‘Great Days Out on the Bus from Buxton’ has been named Independent Podcast of the Year at the fourth Independent Podcast Awards in London.
The show, produced by Maria Passingham with artwork by Savannah Storm, also secured wins in the Best Travel & Adventure and Best Artwork categories, and was highly commended in the Best Regional category.
The awards, co-founded by Verbal Diorama and whynow in 2023, recognise podcasts created independently, often outside traditional studios and without sponsor influence.
This year’s ceremony at Kings Place brought together more than 400 members of the indie podcasting community, with 28 categories including new additions for 2026: Best Regional Podcast, Best Personal Stories Podcast, and Best Limited Series.
YouTube was Headline Partner, with Mairi Brewis, Head of MediaCo and Responsibility Partnerships for YouTube UK, announcing the overall winner.
The judges praised ‘Great Days Out on the Bus from Buxton’ for its immersive soundscapes and authentic storytelling, stating: “This is a remarkable podcast. It is so hyper local and yet so completely immersive. The host is instantly charming, open and natural.
“Great Days Out is also a massive argument for the audio format. The soundscapes created felt truly authentic, the audio paints the picture in your head – you feel like you’re on the bus, in the field, in the pub alongside Maria.
“Many people underestimate the work required to create a podcast of this quality, and of this nature. This is exceptionally pure and so very well done. Congratulations!”
‘War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind’ was named Runner-Up, winning both the Best Arts & Culture and Best Music categories, marking the first time a podcast has received this accolade.
As part of the recognition, ‘Great Days Out on the Bus from Buxton’ will be featured on billboards in Leicester Square from today, courtesy of Spotify.
St Ermin’s Hotel has also awarded the winner a recording session in their new podcast studio in Westminster, including an overnight stay and dinner.
Apple, Spotify and Pocket Casts have created playlists featuring all the winners, making it easy for listeners to discover the celebrated shows across platforms.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
Independent Podcast of the Year 2026
Winner: Great Days Out on the Bus from Buxton
Highly Commended: War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind
Best Arts & Culture Podcast
Winner: War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind
Highly Commended: Mag Hags
Highly Commended: What The Austen?
Shortlist:
Almost 40
Folk on Foot
Hellish
Irish Books
Mag Hags
The Failing Writers Podcast
The Secret Life of Songs
War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind
What I Really Really Want
What the Austen?
Best Books Podcast
Winner: The Failing Writers Podcast
Highly Commended: The Reading Cafe
Shortlist:
Irish Books
The Failing Writers
The Fourth Bookmark
The Reading Cafe
Tom’s Book Club
Best Branded Content Podcast
Winner: The Creative Life Story Work Podcast
Highly Commended: The Dementia Perspective
Shortlist:
If You Were In Charge
Dementia Perspective Podcast
Lighting the Fires Podcast
The Top Surgery Podcast with Iaonnis Ntanos
The Ultimate Football Heroes Podcast
Best Business & Culture Podcast
Winner: The Factory Next Door
Highly Commended: How to Own The Room
Shortlist:
Due Diligence Download
Indie Business Club
Made For Us
Mum Means Business
Resilient Retail Game Plan
Stronger Business Together
The Fairer Finance Podcast
What’s the Chari-tea?
Best Children & Young Adults Podcast
Winner: Dexplorers
Highly Commended: Taking the Dis!
The shortlist:
Beatrice Hart and The Curse of the Golden Fleece
Sevenoaks Prepcast
Chronicles of Wild Hollow: Highperion Day (Vol1)
The Copper Connection Podcast
Best Comedy Podcast
Winner: Leyline High Rewind
Highly Commended: Crushed by Margaret Cabourn-Smith
The shortlist:
Austen After Dark
Limited TIme Only
Listen Through The Brown Window
Malcy and Midge – Fun and Frolics with Glasgow’s Quirkiest Couple!
NonCensored
Ramon Fear’s Terror Tapes
The Rules
This Paranormal Life
Best Environment & the Natural World Podcast
Winner: BatChat
Highly Commended: The Bell Witch Podcast
The shortlist:
As The Season Turns
BatChat
Folk on Foot
Our Plant Stories
Bell Witch Podcast
Best Fiction Podcast
Winner: Spooky Story Time
Shortlist:
Broken Veil
Harford: An Oral History
Shorts
The Kingdom Sleeps
The Scottish Folklore Podcast
Best Films & TV Podcast
Winner: All The Right Movies
Shortlist:
90 Minutes Or Less
All British Comedy
Dharma Fish Biscuits
Fetch The Smelling Salts
SpyHards
Best Gaming Podcast
Winner: PastMaster: Reshaping History
Shortlist:
Dice Company
Dungeons & Dickheads
The Apocalypse Players
The Players Keep
Best History Podcast
Winner: Mag Hags
Highly commended: Dear Derry
Highly commended: The Log Books
Shortlist:
Dexplorers
The British Broadcasting Century
Uncovering Roots
Best Horror & The Supernatural Podcast
Winner: How Haunted?
