Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs has earned its 75 years on the air by consistently producing revealing interviews with well-known guests like US actor Tom Hanks above. We asked series producer Cathy Drysdale to explain how the show is made: - how to book big-name guests
- how their lives are researched
- what happens during the studio recording
- how the programme is edited
- what personal qualities you need to work on the series Cathy reveals the way her team works flexibly to fit in with guests' busy schedules. She also talks about how the producer and presenter Kirsty Young must trust each other explicitly in the studio. "When I’m looking through the glass and I see Tom Hanks there I am pinching myself. I allow myself five seconds of pinching and that’s it. Then you have to be completely professional.” – Cathy Drysdale Desert Island Discs airs on Sunday at 11.15. More than 2000 episodes are available on the programme website.

Desert Island Discs: Working with the stars

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As large percentages of younger audiences come to podcasts via YouTube, we ask, is video the new audio?   The line between video and podcasts has become blurry in recent years. It's getting harder to say that a podcast is an ‘audio only’ thing. People have been uploading video recordings of their podcasts for years. But what is a ‘video podcast’ - and how do you make a great one? And what about the purists who say, if you don’t have an RSS feed - it’s not a podcast?   To help us answer this puzzle, we speak to Alison Lomax, Managing Director, YouTube UK & Ireland and the BBC’s Head of Visualisation, Joe Harland. You can view the visualisation edition of this episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUexDfHP2DI

Podcastology episode fifteen: Is video the new audio?

In this episode of Podcastology, we’ll discover some of the ground-breaking new formats pushing the boundaries of what podcasts can do. Often, these innovations come from voices and communities who don’t always get heard. We find out who they are, and how they are taking podcasts in exciting new directions. We’re joined by Nicky Birch, who is the Editorial Executive for new formats in BBC Sounds, and Jesse Lawson, a multi award-winning freelance audio producer, sound designer and community facilitator who makes very innovative podcasts with a vast array of young people and previously unheard voices.

Podcastology episode sixteen: New formats, new voices

What are the magic ingredients judges are looking for - and do they even exist?? Well, yes, according to awards judges. But how do you quantify them? And what do you need to think about if you are setting out to make an outstanding podcast? We’re joined by people who know the answers to some of these questions: Tomi Dixon, who won ‘best new podcast’ at the Arias, for Colouring In Britain, and Talia Randall, who won silver at The British Podcast Awards in the Environment category, and the Sustainability Award at the 2023 Audio Production Awards, for Blossom Trees and Burnt out Cars. We’re also joined by Hannah Hufford - who is a podcast development producer at BBC Audio and was a judge at The British Podcast Awards.

Podcastology episode fourteen: How to win an award

This sounds like a contradiction - after all, you can listen to podcasts anywhere, and the most successful podcasts have a universal appeal. But, all stories come from somewhere, and as we discover, being rooted in a local patch can bring a real richness to your podcast. There is also a growing trend for podcasts which grow from a local community.  We speak to award-winning podcast makers who know what it means to tell local stories: Andy Whittaker, a Sony award-winning radio host and podcast presenter based in Nottinghamshire, and Zoe Chamberlain, producer and presenter of the Brummie Mummies podcast. We’re also joined by Chris Burns, who is Controller of Local Audio for BBC Local and in charge of the 39 Local Radio stations in England.

Podcastology episode thirteen: Going local

We’ll look at where the medium is now, and where we think it's headed. We consider the future of podcasting, and what's coming next. What does the growing Gen Z audience want? Can technology make listening a more personal, tailored experience? Will your next podcast be presented by a bot? With some geeky language around ‘personalisation tools’ and the effect of artificial intelligence, we gaze into the future with Aniruddh Dimri, BBC Sound’s Head of Product, Cat Agostinho, Co-Director of Imagen Insights, who researches the Gen Z audience, and the Editor of Pod News, James Cridland.

Desert Island Discs: Working with the stars

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