Prison Radio Association’s Hold or Fold has been named Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2026, which celebrated its tenth anniversary.
The awards took place at Indigo at The O2 in London on Thursday 1st October, with comedian, actor and podcaster Jake Bhardwaj hosting the ceremony, which recognised winners across 31 categories.
Hold or Fold also won Best Factual Podcast, while Bauer Media’s Pete Wicks’ Man Made picked up two awards, winning Best Health & Wellbeing Podcast and Best Interview Podcast.
The series features conversations about modern masculinity, with guests including Keir Starmer, Russell T Davies and Jameela Jamil.
Bill Nighy was named Best Host for his series ill-advised, produced by EYEPOD Studios, while Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s NewlyParents, from JamPot Productions, won Best Entertainment Podcast.
Get Birding, hosted by actor Sean Bean and produced by Peanut & Crumb, also secured two awards, winning Best Lifestyle Podcast and Best Video Innovation.
The Spotlight Award went to Dish from Waitrose with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett. Produced by Cold Glass Productions, the podcast has achieved more than one billion combined downloads, views and listens since launching in 2022.
The public-voted Listeners’ Choice Award, powered by Spotify, was won by Hard Launch with Dan & Phil, while BBC World Service was named Best Network / Publisher.
Other winners included The Intelligence from The Economist, The Birth Keepers from The Guardian, and The Wargame, a collaboration between Sky News and Tortoise.
Georgie Styles received the Rising Star Award, with the ceremony also recognising podcasts across comedy, documentary, education, sport, history and Welsh-language programming.
Presenters during the evening included Peter Crouch, Clara Amfo, Munroe Bergdorf, Chris Stark, Anita Rani, Mishal Husain, Deborah Frances-White, Chloe Burrows and Pete Wicks.
The awards were supported by partners including Acast, Audible, Campaign, Canon, Industria Studios, Secret Media Network, Spotify and Sue Terry Voices.
Full list of British Podcast Awards 2026 winners
PODCAST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Hold or Fold
Prison Radio Association
LISTENERS’ CHOICE powered by Spotify (public vote)
WINNER: Hard Launch with Dan & Phil
Studio 71
BEST ARTS & CULTURE PODCAST
WINNER: Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story
BBC Audio Wales and West of England
BEST BUSINESS PODCAST
WINNER: The Factory Next Door
The Factory Next Door
BEST COMEDY PODCAST
WINNER: When The Cops Say No, We Say Yes
A Step Too Far Productions
BEST DAILY PODCAST
WINNER: The Intelligence
The Economist
BEST DOCUMENTARY PODCAST
WINNER: The Birth Keepers
The Guardian
BEST EDUCATION PODCAST
WINNER: Talking Rubbish
The Rubbish Collective
BEST ENTERTAINMENT PODCAST
WINNER: NewlyParents
JamPot Productions
BEST FACTUAL PODCAST
WINNER: Hold or Fold
Prison Radio Association
BEST FICTION PODCAST
WINNER: Project Bläckfisk
Cipher Atlas Productions
BEST FOOD & DRINK PODCAST
WINNER: Bottoms Up! With Alan Carr & Lee Peart
Platform Media
BEST HEALTH & WELLBEING PODCAST
WINNER: Pete Wicks’ Man Made
Bauer Media
BEST HISTORY PODCAST
WINNER: The House at Number 48
BBC Long Form Audio
BEST HOST(S)
WINNER: Bill Nighy
EYEPOD Studios
BEST IMPACT PODCAST
WINNER: SEND in the Spotlight
BBC Audio
BEST INTERVIEW PODCAST
WINNER: Pete Wicks’ Man Made
Bauer Media
BEST KIDS PODCAST
WINNER: Audiomoves in Space
Peut-Être Theatre
BEST LIFESTYLE PODCAST
WINNER: Get Birding
Peanut & Crumb
BEST NETWORK / PUBLISHER
WINNER: BBC World Service
BEST NEW PODCAST
WINNER: Do I Detect A Problem?
Sync Clap Limited
BEST NEWS, POLITICS & CURRENT AFFAIRS PODCAST
WINNER: The Wargame
Sky News and Tortoise
BEST PARENTING PODCAST
WINNER: ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast
ADHD Women’s Wellbeing
RISING STAR AWARD
WINNER: Georgie Styles
BEST SEX & RELATIONSHIPS PODCAST
WINNER: Atonement: The John Paulk Story
Goldhawk and Platform Media
SPECIALIST AWARD
WINNER: The Dementia Perspective
OG Podcasts
BEST SPORT PODCAST
WINNER: That Peter Crouch Podcast
Marvellous
SPOTLIGHT AWARD
WINNER: Dish from Waitrose with Nick Grimshaw & Angela Hartnett
Cold Glass Productions
BEST TRUE CRIME PODCAST
WINNER: Coining It
Free Turn
BEST VIDEO INNOVATION
WINNER: Get Birding
Peanut & Crumb
BEST WELSH LANGUAGE PODCAST
WINNER: Hanes Mawr Cymru
Terrier Productions
