The British Podcast Awards has revealed the 2025 shortlists for two of its most distinctive categories, alongside the latest Top 10 in the Listeners’ Choice public vote.
This announcement highlights both the podcasts commanding mass appeal and those thriving within smaller, passionate communities.
The Spotlight Award celebrates shows drawing more than 100,000 listens per episode within 30 days, reflecting the role of podcasts that reach large audiences and help shape the medium’s mainstream growth.
In contrast, the Specialist Award honours independently produced podcasts with under 5,000 listens per episode in the same timeframe, shining a light on niche creators and underrepresented voices who bring diversity and originality to UK podcasting.
Alongside the judge-led categories, the organisers have also released the current Top 10 podcasts in the Listeners’ Choice Award, the only publicly voted prize at the ceremony.
The list offers an early picture of which shows are most resonating with UK audiences this year. Voting remains open, giving fans the opportunity to support their favourite podcasts until the awards take place.
Comedian and podcaster Maisie Adam will host the ceremony on 2 October at Indigo at The O2 in London.
2025 Shortlist for the Spotlight Award
- Elis James and John Robins – Audio Always
- Miss Me? – Persephonica for BBC Sounds
- Stalked – BBC Studios Audio
- The News Agents – Global
- The Traitors: Uncloaked – Platform Media for BBC
- Titanic: Ship of Dreams – Noiser
- Today in Focus – The Guardian
- Yoto Daily – Yoto
2025 Shortlist for the Specialist Award
- Life After Prison – Prison Radio Association
- My Life with Dementia – by Arlie Adlington for Dementia UK
- On the Side of Humanity – Amnesty International
- RadioTherapy – Teenage Cancer Trust
- Sing it Pink – Aunt Nell
- Still Parents Podcast – The Lily Mae Foundation
- The Guernsey Deportees – OG Podcasts
Listeners’ Choice Award: Current Top 10 Revealed
Thousands of podcast fans have already cast their votes in the 2025 Listeners’ Choice Award, the only British Podcast Award category decided entirely by the public. While the race remains wide open, today’s Top 10 leaderboard offers an early look at who’s capturing listeners’ hearts.
Current Top 10 Podcasts (in alphabetical order):
- After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal – History Hit
- Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society – History Hit
- British Scandal – Wondery
- Elis James and John Robin – BBC
- Staying Relevant – Staying Relevant Productions
- The Dr Louise Newson Podcast – Newson Health Group
- The Running Channel Podcast – The Running Channel
- The Socially Distant Sports Bar – Wondery
- Uncanny – BBC
- Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris
Voting remains open until 11.59pm on 8 September and listeners can back their favourite show at britishpodcastawards.com/voting. To ensure your vote counts, don’t forget to verify it via email.
The final six Listeners’ Choice nominees will be announced on 11 September, with voting reopening briefly for the final round before the overall winner is revealed during the British Podcast Awards ceremony.
These three categories are part of a broader list of over 200 nominees across 26 awards, reflecting the diversity and energy of UK podcasting.
Nominees across other categories this year include: David Tennant, Louis Theroux, Lily Allen & Miquita Oliver, Angela Hartnett & Nick Grimshaw, and The News Agents team.
Tickets for the ceremony are available now at britishpodcastawards.com/tickets.
