Podcast-loving Londoners, please avert your attention from whatever you currently have filling your ears, and listen up. You may have heard that Thursday, October 2 marked one of the most highly-esteemed events in the audio-entertainment calendar: The British Podcast Awards. The pink carpet descended upon London’s legendary Indigo at The O2 along with an abundance of podcast-pros and audio-aficionados. And as with all of the most exciting things happening in the capital city; Secret London simply couldn’t resist getting in on the action.
From culture, crime, and comedy to history, health, and high-brow; the awards ceremony showcased, celebrated, and shone a light on the very best in British podcasting. Across 30 coveted categories, awards were dished out to the plethora of podcasts that have managed to entertain and inspire us during even the most chaotic of commutes and wearisome of workouts. And we managed to nab some time to chat to some of the incredible award-winners and attendees, so that we could ask them some of your burning questions about London. You’re very welcome.
Jordan North and William Hanson (Help I Sexted My Boss)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“Where’s your favourite place to eat? What’s your best secret?”
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“I’d ban those rickshaws that play that awful music” – William
“Oh, I was gonna say I’d make Guinness free for a full day” – Jordan
What’s your favourite London spot?
“West Brompton Cemetery… it’s gorgeous at this time of year”.
Sara Cox and Clare Hamilton (The Teen Commandments)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“Do you listen to The Teen Commandments?” (we like what you did there, ladies).
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“Everyone has to say hello to each other” (spoken like true Northerners, hey?).
What are your favourite London spots?
Sara and Clare gave their shoutouts to the likes of The Devonshire, Speedboat Bar, and The Coffee Cup in Hampstead.
Alexander Dragonetti (contestant of The Traitors S3)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“How long is it reasonable to wait for a London Tube?” (we were all in agreement that three minutes is the longest acceptable time to wait for a Tube before chaos ensues).
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“I think I’d pedestrianise Oxford Street“,
What is the ugliest London landmark?
“I think Centrepoint… it seems kind of empty and a bit soulless, and it’s right in the middle”.
If you could add any landmark to the London skyline, what would it be?
“I really love the Rockefeller Centre. It’s got kind of Barbican vibes. So just for my own enjoyment, I’d just bring the Rockefeller Centre here”.
Mia Thornton (winner of the Secret Media Network Rising Star Award)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“Why do you always have to ask me where my accent is from?” (Mia is a proud ‘northern babe’).
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“I would make any train to London £5.99” (a rule I could certainly get on board with).
If you could add any landmark to the London skyline, what would it be?
“Get us the Brooklyn Bridge“.
What is your favourite London spot?
“I think it would be Lafayette” (a New Orleans-inspired music venue and bar in King’s Cross).
Emma Barnett (Head Judge of the British Podcast Awards)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“Who do they really want to have sex with and why?” (a question on everybody’s lips, I suppose).
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“I would make it a properly 24-hour city… and make every line 24 hours on the Tube”.
What are your favourite London spots?
Emma very kindly gave us a full rundown of her favourite spots in Brixton. Her Brixton favourites included Maremma (a Tuscan restaurant), Finch (a cosy wine bar), Brixton Market (of course), Diverse (a little lifestyle store, full of knick-knacks), and Papa’s Park (for the littluns).
Carl Miller (Kill List)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“How can we get you to pay for good journalism?”
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“Let’s get huge bike lanes everywhere… the city needs less cars.”
What is the ugliest London landmark?
“I don’t love the BT Tower… I also don’t like The Shard.”
If you could add any landmark to the London skyline, what would it be?
“The Las Vegas version of the Eiffel Tower” (an iconic answer, in my opinion).
Chris Sweeney (Homo Sapiens)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“What are we going to do?” (a truly uplifting question).
What is the ugliest London landmark?
“Portcullis House I think is actually pretty ugly”.
If you could add any landmark to the London skyline, what would it be?
“I think we’ve got enough” (yeah, we’re not exactly lacking in landmarks, I suppose).
What is your favourite London spot?
“Campania on Columbia Road. Its a restaurant. It’s lovely” (what more could you want, hey?).
Gigi and Dani (Journeys with Grace)
If you could ask every Londoner one question, what would it be?
“Where’s the best pub garden to go to in the summer?” (a question that we can answer for you right here, folks).
If you were the Mayor of London, what rule would you enact?
“Congestion charge out the window”.
If you could add any landmark to the London skyline, what would it be?
“I would put the Statue of Liberty right in the middle of the Thames” (a hattrick of NYC landmarks that we’d like here in London apparently).
What are your favourite London spots?
Grace and Dani gave shoutouts to the rather iconic likes of Ritzy Cinema, Pop Brixton, the Jazz Cafe and Koko.
Find out more about the British Podcast Awards and discover the full list of award-winners and nominees here.