What advice would you give to someone making their first podcast?
There's a difference between a BBC or a Times podcast, but if you're setting out to make a podcast, make sure that you're doing it about something that you're passionate about - otherwise it'll sound bland, it'll sound flat, it'll sound generic. Make sure that you do a little bit of planning. We all fancy we can just stroll onto the radio in front of a microphone and start to perform. Maybe one genius in a thousand out there can do that, but trust me, it probably isn't you. It certainly isn't me. Have a little think about what it is that you want to do, and make sure that you're doing it about something you are passionate about. Don't overreach yourself - don't set out to do an hour-long podcast if what you've got to say is minimal - the truth is that it's better to cram a quart into a pint pot and leave people wanting more. The example I always give is when I first managed to commission young people to write about rock music. Review the new LP by lets say, Roxie Music, or Nirvana or whoever it is. Their first inclination is to write the entire history of rock music, and where Nirvana fit into it. Nobody cares if you know all that stuff. If it's important, it'll come out at the time. Try to stick to the subject you set out to do; cover it with passion, cover it with emotion, cover it with genuine love and then get off the stage. If people like it, they'll want more. Don't think you have to spill your entire gut on the first outing.
