Radio Academy Festival 2024 Line-Up:

• Nick Wallis, broadcast journalist and presenter of The Great Post Office Trial (Whistledown Productions for BBC Radio 4), will be in conversation on the Festival Stage discussing the story that Nick has covered on radio for over a decade, that some have called the widest miscarriage of justice in UK legal history.
• Following a recent Gold for Best Coverage of an Event, Radio 2 DJ, Trevor Nelson, will take to the ARIAS Stage to discuss Windrush 75 (Spiritland Productions for BBC Radio 2) – a concert telling the story of the far-reaching impact of Caribbean culture and music on the UK over the last 75 years which took place at the Royal Albert Hall that he curated and hosted.
• The Impact Stage will be a relaxed space to gather and discuss a variety of topics that impact programme makers, content creators and leaders as well as their audiences. Comedian, podcaster & Virgin Radio presenter Suzi Ruffell, who’s currently on air on pop-up station Virgin Radio Pride, will lead the conversation on how radio, podcast and audio content can bring positive voices together across our communities.
• Poet, Author and Broadcaster, Lady Unchained, will join the Festival's ARIAS Stage to discuss the recent ARIAS Best Specialist Music Show win for Free Flow for the Prison Radio Association.
• Exec Producer and PhD Researcher Sylvie Carlos, joins our Impact Stage.  Sylvie is a multi-award-winning radio/podcast producer who has unapologetically focused on amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities, with a particular interest in Black-British stories.
• BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills and winner of Best Music Entertainment Show will join the ARIAS Stage. Scott previously hosted The Scott Mills Show live every Monday-Thursday on BBC Radio 1 as well as hosting the Official Chart every Friday. He has also fronted the hugely successful Official Strictly podcast and Eurovision Calling for BBC Sounds.
• Emma Louise Amanshia will co-host the Impact stage with Conor Knight. Emma-Louise currently presents Newsround on CBBC for the BBC, travelling around the UK reporting on the stories that are most important to children and young people. Emma-Louise also fronts weekends and school holidays on Fun Kids Radio.
• Conor Knight is a presenter on BBC Radio 1, FunKids and Radio Essex where he’s been bringing his tongue in cheek demeanour, love for music and popstar nonsense to his dedicated and growing band of listeners since 2018. Conor’s comedy fact podcast Baffled – has charted in the in the UK Top 20 & US Top 40.
• In a huge year for UK and international politics BBC Radio 5 Live’s new-recruit, Matt Chorley will be in conversation about how his new daytime hopes to bring a different perspective to national political commentary and coverage. The award-winning presenter, author and stand-up will bring his unique political knowledge and humour to the Festival Stage.
• Joining our three stages, Kat Shoob is a DJ, television and radio presenter. Kat has broadcast across multiple commercial radio stations where she has interviewed some of the leading artists in the entertainment industry and is currently a host on Magic, hosting the primetime ‘The 4 till 7 Show with Tom and Kat’ every weekday, as well as Magic Chilled on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Tom Price is a presenter, podcaster and comedian. Tom currently presents the ‘4 till 7 Show’ on Magic Radio with Kat Shoob, as well as the regular cover presenter for Magic Breakfast. He also hosts the popular podcast My Mate Bought A Toaster. As a Welsh native, Tom also occasionally presents on BBC Wales.
• Returning to the Festival Stage, Broadcaster, DJ, Speaker, and Host Pete Snodden joins us from Northern Ireland’s hugely successful breakfast show, Cool FM, where he has presented for the best part of 19 years..
• Aasmah Mir is the author of A Glasgow Girl, published by Headline in 2024, formerly known as A Pebble in the Throat. She writes a column for The Sunday Times and is also an award-winning broadcaster who co-presents the Times Radio Breakfast show.
• James Williams joins us on the Festival Stage. James is a presenter on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast and was formerly BBC Wales’ political correspondent. He is one of the hosts of the Walescast podcast covering what’s happening in Welsh politics.
• Dan Noble presents Absolute Radio Early Breakfast. In 2019, Dan joined Absolute Radio – becoming the youngest person to present on the national station at 21 years old. At Absolute Radio, he has covered shows including Overnights, Evenings and Weekend Breakfast. He has also co-produced a documentary, “Woodstock at 50”.
• Radio Festival first timer, Molly Palmer joins us on the Impact Stage. Molly hosts the BBC Radio Wales Tuesday evening programme. Molly joined Radio Wales in 2023 having covered programmes on BBC Radio Cymru 2 and previously worked at Radio Platfform, the youth-led radio station and training space at the Wales Millennium Centre.
• Digital media lawyer Cliff Fluet demonstrates the power of AI for producers and creators. Cliff specialises in music tech brands, intellectual property, entertainment and innovation at law firm Lewis Silkin, and offers strategic advice to some of the world’s biggest names in digital, mobile, social media, brands, music and live events.
• Sangita Myska is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster who has worked at the BBC and LBC. She works with the John Schofield Trust encouraging a new generation of journalists into a rapidly changing industry.
