DISASTER OF THE DECADE

series Welcome to Night Vale, about strange events in a fictional town, which started in 2012 – became essential listening.

Today, podcasts cover everything from self-help and fitness to politics and business advice.

It’s not hard to see why podcasts are popular. They’re easier to consume than TV – you can listen on the go – and the intimate nature of audio makes you feel connected to other listeners. Despite their growing ubiquity, podcasts can still create the same sense of niche community that The Adam and Joe Show tapped into all those years ago. They make you feel part of something.

And their boom isn’t slowing. Smart speakers – which 18 per cent of adults in the UK now use every day, according to research – have made listening to podcasts ever easier. The BBC has, for the past year, been making more of its own podcasts, and funnelling money into its podcast-focused BBC Sounds app.

This decade, there have probably been more changes to radio than there have been since it began in this country in 1922. So far, live radio has held up remarkably well alongside on-demand audio, with the average listener tuning in to more than 20 hours of live radio a week. When it comes to choosing what to hear, and when to hear it, we’ve never had it so good.

THE (UN)EQUAL PAY SCANDAL

Who could forget the BBC’s humiliating 2017 revelations about how much it was paying its biggest stars? Top-dollar presenters such as Chris Evans and Eddie Mair fled to commercial radio after the truth came out.