Audiolab Creators

Made in China

All Eva knows about the beginning of her story is that she was found by the side of the road in China when she was three days old. Thirteen months later she was adopted by white British parents and migrated to her new home in Essex. Growing up in the UK, Eva felt British. But that’s not how other people always perceived her. For most of her life she just tried to fit in.

In Made in China, Eva explores how has the experience of being a transracial adoptee - born in one culture, raised in another – shaped how she understands herself?

“Making this podcast taught me a lot about self-acceptance. Being given the space to lead something so personal helped me believe in myself more. It was also a process of self-discovery. Writing myself almost like a character, even while speaking in the first person, allowed me to see my experiences from a different perspective. Conversations with the people I interviewed became one of the most rewarding parts of the process as I explored the emotional and psychological nuance of adoption from the adoptee’s perspective. It’s part personal inquiry, part historical curiosity — particularly around China’s One Child Policy. “

Made in China is a Reduced Listening Production with BBC Sounds Audio Lab.

Eva Brookes is a London-based radio presenter and creative. Through audio, writing, and video, her work is rooted in curiosity, meaningful connection, and a deep love of storytelling. With a people-first approach, Eva is inspired by philosophical ideas and by people who think differently and feel deeply.

Click here to listen to Made in China

MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds

A tribute to the enduring legacy of “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper”, MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds explores the surprising circumstances that led to one of the rap world’s most idiosyncratic figures spending his final years in Yorkshire, England.

Over five episodes, BBC 6 Music DJ AFRODEUTSCHE and Adam Batty tell the story of how a New York-based icon of Hip-hop found himself living in relative obscurity in the north of England, with the help of guest appearances from well-known fans and celebrated contemporaries such as Romesh Ranganathan and MC Paul Barman.

“Whenever I tell anyone that MF DOOM was living in my hometown of Leeds when he passed away, their reaction is always one of shock and surprise. I set out to capture that sense in this series. DOOM has been embraced as an adopted son of the city since his passing and I’m really keen to make sure that this chapter of his life, sad in parts as it is, isn't forgotten.”

“Hip hop culture is all about community. Though it often gets a bad rep in third party portrayals, I wanted this show to shed a light on the reality of the culture, which is full of love, nerdiness and meeting kindred spirits. This show brings a disparate bunch of nerds from around the world together - with a shared love of the one and only MF DOOM”.

MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds is a Persephonica production with BBC Sounds Audio Lab.

Adam Batty is a writer and creative based in the north of England, who is fascinated by the stories that sit on the fringes of popular culture. Having worked in a diverse range of industries in a variety of capacities, Adam finds inspiration in all manner of places, but has a particular affinity for music, cinema and architecture.

Click here to listen to MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds

Judged - A Mother’s Love

Motherhood can feel full of judgement - sometimes over the smallest decisions, sometimes over high stakes ones that change everything.

In Judged: A Mother’s Love, Katie Bridget Murphy explores three extraordinary stories of mothers facing impossible choices that shaped birth, everyday life, and even death. These decisions didn’t just transform their families; they uncovered hidden truths, challenged laws, and helped changed society itself. The stories include Patrick FitzSymons’ discovery that his life began in secret and his adoption was illegal, the story of Sally Challen who killed her husband following decades of coercive control and the story of US war journalist Jim Foley in Syria, and the experience of his mother Diane, who following his kidnapping, endured the most unimaginable loss but then found hope.

Through powerful testimony and expert insight, this series asks: what happens when motherhood is pushed to its limits?

“I wanted to make this series because I’m drawn to stories that explore the many lengths and breadths of motherhood and the wider human experience. During my time at Audio Lab, I’ve learned so much and it has genuinely been a privilege to work with such a creative and supportive team in both Belfast and London. I am honoured to have been trusted to tell such personal and powerful stories. Making this series has reinforced for me that compassion and deep listening are essential. I’m incredibly grateful to BBC Sounds Audio Lab for this experience.”