Shortlist:
Killers Cults & Queens
Macabre London
Ramon Fear’s Terror Tapes
Spooky Storytime
Welcome to the Hole
Best Lifestyle Podcast
Winner: A Dose of Wellbeing: The Pharmacist Support Podcast
Shortlist:
Beer Fridge Podcast
IN RECOVERY – The Ark House Podcast
Kind
Not Another Whisky Podcast
The Tyrekickers
Voice It Out
Best Limited Series Podcast
Winner: The Secret Life of Songs
Highly Commended: What I Really, Really Want
Shortlist:
1000 Words For Belonging
Anglia Square: The Little City
Austen After Dark
Highlands Reimagined
Mostly Book Talk: The Reading Crisis
Own My Life
The Chronicles of Wild Hollow: Hyperion Day
Uncovering Roots: The Paraguay Scheme
Who Owns the Clyde: Clyde Reflections
Best Music Podcast
Winner: War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind
Shortlist:
101 Part Time Jobs with Giles Bidder
Bob Dylan Approximately
Hellish
If These Walls Could Talk
The Secret Life of Songs
Best News & Politics Podcast
Winner: The Trawl
Shortlist:
American Friction
Fallacious Trump
If You Were in Charge
Take or Give
The Tea with Myriam Francios
Best Parenting Podcast
Winner: Neuroshambles
Highly commended: The Parent Teacher Loop
Shortlist:
Alphabites
Lessons from Our Mothers
Love Needs No Words
Best Personal Stories Podcast
Winner: Still Life
Highly Commended: Do I Detect A Problem?
Shortlist:
1000 Words for Belonging
40ish
Becky & Ben’s Fertility Spotlight
Dear Derry
In Recovery – The Ark House Podcast
Keep It Grief
Spooky Story Time
You Look Happier
Best Regional Podcast Podcast
Winner: Highlands Reimagined
Highly Commended: Dear Derry
Highly Commended: Great Days Out on the Bus from Buxton
Shortlist:
In Tune with Tradition
The Nature Garden
The Sheppertonian
Best Science & Technology Podcast
Winner: Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast
Shortlist:
Made For Us
Marketing B2B Technology
The Ballpark – Artificial Intelligence and the US
Websites Made Simple
Best Self Improvement Podcast
Winner: The Lighting Fires Podcast
Shortlist:
Believe in People Podcast | Addiction, Recovery and Stigma
How to Own The Room
Hurt to Healing
In Recovery: The Ark House Podcast
Voice it Out Podcast with Amrita
When Life Gives You Lemons
WomenKind Collective: Spill the Tea
Best Sex, Love & Relationships Podcast
Winner: Come Curious
Shortlist:
Austen After Dark
Crushed by Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Sexonomic
Telling Tinder Tales – dating and romance stories from around the world
Best Sport Podcast
Winner: Grand Pricks
Highly Commended: Top 100 in 10 Golf
Shortlist:
Board Women
Green Jumper
Hospital Ball
Best Travel & Adventure Podcast
Winner: Great Days Out On The Bus From Buxton
Highly commended: The Water Road
Shortlist:
Do I Detect A Problem
Mind The Pod
The Adventure Podcast
The Ski Podcast
Best True Crime Podcast
Winner: The Overturn
Highly Commended: REAL
Shortlist:
Ghastly Women
Killer in the Family
Murder Mile UK True Crime
Prash’s Murder Map
Best Video Podcast
Winner: Prash’s Murder Map: True Crime Podcast
Highly Commended: Vintage Politics
Shortlist:
Books on the Beach
Killers, Cults, Queens
Mná na hÉireann (Women of Ireland)
Prash’s Murder Map:True Crime Podcast
Vintage Politics
What we did before
Best Podcast Artwork
Winner: Great Days Out on the Bus From Buxton
Artist: Savannah Storm
Shortlist:
BenLunar
Fallacious Trump
Hail Chaos
Hellish
Santa Confidential
STAN
The Chronicles of Wild Hollow
The Factory Next Door
The Kingdom Sleeps
Best Podcast Jingle
Winner: Garlic & Pearls
Musicians: Joe Martin (violin) and Gareth Jones (trumpet)
Shortlist:
101 Part Time Jobs
Beer Fridge Podcast
BenLunar
Dexplores
Folk on Foot
Keeping The Zoo
The Bell Witch Podcast
The Failing Writers Podcast
The Uncharted Sounds podcast
