British Podcast Awards 2026 Longlist revealed

The British Podcast Awards today unveils the 2026 nominee longlist for this years’ awards taking place at indigo at The O2 onThursday, 1st October 2026. 

Podcasts, hosts and production companies have all entered the coveted awards this year. After careful review by 200 esteemed industry voices and experts, the BPA’s are thrilled to reveal the 2026 longlist – a special recognition for the excellence, talent, passion, and originality they bring to British podcasting.

409 entrants have been recognised across 27 categories, with almost half the selected longlist pertaining to independent titles and talent sitting alongside the UK’s biggest names in audio - reflecting the continued innovation and ever-increasing scope within UK podcasting.

Popular voices hoping to claim Best Host(s) include Bill Nighy, Louis Theroux, Jo Whiley & Zoe Ball, Jordan North & William Hanson, Katherine Ryan, Lily Allen, Miquita Oliver & Jordan Stephens, and Rylan.

Those up for the highly sought-after award for Best Interview Podcast encompassHow to Fail with Elizabeth Day, Ready to Talk with Emma Barnett, Great Company with Jamie Laing, Olivia Attwood’s Olivia’s House and Mad, Sad, Bad with Paloma Faith.

Best Comedy Podcast is up for grabs by From The Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast, Joe and James Fact Up with Joe Thomas & James Buckley, _Shged Married Annoyed_ with Chris & Rosie Ramsey, Elis James and John Robins, and Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake with Mel Giedroyc** amongst twelve further nominees.

The new Food & Drink category has selected five longlisted nominees including Dish with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware and lan Carr and Lee Peart’s Bottoms Up! 

Further category nominations span Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErland for Best New Podcast, The Peter Crouch Podcast for Best Sport Podcast, What’s My Age Again? with Katherine Ryan and NewlyParents for Best Entertainment Podcast, The Teen Commandments with Sara Cox and Claire Hamilton for Best Parenting Podcast, and Joe Marler Will See You Now for Video Innovation.

The shortlist will be revealed on Thursday, 23 July. 

The full list of longlisted nominees can be found below.

ARTS & CULTURE

• Book Quest - Fun Kids 
• Books on the Beach - Independent Podcaster 
• Breaking Atoms - Breaking Atoms Limited 
• Folk on Foot - Potholder Productions Ltd 
• Girls On Film 
• Intersections: Silicon Valley - Rethink Audio 
• Jane Austen’s Paper Trail - The Conversation UK 
• Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story - BBC Audio Wales and West of England 
• Mag Hags 
• Scarred For Life - Lock It In Studio 
• So, Hear Me Out - Reduced Listening Ltd 
• SOIL: Common Ground Series - Somerset House Trust 
• Soundtracking With Edith Bowman - Ebow Ltd 
• That’s Not How It Went Down 
• The Cockney Yiddish Podcast - Rhubarb Rhubarb 
• The Failing Writers Podcast 
• The Problematic Gaze 
• The Rise & Fall of Indie Sleaze - Peanut & Crumb 
• The Secret Life of Songs - London College of Contemporary Music 

BEST HOST(S)

• Anna Sinfield - Novel 
• Annie Kelly, Helen Pidd and Nosheen Iqbal, and Lucy Hough - The Guardian 
• Bill Nighy - EYEPOD Studios 
• Charlie Hedges & Holly Hagan-Blyth - Bite Your Tongue Productions 
• Deborah Frances-White - The Spontaneity Shop 
• Dr Jeff Foster -Voy 
• Edith Bowman - Ebow Ltd 
• Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann - Answer Me This! 
• James Deacon - Sync Clap Limited 
• Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - Persephonica Limited 
• Kate Moryoussef - ADHD Women’s Wellbeing 
• Katherine Ryan - Bauer Media 
• Lily Allen, Miquita Oliver, Jordan Stephens - Persephonica Limited 
• Louis Theroux - Mindhouse Productions 
• Rosie Moss - Widowed AF 
• Rylan Clark - Mindhouse Productions 
• Sara Davies & Helen Goddard 
• Wilfred Frost - Bird Lime Media 
• William Hanson and Jordan North - Audio Always 

