Podcast agency Listen has launched two new visualised podcasts at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
These are the return of the official companion podcast, The Traitors: Uncloaked, and, as previously reported, Pop Top Ten, the music podcast from Scott Mills and Rylan on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.
Speaking onstage at the festival, during a Listen-produced panel about the increasingly blurred line between TV and podcasts, Listen's director of content Darby Drath and BBC commissioning editor Neil McCallum announced that The Traitors: Uncloaked would be returning alongside a new series of The Traitors.
The show will once again be hosted by comedian Ed Gamble and, like the main series, will have 12 episodes instead of the usual 10.
As a visualized podcast with an extended audio-only cut exclusive to BBC Sounds, The Traitors: Uncloaked was a whole new interpretation of the companion show.
The podcast launched in January this year and has garnered a huge audience. Packed with exclusive content, the podcast has paved the way for podcast production for television.
It was broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer after the main series and drew an average audience of 1.8 million for the series, with the final episode reaching a peak of 4.3 million, with 3.1 million watching on the night of the finale.
Younger viewership peaked at 0.8 million, the majority of whom watched via BBC iPlayer.
Ed said: “I can't wait to don the cape and watch the next series of television's most deceptive format, and scrutinise every detail alongside the contestants and their equally mischievous guests on Uncloaked.”
“The Traitors is a game we all think we're good at, but we're probably terrible at it, and we're not going to spend all of our airtime explaining how we could have played it better.”
Listen will also produce a brand new 10-part podcast, “Pop Top 10”, with Scott Mills and Rylan for BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.
The show is designed to be watched or listened to, and each episode offers viewers an understated, loft-style setting while still adopting an unmistakable podcast sensibility: candid conversations between hosts and guests, microphones in sight, coffee in hand and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for an intimate yet sophisticated experience.
Rylan said: “Scott and I will be talking about some of the best pop music of the last few years. I couldn't ask for anything more. We might even bring in some special guests every now and then…”
Scott added: “I'm super excited to be talking about pop, mine and my European husband's favourite topic, for the first time outside of Eurovision. If you enjoyed the semi-final, wait until you hear this… Rylan is the only person who makes me laugh so hard my ribs hurt!”
Darby Drath, director of content at Listen, said: “We're excited to continue to be pioneers in the space where podcasts meet television. The Traitors: Uncloaked proved how powerful the combination can be by blending the intimate, conversational style of podcasting with the rich visual treatment of television production. This can create a unique experience, and we're excited to be at the forefront of this evolution with both the return of Uncloaked and the launch of Pop Top 10.”
Pop Top 10 will launch on BBC Sounds on Wednesday 18th September. The Traitors: Uncloaked will return alongside the main series, with broadcast details to be announced at a later date.
