What happened at London Podcast Festival 2025
Feature
The 10th anniversary edition of London Podcast Festival at Kings Place is a wrap! The party’s over for now, so it’s time for the debrief…
Curated and produced entirely by the Kings Place team, London Podcast Festival is a unique chance to experience some of the world’s best podcasts live, un-cut and in the flesh with other podcast fans.
Our 10th year was no different, bringing two weeks of live shows, workshops, streams, meet and greets and mayhem.
This year’s programme embraced everything from important topical conversation and cultural deep-dives to comedy classics and complete unadulterated nonsense. We’re already feeling nostalgic, so look back with us at some of this year’s highlights.
History Hit
For this special 10th year edition, we teamed up with award-winning podcast network, History Hit. This series of live shows brought live recordings of some of the most popular history podcasts in the UK, including a visit to ancient Carthage with The Ancients, a deliciously salacious evening with Betwixt The Sheets, murder in Tudor England with After Dark and the first ever live show for Dan Snow’s History Hit.
Audio Drama Day
We weren’t the only ones celebrating. This year Wooden Overcoats were also marking a whole decade of audio drama excellence. We teamed up to celebrate 10 years of sitcom, drama, sci-fi and adventure at London Podcast Festival with a day-long curation of audio drama favourites including Camlann, Crowley Time and a special reunion panel with Wolf 359.
PodFest firsts
We had a milestone moment with Shaping Tomorrow, the first deaf-led podcast to feature at the festival. CEO of AudioUK Chloe Straw hosted an inspiring and important interview with Deaf Rave founder Troi Lee, exploring Troi’s career and how the audio industry can become more accessible to the deaf community.
Then confessions, cringe and crushes galore – Harriet Kemsley and Amy Gledhill brought an absolute riot with their dating podcast, Single Ladies in Your Area; while Nish Kumar and Coco Khan hosted one of their ever-entertaining ways-in to important political conversation with Pod Save the UK, this time with the help of Bimini Bon Boulash and Zarah Sultana.
Returning faves
Podcast heavyweights No Such Thing As A Fish made a triumphant return with two incredible shows, bringing their usual facts and foolery with two incredible special guests – Jamie Morton (My Dad Wrote a Porno), and Richard Osman.
After years of sell-out PodFest runs with her hit podcast I Weigh, Jameela Jamil closed the festival with the first ever live recording of her new comedy podcast Wrong Turns. Not a side was left unsplit when special guests Russell Howard, Judy Love and Grace Campell shared their most embarrassing true stories with a sold-out Hall One crowd.
And many more beloved familiar faces RSVP’d to our big birthday party, including Tommy’s Brownload, Beef and Dairy Network, Wrestle Me and Chart Music, the Guilty Feminist and Empire Film Podcast.
Stars in the spotlight
Journalist and presenter Josh Smith hosted an iconic conversation with Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon) for his podcast Reign, ahead of the premier of her new series, The Girlfriend. And Ade Oladipo shared inspiring chats with boxing legends including Spencer Oliver and Melissa Takimoglu in the Green Chair.
Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd’s Weirdos Book Club brought poignant conversations with special guest Alan Davies around his new book, White Male Stand Up. Jamz Supernova also got deep, dissecting musician Rosie Lowe’s lyrics to their core in a live recording of her podcast Between the Lines.
As always, it’s the audiences that truly make London Podcast Festival the unique and incredible experience it is, year on year. Thanks to everyone for bringing the atmosphere, energy, participation, community, curiosity and love. Here’s to the next 10 years!
A special thanks also to this year’s sponsors: Guardian Podcasts, Acast, AudioUK, and Bellan & Symfon.