Entertainment

Louis Theroux, Fearne Cotton and Vent Documentaries win at podcast awards

Series made during the Covid pandemic were also celebrated.
Series made during the Covid pandemic were also celebrated. Series made during the Covid pandemic were also celebrated.

Louis Theroux, Fearne Cotton and Vent Documentaries were among the big winners at the British Podcast Awards.

Vent Documentaries, a series sharing formative experiences of young people in the London borough of Brent, was the big winner at the ceremony in London’s Brockwell Park.

It picked up three awards – podcast of the year, smartest podcast and best documentary.

Cotton, the host of wellness series Happy Place, was given the podcast champion prize for her efforts to open up the conversation around mental health, while the spotlight award, which recognises a podcast that reaches the masses, was awarded to interview show Grounded With Louis Theroux.

Real Dictators, a history podcast detailing how dictators rose to power, was named best arts and culture podcast, while Where Is George Gibney?, which sets out on the trail an Olympic coach charged with child sexual abuse, won the moment of the year category.

The best interview award went to Dead Honest, a podcast about people who work with death, while Tough Talks from Hits Radio Pride won the best sex and relationships category.

Who Killed CJ Davis?, which attempts to work out who killed a 14-year-old boy in broad daylight in September 2017 in Newham, east London, was chosen as best true crime.

Three new categories were introduced for the 2021 ceremony, including best lockdown podcast, which was won by Stolen Goodbyes, which tells the stories of those who died from Covid-19 without having the chance to say goodbye.

Best new podcast went to Field Recordings, which transports listeners to the great outdoors while being confined to their own homes.

Meanwhile, the listeners’ choice award, the only gong voted for by the public, was won by true crime podcast RedHanded.