New inspiration for mainstream TV and movies

Began life as a psychological thriller about a case worker at an experimental treatment facility for soldiers returning from Iraq.

Podcasts might appear to occupy a peculiar little corner of the media ecosystem, but in the past year more and more pods have been adapted for TV and film.

At the recent Golden Globe awards, two podcast-to-television productions, Homecoming starring Julia Roberts, and Dirty John starring Eric Bana and Connie Britton were nominated.

Homecoming began life as a psychological thriller about a case worker at an experimental treatment facility for soldiers returning from Iraq.

Dirty John is a true-crime pod centred around the exploits of abusive conman John Meehan, who married a wealthy American businesswoman and was later killed by her daughter.

The next productions to hit the small screen include Limetown, a fictional podcast centred around journalist

Lia Haddock’s investigation into the disappearance of more than 300 people at a research facility in the United States.

The TV adaptation will be produced by actress Jessica Biel, who will also play Haddock.

The 2018 non-fiction hit Dr Death about an incompetent Texas spinal surgeon who caused serious injuries to more than 30 patients and the deaths of two more before he was stopped, has been picked up by US TV network FX.

And podcasts have also caught the attention of moviemakers.

Sony Pictures is developing the cult fiction podcast Welcome to Nightvale for film, and Robert Downey Jr is set to star in the movie version of Reply All’s

Man of the People, which tells the true story of another dodgy US doctor and one man’s 10-year quest to take him down.