Episode 1

Stuck for a definition of online on demand radio shows, journalist Ben Hammersley coined the term 'podcasting'. Ten years on it's become a global phenomenon.

In this 2-part series, award-winning podcasters Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann, trace its origins among the geek/tech community, its arrival in mainstream media thanks to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Fry and its development into the niches where conventional broadcasting can't reach.

From the whistle blowing air hostess Betty With A Suitcase to comedian Marc Maron's WTF, from Phil Cornwell's Spurs Show to sex advice on the Savage Lovecast, from the weirdness of Night Vale and Radiolab to personalities like The Grammar Girl and One Bad Mother, it's a whole new world of audio production where programmes meet listeners without the need for radio stations.

In the first of two programmes, Ben Hammersley explains why he regrets inventing the word, self-styled 'podfather' Adam Curry talks about the early pre-iPod days in the US and, while recording their own podcast, Answer Me This!, Helen and Olly take an audio journey through the podosphere.

Producer: Trevor Dann
A Trevor Dann production for BBC Radio 4.