Fantastic Noise is created by Senior Tutor in Radio & Audio, Terry Lee and is the go-to podcast for aspiring broadcasters and those interested in gaining an insight into the ever-adapting and expanding audio industry.

In every Fantastic Noise episode, Terry Lee – who is also coordinator of the University’s award-winning community radio station Radio LaB – sits down with an industry insider to discuss aspects of audio including production, editing and presenting, with the aim of passing on practical advice and guidance to the next generation of broadcasters.

This year, Terry tailored the episodes of series four to focus on topics of interest to his students, which they have been highlighting to him during lectures over the past year. The selected areas of interest to Radio & Audio students included:

• Sports programmes
• Making vox-pop packages
• Football fan podcasts
• Magazine programmes
• Specialist music programmes

Available to stream and download from podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Podbean and Spotify, the fourth series of Fantastic Noise features five special industry guests.

Available now, the first two episodes feature insight into magazine programmes with Patrick Thomas, a producer from BBC Radio 2, and an interview with DJ Tash LC, a specialist music show host with Kiss FM radio.

In future episodes, local radio journalist, Justin Dealey, will discuss how he makes and sources vox-pops for BBC Three Counties, while Emma Saunders will be discussing sports programming for BBC 5 Live. Finally, comedian and podcaster, Jim Daly, will discuss his football-themed ‘Five Year Plan’ series.

There will also be a special episode which looks into the planning and creation of the Community Radio Award-nominated ‘On Track in Greensand Country’ podcast series which Terry Lee produced in collaboration with the Greensand Country Landscape Partnership.

Discussing the podcast’s return and its array of special guests, Terry Lee said: “The world of professional radio and audio is full of lovely, helpful people. I am thrilled that some of those people agreed to speak with me this summer to share their experiences for the benefit of students and radio practitioners. Making Fantastic Noise is also a great way for me to geek-out about radio and podcast production, and to ensure our teaching at the University of Bedfordshire reflects industry practice.”

The Fantastic Noise podcast launched in 2018 and is designed to give students access to the minds and methods of industry experts about a range of useful broadcasting topics, as well as making concepts and ideas accessible by busting jargon and exploring what good audio sounds like. In 2019 it was shortlisted for Best Podcast in the Community Radio Awards.

Series four guest and former University of Bedfordshire student, DJ Tash LC of Kiss FM, said: “I remember the early days of getting into radio. What I tell people who are following that path is that they shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions – it is how you learn. Also, it’s so important to take all the opportunities that come up, to be keen and to stay passionate.

“Sometimes I really dived in to the deep-end, but it has paid off. I spoke to Terry on the Fantastic Noise podcast because I think it’s so important that students take all the advice they can. Everyone has a path to follow, the journey is where you can learn so much.”

Series four, episode one guest, Patrick Thomas – Producer of the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 – added: “Fantastic Noise is a brilliant idea to use an audio platform to teach students about all the different aspects of radio and broadcasting. It was a joy to chat to Terry and hopefully impart some sort of insight from the world of Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show.”

Fantastic Noise can be streamed and downloaded for free online, with previous series and episodes also available to playback.

Further information about station opportunities with Radio LaB and about studying Radio & Audio with the University of Bedfordshire can be found online: