One of the hot topics to emerge from last week’s TellyCast Digital Content Forum (November 7) was the increasingly close relationship between TV and podcasts. Suzy Grant, head of visualised podcasts at Listen, illustrated the point by talking about The Traitors: Uncloaked, a review companion show to the hit format. She told delegates that: “It’s had the most successful journey across the BBC, getting people from TV into podcast, and people from podcast back into TV. The audience want to come with us… It’s something new, it’s something special, and it’s what the audience want.”
Intriguingly, it’s not just entertainment shows that lend themselves to the podcast treatment. This month, Disney+ revealed that its adaptation of Rivals, based on the novel by Jilly Cooper, would be accompanied by a visualised companion podcast.
Created by Listen, in partnership with Wondery, Rivals: The Official Podcast offers audiences an immersive behind-the-scenes experience. Hosted by Pandora Sykes (pictured), the podcast gives fans a front-row seat for exclusive interviews and insights from the cast, as well as spoilers, plenty of gossip, drama, and insider stories.
At the DCF, Grant explained how it is important to vary the podcasting approach by genre. She said that the episodic podcast format suits unscripted shows, where new episodes of the audio show can be released after each TV episode airs, to pick up on the key points and interview participants. For scripted shows – particularly those whose episodes drop at once for binge-viewing – this approach may not make as much sense. “You’re not going to stop your binge-viewing to listen…”
The Rivals podcast has received positive feedback. Scott Bryan, on the Podcast Rex website, said: “I can be a bit sceptical with official podcasts tied to TV shows, as they can end up being a bit too formal and sounding like an advert for a show you have already watched. Rivals doesn’t fall into that trap, as host Pandora Sykes asks interesting questions and contributors, such as writer and executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, make interesting points about the themes and plot points.”
Whether scripted or unscripted, there’s no question that broadcasters and producers look set to pour more resource into podcast spinoffs. This autumn, for example, Sky announced TV-themed panel show Rob Beckett’s Smart TV (produced by Talkback, a Fremantle label) would be returning to Sky Max for a second series. Alongside the show, Alison Hammond (a team captain) will be hosting a companion podcast in the form of the Smart TV podcast (w/t). Each of the podcast’s 21 episodes will feature a celebrity guest, who will chat to Hammond about the TV that made them who they are.
In a separate development, two units of the BBC have launched thought-provoking podcasts. BBC World Service has launched audio drama podcast Purple Heart Warriors, created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Iris Yamashita. The series is set in the battlefields of World War Two as young Japanese American soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team battle to liberate France from Nazi occupation.
Meanwhile, a new BBC Radio 5 Live podcast is telling the true story of a senior IRA member known as Stakeknife, whose double life as a British Army agent helped him to get away with murder. Freddie Scappaticci was a senior member of the IRA, tasked with finding and interrogating informers. At the same time, he was a secret British military agent: described by the British Army as its most prized agent.
Series commissioner Dylan Haskins said: “Stakeknife has been meticulously produced over three years, taking us deep into some of the darkest chapters of British and Irish history, with consequences that continue to unfold today. The series combines engaging storytelling, beautiful sound design and impactful journalism that immerses listeners in the story – all the while remaining mindful that these are real-life stories – with real people profoundly affected.”
