Comedian James Acaster has been on the receiving end of two wins in this year's Pod Bible poll. The winners have been announced today and Acaster, alongside Ed Gamble, won Best Comedy Podcast for Off Menu. He also won Best Music Podcast for James Acaster's Perfect Sounds.
Elsewhere Adam Buxton won Best Interview/Conversation for his long-running hit podcast, Sara Pascoe won Best Social Conscience Podcast for her Sex Power Money podcast and Guilty Feminist won the Lifestyle & Culture category for the second year running.
Full results below:
INTERVIEW & CONVERSATION
WINNER: THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST
2nd – DISTRACTION PIECES PODCAST WITH SCROOBIUS PIP
3rd – HAPPY PLACE WITH FEARNE COTTON
The Adam Buxton Podcast is Best Interview podcast for the second year running. A fan favourite, and a staff favourite, from the cheery singing in the intro to his insightful and considered opinions in his conversations with his guests. Dr. Buckles popped up throughout the year, providing a comforting distraction when we needed it most and with guests from Zadie Smith to Paul McCartney, Adam’s back catalogue continues to go from strength to strength. Congratulations to Adam and here’s to many more ramble chats in 2021.
Listen to The Adam Buxton Podcast on Acast, or via Adam-buxton.co.uk.
COMEDY
WINNER: OFF MENU
2nd – SH**GED MARRIED ANNOYED
3rd – FRENCH & SAUNDERS: TITTING ABOUT
As one of the Editor’s go-to podcasts and a leader in the world of podcasts featuring a genie and a magic restaurant, Ed Gamble and James Acaster’s Off Menu has been crowned Best Comedy podcast for the second year running.
Each week guests are invited to the dream restaurant where they are asked to describe their ideal meal. Choices can come from any place and any time, from Michelin starred restaurants to Nan’s Sunday lunch and everything in between. As they approach 100 episodes the show continues to provide regular belly laughs, particularly when guests order something contrary to James or Ed’s philosophy of good food.
Listen to James & Ed discuss the show on episode #012 of the Pod Bible podcast. Visit the Off Menu website or listen via Apple Podcasts, Acast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
WINNER: THE GUILTY FEMINIST
2nd – HOMO SAPIENS
3rd – TALK ART
It’s back to back wins for Deborah Frances-White and her team as The Guilty Feminist wins best Lifestyle & Culture podcast for 2020. In each episode Deborah and her guests discuss topics ‘all 21st century feminists agree on’ whilst confessing the insecurities, hypocrisies and fears that underlie their principles. This time last year, The Guilty Feminist was formatted as a live show, often recording in front of a live audience. Whilst 2020 saw a lot of Deborah’s live shows cancelled, it has not been a washout – as well our becoming a Pod Bible Poll Winner, The Guilty Feminist also won Gold at the British Podcasting Spotlight Award and continues to adapt with ease to these strange times.
Listen to The Guilty Feminist on Acast or visit the show’s website.
FILM & TV
WINNER: FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH
2nd – KERMODE & MAYO’S FILM REVIEW
3rd – HOW DID THIS GET MADE
After coming in second place in 2019, Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein has switched places with national treasures Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo to become this year’s Best Film & TV Podcast. Based on the fact that we are born and we die, and in between we watch a lot of films, Films To Be Buried With is funny, interesting and surprisingly philosophical. Host Brett Goldstein asks his guests to discuss their lives via the films that mean most to them with his 2020 lineup including an amazing variety of film fanatics including Edgar Wright, Sharon Stone and Romesh Ranganathan.
You can listen to Brett discuss the show on episode #033 of Pod Bible Podcast before checking out his extensive back catalogueon Acast.
MUSIC
WINNER: JAMES ACASTER’S PERFECT SOUNDS
2nd – HIP HOP SAVED MY LIFE
3rd – LIFERS WITH ED GAMBLE
It’s time to crack open the Cawston Press as James Acaster has made his way to the top spot in another category! Perfect Sounds launched in April this year and has a simple premise: James tries to convince comedians that 2016 is the greatest year for music, ever. Although 2016 may seem like a random year initially, it is meaningful – at the start of 2017 James had a mental crisis, and listening to music from the year prior went a long way in helping him get through it. After listening to so much from that year, he became convinced it was the best year for music of all time. We’re still not entirely sure, but the fact that David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ album and Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ both came out that year is a solid argument.
Listen to James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.
SOCIAL CONSCIENCE
WINNER: SEX POWER MONEY
2nd – GRIEFCAST
3rd – OUT WITH SUZI RUFFELL
Sex Power Money is this year’s Best Social Conscience Podcast! In it, comedian Sara Pascoe turns her attention to things that really matter to humans – sex, power and money. The series is an accompaniment to Sara’s book of the same name, and includes interviews people who have experience around sex work, stripping and pornography. The great thing about this series is how it allows people who are so often talked about to speak for themselves, while exploring the history of subjects like ‘whore stigma’ and the ramifications of our current laws around selling sex.
Listen to Sex Power Money on Acast or wherever you listen to podcasts.
SPORT & LEISURE
WINNER: SOCIALLY DISTANCED SPORTS BAR
2nd – TAILENDERS
3rd – FOOTBALL RAMBLE
With so many events cancelled this year, and regular pub chats about sports impossible, it is no surprise that the Best Sport & Leisure Podcast is The Social Distant Sports Bar. And it’s also no surprise that a sports podcast in a year with so much sport cancelled offers listeners much more than sport commentary. Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero get together remotely and try to talk about sports clips from the past over some drinks, which mostly leads to them getting distracted by most things and talking about everything else.
You can read more about The Socially Distant Sports Bar here then listen on Acast or their website.
OH. MY. POD. INDEPENDENT PODCAST
WINNER: MONKEY TENNIS – THE ALAN PARTRIDGE FAN PODCAST
2nd – SCRIPT SIRENS PRESENTS: SIREN SCREAMS
3rd – THE BRUISED BANANA – AN ARSENAL PODCAST
By popular vote, the Oh. My. Pod. Best Independent Podcast 2020 is Monkey Tennis – The Alan Partridge Fan Podcast. The definitive Partridge fan podcast has been running for four years now, and in that time has received acclaim from places such as The Daily Telegraph. Hosts and guests analyse the entire Alan Partridge universe – including (in quite a meta way) the new Alan Partridge – From The Oasthouse Podcast.
