Actor Bill Nighy won the award for best host at the 10th annual British Podcast Awards on Thursday, October 1, 2026, for his podcast Ill-Advised, beating nominees Louis Theroux, Katherine Ryan and Lily Allen.
irresistibly endearing series
, award organizers called the production Ill-Advised. Bill Nighy, 76, took home the accolade on Thursday.
The actor, known for film roles in Love Actually, Living and the Underworld franchise, had already secured podcast of the year at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in March.
Nighy Offers Wry Advice
The program is billed as a podcast for people who don't get out much and can't handle it when they do
. Nighy acts as an agony uncle, mixing advice to listeners with musings on life, music, and books.
Other Podcasts Win Top Prizes
The Prison Radio Association’s series about problem gambling, Hold or Fold, won the overall top prize for podcast of the year and best factual podcast. Other winners at the 10th annual British Podcast Awards included Pete Wicks, Sophie and Jamie Laing, Peter Crouch, and Alan Carr.
- Pete Wicks won two awards for Man Made, taking home best interview podcast and best health & wellbeing podcast, with his work produced by Bauer Media.
- Actor Sean Bean earned two prizes for his birdwatching series Get Birding, produced by Peanut & Crumb, winning best lifestyle podcast and best video innovation.
- Hard Launch with Dan & Phil, hosted by the YouTube veterans, won the Listeners’ Choice award voted on by fans.
- Alan Carr and Lee Peart secured best food & drink podcast for their comedy and wine series Bottoms Up!, produced by Platform Media.
Specialized Genres Claim Gold
The event recognized gold winners across multiple categories:
- Best arts & culture podcast: Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, produced by BBC Audio Wales and West of England
- Best business podcast: The Factory Next Door
- Best daily podcast: The Intelligence, produced by The Economist
- Best documentary podcast: The Birth Keepers, produced by The Guardian
- Best education podcast: Talking Rubbish, produced by The Rubbish Collective
- Best entertainment podcast: NewlyParents, produced by JamPot Productions
- Best fiction podcast: Project Bläckfisk, produced by Cipher Atlas Productions
- Best history podcast: The House at Number 48, produced by BBC Long Form Audio
- Best impact podcast: SEND in the Spotlight, produced by BBC Audio
- Best kids podcast: Audiomoves in Space, produced by Peut-Être Theatre
- Best news, politics & current affairs podcast: The Wargame, produced by Sky News and Tortoise
- Best parenting podcast: ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast
- Best sex & relationships podcast: Atonement: The John Paulk Story, produced by Goldhawk and Platform Media
- Best sport podcast: That Peter Crouch Podcast, produced by Marvellous
- Best true crime podcast: Coining It, produced by Free Turn
- Best Welsh language podcast: Hanes Mawr Cymru, produced by Terrier Productions
The awards took place on Thursday, October 1, 2026.