🎙 Podcast services from Anglophone national broadcasters
Hundreds of authentic, high quality English podcast programmes & series that you can listen to for free, anytime, anywhere.
Why listen to podcast series?
Listening to podcast series helps English learners in many useful ways that classroom lessons alone often can’t.
- First, podcasts expose students to authentic English; the way people actually speak in daily life. This includes different accents, speeds, tones, & informal expressions that aren’t always used in textbooks.
- Second, podcasts help learners hear language used meaningfully in context. Instead of learning isolated words from lists, they hear how words & phrases are used authentically in real conversations or stories. This makes it easier to understand meaning, remember new words, & use them correctly later.
- Third, podcasts help develop listening comprehension & pronunciation. By hearing authentic English regularly, students get used to the rhythm, stress, & intonation of the language, which helps them to develop clearer, easier to understand speaking skills.
- Fourth, podcasts can build cultural understanding. Learners hear how people talk about everyday topics, opinions, & humour, which are often missing from classroom materials.
- Fifth, because students can choose topics they enjoy, podcasts keep them motivated & curious. They can listen anywhere, e.g. while walking, cooking, or travelling, which gives them extra exposure to English outside class.
- Finally, students who attend classes twice per week don’t get anywhere near enough practice at listening to English, let alone authentic, meaningful, interesting English. Regularly listening to podcast series is an effective & enjoyable way for learners to accelerate their English development.
In short, podcasts give learners more real-life language practice; they help build vocabulary, listening skills, pronunciation, & confidence in communication & all in ways that classroom lessons can’t always provide. Here’s a list of Anglophone national broadcasters that create & publish high-quality, interesting, & diverse podcast series so that everyone can find something interesting to listen to.
🔗 BBC Sounds Podcasts (British English)
The BBC offers a rich & varied collection of podcasts ranging from hard-hitting investigative journalism & global news to comedy, drama, history, & culture. With popular titles like You’re Dead to Me, The Documentary, & Newscast, BBC Sounds serves as a hub for both entertainment & in-depth reporting, showcasing the best of British storytelling & analysis.
🔗 RTÉ Radio Podcasts (Irish English)
RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, features a diverse podcast library that includes talk shows, true crime, Irish culture, sport, & current affairs. Key series like The Ryan Tubridy Show, Liveline, & The Documentary on One reflect Irish perspectives on national & global issues with personality & insight.
🔗 ABC Podcasts (Australian English)
ABC’s podcast platform offers a dynamic blend of Australian stories, news, science, comedy, & culture. With standout series such as Conversations, The Signal, & Ladies, We Need to Talk, ABC provides listeners with thoughtful, diverse content grounded in Australian life & global curiosity.
🔗 NPR Podcasts & Shows (American English)
NPR delivers some of the most iconic & widely respected podcasts in the U.S., including Planet Money, Code Switch, Fresh Air, & Up First. Their platform covers everything from politics & economics to culture, science, & personal storytelling, reflecting a commitment to intelligent & accessible journalism.
🔗 CBC Radio Podcasts (Canadian English)
The CBC’s podcast catalogue blends investigative journalism, fiction, comedy, & cultural commentary. With acclaimed titles like Someone Knows Something, The Secret Life of Canada, & Front Burner, CBC podcasts spotlight Canadian voices while addressing universal themes & stories with depth & nuance.
Do you want a podcast player app?
AntennaPod is an easy to use podcast player & feed manager. The app is open-source & you can subscribe to any RSS feed. It is developed by volunteers without commercial interest & it respects your privacy while giving you full control.
- Ad-Free: The AntennaPod application itself does not contain ads. If a publisher chooses to add ads to the media files, they get 100% of the revenue.
- Listen anywhere: With AntennaPod, you can download episodes & listen anywhere. You can even select podcasts that should be downloaded automatically.
More about AntennaPod: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AntennaPod