The BBC Academy Podcast

Tim Davie, director of BBC Audio & Music, is joined by a panel of guests to debate how audio can exploit new platforms and services. Do online sharing services challenge the future for traditional broadcasters? Does digital split the audience or create greater opportunities for audio producers? Answering these questions are radio futurologist James Cridland, Ben Fawkes from audio sharing servi...

Amanda Lyon is joined by three enthusiastic supporters of audio visualisation to talk about what video content adds to audio, and which shows are using visual techniques to best effect. They discuss an early example of audio visualisation from the 1930s and debate if it’s desirable or possible for all audio content to have a visual element. The guests are Joe Harland, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s head...

Broadcaster Fi Glover hosts a celebration of all things audio. Fi explains her passion for a medium which she describes as being like the best friend you never had. She reflects on the raw power of audio and talks to the broadcasters behind some of the bravest, brightest sounds you’ll hear. We hear from Zane Ibrahim of Africa’s oldest community radio station, Bush Radio, which began broadcasting i...

Country and western singer turned lesbian performance artist Tammy Whynot is the host for this session on getting into radio presenting. Her guests are presenters Annie Mac of Radio 1 and Angie Greaves of Magic FM, along with Paul Sylvester, head of presentation at Absolute Radio and Chris North, head of talent for Wise Buddah. They share their journeys, knowledge and expertise. Find out how Annie...

Lorna Clarke, network manager of BBC Radio 2, is joined by a panel of presenters and their producers to discuss the secrets of successful creative relationships. Lorna and her guests debate how you can build trust, whether differences of opinion are destructive or desirable and how close the connection is between great relationships and great performances. The panel are R1’s Scott Mills and his pr...

Broadcaster Liz Barclay is joined by a panel of guests to discuss the practicalities of being an audio freelancer. They talk about the vital skills and attributes needed to get jobs, keep them and make sure the bills are paid. Their advice covers everything from tax status to networking, time management to training. The panel are Phil Critchlow, director of TBI media, Alex Firas Weaz, freelance mu...

Simon Smith talks to three guests about job interview skills and how to land that media job once you’ve finally got an interview. What tips, tools and techniques are there to maximise your chances so you stand out against the crowd? With Emily Gale, talent manager at TV production company Talkback Thames. Simon Wright, a BBC Talent exec with a long career as a recruitment consultant. And Neil Walk...

Simon Smith and guests talk about the work that goes on behind the scenes of secret filming and the safeguards that need to be in place before filming even starts. With Su Pennington, head of editorial policy for BBC Factual programming, Jamie Rea, executive producer of Mark and Sam’s Big Friday Wind Up for CBBC, Jo Vaughan-Jones, series producer of Watchdog and Rogue Traders and Paul Kenyon, repo...

Tommy Nagra, executive producer, and Fran Baker, producer/director, talk about their contentious BBC Three documentary Groomed for Sex, first screened in December 2011, which examined the spate of sexual grooming cases involving Pakistani men.

Simon Smith and guests discuss how to become a TV presenter. Joining Simon are presenters Lisa Rogers, Anita Rani and Alvin Hall and Hilary Murray, an agent for Arlington Enterprises.

Series editor Dave Morley and series producer James Longman from Talkback Thames talk to Amanda Lyon about the process of getting a panel show on air each week.

Simon Smith and guests discuss alternative funding models for TV productions. Stuart Cabb is managing director of Plum Pictures, Claire Heys is director of brand partnership and licensing for Endemol UK and Miranda Bertram is a commercial manager for the BBC.

Simon Smith talks to three members of the team behind After Life. They are executive producer Marcus Herbert, series producer Fred Hepburn and presenter Dr George McGavin.

Simon Smith discusses networking dos and don'ts with guests Moray Coulter, Liana Stewart and Elsa Sharp. Moray is the founder of TV jobs site ProductionBase and has worked as a talent executive at ITV, Liana is a researcher and the founder of Step2TV.org and Elsa Sharp is talent manager at Dragonfly and author of How to Get a Job in Television.

Hazel Marshall and guests discuss how to craft good radio documentaries. Joining Hazel are Russell Finch, head of features at Somethin’ Else, Laurence Grissell, award winning producer at Radio 4 and Jon Ronson, a bestselling author and producer of television and radio documentaries.

Simon Smith and guests discuss how to make beautiful TV on a budget. With Phil Smith, a freelance series producer who has worked on Great British Menu, Mickey Lachmann a director who recently worked on the BBC Two maths series The Code, and Clare Tavernor, producer and director on The Culture Show. Joining us down the line is Pamela Gordon, a freelance documentary maker who recently directed the S...

Multiplatform guru Jon Aird, senior producer of the Psychoville website, talks about extending the characters out of this dark comedy and into their own websites. Keri Davies, scriptwriter and web producer, tells us of his experiences of The Archers and the newly created spin-off Ambridge Extra on BBC Radio 4 Extra. Derren Lawford offers his insights gained as exec producer of BBC Three’s Jail Tal...

Amanda Lyon talks to Moira Ross, executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing, Alex McLeod, executive producer of It Takes Two and multiplatform content producer Gemma Hodgson.

Amanda Lyon talks to Nick Murphy, writer and director of The Awakening.

Simon Smith and guests talk about finding your way into writing comedy and drama for radio and TV with Gareth Gwynn, Ed Hime, Debbie Horsfield and Phillip Shelley.

Simon Smith discusses brainstorming with four guests. Hazel Marshall is a creativity trainer at the BBC, Ruby Mulraine is an executive producer at Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Pam Hamilton is joint managing director at Ignite and Jane Lingham is head of BBC audience planning.

Amanda Lyon talks to Kenton Allen and Stefan Golaszewski, producer and writer respectively, of BBC Three sitcom Him & Her. CONTAINS SOME STRONG LANGUAGE.

Simon Smith is joined by four guests to talk about getting ideas commissioned for radio. Caroline Raphael is a commissioning editor at BBC Radio 4, Nicky Birch is head of radio development at Somethin' Else and Phil Tinline and James Cook are executive producers in the BBC Audio & Music documentaries unit.

Simon Smith discusses radio music playlisting and scheduling with his guests. Nigel Harding is a music policy executive at Radio 1, Mike Walsh is Xfm's head of music, Lauren Brennan is a music scheduler at 6 Music and Kevin McCabe is a plugger for EMI.

Simon Smith talks to four guests about juggling motherhood and a career in TV. Emma Morgan is head of development at Mentorn and a mother of two, Ursula Macfarlane is also a mother of two and is a freelance documentary maker, Marion Edwards is vice president of HIT Entertainment and Amy Walker is a director and founder of the Media Parents website.