Bill Nighy's Podcast Reinvention Earns Him Top Host Honour at British Podcast Awards

Bill Nighy has added another unexpected string to his bow, with the veteran actor taking home the prize for best host at this year's British Podcast Awards. The 76-year-old, best known for a long and celebrated screen career, was recognised for his work on Ill-Advised, a series in which he offers wry counsel to listeners while reflecting on subjects ranging from music to literature.

The win places Nighy ahead of a crowded field of well-known competitors, including broadcaster Louis Theroux, comedian Katherine Ryan and singer Lily Allen, all of whom were nominated in the same category. The award organisers described Ill-Advised as an "irresistibly endearing series", a phrase that captures the gentle, conversational tone that has evidently resonated with both listeners and judges.

The podcast is pitched as a show for people who, in its own words, do not get out much and struggle when they do. That premise allows Nighy to lean into the role of a sympathetic but dryly witty adviser, dispensing advice shaped by decades of experience in the public eye. It is a format that suits his distinctive voice and unhurried delivery, qualities that have long made him a favourite with audiences.

The recognition is not the first taste of podcast success for Nighy. Earlier this year, in March, Ill-Advised was named podcast of the year at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, suggesting that the show has built momentum steadily rather than relying on a single moment of acclaim. The latest honour, announced at the 10th annual British Podcast Awards, reinforces the sense that his move into audio is more than a passing experiment.

Beyond the headline category, the ceremony, held on Thursday, distributed honours across a wide range of genres, reflecting the growing breadth of the UK podcast industry. Among the notable winners was Pete Wicks, whose series Man Made collected two awards: best interview podcast and best health and wellbeing podcast. The show sees Wicks attempt to unpack modern masculinity, a theme that has become increasingly prominent in public discussion.

Actor Sean Bean also enjoyed a strong night, with his birdwatching series Get Birding taking home two prizes, for best lifestyle podcast and best video innovation. The double win highlights how podcasts are increasingly blending audio with visual elements, an area the awards body has chosen to recognise explicitly.

The evening's most prestigious single honour, best podcast, went to Hold or Fold, a series produced by the Prison Radio Association that examines problem gambling. The programme also won the award for best factual podcast, cementing its status as one of the standout productions of the year. Its success draws attention to the role of prison-based media in tackling social issues that often sit at the margins of mainstream coverage.

In the fan-voted category, Hard Launch with Dan & Phil was named winner of the Listeners' Choice award. The pair, both YouTube veterans, have translated their established online following into the podcast space, demonstrating how creators from other digital platforms continue to reshape the audio landscape.

The comedy and food and drink categories also produced memorable moments. Alan Carr and Lee Peart won best food and drink podcast for Bottoms Up!, their comedy and wine series, while best comedy podcast went to When The Cops Say No, We Say Yes, from A Step Too Far Productions. Elsewhere, the best daily podcast prize was awarded to The Intelligence from The Economist, and The Guardian's The Birth Keepers took the documentary category.

The BBC featured prominently across the list of gold winners. BBC Audio Wales and West of England won best arts and culture podcast for Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, while BBC Long Form Audio claimed best history podcast with The House at Number 48. BBC Audio also won best impact podcast for SEND in the Spotlight, and the BBC World Service was named best network or publisher.

Other winners spanned an eclectic mix of subjects and producers. Sky News and Tortoise shared the best news, politics and current affairs award for The Wargame, while the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast won best parenting podcast. The best sex and relationships prize went to Atonement: The John Paulk Story, and The Dementia Perspective received the specialist award. In sport, That Peter Crouch Podcast was victorious, and the best true crime award went to Coining It.

The awards also made room for emerging talent, with Georgie Styles receiving the rising star award. The best new podcast title went to Do I Detect A Problem?, and the best Welsh language podcast was awarded to Hanes Mawr Cymru. Additional honours included best education podcast for Talking Rubbish, best kids podcast for Audiomoves in Space, best fiction podcast for Project Bläckfisk, and a spotlight award for Dish from Waitrose with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett.

Now in its 10th year, the British Podcast Awards continues to chart the evolution of a medium that has moved from niche interest to a central part of the UK's audio culture. The range of winners, from prison radio productions to celebrity-led chat shows and investigative journalism, illustrates how flexible the format has become and how many different audiences it can serve.

For Nighy, the award marks a notable late-career pivot. While he remains a familiar presence on screen, his success in podcasting shows how established performers can find new modes of connection with audiences. The agony uncle persona he has adopted in Ill-Advised plays to his strengths, trading on warmth, humour and a willingness to ponder life's smaller questions rather than deliver grand pronouncements.

Whether the win will lead to further audio projects remains to be seen, but the combination of critical praise and industry recognition suggests his podcasting chapter is far from over. For an industry still expanding its reach, having a figure of Nighy's stature embrace the format so wholeheartedly is a useful endorsement, and one that the British Podcast Awards will likely be glad to highlight as it looks ahead to its next decade.