Judged - A Mother’s Love is a BBC Audio Northern Ireland production with BBC Sounds Audio Lab.

Katie Bridget Murphy is a writer, filmmaker and creative from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Having worked across documentary, narrative, and audio storytelling, she finds inspiration in the overlooked and the deeply human, with a particular focus on motherhood, identity, and the emotional landscape.

Click here to listen to Judged: A Mother's Love

It’s So Loud In Here!

It’s So Loud In Here! journeys into the neurodivergent mind and discovers the impact of noise in everyday life. From taking the bus into work to going to sleep at night, every sound has an invisible cost.

Hear how overwhelming a quiet office can be, how stressful it is to feel out of control or how having fun can increase your tolerance to noise. Every neurodivergent experience is different, and the impact might not be noticeable, but it’s there. With a host of neurodivergent contributors, the podcast hears what that sounds like.

“The initial idea for this podcast came to me one night when I was struggling to fall asleep, because my mind was so full of thoughts. I realised that how I hear and experience the world was so different from neurotypical people that I wanted them to experience my normal. To know why the smallest things like trying to sleep or hearing the sound of air-conditioning can be difficult and overwhelming. The experience of making It’s So Loud In Here! has been an emotional journey of self-discovery. The more I talked to other neurodivergent people, the more I learnt about myself.”

It’s So Loud In Here! is a BBC Audio North production with BBC Sounds Audio Lab.

Keira Edwards is an autistic journalist with a love of ice hockey, Anime and live-action role playing.

Click here to listen to It's So Loud In Here!

Melting Pot

Jay Behrouzi-Sneade is a Filipino-Iranian journalist from Liverpool hailing from a long line of passionate cooks! Replicating global cuisine at home was a big part of her upbringing as a part of her a multi-heritage expat family in the United Arab Emirates.

Jay discovers culinary delights and science in her podcast Melting Pot alongside Big Manny.

They talk Maillard Reactions, osmosis, and emulsions. Across the series Jay visits the kitchens of actresses, hockey players, private chefs and bakers to find out how the act of cooking by migrants reminds them of home and reflects their experiences.

Click here to listen to Melting Pot

Instrumental

Mia Thornton is a creative producer currently based in Liverpool. Mia is driven by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to amplifying Black voices. She has worked on a wide range of creative projects for both global brands and community-based initiatives, showcasing her talent and versatility.

Mia in her podcast Instrumental celebrates Black artists who have played a pivotal role in the advancement of British music.

We hear about the trailblazers who revolutionised classical music, the DJs who propelled rave culture, the punk icons who challenged norms, and the folk musician who resurrected Black in British folk song.

Click here to listen to Instrumental

Heart & Stone

Meg Elliot is a writer, zine-maker, and mountain biker from Shropshire. She is fascinated by story, folklore, and the way memory lives in landscapes. Meg co-creates a zine exploring nature through art and writing and is one half of The InBetween Collective, an international creative group sharing stories of culture, resistance and celebration. She has also worked on heritage projects across the UK investigating the social impact of environmental projects.

Meg’s podcast Heart & Stone is about understanding what folk means to communities across the UK today; asking who decides what stories to remember and if a stone circle needs to be ancient to have meaning?

Click here to listen to Heart and Stone

Criminally Queer

Hugh Sheehan is an audio producer and musician/composer originally from Birmingham. Much of his work explores questions around gender and sexuality, desire and shame, assimilation, and radicalism. In 2020 he was commissioned as a New Creative by BBC Arts and Arts Council England to make Lost Time - an audio short contemplating LGBTQ+ people’s experiences in getting to live life on their own terms.

Hugh in his podcast Criminally Queer: The Bolton Seven, looks back at one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in recent British LGBTQ+ history, and examines how this scarcely-known legal case played a significant role in the fight for gay rights.

Click here to listen to Criminally Queer

Sacred Money

Taqwa Sadiq

Taqwa believes that storytelling has the power to bridge people, languages and cultures. Her work across audio, film, and art is often inspired by her background in Middle Eastern studies. Her Charles Parker Prize winning piece, ‘Breathing Lyrical’ was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and she previously hosted the Made at UCL podcast.

