silver in the best fiction and best radio podcast categories, respectively. BBC Sounds’ Blood On The Tracks was given a silver accolade in best entertainment.
There were also two bronze commendations on the night: Radio 4’s daily news podcast Beyond Today in the current affairs group and 5 Live’s End Of Days in best true crime.
James Purnell, Director of BBC Radio and Education, says: “Congratulations to all of the winners and my thanks to the fantastic hosts and production teams behind the winning and nominated BBC podcasts who make such brilliant and creative audio loved by listeners.
“I’m really proud of the BBC’s great range of podcasts, both with our well-known top presenters and new talent, and how popular they’ve proved over the last year and since we launched BBC Sounds.
“I really look forward to hearing our new series from the winners of the Rachael Bland Podcast Award which will explore life in recovery. We know more and more people are listening to podcasts, which is why it’s important there are great BBC podcasts which innovate, as well as inform and entertain this growing on-demand audience and help create the next generation of audio fans in the UK.”
All BBC podcasts are available on BBC Sounds, the personalised app and website which brings together radio, music and podcasts.