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BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS 2026: HOLD OR FOLD TAKES PODCAST OF THE YEAR, BILL NIGHY WINS BEST HOST

In brief

  • The 10th British Podcast Awards took place on Thursday 1 October 2026 at Indigo at The O2 in London, hosted by Jake Bhardwaj, with winners across 31 categories.
  • Prison Radio Association's Hold or Fold won Podcast of the Year and Best Factual Podcast.
  • Bill Nighy won Best Host for ill-advised (EYEPOD Studios).
  • Pete Wicks' Man Made (Bauer Media) won Best Interview and Best Health & Wellbeing. Sean Bean's Get Birding (Peanut & Crumb) won Best Lifestyle and Best Video Innovation.
  • Hard Launch with Dan & Phil won Listeners' Choice (powered by Spotify). BBC World Service won Best Network/Publisher. Dish from Waitrose took the Spotlight Award.

A tenth anniversary night at The O2

RadioToday and the British Podcast Awards press release, carried by Podnews, report that the ceremony marked the awards' tenth year at Indigo at The O2 in Greenwich, London, on 1 October 2026. Jake Bhardwaj hosted. Partners listed by RadioToday included Acast, Audible, Campaign, Canon, Industria Studios, Secret Media Network, Spotify and Sue Terry Voices. (RadioToday; Podnews)

Podcast of the Year: Hold or Fold

Hold or Fold, from the Prison Radio Association, won both Podcast of the Year and Best Factual Podcast. BBC News and RadioToday describe it as a series about problem gambling and lives pushed to the brink by gambling. (BBC News; RadioToday)

Best Host: Bill Nighy

BBC News reports that Bill Nighy, 76, won Best Host for Ill-Advised (styled ill-advised by organisers), beating nominees including Louis Theroux, Katherine Ryan and Lily Allen. The show is billed as "a podcast for people who don't get out much and can't handle it when they do", with Nighy offering wry advice and musing on life, music and books. Production credit: EYEPOD Studios. (BBC News; RadioToday)

Double winners and headline Golds

Several shows took two trophies: (BBC News; RadioToday; Podnews)

  • Pete Wicks' Man Made (Bauer Media): Best Interview Podcast and Best Health & Wellbeing Podcast. Guests cited by RadioToday and Podnews include Keir Starmer, Russell T Davies and Jameela Jamil.
  • Get Birding (Peanut & Crumb), hosted by Sean Bean: Best Lifestyle Podcast and Best Video Innovation.

Other headline Gold winners from the official list and BBC News: (RadioToday; BBC News; BBC Media Centre)

  • Listeners' Choice (powered by Spotify): Hard Launch with Dan & Phil (Studio 71)
  • Best Network/Publisher: BBC World Service
  • Spotlight Award: Dish from Waitrose with Nick Grimshaw & Angela Hartnett (Cold Glass Productions). Organisers say it has reached over one billion combined downloads, views and listens since launch in 2022.
  • Best Entertainment: NewlyParents (JamPot Productions)
  • Best Daily: The Intelligence (The Economist)
  • Best Documentary: The Birth Keepers (The Guardian)
  • Best News, Politics & Current Affairs: The Wargame (Sky News and Tortoise)
  • Best True Crime: Coining It (Free Turn)
  • Best Comedy: When The Cops Say No, We Say Yes (A Step Too Far Productions)
  • Best Arts & Culture: Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story (BBC Audio Wales and West of England)
  • Best History: The House at Number 48 (BBC Long Form Audio)
  • Best Impact: SEND in the Spotlight (BBC Audio)
  • Best Sport: That Peter Crouch Podcast (Marvellous)
  • Best Food & Drink: Bottoms Up! With Alan Carr & Lee Peart (Platform Media)
  • Best Fiction: Project Bläckfisk (Cipher Atlas Productions)
  • Best New Podcast: Do I Detect A Problem? (Sync Clap Limited)
  • Rising Star: Georgie Styles
  • Best Welsh Language: Hanes Mawr Cymru (Terrier Productions)

BBC Media Centre adds that BBC World Service took Best Network/Publisher, with further BBC Golds for Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, The House at Number 48 and Woman's Hour: SEND in the Spotlight. (BBC Media Centre)

Full Gold list (selected categories)

For the complete category-by-category winners, see the British Podcast Awards winners page. The Gold winners above match BBC News, RadioToday and the official winners listing. (British Podcast Awards; RadioToday)

What this means for UK podcasters

Awards nights reward clear formats and strong production as much as famous names. Hold or Fold shows that a tightly focused factual series from a specialist producer can take the top prize. Video innovation landing twice for Get Birding underlines how filmed podcasts are now judged as craft, not a side channel. If you are building or refreshing a show, the pattern across Gold winners is a sharp brief, consistent hosting and production values that hold up on headphones and on a screen.

London Podcasts, a Fitzrovia Post company, has 14 purpose-built recording studios at Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, Camden, London NW1 7DJ. Four are permanently configured for video podcasts, and every podcast studio booking includes an experienced engineer. Audio-only sessions start from £200 per hour + VAT and video podcast sessions from £230 per hour + VAT, with a one-hour minimum. Finished edits, trailers and social cuts are available, and complete production starts from £1,250 + VAT per episode.

Book online at londonpodcasts.co.uk/book, email bookings@londonpodcasts.co.uk or call 020 7209 3474.

FAQ

Who won Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2026?
Prison Radio Association's Hold or Fold, which also won Best Factual Podcast.

Who won Best Host?
Bill Nighy for ill-advised, produced by EYEPOD Studios.

When and where were the 2026 awards held?
Thursday 1 October 2026 at Indigo at The O2 in London, hosted by Jake Bhardwaj.

Which shows won two Gold awards?
Pete Wicks' Man Made (Best Interview and Best Health & Wellbeing) and Get Birding (Best Lifestyle and Best Video Innovation). Hold or Fold also took two (Podcast of the Year and Best Factual).

Who won Listeners' Choice?
Hard Launch with Dan & Phil (Studio 71), in the public vote powered by Spotify.

How much does it cost to record a podcast at London Podcasts?
Audio-only sessions start from £200 per hour + VAT and video podcast sessions from £230 per hour + VAT, with an engineer included and a one-hour minimum. Complete production starts from £1,250 + VAT per episode. Book at londonpodcasts.co.uk/book or call 020 7209 3474.

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