More big name guests and special live episodes of the biggest podcasts across the UK have been announced as part of the London Podcast Festival 2021.
Produced and hosted by the UK’s home of live podcasting, Kings Place, the sixth annual festival will run from 2-12 September in front of a live audience, with many events also streaming online via the venue’s KPlayer.
With podcasting reaching an even bigger audience than before during the last eighteen months, this is a chance for the podcasting community - both the creators and the listeners - to come together and celebrate at this unique event.
New special guests confirmed include League of Gentlemen and Sherlock star Mark Gatiss discussing what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community in From Queer To Eternity(9 Sep); Yesterday and Tenet star Himesh Patel guesting on Nikesh Shukla’s Brown Baby Podcast (4 Sep); celebrated botanist James Wong on a very special edition of The MSG Pod (5 Sep), exploring what it means to be a second-generation immigrant through food and culture (presented as part of ESEA Heritage Month with a share of ticket sales going to Stop ESEA Hate UK) and stand-up Catherine Bohart talking to Cariad Lloyd for her candid and hilarious look at loss,Griefcast (9 Sep).
For 2021, the festival is thrilled to partner with Imriel Morgan, founder and CEO of the UK’s first diverse podcast network Content is Queen, for a full day of unmissable events across 12 September.
Highlights include the World Premiere of Epic Fun Land, a brand-new comedy fiction podcast set on a grotty theme park island in the North Sea, from the team behind the Imison Award (BBC Audio Drama Awards 2021) nominated Scoop McDoolie; Hajar J. Woodlandbringing Tea Towel, the most popular episode of her podcast Conversations With My Sister, to a live audience to give an insight into how it feels to wear the headscarf and why girls wear it and how much of a say parents, schools and governments should have in what a child wears, in an event covering everything from bodily autonomy and sexuality to cultural conflicts and Islamophobia; sister duoHoney and the Hexdelving into all things myths, magick and mystery through a progressive lens with special guest The Mage’s Well andThe *Relate(able) Podcast, a storytelling club made for women, people of colour and the LGBTQIA communities to connect, create, and collaborate.
"We've been huge fans of the London Podcast Festival and its curation of shows.” says Imriel. “At Content is Queen we've been developing and attracting emerging talent and creatives in podcasting. We're so excited to put together a truly inclusive curation of our most dynamic, entertaining and smart podcasts lovingly made from members of our community."
Other new confirmed events include:
An exclusive The Battersea Poltergeist event, as creator Danny Robins discusses the making of the hit show and the incredible true story that inspired it (11 Sep). Presented in a new festival partnership with BBC Sounds, alongside Dr Julia Shaw and comedian Sofie Hagen’s smash hit crime podcast Bad People (5 Sep).
A live, interactive dating masterclass with The Triple Cripples - aka Black, disabled dating gurus Kym & Jumoke who Stormzy has labelled ‘superheroes’ (10 Sep).
The live debut of Seancecast - comedians Charlie Dinkin and Zoe Tomalin have conducted seances everywhere from Zoe’s old high school in Arran to the changing room of a high street fashion chain and will now attempt to summon messages from the dead in Kings Place Hall Two (12 Sep)
Mike Wozniak (pictured), Henry Paker and Benjamin Partridge tackle a subject suggested by the live audience in Three Bean Salad (2 Sep; also streaming online)
The return of Brown Girls Do It Too, live and in person at the festival for the first time following their 2020 digital debut (12 Sep)
A celebration of all films that tick Hitchcock’s box of the perfect film length in 90 Minutes or Less Film Fest (11 Sep)
Award-winning comedian, author and accidental relationship guru Rosie Wilby looks back on the best and worst break-up stories of her special guest in The Breakup Monologues (3 Sep).
American comic and talk-show host Michelle Collins riffing on the week’s biggest stories with a special guest inMidnight Snack (3 Sep).
A special festival edition of Deborah Frances White’s blockbusting podcast The Guilty Feminist, live from its regular home of Kings Place (4 Sep; also streaming live).
Hilarious stories of life in the classroom with sibling teaching duo Two Mr Ps In A (Pod)cast (3 Sep; also streaming live).
These one-off shows join a raft of previously-confirmed festival events including:
The world premiere of Highlife Romance, a new romantic comedy-drama by Jacob Roberts-Mensah (DEM TIMES) with a live performance directed by Jessica Kalissa (Queens of Sheba). It follows the budding relationship between Nana Akua, a British-Ghanaian Highlife music enthusiast, and Michael, a Native Ghanaian musician (11 Sep).
Ella Watts and Felix Trench curating a full Audio Drama Day, including live shows from the likes of Wooden Overcoatsto The Silt Verses, panels with the leading lights in audio fiction and listening posts to hear world premieres of brand new podcasts (5 Sep).
