Prison radio podcast wins top prize at British Podcast Awards

A podcast made by the Prison Radio Association has been named Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards, which celebrated their tenth anniversary with a ceremony in London.

Hold or Fold won both the top prize and the award for Best Factual podcast at the ceremony at Indigo at The O2 in Greenwich on Friday night. The event was hosted by the comedian, actor and podcaster Jake Bhardwaj, and 31 awards were presented.

The winners

• Podcast of the Year: Hold or Fold, Prison Radio Association
• Best Factual: Hold or Fold, Prison Radio Association
• Best Host: Bill Nighy, for ill-advised
• Best Entertainment: NewlyParents, with Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo
• Best Health and Wellbeing: Pete Wicks' Man Made
• Best Interview: Pete Wicks' Man Made
• Listeners' Choice: Hard Launch with Dan and Phil
• Best Lifestyle: Get Birding
• Best Video Innovation: Get Birding
• Best Daily: The Intelligence, from The Economist
• Best Documentary: The Birth Keepers, from The Guardian
• Best True Crime: Coining It
• Spotlight Award: Dish from Waitrose

Double winners

Several podcasts took two prizes. Get Birding, hosted by the actor Sean Bean, won Best Lifestyle and Best Video Innovation. Pete Wicks' Man Made, from Bauer Media, won Best Health and Wellbeing and Best Interview.

The Listeners' Choice award, voted for by the public, went to Hard Launch with Dan and Phil, from the YouTube stars Dan Howell and Phil Lester.

About the Prison Radio Association

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, a station made by and for people in prison, broadcast into cells across England and Wales. It aims to help reduce reoffending by providing information, education and a voice for prisoners. Its programmes have won many awards over the years.

A growing industry

Podcasting has grown rapidly in the UK over the past decade. Millions of people listen every week, and many podcasts are now filmed as well as recorded, with video versions on YouTube and other platforms. Broadcasters, newspapers and independent production companies all compete for listeners.

Presenters at this year's ceremony included Peter Crouch, Anita Rani and Mishal Husain.

Making podcasts in Birmingham

Birmingham has a growing number of podcast and audio producers, and the city's universities teach audio production. Birmingham City University will launch new courses in radio and podcasting in partnership with the BBC from next year, at the Tea Factory in Digbeth.

Getting started

Anyone can start a podcast with a smartphone or a simple microphone and free editing software. Community radio stations and libraries in the city sometimes run workshops for beginners, and many successful podcasts began as small projects recorded at home.

Ten years of awards

The British Podcast Awards were launched in 2017 to recognise the best audio from across the UK, from big-budget productions to independent shows made by individuals at home.

Why podcasts are popular

Listeners say they like podcasts because they can choose exactly what they want to hear and listen whenever suits them, whether on the commute, at the gym or while doing chores. The format has also given a platform to voices that are rarely heard on mainstream radio and television, such as people in prison, which is part of what makes this year's winner so distinctive.