London Podcast Festival Ends On A High Note

What Was on The Agenda

Here is just a partial list of shows:

• Thu 3 Sep, 19:00 – The Guardian: Science Weekly: a live recording of the Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast with science editor Ian Sample, co-host Madeleine Finlay and a special guest
• Fri 4 Sep, 19:00 – The Final FronTia: drag superstar, presenter and pop culture obsessive Tia Kofi is joined by special guests for a live recording blending drag, geek culture and unapologetic fandom
• Sat 5 Sep, 16:30 – Disniversity: Nightmare Before Christmas: the Disney deep-dive podcast turns its attention to Tim Burton’s stop-motion classic
• Sat 5 Sep, 19:00 – Clara & Munroe Are Into It: broadcaster Clara Amfo and award-winning writer and model Munroe Bergdorf bring their acclaimed podcast to the stage, unpacking the week’s biggest talking points in music, film, fashion, politics and internet culture
• Sun 6 Sep, 19:00 – Counter Pressed with Flo Lloyd-Hughes and Friends: An unfiltered, fun look at the world of football, with a focus on the women’s game, featuring commentator Flo Lloyd-Hughes, and a rotating group of friends
• Wed 9 Sep, 19:30 – The Power of a Book: BAFTA nominated comedian and host Rachel Parris explores the children’s books that have shaped the lives of guests Sophie Duker and Nina Conti
• Sat 12 Sep, 14:00 – I’m ADHD! No You’re Not: Join Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE and BAFTA Award-winning comedy actor Paul Whitehouse as they blend expert insight with humour and candid conversation about the realities of ADHD and neurodiversity
• Sat 12 Sep, 19:00 – All British Comedy Explained: a live celebration and dissection of British comedy’s finest moments with Tom Salinsky and Abigoliah Schamaun and very special guest Paul Whitehouse
• Sun 13 Sep, 14:00 – The Guilty Feminist: comedian Deborah Frances-White and guests bring stand-up and conversation to the stage, as part of the festival’s Road to Gilead Project
• Sun 13 Sep, 16:30 – NonCensored: Having brought down four Prime Ministers in four years, the world’s most powerful satirical political podcast comes to the London Podcast Festival with a live show to tell you all the right things to think about the world
• Sun 13 Sep, 16:30 – Our Table with Judi Love: Comedian and presenter Judi Love brings her hit podcast for a one-off live recording. Expect warm, honest and often hilarious conversation with a panel of brilliant guests

Maker Weekend returned this year with its range of high-quality, affordable and professional workshops and classes.

Rebecca Millican notes: “A few themes came up repeatedly across the weekend: audience, community and sustainability. Particularly with our Makers Workshop sessions on how you build an audience around a show, how you make it commercially viable, and how you create something that people feel genuinely part of.”

Millican adds: “Judi Love’s Our Table is a really good example of that. It’s a podcast about conversation, with food being an integral part of the format. The idea of bringing people together around a table and using food as a way into conversations about culture, identity, relationships and life. Her festival show brought that sense of community into the room, with guests Jimmy Akingbola, Diane Parish, ZeZe Millz and Kojey Radical.”

ForbesThe Podcast Show In London Was A ‘Really Big Show’By Frank Racioppi

That idea of community took some very different forms elsewhere in the program. Audio Drama Day is a particularly good example of how much independent audio drama has developed as a creative world in its own right, with shows such as Camlann, Wooden Overcoats and We Fix Space Junk. These are independently made shows with really dedicated audiences, and there’s something special about seeing those listeners come together around stories and worlds they’ve discovered through podcasting.

Other shows of note included The World’s Coolest Disabled which brings disability-led storytelling and experience to the stage, and Counter Pressed, which created a space around women’s football and its growing audience. And then you have shows like Beef and Dairy Network and Ask the Nincompoops, which show just how much room there is for very distinctive, particular comedy and storytelling.

The Festival organizers observed: “We think that’s what someone who wasn’t there would most want to know is indie podcasting is incredibly varied, but the strongest shows tend to have a very clear sense of their audience and a real relationship with them. Whether that’s around food and conversation, audio drama, comedy, a particular cultural interest or simply a shared obsession, there are more ways than ever for independent creators to build something that people want to be part of.”