• Neev Spencer is a Radio and TV broadcaster who is currently presenting the afternoon show on Magic FM. Her next step is to return to her passion for stand-up comedy!
• Ahmed Hussain heads up the BBC Asian Network, leading the UK-based station to reach over half a million listeners weekly and more than two million through social media and video content. He’s also been tasked with moving the whole station to Birmingham from April 2025. The pre-dominantly music and entertainment station is currently the number one most listened to British Asian station. Ahmed began his broadcasting career at pirate and community radio stations in East London, focusing on providing opportunities for young talent to get into broadcasting and the media, and is often delivering masterclasses in audio and beyond. His efforts have garnered multiple awards, including BBC Asian Network winning Gold at the 2024 ARIAS as the best radio station in the UK and recently posting its highest RAJAR numbers post Covid.
• Tommy Dixon is an award-winning podcast producer and presenter from London and a member of The ReelWorld Radio Academy 30 under 30 class of 2023. Tommy has produced programmes for BBC Sounds, BBC World Service and Transmission Roundhouse. His work includes the ARIA Gold winning docudrama Colouring In Britain.
• Caroline Steel is a broadcaster and science expert with a masters in physics. She won Best New Presenter at the ARIAS 2024. Caroline hosts CrowdScience and sometimes Unexpected Elements on the BBC World Service and you can hear her presenting science documentaries on Radio 4.
• Hosting our popular Festival stage is Nadia Jae, Host, BBC Radio 1xtra Breakfast Show who will welcome an amazing line-up of creative audio practitioners, award winners, influencers, leaders and sector visionaries.
• Adam Jarrell (Director, Editor) and Joel Emery (Writer) together run Holy Smokes - the creative team behind Goalhanger's Sherlock & Co. A show that has broken the mould for audio drama in the UK with weekly episode releases that have amassed millions of downloads and picked up an ARIA, a PodBible Award and two British Podcast Award nominations in its first year alone. Together Adam and Joel have created long-running hits such as The Offensive as well as other award-winning productions such as Jackie the Ripper and BOOM.
• Adrian Durham has been on the radio for 35 years, starting out in news where he covered US and UK elections, interviewed Tony Blair and Prince Charles, and covered huge stories including the Stephen Lawrence murder and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Adrian has been hosting talkSPORT’s Saturday afternoon football show Gameday since the radio station started in 2000, also hosting the Drive show for 15 years. He is now the Chief live football anchor for the station, and has worked at eleven major football tournaments, citing the Lionesses 2022 Euros win as his best experience. He won ARIAS Gold for Best Speech Presenter 2023 and was part of the Gameday team that won ARIAS Gold for Best Sports Coverage 2024.
• Crossy presents the Strawberry Alarm Clock, Dublin's iconic number 1 breakfast show alongside Jim-Jim and Zeinab. He has been part of FM104 since he was 17 years of age working on nearly every show in the station, be it in the background or on air. In 2023, Crossy became a full time breakfast show presenter for the station as well as being on the red carpet for the wireless network in London, speaking to the biggest stars in the world. Crossy can also been seen on TV, whether it's on Virgin Media's Six O'Clock show or on RTE, the national Broadcaster. In the last number of years Crossy has been part of Virgin Radio Pride in the UK and has been part of Pride Vibes, Ireland's 1st dedicated LGBTQ+ pop up radio station.
• Jon Mounsor leads the Creator Partnerships team for the UK and Ireland, focusing on building and enhancing relationships with podcasters and content creators. With a strong track record in managing and growing strategic partnerships, Jon oversees Spotify’s efforts to drive engagement, innovation and revenue within the podcasting space.
• Presenter, Commentator and Broadcaster, Nick Bright can be seen fronting multiple formats across sports and entertainment. For 13 years, Nick has hosted his own show on BBC Radio 1Xtra which he continues to this day; supporting new artists and interviewing the best of the best around black music and culture.
• Nick Callaghan has over twenty years commercial experience gained through working at some of the UK's leading broadcasters / platforms in both traditional and online advertising. He is currently working as a Director of Sales at Spotify UK. In this role, Nick is responsible for building meaningful and sustainable relationships with key partners across the Entertainment, Financial Services, UK Government and Real Money Gaming sectors. He works closely with clients to ensure they are using Spotify's suite of different advertising formats to create immersive experiences that will bring people closer to their brands.
• Tracy Rubenstein is Evening Editor at Times Radio and spends most of her time planning and setting up Times Radio breakfast. Before that she spent several years as a senior producer at Radio 4's flagship 'Today' programme. She's worked on almost all Radio 4 news shows in her time!
• Imriel Morgan is the Founder and CEO of Content is Queen and is the host of the award-winning Wanna Be podcast. She holds an MBA and has a background in tech, having spent years as a start-up marketer before working with social enterprises. Imriel began podcasting in 2015 when she co-founded the UK's first podcast network to support underrepresented groups. In 2019, she created 'Content is Queen', the UK's first and only women's podcast festival, before launching an agency and community of the same name. She believes audio is the most powerful medium in which to share the stories of others, and through Content is Queen wants to help amplify them and change the world for the better.