BUSINESS

• Being Freelance - Foll&Co Ltd 
• Boss Class 3 - The Economist 
• Daybreak Europe - Bloomberg 
• Executive Decisions with Steve Sedgwick - CNBC 
• Failing Out Loud - Mikwabo 
• How To Own The Room 
• Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future - Boxlight Creative Studio 
• Make Planning Make Sense - Centro Planning Consultancy 
• Mind Your Business With Sara & Helen 
• Oxford+ - Kindling 
• Places She Shapes - JAC Project Management 
• Scam Detectors - Featurespace, A Visa Solution 
• Talk Auto - Cox Automotive 
• The Relentless Optimist - 18Sixty 
• The Factory Next Door 
• The Times Tech Podcast - The Times and The Sunday Times 
• Walking Out Loud - Tandem Productions 
• We Built This City: Greater Manchester - Purposeful Podcasts 
• What The Fraud? - Sumsub 
• Women’s Business - The Wilder Collective Ltd 

COMEDY

• Elis James and John Robins - Significant Productions Evil Animals - BBC Studios Audio 
• Fin vs History - Podmasters 
• Frank Off The Radio - Avalon  
• From The Oasthouse The Alan Partridge Podcast (Series 4) - Audible 
• Game’s Gone - The Steve Bracknall Podcast - Persephonica Limited 
• Joe and James Fact Up - Audio Always 
• Listen Through The Brown Window
• Mel and Sue Should Know By Now - Audible 
• Pirate Material - Podomedy 
• Shagged Married Annoyed - Avalon  
• The Big Pitch - BBC Studios Audio 
• The Guilty Feminist - The Spontaneity Shop 
• The Last Laugh: The Last One Laughing Podcast - Audible 
• This Paranormal Life - This Paranormal Life 
• The Skewer - unusual 
• Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake - Sony Music Entertainment 
• When The Cops Say No, We Say Yes - A Step Too Far Productions 

DAILY

• 13 minutes presents: Artemis II - BBC 
• Daybreak Europe - Bloomberg 
• Newscast - BBC 
• Today In History with The Retrospectors - Rethink Audio 
• The Intelligence - The Economist 
• The Story - The Times and The Sunday Times 
• Today In Focus - The Guardian 
• Scotcast - BBC Scotland 
• Walk the Pod - Walk the Pod 

DOCUMENTARY

• Anatomy of a Cancellation, for Shadow World - BBC 
• Assume Nothing - The Stormont Spy Ring - BBC NI 
• Beware Book - Bauer Media 
• Death in Dubai (World of Secrets: Season 9) - BBC 
• Charlene: Somebody Knows Something - Daily Mail  
• Everything is Fake (And Nobody Cares) - Tempo & Talker productions 
• FOUNDLING - The Observer 
• Half-Life (The History Podcast) - Falling Tree Productions 
• Love and Radio: Blood Memory - Love and Radio 
• Made In China - BBC 
• Palestinians in Paraguay - Uncovering Roots 
• Pipeline: Left to Die - Daily Mail  
• The Toxic Waste Scandal - BBC 
• The Birth Keepers - The Guardian 
• The Girlfriends: Untouchable - Novel 
• The History Podcast: The Fort - BBC 
• The Smuggler - BBC 
• The Walkers: The real salt path - The Observer 
• The Wargame - Sky News 

EDUCATION

• A Little Bit Richer - Fresh Air 
• English Like A Native Podcast - English Like a Native 
• From Newcastle - Newcastle University 
• Fun Kids Science Quest - Fun Kids 
• Hold Or Fold - Prison Radio Association 
• Scam Detectors - Featurespace, A Visa Solution 
• Talking Rubbish - The Rubbish Collective 
• The Curve - The Curve Platform 
• The Pension Confident Podcast - PensionBee 
• The We Society - Whistledown Productions

ENTERTAINMENT

• Boj & Kate Have A Lot On Their Plate - Podmasters 
• Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - Persephonica Limited 
• Elis James and John Robins - Significant Productions 
• FolkLands - Seven Owls Ltd 
• Great Company - Jampot Productions 
• ill-advised by Bill Nighy - EYEPOD Studios 
• Lost in Translation - Bauer Media
• Mad, Sad & Bad - Jampot Productions 
• NewlyParents - Jampot Productions 
• Olivia’s House with Olivia Attwood - Platform Media 
• Second Act with Ateh Jewel - HELLO! magazine 
• Shagged Married Annoyed - Avalon  
• The Buckleys Podcast - Platform Media
• The Guilty Feminist - The Spontaneity Shop
• The Louis Theroux Podcast - Mindhouse Productions 
• The Luxury Podcast - Audio Always  
• This Paranormal Life - This Paranormal Life 
• The Rise & Fall of Indie Sleaze - Peanut & Crumb 
• Topthree - Topthree Podcast 
• What’s My Age Again? - Bauer Media 