An exciting new collaboration with a range of US podcast networks which will see a host of big name shows live streaming from across the pond. Maximum Fun shows FANTI (5 Sep),Tights and Fights (12 Sep), family-friendly Dr Gameshow (3 Sep) and Judge John Hodgman (9 Sep) - who brought his brand of fake legal wisdom to the first ever London Podcast Festival back in 2016 - are confirmed, with more to be announced soon.
The return of festival favourites Helen Zaltzman’s award-winning podcast on the wonders of language The Allusionist(4 Sep); the number one podcast for those involved or just interested in the production of beef animals and dairy herds Beef and Dairy Network(11 Sep); Jon Holmes with his round-up of the ultimate in disposable TV The One One Show Show(2 Sep); Empire Magazine with another secret guest from the big screen (11 Sep) and Harry Peacock and Dan Skinner as the recently-divorced Brian & Roger(5 Sep).
LondonPodFest first-timers include Nina Conti and Shenoah Allen offering deeply unqualified advice as Richard and Greta (10 Sep); Masala Podcast discussing everything South Asian womxn are not supposed to, from sexuality to shame (11 Sep); amateur quizzer Lucy Porter and The Chase’s very own Jenny Ryan withFingers On Buzzers(11 Sep); Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interrogating the past in The Rest Is History(10 Sep); London Black lesbians Rose Frimpong and Nana Duncan delivering their unapologetic truth in Two TwosPodcast(3 Sep) and comedians Lou Conran and Sally-Anne Hayward deciding whether the drinks choice of their very special guest is worth a Spit or Swallow (10 Sep).
The UK’s first dedicated podcast magazine Pod Bible handpicking a day of its favourite podcasts on 4 September, including the podcast that leafs its way through the back catalogue of the world’s most extraordinary animation studio Ghibliotheque.
London Podcast Festival 2021 also sees the return of the Podcast Maker Weekend, supported by Spotify. Curated by Martin Austwick and Sarah Myles, the weekend offers high-quality, affordable and professional workshops and classes suitable for anyone interested in the industry. Whether you’re completely new to podcasting and want to know how to start, are looking for specialised classes to refine your art or inspiration from some of the most talented figures in UK and international audiomaking, the Podcaster Maker Weekend is for you.
Tickets for all announced events are on sale now at kingsplace.co.uk with more festival events to be announced over the coming weeks. Many events will also be available to watch online as a live stream via Kings Place’s KPlayer.
Zoe Jeyes, London Podcast Festival Producer and Programmer, said: “I am so excited that the 2021 London Podcast Festival brings together everything that we love about this unique event, and the best of what we learnt from our 2020 hybrid edition. As always Kings Place will have a line-up of the very best UK podcasts, alongside workshops, panels and special events. We’re continuing to stream much of the programme so audiences across the UK and around the world can be a part of the festival. We’re delivering on our reputation for bringing exciting international shows to the festival with digital events and watch parties.
Collaboration continues to be a cornerstone of the festival, thanks to our amazing partners and curators, including Acast, Spotify and our brand new partner for 2021, BBC Sounds. The London Podcast Festival has always been a celebration of our amazing podcast community and this year that feels more important than ever. We can’t wait to see you there.”
Sam Shetabi, UK Content Director at Acast says: “There’s nothing quite like a live, in-person podcast show. It’s something all of us at Acast have missed over the past 18 months or so — and we know our creators and their fans have, too. We’re always proud to support The London Podcast Festival, and can’t wait to be part of things again this September.”
James Cator, Head of Studios, Spotify UK and Ireland, comments: “To be a part of the London Podcast Festival on the Podcast Maker Weekend this year is another important moment for us at Spotify. As the UK’s most popular audio platform and given our commitment to championing new and diverse voices, we’re excited to see some of the biggest and brightest rising stars on the podcasting scene providing both inspiration and entertainment across the course of the weekend. We’re looking forward to helping people get stuck into our workshops, and no doubt unlocking some great new talent."
Louise Kattenhorn, BBC Podcast Commissioning Executive for Pop Stations, said: “More and more people are listening to our podcasts on BBC Sounds. They’ve helped us bring innovative storytelling, chatty entertainment and other brilliant audio to new listeners in creative ways. Popular podcasts like Bad People, Have You Heard George’s Podcast?, Battersea Poltergeist, Stacey Dooley Fresh Starts, and Brown Girls Do It Too show how varied and ambitious podcasting is. We’re delighted people will be able to enjoy hearing some BBC podcasts and hosts at the London Podcast Festival.”
More Podcast Festival information here: kingsplace.co.uk/londonpodfest