British Podcast Awards 2025 – Full Shortlist
Arts & Culture
Facing the Music – Overcoat Media for BBC Radio 3
Folk on Foot – Potholder Productions Ltd
Intersections: Los Angeles – Rethink Audio Ltd
Sonic Fields – Freelance Sam Tyler
Soul Music – BBC Audio Bristol for BBC Radio 4
The Lost Archives of James Baldwin – Sea Salt and Mango
Best Host(s)
Angela Hartnett and Nick Grimshaw – Cold Glass Productions
Dan Snow – History Hit
David Tennant – Sony Music Entertainment & No Mystery
Femi Oke – Audible
Helen Pidd – The Guardian
Louis Theroux – Mindhouse Productions in collaboration with Spotify
Luke Jones – Audio Always
Zak and Jules – Prison Radio Association
Business
Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey – Restord
Money Talks – The Economist
The Daybreak Europe Podcast – Bloomberg
The Factory Next Door – The Factory Next Door
The Third Angle – 18Sixty Ltd
The Times Tech Podcast – The Times
Wedding Pros Who are Ready to Grow – BeccaPountney.com
Comedy
Elis James and John Robins – Audio Always for BBC Radio 5 Live
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake – Sony Music Entertainment
Sound Heap – Lead Mojo
The Skewer – An Unusual production for BBC Radio 4
This Paranormal Life – R&K Media
Help I Sexted My Boss – Audio Always
Daily
Newscast – BBC News
The Daybreak Europe Podcast – Bloomberg
The Intelligence/The Weekend Intelligence – The Economist
The News Agents – Global
The Story – The Times and The Sunday Times
Today in Focus – The Guardian
Yoto Daily – Yoto
Documentary
Cursed – Audible
Dead Man Running -A BBC Scotland production for BBC Sounds
Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion – BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring – The Citizens
Stalked – BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live
The Trapped – ITN
Education
Fun Kids Science Weekly – Fun Kids
Hold Or Fold – Prison Radio Association
LSE iQ – London School of Economics and Political Science
What’s Your Map? with Jerry Brotton – Whistledown Productions
Entertainment
Elis James and John Robins – Audio Always for BBC Radio 5 Live
Help I Sexted My Boss – Audio Always
Inbetween Man – Improvise Event Limited
The Guilty Feminist – The Spontaneity Shop Enterprises
The Traitors: Uncloaked – Platform Media/Listen for BBC Sounds
This Paranormal Life – R&K Media
Vogue & Amber – Global
Factual
Babbage – The Economist
Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma – Change Grow Live (ReNew)
Beyond Five Senses – Kinda Studios
In Dark Corners series 2 – BBC Audio Scotland for Radio 4
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring – The Citizens
The Coming Storm (series 2) – BBC Long Form Audio production for BBC Radio 4.
Waterlands – 18Sixty
Fiction
Broken Veil – Cheese & Pickle Productions
COLD TAPES – Free Turn & Wondery
Limelight: Discretion – Hat Trick Productions for BBC Radio 4
Last Dance – Blackabbey Productions
Limelight: Money Gone – Naked Productions for BBC Radio 4
The Mysterious Affair at Styles – A Poirot Mystery’ – Audible
Limelight: The Skies Are Watching – Goldhawk Productions for BBC Radio 4
This Paranormal Life – R&K Media
Health & Wellbeing
Echoes of Harm – WeissComm Partners
Hack your Body, Heal your Mind – Audible
Inbetween Man – Improvise Event
Jon Holmes Says The C Word – An unusual production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
My life with dementia – Dementia UK
Why Mums Don’t Jump – Helen Ledwick
History
Assume Nothing: Killer Dust – BBC NI for BBC Radio 4
Sing it Pink – Aunt Nell
The Guernsey Deportees – OG Podcasts
The History Podcast – The Brighton Bomb – Walk on Air Films for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
The Spy Who – Wondery
Titanic: Ship of Dreams – Noiser
Weird in the Wade – Weird in the Wade
Impact
A Slice of Bread and Butter – The Bread and Butter Thing
Movers & Shakers: a podcast about life with Parkinson’s – RCJ Media
Oceans: Life Under Water – Crowd Network
On the Side of Humanity – Amnesty International
QueerAF – QueerAF CIC
The Culture Colonel – BFBS
Shadow World: The Willpower Detectives – BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4
