BBC Studios enters licensing agreement with Podster to adapt own podcast in new languages

Podster has licensed one of BBC Studios’ original podcasts Killing Victoria. The miniseries will be adapted into new local languages and marks the first of its kind licensing agreement for BBC Studios on translating their own podcasts.

Killing Victoria is a historical miniseries consisting of seven episodes. The show is based on the stories of the seven men who each made an attempt on Queen Victoria’s life during her reign. The podcast series brings the listener closer to the perpetrators, unpicks what might have driven them to take up arms, and brings a fresh perspective to the realities of life in Victorian England.

The show was commissioned and produced by BBC Studios Productions. It was published in the spring of 2023 on BBC Sounds and other podcast platforms globally. Following the podcast’s recent global publication in English, BBC Studios and Podster will now make this show available in new markets and languages.

The Danish startup Podster specialises in adapting local podcasts into new formats to reach a larger audience and bring in more revenue for publishers. Podster will focus on territories such as the Nordics, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.

“To be the first to enter this title arrangement with BBC Studios makes me feel humble and happy. BBC Studios is known for high content quality, and this is a great opportunity for both parties to reach new audiences”, says Henriette Høj Gharib, Co-founder and CEO of Podster.

“We’re incredibly proud of Killing Victoria as a title and it is fantastic to be working with Podster to bring this title to more listeners around the world” says Georgia Mosely, Executive Producer for Killing Victoria.

Dr Bob Nicholson (Edge Hill University), historian and presenter of Killing Victoria, adds, “tracing the lives of the Queen’s seven assailants took me on a fascinating journey through Victorian history — from palaces to prisons, and onwards through asylums, pubs, parks, theatres, newspapers, convict ships, and eventually to Australia.”

Nicholson continues, “Back in the nineteenth century, these attacks made headlines around the world. Language was no barrier to the spread of such sensational news, and readers followed the cases in French, German, Italian, and Spanish newspapers. Now, the translation of Killing Victoria means that new international audiences will be able follow in their footsteps. I can’t wait to see what they make of it.”