The BBC Academy Podcast

Are 'hands-on', technical broadcast roles for men only? Of course not, but figures show attitudes still need to change. Three experienced female broadcast professionals join us to share advice for women interested in pursuing a career in technical broadcasting. Are women being held back in technical roles in broadcasting? As the industry strives to fill a real skills gap, we discuss how to bridge...

Ever wondered what it takes to re-create a big historical event in real time for radio? We find out exactly how, with the team responsible for creating the Minute by Minute format on Radio 2.

Broadcasting talent of the future: meet the BBC Production Trainees of 2013, find out what led them to apply for the scheme and their advice for future applicants, in this special edition of the CoP Show.

The new tax rules on making high end drama may mean new opportunities for writers. But what does this actually mean on the ground? Will this impact on how writers deliver content? Will commissioners need to change how they work? And will the showrunner play a bigger role in how dramas are developed? A panel of experts from film and TV deconstruct what it all means at the BBC Academy Fast Train Car...

From high volume shows to presenter-led series, Crimewatch to Countryfile, features programmes cover a huge range. But is there a secret formula for creating a winning format? And what’s it like to work on a features team? In this masterclass, recorded at BBC Fast Train Cardiff on 7 November 2013, a panel of media experts delve into the format game. The panel is chaired by Huw Jones, arts and medi...

Priorities for commissioners are constantly changing, so how do you know what to pitch to them? In this specially recorded discussion from Fast Train Cardiff, Richard Sambrook, director of Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, talks to a number of commissioners about the shows that excite them and the pitching process. The panel includes Kerry McGeever, assistant editor for BBC...

Dr Who lead writer and executive producer, co-creator of Sherlock and many other TV hits: Steven Moffat gives advice and talks openly about his writing career. A must listen from the BBC Academy Fast Train Cardiff.

Learning is no longer confined to schools and universities, nor is it limited to the platforms of TV and radio. The growth of online education has seen an explosion in apps, interactive learning tools and communities which allow people to learn in ways which work for them. So how do producers of learning content meet these changing requirements? Myles Runham talks to learning professionals Catheri...

What are the opportunities for freelancers working in drama in Scotland, across radio and television? What’s the difference between a good script and a bad script? What are executives looking for when crewing up and how can creatives and writers really engage with the reported upturn in business? Recorded at the BBC Academy’s Fast Train event in Glasgow, October 2013, author, journalist and commen...

Identifying the priorities for commissioners is a common dilemma for all programme makers – how to find out what shows excite them, where there are gaps in their schedules, and how best to pitch those winning ideas. In this masterclass, recorded at the BBC Academy’s Fast Train event in Glasgow, October 2013, Jo Street, commissioning executive for BBC Daytime, Alan Tyler, executive editor for enter...

From apps to social media to online, there are now more ways to make use of your content, capitalising on your assets and extending your reach beyond the screen. This session, recorded at the BBC Academy’s Fast Train event in Glasgow, October 2013, looks at how to approach thinking about your programme as a brand and capitalising on the full use of content. The panel of industry experts included M...

What are the trends in specialist factual television and how do they get commissioned? How do you choose your talent and what do broadcasters want? In this session, recorded at the the BBC Academy’s Fast Train event in Glasgow, October 2013, Craig Hunter, executive producer for BBC Scotland, Ross Wilson, creative director for Matchlight, Ed Crick, creative director at Tern TV, and Anne Laking, hea...

Forging a career in TV, online or radio production is difficult enough, so it’s understandable how the addition of a disability might make someone reluctant to enter the industry. Emma Tracey, Claire Burgess and Dominic Hyams talk to Ben Toone about how they manage their broadcasting careers while also dealing with a disability.

You never know what a radio phone-in might bring, so how do you stop debates going awry and keep unpredictable callers in line? Paul Buller is joined by Julian Worricker, Gabriella Incalza and Tim Wheeler to discuss how radio phone-ins work, and how the teams involved handle the unexpected.

Summer festivals have become a British institution and now festival radio is very much a part of that. Independent production company Folded Wing, the team behind Field Day Radio, share their advice on creating and distributing audio content from festivals. We spoke to Karen Pearson, Jim Lister, Tom Baker and Milly Chowles from Folded Wing to find out about the planning, production, edit and distr...

From the excitement of natural history programmes to the high drama of the Great British Bake Off, the music we hear can affect everything we watch. But does it enhance the narrative or ruin our viewing pleasure? Composer William Goodchild, Richard Bradley from Lion TV and film editor Jake Martin discuss the impact of music in factual programmes.

Interviews with the speakers of the standout sessions of the Next Radio ideas conference. We hear from Absolute Radio’s Geoff Lloyd on never underestimating your listeners and BBC Radio 5 Live’s North of England reporter Nick Garnett on how to do an outside broadcast from anywhere Plus how the BBC’s digital Glastonbury was put together and some ideas on innovative radio straight out of Africa.

The magical worlds of Pink Floyd, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere have all been vividly brought to life on radio. In this week’s CoP Show podcast Hazel Marshall and guests Dirk Maggs, Jessica Dromgoole and James Robinson pull back the curtain to reveal the rules and possibilities of radio drama.

How is technology changing what we listen to and how we will listen to radio on the move? The BBC Blue Room's Garry Green talks to the CoP Show's Ben Toone about in car listening, the rise of ‘personalised’ radio and how online media players and apps such as UK Radioplayer and the BBC’s iPlayer Radio have opened up choice for listeners.

Online and social media content is a must have tool for enhancing your production. Audiences expect and demand it, but are programme makers giving them what they want? Barry Pilling, founding partner at Telegraph Hill, Jody Smith, multiplatform commissioning editor at Channel 4, Karla Geci, director of strategic partner development at Facebook, and Claire McArdle, executive producer, multiplatform...

Short Cuts is a radio show for BBC Radio 4 that showcases interviews and documentary pieces from the UK and beyond by making vivid use of sound, music and intriguing production techniques. Sophie Lording talks to the team behind the series, Eleanor McDowall, Alan Hall and Hana Walker-Brown, about how they find and create intimate yet exciting stories for radio. They discuss interviewing and record...

What are the current trends in consumer TV technology and how may that present problems or opportunities for programme makers? Garry Green takes Ben Toone on a tour of the BBC's Blue Room which looks at how the world of consumer technology is changing the broadcasting industry, from connected television to interactive games, 4k TV, the latest camera capture technology and 3D TV.

JacksGap, Jamie Oliver's Food Tube and Earth Unplugged – three established channels that are engaging demanding online communities with their content. This week Simon Smith talks to YouTube champions Jack Harries, Richard Herd and Chris Howard about the golden rules of creating a successful, factual YouTube channel.

Taking the Welsh soap to a new audience online. Denise Roach talks to Hannah Thomas, Rhys Carter and Andrew Canham, part of the team who have taken Pobol y Cwm beyond its traditional scope and into the digital space with PyC, the first ever multi-platform project of its kind in the Welsh language.

Traditional TV and radio audiences are now able to discover your content via many platforms online, so how do you make sure your message and your programme doesn’t get lost? Simon Ford is joined by BBC producers Jaine Sykes and Mike Kibblewhite, and author, copywriter and trainer Neil Taylor, to discuss how establishing the right tone and structuring your copy can help both novice and more experie...