Help / Podcasts / Getting Started
Beginner's Guide to Podcasts
Confused about podcasts? Fear not! Downloading and listening to podcasts from the BBC is very simple. Here's a quick guide to getting started...
What IS a podcast?
A 'podcast' is simply a series of audio or video files which can be downloaded and saved, so that you can listen to or watch them wherever and whenever you like. Once you've downloaded an episode of a podcast, it is yours to keep for as long as you like. New episodes of a podcast series are published by the BBC regularly, either daily or weekly in most cases.
Where can I find BBC podcasts?
Not all BBC radio programmes can be downloaded, however there are now over 150 radio series which can, and you will find them all listed here in the BBC Podcast Directory.
To get started, simply browse the list of BBC podcasts in the directory until you find something you like. The BBC offers a range of podcasts covering all topics; some are full length radio programmes, whilst others are highlights of all the best bits.
At the moment, the BBC only provides audio podcasts of radio programmes, although we have experimented with video podcasts in the past.
Once you've found a podcast series that you like the sound of, left-click on the green Podcast button.
How do I download an episode of a podcast?
After clicking on the green Podcast button, you'll see all the available episodes from your chosen podcast series in the bottom half of the page. For example, new editions of "NewsPod" are published every weekday, so you should see five episodes listed at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/newspod/
To download and save an episode to listen to later, simply right-click on the "Download Episode" link below the episode's description, and choose "Save Target As..." (depending on what kind of computer you are using, it may say "Save Link As" or similar instead). You will then be asked where to save the episode's mp3 file on your computer. You might want to create a folder on your computer, perhaps on your desktop, to keep all of your mp3s tidily in one place.
How do I play a podcast episode?
Once the podcast episode has finished downloading, you will be able to play it simply by double clicking on it. Normally, this will play the mp3 in your computer's media player software (e.g. Windows Media Player, iTunes, or Quicktime). That's it! If you just want to listen to podcasts on your computer, that's all you need to do. Happy listening!
How do I listen to a podcast when I'm out and about?
Of course, the beauty of podcasts is that you can listen to them wherever and whenever you like, for instance whilst you're out walking the dog, or during your commute to work. Unlike the BBC's Listen Again service, you don't need to be connected to the interent to play podcast episodes you have downloaded. To listen to a podcast whilst you're on the move, you'll need an mp3 player (or any portable device which is able to play mp3 files).
Then you'll just need to transfer the podcast episodes you've downloaded onto your mp3 player. How you do this depends on the type of player you buy, but normally it's as simple as plugging the mp3 player into one of your computer's USB slots, using the lead which came with the mp3 player (consult the instructions which came with your mp3 player for more detail).
Once you've plugged the mp3 player into your PC, you'll probably find it appears as a "removable disk" under 'My Computer', where you normally see you hard drives and CD-Rom drives listed. If you double click on the mp3 player from this menu, you should be shown a list of files (if any) which are currently saved on the player. As long as there is enough free space on the device, you can simply 'drag and drop' or 'copy and paste' the podcast's mp3 file you just downloaded into this list of files. That's it - once the mp3 file has been copied onto the mp3 player, you can disconnect the player from your computer.
How do I play the podcast on my mp3 player?
Once you've transferred one or more podcast episodes over to your mp3 player, the next time you turn on your player, you should be able to select and play them - wherever and whenever you like. Follow the instructions provided with your mp3 player for more details on how to play mp3 files.
What kind of mp3 player do I need?
Mp3 players come in all shapes and sizes, and the main difference is how much data can be stored on them. If you only want to listen to a few radio programmes, you will not need an mp3 player with a very large 'hard drive' (or 'memory'). If, however, you want to transfer your whole music collection onto the device, you will need one with a much larger amount of storage. If you're in any doubt, it's best to ask for advice in any high street retailer.
OK, that was easy! But what's this about subscribing to podcasts?
Once you get used to downloading individual episodes of a podcast series by following the steps above, you might decide you like one of our podcasts enough that you'd like to hear it every day, or every week. The added bonus about podcasts is that you can use special software (which is free) to 'subscribe' to a podcast, so that new editions of your favourite radio programme are automatically downloaded for you to listen to whenever you like.
Find out more about subscribing to a podcast here.
We hope you enjoy listening to BBC podcasts!
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