Podcasts our trainees have launched
Our trainees have launched five podcasts recently – they have been smashing it!
We interviewed the hosts of ‘Pad Rash’, ‘Mes Que un Podcast’, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Trending’, ‘Sicknoteagain’ and ‘Sidetracked’ to find out all about their journeys into podcasting.
‘Pad Rash’ is where, as they describe, ‘three idiots discuss cricket’. In their hour-long episodes, ‘the lads’ discuss all things English County Cricket.
After launching the El Chumazo blog in 2024, Jack Heath created ‘Mes Que un Podcast’ with three other fast-track trainees, Tom Horn, Will Miller and Fergus Sowrey. In this football focussed podcast, they go up against each other in quizzes, discuss their teams successes and review matches.
‘The Good, The Bad and The Trending’ was created by our School of Journalism first-year trainees Evie James, Heidi Munn, Keiley Rainey, Macie Lewis and Yumna Iqbal. Discussing all things pop culture, their episodes have focussed on Met Gala outfit reviews, BBC Traitors and Formula 1.
‘Sicknoteagain‘ is an adult health podcast ‘discussing all the things you’re scared to’. Lucy Younger invites guests onto her podcast to talk about their experiences of chronic illness.
Jasmine Trapnell launched the sport podcast ‘Sidetracked’ in 2024. Combining her love for sport and sociology, she often invites special guests on to cover the social and cultural landscape of sport.
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Why did you start your podcast?
Alex said: “Pad Rash was born out of a love for cricket and a keenness to get started on my journalistic journey utilising all forms of media.”
Jack said: “We started Mes Que un Podcast partly because of our love of football but also as a way to show future employers another weapon in our arsenal when it comes to producing content. Being able to edit and produce podcasts is another thing that can make you stand out in a competitive industry.”
‘The Good, The Bad and The Trending’ hosts said: “We are all very chatty and love to talk so wanted to combine doing something we enjoy with gaining journalism experience”.
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Lucy said: “I was making short form videos about my own health journey that started to gain a little bit of traction and I soon realised so many other young adults had gone/are going through chronic illness diagnoses but no one is speaking about it. So I wanted to start a podcast that openly spoke about the trails and tribulations but also the mad parts of being thrown into the chronic illness world as an adult, the time when you’re meant to “have your life together”.”
Jasmine said: “I decided to start my podcast because I had done student radio while at university and wanted to continue developing that skill. I also wanted to be able to develop my audio editing and presenting skills.”
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What have been the biggest lessons that you’ve learnt?
Alex said: “To lean into it. Say what you mean and PREP. All about the prep wherever you can, to formulate opinions well before you click the record button.”
Jack said: “Research is everything. Throughout the episodes we’ve done so far, if you don’t research before speaking on a topic, it shows and can lower the intellectual quality when recording which the audience can notice. Make sure to take the time to prepare some notes before recording so you are familiar with the topic, even a subject you know lots about!”
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‘The Good, The Bad and The Trending’ hosts said: “Realising the importance of media law and how to approach hate comments.”
Lucy said: “The biggest lesson I’ve learnt so far is that the editing process is a lot harder than you think it’s going to be. It takes a lot of time, and just when you think you’ve got it down you realise you need to edit a thumbnail or re record the beginning.”
Jasmine said: “The biggest thing I have learnt is that organisation is one of the most important things when running your own podcast. I underestimated the time that would go into the admin side of it, whether that be planning episodes or contacting guests.”
What is your favourite part of podcasting?
Alex said: “Recording. I love the feeling of putting thoughts onto the airwaves knowing they’ll be available forever.”
Jack said: “My favourite part of the podcast would definitely be including fun segments like quizzes or games. This helps to break up sometimes scripted talking, leading to greater engagement with the audience as well as having a laugh!”
‘The Good, The Bad and The Trending’ hosts said: “We have fun recording it and have a giggle while talking about the things we enjoy and gaining experience.”
Lucy said: “My favourite part is getting to hear some incredible stories. I’m a feature writer by background, so it’s the dream to get to interview people and read through real life stories whilst giving them a platform.”
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Jasmine said: “My favourite part is when people say they listened to a certain episode and tell me they enjoyed it. It’s a nice feeling to get such positive recognition and feedback for something that you are solely responsible for. I was also able to speak to Jazmin Sawyers as a guest on my podcast and that was a pretty surreal feeling because she’s an athlete I have always admired.”
Feeling inspired to by the podcasts our trainees have launched? Read here to find out what our favourite journalism podcasts are.