The BBC Academy Podcast

Paul Buller is joined by three of this year's Student Radio Award winners. Best newcomer Abbie McCarthy, Robin Murphy, station editor for the best student station University Radio Nottingham and Radio Warwick's Tom Davis, executive producer of the best outside broadcast. They talk about the need to focus on your audience, take creative risks, how video and clips can bring people back into radio, t...

Simon Smith is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the art of creating behind the scenes programming on a range of formats including Planet Earth, X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. Alex McLeod is the executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing’s sister show It Takes Two. Jeff Wilson is a producer with the BBC’s Natural History Unit and has created behind t...

Simon Smith and four BBC production trainees share their thoughts on getting into radio production. Farah Jassat, Sarah Shebbeare, Jen Kerrison and Carlene Morlese are four trainees who are starting their training in BBC network radio. They talk about their experiences within the broadcast industry, their passion for storytelling and their feelings about their placements. They also offer tips and...

Simon Smith talks to four BBC production trainees, Karla Sweet, Mog McIntyre, Kelsey Richards and Kathryn Shrubb, before they embark on placements in television. They discuss their journeys into the industry, their passions for storytelling and the broad benefits of their television production training. Plus we take a look at tips and advice for people applying for the BBC Production Talent Pool.

Simon Smith is joined by BBC Academy trainer Ian Hider, self shooter Paul Morten and editor Zeb Chadfield to discuss shooting for the edit. Tight budgets and even tighter edit schedules mean opportunities for directors and self shooters to be in the edit with their own work are often limited. But as many will tell you, being in the edit is by far the best place to learn how the construction of a p...

Simon Smith and guests take a look at career opportunities for designers more interested in the digital world. With Yasser Rashid, head of UX&D for BBC Radio, Music, TV and iPlayer, Helene Sears, editorial designer for BBC News online and Adam Powers, head of UX at renowned advertising agency Bartle Bogle & Hegarty.

With 72 hours of video content being uploaded to YouTube every minute, how can you make sure your clip has the best chance of being seen or shared? Three industry experts Matt Smith, Jon Aird and Stuart Fryer share their thoughts with Simon Smith on making your clip go viral.

Three guests with a wealth of broadcast experience join Simon Smith to talk about the value of moving across genres in your career, and how to do it effectively. They share their experiences and offer advice on how broadcast industry professionals can make themselves more employable in different genres. Daniell Morrisey is a BBC talent executive who has previously worked as a journalist and editor...

Pat Younge, BBC Vision’s chief creative officer hosts this special BBC Academy session at the 2012 Edinburgh Television Festival focusing on just what goes into delivering a ‘killer pitch’. His guests are Melanie Leach, managing director, Twofour Broadcast, Richard Shaw, head of development and executive producer, Lion Television and Victoria Ashbourne, managing director, Victory Television. They...

Simon Smith and his guests from the Kirrin Island podcast discuss how they created their top 20 iTunes comedy podcast. With producer and writer Alison Pritchard, script editor Stu Cooper and writer and performer Steve Holford.

Finding the next, ground-breaking TV features show is the Holy Grail for many of us in the industry, but where do you start? Should we be looking for new territory or predicting future audience trends? Is it the way you tell the story or the use of new technologies? Will it be evolution or revolution? Are formats past their sell by date? And if so, what might replace them? The panel are Colette Fo...

CoP website editor Paul Buller talks to three of the people behind the BBC site at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They are project director Sophie Taitt, event and project manager Ruth Milway and content producer Sidd Khajuria.

BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music presenter Jon Holmes talks to experts at the Edinburgh Fringe about how to get started in the media industries. Louise Brown is Channel 4's head of multiplatform commissioning, Marcus Herbert is executive producer for BBC Specialist Factual, Karl Warner is executive editor of BBC Entertainment Commissioning and Marcus Ryder is BBC Scotland's current affairs editor.

Countless female comics are getting rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe. Are they redressing the gender balance in what has always been a particularly male-dominated industry? Jen Kerrison asks how our three panellists found their way into comedy, and hears their tips for a successful career.

In our live podcast at the Edinburgh Fringe, Simon Smith talks to four comedians who are making use of these platforms, and discusses how the opportunity to self-publish and self-promote is changing the comedy industry.

Hazel Marshall discusses the improvisation techniques that can be used to enhance storytelling with Dominic Savage, Julian Simpson and Deborah Frances-White.

Hazel Marshall and guests talk about how to create a drama which brings to life the grit and reality of a specific profession. Whether it's the emotional ebb and flow of the hospital ward, the intense cut and thrust of the courtroom or the perils of police partnerships, today's three guests are all masters in the craft of producing profession-based dramas. They are Hilary Salmon, Justin Young and...

What are the practicalities of getting into design? Simon Smith and guests discuss the skills needed to get started and take your career in design to the next level.

Members of the public crop up on our TV screens all the time. But how do programme makers ensure they treat contributors honestly and with respect while asking them to do something which is often well outside their comfort zone? Joining Hazel Marshall in the studio to discuss working with members of the public that help us to tell a story or investigate a subject are Stuart Bernard and Tom Bateman...

Joining Simon Smith in the studio to discuss the shows made with as little negative impact on the environment as possible are Sarah Gordon-Jones and Francis Gilson. Dialling in from Tunbridge Wells we have Richard Smith.

According to a survey by industry newspaper Broadcast, TV freelancers are feeling the strain more than ever. Joining Simon Smith in the studio to discuss how the industry should address these problems and what freelancers can do to make a career in TV last for life are, Susie Worster, Jude Winstanley and Hilary Rosen.

With over 200 stations in the UK, community radio is booming. Thousands of people with no previous experience are being given the opportunity to produce and present their own radio shows to a focused, captive audience, on a regular basis. The BBC now actively works with community stations to share content and recognises it as a good source for bringing through talent. If you’re looking for on-the-...

Joining Simon Smith in the studio to discuss the unique challenges of filming in extreme locations are Toral Dixit, John Conroy and Oliver Steeds.

2012 saw two epic live events, the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Coverage of the Royal Wedding was a big act to follow, however the BBC rose to the occasion when the Olympic torch arrived in the UK. But how do broadcasters handle The Big Event, and by live events TV we mean coverage of occasions that would happen with or without the TV cameras, and what to do when everything goes wrong...

Joining Simon Smith to discuss the programmes the second screen is working well on, how can we make better use of it and what the long-term effects on production and audiences will be are Andy Littledale, Dan Biddle, Tom Williams and Gez O'Brien.