• Cecilia Tyrrell is a sound and new media artist from London. Her practise is built upon the concept of Deep Listening, a physical experience embracing the idea that listening extends beyond the auditory. As an avid field recordist she works primarily with sound, to explore how resonance manifests itself within our landscapes in both vast and microscopic scales. These creative explorations are used in composition and soundscape design, as well as for community engagement, leading sound walks and listening workshops. Cecilia graduated with an MFA in Film, Video, New Media and Animation from the School of the Art Institute Chicago in 2021 and is a current BBC Open Music Trainee for 23/24.
• Aniya Das is a podcast producer at Plosive. She produces comedy podcasts such as Northern News, Lucy and Sam’s Perfect Brains, Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club, Nobody Panic and more. Before joining Plosive she worked at Somethin’ Else (Sony Music Entertainment) on their original podcasts and BBC Radio 4 shows, as well as producing her own music and podcasts.
• Building a Winning Podcast Partnership: How To Work With A-List Talent. This expert panel will delve into managing relationships with A-list celebrity talent. Industry experts will share essential strategies for cultivating enduring creative and professional partnerships that achieve both commercial and artistic success. The discussion will highlight the critical role of transparency, empathy, and efficiency in nurturing these high-stakes relationships.
• (Moderated by) Nicole Logan: Executive Producer (Development) - Goalhanger. Nicole Logan is a content producer with over a decade of experience in arts, media, and entertainment. Currently serving as Executive Producer (Development) at Goalhanger, she works across the company's diverse shows, including sports, history, politics, and entertainment. Nicole leads efforts to find talent, pilot shows, and guide them from concept to launch. Formerly Head of Development at Reduced Listening, Nicole has a keen eye for emerging voices and has been instrumental in producing standout projects for BBC Radio 3, 6Music, BBC Sounds, and Spotify, including Nailing It for Spotify and Arlo Park's Dream Fuel for 6Music. Her prior experience includes key roles in the radio output at the Roundhouse, Camden, and she is a founding trustee of the audio charity Multitrack.
• Jack Davenport: Co-Founder - Goalhanger. Goalhanger is the largest independent podcast producer outside of the United States, with over 30 million monthly downloads worldwide. Their ambition is to become the world’s leading creator of thoughtful long-form content. Currently, they produce more than 10 podcasts, including the popular 'The Rest Is...' series, which covers topics like Politics, Entertainment, Football, and Money. Goalhanger collaborates with top talent in the industry to build passionate communities around their shows, which have expanded beyond audio to include digital video, social media, print, and television. Jack, whose career began at the BBC's talk radio station 5Live, where he rose to the position of senior journalist, founded Goalhanger to apply the skills he acquired into building his own business.
• Ami Bennett: Director - Colour It In, a creative production studio founded on the principle of deep respect for artists, content creators, storytellers, and their audiences. The studio specialises in podcasts and branded audio-visual content, working with like-minded partners to develop impactful creative solutions. Ami began her career as a producer, working on projects such as Decode, Reign It In, and the official Love Island podcast. She currently produces the official Married at First Sight companion podcast.
• Rhyanna Coleman: Head of Podcasts - YMU. Former Spotify podcast executive Rhyanna launched several high-profile podcasts for stars such as Rob Brydon, Olivia Neill, and Munroe Bergdorf. She currently leads YMU’s growing podcast portfolio, which includes Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place, High Performance with Jake Humphrey and Damien Hughes, Grace Beverley’s Working Hard, Hardly Working, James and Fuhad’s ShxtsnGigs, Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s Newlyweds and Great Company, Sophia Tuxford and Cinzia Baylis-Zullo’s The Girl’s Bathroom, and Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby.

• Another exciting session welcomes some of the industry’s biggest hitters to the festival stage for a discussion on the Rise of the Podfluencer? BRANDS, PARTNERSHIPS AND ME. Joining the panel will be Nick Callaghan, Director of Sales (SPOTIFY), Summer Baxter, Head of Brand Partnerships UK (ACAST) & Nik Gandhi, Marketing Manager (Fresh Air) hosted by TV presenter, radio broadcaster, DJ, journalist and writer, Lauren Layfield.
• Laura Smyth is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. Star of 'Live At The Apollo', 'Frankie Boyle’s New World Order' and 'David Mitchell’s Outsiders', relatable and hilarious, Laura's inimitable style cuts through to the truth of the human experience and will leave you wanting more. Her Radio 4 stand-up show ‘I Don’t Know What to Say’ was awarded the gold prize in the Comedy Award category at the ARIAS 2024. Centred around her own experiences with breast cancer, Laura crafts a programme which is engaging, moving and cathartic on a topic that is still taboo for many.
• Impressionist and satirist extraordinaire Rory Bremner will join Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith for a live recording of their smash hit, non-shouty politics podcast Quiet Riot, at 4.30pm on the Impact stage. Expect guest appearances from Prime Ministers, MPs past and present and anyone else that Rory can get his talented tonsils around…