The Shows That Killed It

According to the organizers, these are the sessions that drew the biggest crowds, sold out, or overran on questions.

1. The Guardian Science Weekly x Black Box with How AI is reshaping our minds

• About the show: Our relationships change us. So what about the ones we develop with chatbots? How are the machines we speak to reshaping our minds? The Guardian’s chart-topping podcast Black Box is coming back for a second series, exploring the collision between AI and us. To mark its return, journalist and host of Black Box: The Chatbots, Michael Safi, joins Guardian science editor Ian Sample and Science Weekly co-host Madeleine Finlay for a live recording of the Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast.
• Hosts: Ian Sample, Madeleine Finlay, Michael Safi
• The World’s Coolest Disabled
• About the show: The World’s Coolest Disabled is a bold, honest and uplifting podcast hosted by journalist and broadcaster Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, exploring life with disability through open conversations, humour and real stories.
• Host: Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Guests: Rosie Jones, Richie Brave, DJ Versatile, Tyler Saunders and Shani Dhanda
• The Empire Film Podcast
• About the show: The podcast arm of the world’s biggest movie magazine returns to Kings Place with a fascinating and often very funny discussion of the hottest movies around, plus a cracking surprise special guest. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll hurl.
• Hosts: Chris Hewitt, Helen O’Hara, James Dyer joined by Ben Travis and special guest Corin Hardy
• Beef & Dairy Network
• About the show: The Beef And Dairy Network Podcast is the number one podcast for those involved or just interested in the production of beef animals and dairy herds.
• Host: Ben Partridge, Guests: Cody Dahler, Tom Crowley, Sammy Dobson, Gemma Arrowsmith, and Mike Shephard.

• The Truth (In My Opinion) with Cody Dahler
• About the show: For this special live show in association with Amnesty International, Cody Dahler sat down with comedian Jen Brister to ask her what three news stories she thinks we should all be talking about.
• Host: Cody Dahler Guest: Jen Brister
• Life After Prison
• About the show: Life After Prison is an award-winning podcast created to support people leaving prison and their loved ones. Life After Prison platforms the stories of people who have spent time in jail and are now rebuilding their lives on the outside. It aims to de-stigmatise the prison experience, and change the conversation about prison and the people who have been there by sharing powerful stories of hope and change.
• Hosts: Zak Addae-Kodua and Jules Rowan Guests: Lord Dr Michael Hastings CBE, Corey White & Karim Douglas

What The Attendees Had To Say

There were over 5,000 people in attendance with 37 events across 9 days, along with four online streams reaching more than 1,000 viewers.

Here’s Becca, one of the festival attendees: “It was a pleasure to welcome audiences back to the London Podcast Festival for its 11th year. Every year the line-up grows more diverse, and that’s exactly the point – there’s a community here for every kind of listener, from longtime fans catching their favorite show to newcomers discovering something for the first time. It’s a real joy to watch those communities come together in our halls each September, and we can’t wait to welcome them all back next year.”

The podcasters who participated in the festival noted:

“London Podcast Festival just really allowed us to be our authentic selves. I’m looking forward to coming back!” says Judi Love, creator/host of Our Table with Judi Love.

‘The Podcast Festival is just such a special thing. I think it’s really the first thing of its kind… bringing podcasts together from all over the world,” says Anna Ptaszynski, co-host of No Such Thing As A Fish.

“A great set-up, great team, it’s been excellent; and so many amazing podcasts happening in the building at the same time,” noted Zak Addae-Kodua, creator/host of Life After Prison.

The London Podcast Festival is a massive undertaking. The logistics, planning, organization and execution continue to exceed expectations. What I admire most of the festival, however, is not just its organizational discipline, but its ongoing commitment to independent podcasters. Unlike some podcast events – OnAir Fest – which overloads its programs with celebrities – the London Podcast Festival never forgets that most of the 5,000 attendees do not have a podcast with one million downloads. The festival enables those who have broken through to assist those who are still hoping to do so.

Marc Maron of the WTF podcast once observed: ““The medium of podcasting and the personal nature of it, the relationship you build with your listeners and the relationship they have with you – they could be just sitting there, chuckling and listening… there’s nothing like that.”