FACTUAL

• A Carnival of Animals - BBC 
• Babbage - The Economist 
• BatChat - Bat Conservation Trust 
• Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma - ReNew 
• Curious Cases - BBC Studios - Science Audio 
• Fun Kids Science Quest - Fun Kids 
• Future Tense with Richard Ayoade & Warwick Davies - Audible 
• Hold Or Fold - Prison Radio Association 
• How to Change the World: The History of Invention - How to Change the World 
• In Two Minds - Bengo Media 
• Making Tracks Railway Podcast - Making Tracks Railway Podcast - NB a collective of enthusiasts not a company 
• Tech Tonic - Financial Times 
• The Artificial Human - BBC NI 
• The Download - Yoto 
• The Story - The Times and The Sunday Times 
• The Wargame - Sky News 
• Top Comment - BBC 
• When Science Finds A Way - Rethink Audio 
• Wonderful Life - Audible 
• World of Sharks - Save Our Seas Foundation 

FICTION

• Broken Veil - Beard With Sauce Ltd T/A Cheese & Pickle Productions Ltd 
• Buzz: The Man & The Moon - Goldhawk Productions  
• Heathcliff - Audible 
• Leyline High Rewind - Leyline High Rewind  
• Limelight: The Dentist - BBC NI 
• Lost Terminal - Namtao Productions 
• Murder on Mars - BBC Studios Audio 
• O Now - BBC NI 
• Project Bläckfisk - Cipher Atlas 
• Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers - Fun Kids 
• Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Noiser 
• Spores - Afonica 
• The Chronicles of Wild Hollow: Highperion Day (Vol. 1) - Shouting Is Funny 
• The Divide - Definitely Human 
• The Kingdom Sleeps - Cantrip Creative 
• The Wandsworth Way - Riverside Broadcasting CIC 
• Wolf Valley - Almost Tangible 

NEW: FOOD & DRINK

• Bottoms Up! with Alan Carr and Lee Peart - Goldhawk, Platform Media 
• Dish - Cold Glass Productions 
• Heard - Self Employed 
• Lunchbox Envy – QI 
• Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - Balabusta Productions 
• The Nightcap - Shakespeare Creative Ltd 

HEALTH & WELLBEING

• Complex - Loftus Media 
• In Two Minds - Bengo Media 
• Is It Hot In Here? - 7X Content 
• It’s So Loud In Here! - BBC 
• Kind - Giant Ruby Limited 
• Momfessions - Mind Mommy Coaching 
• No Appointment Necessary with Dr Amir Khan and Cherry Healey - Made You Look Studios Ltd 
• Pete Wicks’ Man Made - Bauer Media 
• Real with Ric - Life after Loss - Real With Ric Podcast  
• Reset Your Health with Jamie Oliver - Audible 
• Science Weekly - The Guardian 
• Sliced Bread - BBC 
• Still Parents Podcast - The Lily Mae Foundation 
• The Dementia Perspective - OG Podcasts 
• The Oral Health Podcast - Oral Health Foundation 
• The Woman’s Hour Guide to Life - BBC 
• What’s My Age Again? - Bauer Media 
• When Science Finds A Way - Rethink Audio 

HISTORY

• After Dark - History Hit 
• Assume Nothing: The Radiation Holiday - BBC NI 
• Back When - National Trust 
• British Scandal - Audible 
• Dan Snow’s History Hit - History Hit 
• Dexplorers - Podomedy 
• FolkLands - Seven Owls Ltd 
• Geekstorians - Geektown.co.uk 
• Half-Life (The History Podcast) - Falling Tree Productions 
• How Did We Get Here? Israel and the Palestinians - BBC 
• Mistresses with Jameela Jamil & Dr Kate Lister - Audible 
• Postwar with David Runciman - BBC 
• The Ancients - History Hit 
• The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev - BBC 
• The History Bureau: Putin and the Apartment Bombs - BBC Studios Audio 
• The House at Number 48 - BBC Long Form Audio 
• Titanic: Ship of Dreams - Noiser 
• War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind - Independent  
• Witness History - BBC Long Form Audio 

IMPACT

• A Question of Science - BBC Studios 
• Autism Unpacked - Options Autism 
• Black Earth - Black Earth Podcast 
• Crime Next Door: The Beast of Birkenhead - BBC  
• Inside Energy - Bengo Media 
• Living Histories - Heads On (Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s NHS Charity) 
• Missing In The Amazon - The Guardian 
• SEND in the Spotlight - BBC Woman’s Hour 
• SOIL: Common Ground Series - Somerset House Podcast - Somerset House Trust 
• Talking Rubbish - The Rubbish Collective 
• The International Care Collective - The International Care Collective 
• The Missing Sister - Free Turn 
• The Overturn - The Future Justice Project 
• The Wargame - Sky News 
• Trapped: The IPP Prisoner Scandal - Zinc Media 
• Untold: Toxic Legacy - Financial Times 
• Verandah Talk - Bengo Media 
• Wild Tales - National Trust 
• Women Beyond Walls - Women Beyond Walls C.I.C 

