Looking Back on a Remarkable Year

By Published On: January 5, 2026
Christine Garrington review of 2025: It’s been an inspiring year for the Research Podcasts team - working with academics just starting out on their research journey as well as experts in their field. We continue to strive to create a space in our podcasts where academics not only showcase and share what they know, but actually undertake their research through engaging and impactful conversations.

As Research Podcasts start a new year, it feels like the perfect moment to reflect on the incredible projects we’ve been part of, the inspiring people we’ve worked with, and the skills we’ve shared in 2025. Last year was filled with fresh ideas, powerful stories, and creative collaborations that we’re proud to have helped bring to life.

Productions We’ve Worked On

We’ve had the privilege of working on a diverse range of productions, each with its own unique voice, purpose, and audience. A few highlights from 2025 include:

The Bridge: A Disagreeing Well Podcast – This brilliant podcast tackles today’s most debated issues and offering practical tools to bridge divides through thoughtful dialogue and shared experience. Read more in our podcast of the month blog.

Design for Freedom – A new series that explores the role of design in shaping fairer, more ethical futures. Read more about the series here.

Centre for Personalised Medicine – Amplifying research and practice at the cutting edge of personalised healthcare from Oxford University. Two bonus episodes on BioBank and the EPPIGEN projects are coming in the new year. Find out more about the podcast and the project here.

Speaking of Research: The SCDTP Podcast – Two fantastic series this year supporting doctoral training partnerships through inspiring conversations. We’re excited to return for Series 3 next year. Read more about our training production here.

Linking Our Lives – The third series champions the ONS Longitudinal Study and the lives it represents. Interested in longitudinal research? Check it out here.

Whose Power? – Created with The Preservative Party and Professor Abigail Harrison Moore, this thought-provoking series explores participatory research and the role of power in creating lasting change. One of our case study productions you can find out more about here.

Global Aid Rethink – Sparking debate on the future of international aid. It aims to rethink the current global aid landscape; politically, historically and ideologically.

Generation Peace – Challenging assumptions about youth, conflict, and the power of young people to build a more peaceful future.

The BruPod – Recorded as part of our Conference Package, this series explores research journeys and experiences of Brunel PhD students. Find out more about our conference package here.

Each of these projects has challenged us to think differently, stretch creatively, and collaborate closely with brilliant researchers, practitioners, and communities. We’re incredibly grateful for the trust placed in us to help shape and share these stories.

Catherine McDonald review of 2025: 2025 has brought more of what I love in my role at Research Podcasts. Working with researchers to turn their research into insightful audio content and, in turn, get it in front of brand-new audiences is the backbone of what we do. As Senior Producer I often meet clients at the point of commission and listening as they explain their idea - fully formed or just a seed - is so exciting. What’s the narrative arc of the series going to be? How will that best be split into episodes? And who shall we approach to be guests? Highlights for me this year include working with the brilliant Ivica Petrikova and Melita Lazell on the brand new series, Global Aid Rethink, which went into production as both the UK and the USA cut their foreign aid budgets; and working with the Disagreeing Well campaign team at UCL to both devise and produce The Bridge, a podcast that aims to get us disagreeing better.

Coming in 2026

Research Podcasts are excited to have several new productions launching next year, including:

  • Young Carers – highlighting the resilience and strength of young people balancing care with growing up.
  • Security at Sea– diving into the challenges and innovations shaping maritime safety.
  • Creating Communities; The Educafe Podcast – creating welcoming spaces where learning and community come together.

And a few more we can’t announce yet but keep an eye out in 2026.

Sharing Skills Through Training

One of the standout parts of 2025 was delivering podcast training. We’ve worked with researchers at every career stage, showing them how podcasting can be an engaging and accessible way to share their work, build impact, and connect with wider audiences.

These practical, hands-on sessions have empowered academics to find their voice, build confidence, and explore the creative potential of audio storytelling. Watching participants turn early ideas into fully formed, compelling concepts has been one of our greatest joys this year.

Anton Jarvis Review of 2025: As the person who receives the audio recordings and shapes them into podcast episodes, I’m very fortunate to hear insightful discussions long before they’re published. As I edit, I can remove coughs, traffic noise, barking dogs - and even the occasional purring cat! For me, The Bridge, with its ‘disagreeing well’ format and excellent mediation, and the incredibly timely Global Aid Rethink, have been real standouts this year.

Looking Ahead

As we step into the new year, we’re excited to keep building on this momentum. Research Podcasts will continue to deliver high-quality podcast training, expanding the range of voices we work with, and exploring new creative opportunities across research, community storytelling, and impact-focused audio.

Here’s to another year of learning, collaboration, and storytelling that makes a difference.

Krissie Brighty-Glover review of 2025: I am immensely proud of how Research Podcasts has navigated a particularly challenging year for the higher education sector. Despite the turbulent landscape of HE, we have not only weathered the storm but thrived, expanding both our production portfolio and the number of workshops we deliver to researchers. Our success this year is best illustrated by the impactful narratives we’ve brought to life: from the innovative participatory research in Whose Power? with the Preservative Party, to our new collaborations with RHUL on Global Aid Rethink and UCL on The Bridge. Additionally, our new training partnership with the Sociological Review and our work with doctoral training partnerships including SCDTP, WRoCAH and LAHP highlights our commitment to developing the next generation of academic voices.

 

Ready to Explore Podcasting in the New Year?

Book a free 10-minute call with our director, Krissie, to chat through your ideas, challenges, or plans.

No pressure – just a friendly conversation to help you take the next step.

To book your call email krissie@researchpodcasts.co.uk.

 

Lauren White, Assistant Producer