In a cost-of-living crisis, Taqwa’s podcast asks whether money can be sacred, what it really means to purify your wealth, and whether Zakat - a compulsory charity given by Muslims around the world - can change how all of us think about money and our communities.

Click here to listen to Sacred Money

Black Gold

George Powell

George knew he wanted to be a radio producer from the age of 15 and is fascinated by the relationships we hold with space and place. Growing up on the Wirral peninsular, he remembers being mesmerised by the scale of Stanlow Oil Refinery – the UK’s second largest to date.

More recently and whilst exploring Stanlow’s history for its centenary in 2024, he was left with more questions than answers. Black Gold aims to understand the impact of the Stanlow on the surrounding community as well as its role in the UK’s industrial landscape.

Click Here to listen to Black Gold

Hometown Boring?

Anouska Lewis

Anouska is passionate about how our shared past helps us to connect with others and our environments. She aims to foster empathy in everything she creates. At university, she made friends with proud Bristolians, Mancunians, and Londoners, but always felt slightly embarrassed to have grown up in Milton Keynes. Her hometown was seen as a joke rather than a cultural hub, and for a wannabe-historian, it left her deflated.

Hometown Boring? explores the untold history and contributions of disregarded towns and cities across the UK, hoping to turn those feelings of deflation into celebration.

Click Here to listen to Hometown Boring?

Now Here

May Robson

May grew up reading about revolutions in dusty history books where change is made by “great men”, but soon realised she should have been looking closer to home. Today, her work as a producer and journalist is fuelled by the people she has met, whose daily dreams and refusals make us feel that another world is possible.

Now Here takes you on a journey from the Scottish Highlands to the Southern borders of England, hearing from communities who are making ‘small revolutions’ in how we live, play, work and eat today.

Click Here to listen to Now Here

Seun's Talking Drum: British AND West African

Seun Matiluko

Seun Matiluko is a journalist and researcher who is interested in uplifting marginalized voices. Her work has examined fashion, politics, pop culture, race and 20th century history in Britain and across the world. In 2021, Seun was shortlisted for a British Journalism Award in the Social Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion category. Her academic background is in law and history and she is a recent graduate of Harvard Law School. As a twenty-something British-Nigerian, Seun has long been fascinated by hyphenated identities and the lives and legacies of people of African descent in Britain.

Click here to listen to Seun's Talking Drum: British AND West African

Who Was Michael X? The untold story of the UK’s most influential Black Power leader.

Hamza Salmi

Hamza learnt of Michael X whilst working on a documentary about the better-known American activist Malcolm X. He discovered a troubled visionary with a chequered past. Michael X led the charge for equal rights for the Black community that still resonates today. But he was also a pimp and convicted criminal who was eventually executed after fleeing the UK.

Hamza Salmi, Audio Lab Creator says: “By understanding Michael X, we can learn first-hand what it was like to be Black in the UK at the time – directly impacted by colonial thinking and power structures. Telling this story in audio is perfect because I have the time and space to talk directly to the listener and together we can try to understand who he really was.”

Click here to listen to Who Was Michael X? - Twitter:@hamzasalmi | Instagram: @hamzasalmi

Growing up in Southeast London, Hanna learnt as much as she could about her heritage and culture from family, books, and visits to Somalia. But she soon found herself wondering why Britain’s celebrated museums had more historically significant artefacts than Somalia’s museums had. Why are they here? How did they get here? More importantly, should they be returned? The Museum of Bad Vibes goes in search of the answers whilst giving voice to the restless spirits inhabiting those very objects.

Hanna Adan

Hanna Adan, Audio Lab Creator says: “I really love museums and without them I wouldn’t know as much as I do about places I’ve never been to. But I also feel they’re not very neutral places and the vibe can seem off. Objects have their own stories, whether spiritual or due to all the hands they have passed through. With an ever-growing discussion on repatriating museum objects to their countries of origins as well as ‘retain and explain’ why they’re here to stay, I think it’s time we heard what the artefacts have to say.”

