Kids' podcast wins prestigious national, audio industry award

Locally-based participatory arts organisation Made by Mortals beat stiff competition from the Prison Radio Association, Multitrack and the Transmission Roundhouse Podcast Academy to win Best Grassroots Production Award at the 2023 Audio Production Awards in London.

The award was in recognition of their hit podcast Armchair Adventures.

The series, launched during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, is an educational podcast series for kids aged 6-10 and features the ideas, experiences and voices of older people aged 65 and over from across Greater Manchester.

The Audio Production Awards, hosted by the audio industry body Audio UK, and sponsored by Audible, celebrates the pinnacle of audio production talent from the UK, encompassing podcasting, radio, audiobooks and sound design. 

This year’s winners include talent from renowned companies such as BBC News, Absolute Radio Network, Baby Cow, Hat Trick and Audio Always.

The esteemed Audio Production Awards judging panel, which includes representatives from across the audio industry, including BBC, said about the winning Armchair Adventures entry: “A fantastic grassroots piece with a strong community focus.

"The engaging audio introduces and explores important issues for young children and encourages open expression. Great to see intergenerational work between young and mature voices.”

The award was presented to Made by Mortals by comedian and actor Kerry Godliman, star of Derek, After Life and Taskmaster. 

Andy Smith, Artistic Director of Made By Mortals, said: “We’re over the moon that our podcast has been recognised by the UK’s audio industry.

"This means so much to us and the group of older people whose voices you hear in every episode.

"Armchair Adventures started as a way for Made by Mortals to help our local community and group of older, amateur actors to connect and create joy during lockdown.

"Three years later we are blown away by the continued success of the series.

"This Audio Production Award is the icing on the cake of what’s been an incredible year for Armchair Adventures.

"Thank-you.”

This accolade marks a remarkable milestone for Armchair Adventures, which recently launched its fourth season in October.

The podcast has amassed over 200,000 global listens, topped podcast charts worldwide, joined Yoto's screen-free audio player for kids, launched a Patreon listener membership, and solidified its partnership with Virgin Atlantic, becoming the first kids' podcast to be available in-flight, entertaining young travellers as they embark on global adventures.

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