INTERVIEW

• Dish - Cold Glass Productions 
• Experience is Everything - Podmasters 
• How Do You Cope? … with John Robins (Richard Osman) - Significant Productions 
• How to Fail with Elizabeth Day - Sony Music Entertainment 
• Kind - Giant Ruby Limited 
• Lives Less Ordinary - BBC 
• Momfessions - Mind Mommy Coaching 
• On Hold - Storied Podcasts 
• Pete Wicks’ Man Made - Bauer Media 
• Ready to Talk with Emma Barnett - BBC Studios Audio 
• Rylan: How To Be In Love - Mindhouse Productions 
• Scarred For Life - Lock It In Studio 
• The Lede - New Lines Magazine 
• The Louis Theroux Podcast - Mindhouse Productions 
• The Master Investor Podcast with Wilfred Frost - Bird Lime Media 
• The Mishal Husain Show - Bloomberg 
• The Modern Mann - Rethink Audio 
• The Reading Cafe - The Reading Cafe 
• Y Podlediad Dysgu Cymraeg - Pont - Univeristy of South Wales 

KIDS

• Audiomoves in Space - Peut-Être Theatre 
• Dexplorers - Podomedy 
• Errol’s Garden Audio Musical - Golden Toad Theatre Company 
• Judge Bex - Fun Kids 
• Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast - Happiest Ltd 
• Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers - National Trust / FunKids 
• Silly News with Samantha Baines - Samantha Baines  
• Snoop & Sniffy - GoKidGo 
• Supertato: The Tato Radio Show - BBC Studios Kids and Family 
• The Fourth Bookmark - The Fourth Bookmark 
• The Week Junior Show - Fun Kids 
• Today with tonies - tonies 
• Yoto Daily - Yoto 

LIFESTYLE

• As The Season Turns - Ffern 
• Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - Persephonica Limited 
• Floating Space - Freelance 
• Get A Grip - Audio Always 
• Get Birding - Peanut & Crumb 
• Talking Rubbish - The Rubbish Collective 
• The Atlantic Canada Podcast - Atlantic Canada Agreement on Tourism / FINN Partners 
• The Outdoors Fix - The Outdoors Fix 
• This Was Always Me - Trickster Media Ltd 
• Travel Secrets by Tanya Rose - Travel Secrets 
• Your Aunties Could Never - YOUR AUNTIES COULD NEVER 
• We Talk To The Dead - Chloe Mediumship 

NETWORK OR PUBLISHER

• BBC World Service  
• Economist Podcasts+  
• Fresh Air  
• Fun Kids  
• Hamlin Studios  
• History Hit 
• JamPot Productions  
• Platform Media  
• Podomedy  
• Sony Music Podcasts 
• Unedited  

NEW PODCAST

• Bold Politics - Bold Politics 
• Do I detect a problem? - Sync Clap Limited 
• Fame Under Fire - BBC 
• Finding Your Pink - Emma Ledden  
• Kind - Giant Ruby Limited 
• On Hold - Storied Podcasts 
• Scotcast - BBC Scotland 
• Speed. Aggression. Surprise. The Untold Truth Behind the Story. - Dark Wave Film Ltd 
• The Art of Adventure - ILY Productions 
• The Jack & Ash Show - Audio Always 
• The Mishal Husain Show - Bloomberg 
• The State of Us: The Noah Donohoe Inquest - BBC 
• There’s A Lot I Haven’t Asked - There’s A Lot I Haven’t Asked 
• Top Comment - BBC 
• Visionaries 
• Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane - Platform Media 
• When The Cops Say No, We Say Yes - A step too far productions

NEWS, POLITICS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

• American Friction - Podmasters 
• Borderland - UK or United Ireland? - BBC Northern Ireland 
• Disorder - Freelance 
• Don’t Say A Word - 6Foot6 Productions 
• Electoral Dysfunction - Sky News 
• Flesh and Code - Audible 
• Holyrood Sources - Shortbread Media Ltd 
• Iran: the Latest - The Telegraph / Pod60 Ltd 
• Life of the Party - Ampersounds Productions 
• Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast - Rethink Audio 
• Palace Confidential - Daily Mail  
• Piers Morgan Uncensored - Piers Morgan Uncensored 
• Strong Message Here - BBC Studios Audio 
• The BelTel - Mediahuis  
• The Intelligence - The Economist 
• The Interface - BBC Studios Audio 
• The Tea with Myriam François - MPWR Productions 
• The Trial - Daily Mail  
• The Wargame - Sky News 
• Today In Focus - The Guardian 

