The most popular podcasts that have entertained millions of listeners across the UK throughout the year have been revealed by BBC Sounds.
There were more than 2.3 billion plays of radio, music, and podcasts on BBC Sounds from January to November 2024 and a 12% increase for on demand speech content.
Top ten most popular BBC Sounds podcasts of 2024 in the UK
(Based on BBC Sounds plays between January and November 2024)
- Newscast: The BBC’s daily news podcast
- Limelight: Fiction and drama serials you won’t want to miss, including Central Intelligence
- Americast: The latest insights and analysis from the US
- Uncanny: Danny Robins investigates real life stories of paranormal encounters
- Just One Thing – with Michael Mosley: Scientifically proven tips to change your life
- You’re Dead to Me: Greg Jenner and guests learn and laugh about the past
- Sliced Bread: Greg Foot investigates wonder products with bold claims
- Intrigue: Dramatic true stories that reveal how the world really works, including Worse Than Murder and To Catch a Scorpion
- Mark Steel’s in Town: Stand-up comedy tailored to towns across the UK
- Lady Killers / Swindlers with Lucy Worsley: Lucy Worsley investigates the crimes of Victorian women from a contemporary, feminist perspective
Jonathan Wall, Director of BBC Sounds, says: “2024 has been a fantastic year for BBC Sounds.
“We delivered round-the-clock coverage of the biggest national moments including the elections at home and in the US, an action-packed summer of sport, and a record-breaking BBC Proms season.
“We launched bold new podcasts with big names, including Miss Me? with best friends Lily and Miquita, Off the Telly with Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page, and Joanne McNally Investigates which saw the comedian pursue a new role as an investigative journalist.
“Looking to the wider audio landscape, we acquired popular titles from podcast partners across the nation, including Tortoise Media, Noiser and Goalhanger, as well as from independent producers, supporting our peers across the industry and ensuring there’s always something fresh and exciting for our audience to discover on the platform.
“Plus, we made it easier than ever to find the content that matters to you. In the BBC Sounds app, we grouped content into ‘Collections’, we created a ‘Latest News Playlist’, and we implemented a new 24/7 ‘Live News’ stream, making it easier to discover a range of live and on-demand titles.
“In 2025 we will continue to deliver what listeners want, where they want and how they want, and we’re already planning our next wave of on demand commissions.”
Mohit Bakaya, BBC Director of Speech, says: “I’m delighted to see such a wide range of genres making the BBC Sounds top ten list, demonstrating the incredible speech offering we have for listeners.
“There truly is something for everyone from news and investigative journalism to comedy, drama, and history. It’s been another strong year for audio, with our teams winning 29 awards at the British Podcast Awards and launching major new series like Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and CIA drama Central Intelligence starring Kim Cattrall and Ed Harris.
“We’ve increased plays of on demand speech content by 12% on BBC Sounds over the past year and we will continue to bring listeners the very best engaging, entertaining and creative podcasts.”
