BBC Sounds has reported another record-breaking year with over 2.5 billion plays of radio, music and podcasts between January and November 2025 – an increase of 8 per cent compared with the same period last year.

There was a total of 2.8 billion audio plays from across the BBC, including BBC Sport, BBC News, BBC Bitesize and visualised podcasts on iPlayer. Podcast listening continues to surge on with a 15 per cent increase in plays on BBC Sounds compared with 2024.

“From comedy and drama to sport, history, news and current affairs, BBC Sounds offers something for every listener, wherever they are,” said the BBC’ “To celebrate, we’ve revealed the Top 10 most popular podcasts of 2025 and curated a Best of 2025 collection, now available on BBC Sounds.”

Top 10 Podcasts on BBC Sounds in 2025
(Based on plays between January and November 2025)

1. Newscast – The BBC’s daily news podcast delivering expert analysis and insight.
2. Americast – The latest perspectives on US politics and culture.
3. Sherlock Holmes Short Stories – Classic mysteries narrated by Hugh Bonneville.
4. Uncanny – Danny Robins investigates real-life paranormal encounters.
5. Elis James and John Robins – Twice-weekly laughs and top-quality #content.
6. Short History Of… – Incredible moments and remarkable people from history.
7. Limelight – Must-listen drama serials, including CIA thriller Central Intelligence.
8. You’re Dead to Me – Greg Jenner and guests learn and laugh about the past.
9. The History Podcast – History in close-up, told by those who were there.
10. What’s Up Docs? – Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken help us take better care of ourselves.

Jonathan Wall, Director, BBC Sounds says: “Hitting 2.5 billion plays this year is a great milestone and it’s fantastic to see BBC Sounds continuing to grow via our big events, our great stations and streams, and our investment in podcasts. It was also brilliant to see so many award wins throughout the year, especially for some of the creators from our Audio Lab new talent programme. With podcast listening up 15 per cent and a record weekly audience of 5.1 million during The Ashes, it is clear people are coming to us for trusted news, brilliant sport, and world-class storytelling. We’re excited to keep innovating so BBC Sounds remains the number one destination for audio that informs, entertains and connects listeners everywhere.”

Mohit Bakaya, Controller, BBC Radio 4 and Director, Speech Audio, added: “This year’s listening is a powerful reminder of the range and impact of BBC speech audio, from Radio 4 favourites across comedy, drama and history to our world‑class journalism. We’ve increased podcast plays again on BBC Sounds this year, testament to the extraordinary talent and consistently compelling storytelling across our speech portfolio. From the bold narratives of the new History Podcast series, to the popularity and visual innovation of The Traitors: Uncloaked, our programmes continue to resonate with audiences in powerful and unexpected ways. I’m particularly proud that audiences are embracing ambitious investigative series like Shadow World, alongside the programmes that make the BBC’s speech output a daily habit for millions of listeners.”

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Digital Radio

Tags: BBC, BBC Sounds, History, Music, podcast, sports