PARENTING

• ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast - ADHD Women’s Wellbeing  
• Adopters Anonymous - Freelance 
• Autism Unpacked - Options Autism 
• Bitesize Parenting Teens - Porcelina Productions Ltd 
• CBeebies Parenting Helpline - Bite Your Tongue Productions 
• I’m Not Judging, But… - Fin (West) Limited 
• Judged: A Mother’s Love - BBC 
• Momfessions - Mind Mommy Coaching 
• Parentline NI - Your Guide to Parenting - Children in Northern Ireland 
• Parent Unplugged - Parent Unplugged 
• Still Parents Podcast - The Lily Mae Foundation 
• The Teen Commandments - Audio Always 

RISING STAR

• Alex Berteanu - MMR Research 
• Anna Wolfe - Rethink Audio 
• Eva Brookes - Reduced Listening Ltd 
• Georgie Styles  
• Hugh Sheehan  
• Iona Bain - Fresh Air 
• Issey Walton - tiny pink dvd player productions 
• Katie Bridget Murphy - BBC NI 
• Linda Du - Moola Money 
• May, Marie & Mel - Dramax Sounds 
• Maya Raichoora - Audible 
• Naomi Bloomstein 

SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

• Atonement: The John Paulk Story - Goldhawk, Platform Media 
• Bisexual Brunch - Made in Manchester Ltd 
• The Divorce Podcast - amicable 
• Trans Crush - Trans Crush 
• Sex in Space - String Theory Ltd 

SPORT

• F1: Chequered Flag - IMG 
• Football Weekly - The Guardian 
• For The Love of Cricket - Crowd Network 
• Game’s Gone - The Steve Bracknall Podcast - Persephonica Limited 
• Golf Is Ruining My Life - Ruining My Life Productions ltd 
• Hospital Ball - York Hospital Radio 
• Pat Brown & Dave Allen Discuss… - Matchroom Boxing 
• RYA 150 Podcast - RYA 
• Stick to Cricket - The Overlap 
• Stick to Football - The Overlap 
• SwimOut - Swimoutpodcast 
• That Peter Crouch Podcast - Marvellous 
• The Climate of Sport - Sport Positive  
• The Good, The Bad & The Football - Platform Media 
• The Ruck - The Times and The Sunday Times 
• Whistleblowers - Daily Mail  
• Wild Swimming Wangers - Hector Productions 

TRUE CRIME

• Beware Book - Bauer Media 
• Codename Badger - Audio Always 
• Coining It - Free Turn 
• Crime Next Door: The Ballad of Big Mags - BBC 
• Crime Next Door: The Beast of Birkenhead - BBC NI 
• Cyber Hack: Evil Corp - BBC  
• Fraudacious - Novel 
• Love and Radio: Blood Memory - Love and Radio 
• Matched with a Predator - BBC 
• Murder in the Masai Mara - The Telegraph 
• Natalie McNally Murder: Youtuber on Trial - BBC News NI 
• Off Duty - The Guardian 
• Ransom Man - BBC Studios Audio 
• Seventeen Years: The Andrew Malkinson - The Times and The Sunday Times 
• The Darkest Web - BBC 
• The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer - Novel 
• The Missing Sister - Free Turn 
• The Mystic and the Mayor - Bite Your Tongue Productions 
• The Poppy Day Bomb - The Times and The Sunday Times 
• The Trial - Daily Mail  

VIDEO INNOVATION

• Bitesize Parenting Teens - Porcelina Productions Ltd 
• Dish - Cold Glass Productions 
• Do I detect a problem? - Sync Clap Limited 
• Game’s Gone - The Steve Bracknall Podcast - Persephonica Limited 
• Get Birding - Peanut & Crumb 
• Joe Marler Will See You Now - Platform Media 
• Reporting History - ITV News (ITN) 
• The Daily T - The Telegraph 
• The Girls Bathroom - Audio Always 
• The Mishal Husain Show - Bloomberg 
• This Paranormal Life - This Paranormal Life 
• Ukraine: the Latest - The Telegraph 

WELSH LANGUAGE

• Hanes Mawr Cymru - Terrier Productions 
• Rhaglen Cymru - Independent 
• Siarad Siop efo Mari a Meilir - Siarad Siop efo Mari a Meilir 
• Sgwrsio - Sgwrsio 
• Sut i Ddarllen - Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru | Books Council of Wales 
• Sŵntrack gyda Joe - sŵntrack