Kirsty Young, Scottish TV and radio presenter and former host of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, has launched a new interview podcast series on BBC Sounds, the broadcasting corporation announced.
The podcast, titled Young Again, features the host in conversation with numerous stars about their lives and careers including supermodel Linda Evangelista, actor Daniel Kaluuya, and restaurateur Jamie Oliver in the first three episodes. The podcast is available to listen to on both the BBC Sounds platform and on BBC Radio 4. with broadcasts weekly.
Young’s podcast was first announced in May this year by BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore at the spring conference of broadcasting non-profit The Voice of the Listener and Viewer, as part of the BBC’s initiative to expand its podcast programming and continue to “create more great British IP”.
“Conversation is at the heart of being human and this extraordinary new era of podcasting is its perfect home,” Young said following the announcement. “I’m really looking forward to in-depth exchanges with my guests, exploring the landscape of their early lives and how it’s shaped the person they’ve become.”
“From the turning points to the tragedies and triumphs... What happened to us is why we are who we are. I’m looking forward enormously to sharing those life stories with listeners.”
Other shows that the BBC has launched under this initiative include 10-part narrative series History’s Secret Heroes, hosted by award-winning actress Helena Bonham Carter, and an upcoming series titled Being Roman hosted by English scholar Mary Beard and featuring her re-creating the lives of six people living within the Roman Empire, offering history lessons and stories about Ancient Rome.
BBC Audio Production also launched a 10-part podcast series titled Close Encounters in partnership between The National Portrait Gallery and BBC Radio 4 to mark the re-opening of the Gallery in the summer. The series is presented by journalist Martha Kearney and features 10 influential British figures who come face to face with portraits from the Gallery’s collection that mean something to them on a personal level.
