As it expands the shows it offers

The BBC has appointed its first commissioning editor for podcasts, as it expands the number of programmes commissioned for the internet.

Jason Phipps, currently head of audio at The Guardian, will start the role in May.

The BBC says that as well as its existing podcasts, they are looking to order ‘new and innovative series which are made purely to be podcasts and aren’t broadcast on our radio stations’.

Russell Kane’s Evil Genius, in which he and a panel discuss the reputations of leading figures, is currently No 3 in the Apple podcast charts. It was made by the BBC and not linked to a broadcast programme.

And Radio 1 has begun a number of comedy podcasts – including one from stand-ups Ed Night and Lauren Pattison – that are available to download first, then broadcast in the dead of night.

The BBC was the first British broadcaster to podcast when it made Radio 4’s In Our Time available to download in 2004, and last year there were around 240 million downloads of Corporation podcasts.

Phipps said: ‘My role will I hope be an opportunity for a new generation of native podcasters and deliver great content to hungry ears across the UK.’

Published: 27 Mar 2018