Interview
Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma – Change Grow Live (ReNew)
Everything I Know About Me – DMG Podcasts
OUTCAST WORLD – 7th Planet Media Services
The Hidden 20% – The Hidden 20%
The Louis Theroux Podcast – Mindhouse Productions in collaboration with Spotify
The News Agents – Special episode: Inside the murky world of Facebook – Global
Widowed AF – WIDOWED AF
Kids
Checkpoint Kids Bedtime Stories – Magdoos Media
Evie Asks… How Are You? – Audio Always
The Conversation’s Curious Kids – The Conversation UK
The Hey Duggee Pupcast – Chalk and Blade for Cbeebies and BBC Sounds
The Reading Cafe – The Reading Cafe
Yoto Daily – Yoto
Lifestyle
Beyond Five Senses – Kinda Studios
Brown Girls Do It Too: Big Boy Energy – A BBC Radio 5 Live commission for BBC Sounds
DNA Trail: The Promise – BBC Local Audio for BBC Sounds
Life After Prison – Prison Radio Association
Melting Pot – BBC Audio North for BBC Sounds Audio Lab
Not Even Water – BBC Asian Network
This Is Powerful – Sound & Bones
Network or Publisher
BBC World Service
Fun Kids
Global
History Hit
Prison Radio Association
Sony Music Entertainment
Wondery
New Podcast
Because the Boss Belongs to Us – Molten Heart
Hold Or Fold – Prison Radio Association
Inbetween Man – Improvise Event
Journeys with Grace – Journeys with Grace
RadioTherapy – RadioTherapy
Strangers on a Bench – The Pleasant Trees
Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris – RobWords
News & Current Affairs
Business Daily – BBC News
Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion – BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
Newscast – BBC News
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring – The Citizens
The BelTel – Mediahuis UK
The Coming Storm (series 2) – BBC Long Form Audio production for BBC Radio 4.
Who Killed Emma? – BBC Scotland for BBC Sounds
Parenting
Dear Daughter – BBC World Service
Happy Mum Happy Baby – Pixiu Productions
How To Feed with Charlotte Stirling-Reed – Pod60
Momfessions – Mind Mommy Coaching
Secret Mum Club with Sophiena – Audio Always
Still Parents Podcast – Lily Mae Foundation
The Apple & The Tree – DMG Podcasts
Two New Mums – Venny
Rising Star (sponsored by Secret Media Network)
Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty – BBC News and BBC Sounds
Clodagh Stenson – BBC Local for BBC Sounds
Marnie Duke – Transmission Roundhouse
Mia Thornton – BBC Audio Labs
Toni Tone – Audio Always
Sex & Relationships
A Gay And A Nongay – A Gay And A Nongay
All Out with Jon Dean – GIMME VIDEO
Criminally Queer: The Bolton 7 – A Reduced Listening production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab
Sex in Space – String Theory
The Affair… with Anna Williamson – Curve Mesia
The Divorce Podcast – E-Negotiation
Sport
F1 Explains – Formula 1
For The Love Of Rugby – Crowd Network
How To Be Superhuman – Podcast Discovery
Paula’s Marathon Run Club – Viral Tribe Entertainment
The Game – The Times and Sunday Times
The Sports Agents – Global
The Upshot – Footwork Media
True Crime
Beyond Suspision – Audible
Cocaine Inc. – The Times and The Sunday Times
Dead Man Running – A BBC Scotland production for BBC Sounds
Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion – BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
Kill List – Wondery
Assume Nothing: Murder at the Stables – BBC NI
Shadow World: Thief at the British Museum – – BBC News Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
Stalked – BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds and 5 Live
Video Innovation – sponsored by Canon
Access All: Disability News and Mental Health – BBC
Help I Sexted My Boss – Audio Always
Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley – StoryHunter for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
Miss Me? – A Persephonica production for BBC Sounds
Radio Atlas – Radio Atlas
Staying Relevant – Staying Relevant Productions
Welsh Language
Lleisiau Cymru: 1 Mewn 2 – BBC Radio Cymru
Sgwrsio – Sgwrsio
Siarad Siop efo Mari a Meilir – Meilir Rhys Williams
Yr Hen Iaith – Podlediad Yr Hen Iaith
