Last night, the 2023 British Podcast Awards took place at the HERE at Outernet immersive theatre in central London, a ceremony which celebrated excellence in the podcasting industry. One thing that the awards proved is how rich and diverse the podcasting industry is in content, and that there is always room for new ideas in this growing and competitive space, as seen in this week’s Freshly Dropped.
As always, our Earworms for this week also features recommendations from industry experts across both the podcasting and advertising side of the industry - showcasing what they love to listen to for both entertainment and career inspiration.
What’s in the industry’s ears?
Alexis Darker - Key account director, Acast
Hosted by BBC 6 Music presenter Deb Grant alongside DJ and vinyl enthusiast Eamon Murtagh, What Goes Around? is a podcast for music lovers from two hosts who really do know their onions, but which is packaged and presented in an unpretentious and accessible way. As you'd expect with both of them being experienced broadcasters, the show is extremely well produced whilst also being fun and uplifting with some amazing guests spanning across all genres, from funk n' soul to rock and roll, and everything in between.
Megan Thomas - Marketing and communications associate, Brandwidth
A favourite podcast of mine is You're Dead to Me, a hilarious history podcast that dives into the most interesting topics your school syllabus might have missed. Hosted by Greg Jenner, writer of the Horrible Histories TV show, he's joined by a different expert historian and popular comedian every week. These episodes will give you plenty of laughs, along with some fun facts to help you win your local pub quiz.
Sufia Hussain - IE&D director EMEA, Wunderman Thompson
This week I tuned into the Diary of a CEO’s episode with Jimmy Carr, who started his career in marketing and pivoted to stand-up comedy. It wasn't an easy transition, which needed no small share of resilience and grit, but the focus of the podcast is positivity even when he was suffering from anxiety and depression. One for us all to tune into as we face the final few months of 2023.
Alex Wilson - Global executive creative director, Amplify
As It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia streams its 16th season on Netflix, I find myself seventy or so episodes deep into listening to 'the gang' on The Always Sunny Podcast, creators Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney and Dennis Howerton, look back at the last eighteen years of the show.
Jason Cobbold - Chief executive officer, BMB
The Infinite Monkey Cage is a brain-stretchingly brilliant podcast. If you want to put marketing problem-solving into perspective, try some light conversation about the nature of dark matter, the origin of numbers or the end of the Universe. Absurd, profound and wrapped up in a chat over a cup of tea.
Freshly Dropped
Hot Mess with Alix Earle
TikTok viral star Alix Earle launched her podcast Hot Mess this week, marking the first podcast launch under Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network. The podcast features Earle telling listeners about the behind-the-scenes of her life and what goes on behind her trending TikToks. The podcast debuted on 21 September and is available to watch on YouTube and on Spotify.
CRISPr Bite
CRISPr Bite is a new five-part deep dive series on the CRISPr gene-editing technology’s use in food that gives listeners a look into the labs where researchers mess with food genes. The podcast, hosted by food anthropologist Dr. Lauren Crossland-Marr, debuted its first episode on 27 September and looks at how CRISPr works and the risks behind it that people worry about.
One More Life
Radio Times magazine has launched a new gaming culture podcast, hosted by the brand's gaming editor Rob Leane. The podcast, which launched on Tuesday this week, is titled One More Life and features Leane speaking to celebrity gaming fans and creators about their gaming lives and what advice they have based on their experiences.
Stick To Football
Football pundit and former professional football player Gary Neville is the host of a new weekly sports podcast series titled Stick To Football, an extension of The Overlap which is a podcast created as part of Neville and Sky Bet’s long-term partnership. The podcast launched on Wednesday and features Neville co-hosting alongside fellow commentators and former professional football players Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane.
Media Confidential
Prospect magazine has partnered with Fresh Air to launch Media Confidential, a podcast deep-diving into the world of media and who drives it. The podcast, which launched yesterday, is hosted by media veterans - Prospect editor and former editor of The Guardian Alan Rusbridger and former editor of the Financial Times Lionel Barber.