Click here to listen to The Museum of Bad Vibes - Twitter:@hannaadan_

Adam is passionate about Queer history and culture. He was a co-producer The Log Books podcast which explores untold queer stories through the handwritten notes of volunteers at Switchboard, an LGBT+ helpline since 1974. His first book Deep Sniff, published in 2021, is an exploration of identity, sex, and freedom through a history of the drug 'poppers'.

Adam Zmith

The Film We Can’t See explores the hidden queer connections between filmmakers across a century of cinema. It is based on imagined audio left by a pioneering film director from Russia, a bisexual Hollywood actress, and a German sexologist fleeing the Nazis.

Adam Zmith, Audio Lab creator says: “I'm obsessed with my queer ancestors, like Magnus Hirschfeld who researched sexuality and gender over 100 years ago. He made discoveries about our bodies that we might think of as hyper modern, but he was campaigning for queer rights before my grandparents were born. Discovering my ancestry as a queer person through these historical figures and their amazing work is a big part of my life and work now. With this podcast I want to give people the same mind-opening moments I've had in exploring our histories.”

Click here to listen to The Film We Can't See - Twitter:@AdamZmith | Instagram: @Adam.Zmith

Tommy knew podcasting was for him after discovering Have You Heard George’s Podcast? and Sneakernomics on BBC Sounds. It was during the build-up to the Euros football final in 2021 when some England players missed penalties in a crucial game – going from heroes to villains in seconds. Tommy began to wonder what it meant to be ‘British’ and why some are expected to prove their ‘Britishness’?

Tommy Dixon

Colouring In Britain explores this idea, charting the stories people of colour who helped shaped what the UK looks like today

Tommy Dixon, Audio Lab creators says: “When I was at school, I didn’t get taught a lot of Black history, so I wanted to champion the people I look up to and highlight their huge contributions to the UK. My podcast includes drama because I want listeners to be transported back to those defining moments, such as1962 when Malorie Blackman was born and the National Front was very active.”

Click here to listen to Colouring in Britain - Twitter:@mrtdixon_ | Instagram:@mrtdixon_

Talia Randall grew up listening to experimental radio shows such as Chris Morris’ Jam, that bring together seemingly disparate elements to tell a particular story. Talia has carried this influence with her throughout her career in the creative arts through her writing; teaching and performing.

Talia Randall

Blossom Trees & Burnt-Out Cars celebrates stories of wildlife through window boxes and community gardens whilst exploring why some lack access to green spaces and the fascinating work they’re doing to change that.

Talia Randall, Audio Lab Creator says: “I love how personal and intimate audio can be. I like that you can really listen to someone in a way that you can’t always visually. And when we think about nature, we don’t normally think about urban nature or council estates. So, it’s a nice way for a listener to be immersed in and challenge some of the ideas about what nature is and what it sounds like.”

Twitter:@taliarandall | Instagram:@talia_randall

Click here to listen to Blossom Trees & Burnt-Out Cars

One of Jade’s earliest audio memories is of an encyclopaedia that played music by national instruments of countries from around the world. It was the start of her passion for research, finding fascinating people and stories.

Jade Scott

Jade was drawn to podcasting and as she approached the 2020’s. Reflecting on her life experiences, The Reset was born: a journey through life’s messy middle, activating change and contemplating themes of emotional wellbeing and possibility. Part audio diary, part manifesto, The Reset is a podcast about learning how to live.

Jade Scott, Audio Lab creators says: "I didn’t feel there was anything else I could make. This is a personal journey I’ve been on for a few years, accelerated by hitting 30. I’ve always been on this search for knowledge, particularly from a global perspective. This podcast is about placing Black and Brown women in the conversation about wellness and exploring those themes. Life is for living but the living isn’t easy."

Click here to listen to The Reset

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