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A busy, busy year for audio. As in 2020, lockdown gave all audio a boost in status, as well as listeners. The lack of gigs, theatre, art shows or cinema from January to March meant that audio (radio, podcasts, music) jumped up the cultural ladder. Podcasts were also boosted by yet more celebrities deciding to fill their lonelier hours with a talking to my famous mates show. Listeners responded, and podcasts are now the fastest growing audio medium (though live radio still makes up most of what we listen to).

2021 saw some interesting big-name radio appointments. Emma Barnett and Anita Rani joined Womans Hour to great success, though the former started contentiously (Kelechi Okafor refused to appear when she overheard Barnett discussing with producers whether Okafor was antisemitic). Amol Rajan moved to Today, where he has brought a more conversational feel (when he remembers to slow down his natural gabble). In late spring, much-loved Radio 1 stalwarts Annie MacManus and Nick Grimshaw both announced their departures, with MacManuss final link achieving a life of its own on social media (Life is short. It thunders by. If you like the music, you have got to get up and dance. Just do it). And 6 Musics afternoon dafty Shaun Keaveny also left, but sadly not of his own accord: his funky replacement, Craig Charles, is upbeat but less of a natural fit. Graham Norton quit his Radio 2 Saturday morning show to do the same on Saturdays and Sundays for Virgin Radio (no effect on Virgins Rajars thus far). On 5 live breakfast, Rick Edwards joined Rachel Burden, replacing Nicky Campbell without fuss or trouble.

In March, the BBC announced a gradual but compulsory move to the regions. Much of this Big Shift About meant changes for radio production teams: Newsbeat journalists are off to Birmingham, technology hacks to Glasgow, and more of Radio 3 and 6 Musics output must come from outside the capital (Charless show is based in Salford). Several old-timers, including the brilliant technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, chose to retire rather than move.

In commercial radio, niche is still king, with Boom Radio, which launched in February, aiming for the sixtysomethings, and Greatest Hits for the uncool Gen X-ers (the likes of Alex Lester and Mark Goodier were joined by Simon Mayo in March). Times Radio has done well in its first year (around 640,000 weekly listeners), offering a sparky alternative to Radio 4 and 5 live.

Outside radio, big corporations are getting serious about our ears. Spotify gave us podcasts from genuine midlife superstars Barack and Bruce (Renegades), the UKs greatest YouTubers, the Sidemen (The Fellas, Whats Good With Miniminter and Randolph) and the most popular podcaster in the world (Joe Rogan). Its reward was to overtake Apple and BBC Sounds as the most popular podcast platform for younger audiences. Audible, known for audiobooks, has quietly been making some gripping UK podcasts, including investigative shows Finding Q, Death at Deepcut, and inventive dramas such as the Jed Mercurio-execd Zoetrope. Wondery, reliable banger-out of US true crime, added some UK shows this year, such as the excellent Harsh Reality.

With big corporations comes big money: in June, US-celebrities-interviewing-their-mates show Smartless was bought for a reputed $80m by Amazon Music, which also snapped up Wondery. But amid all these dollar signs, the question is whether theres enough advertising revenue to support the independent podcast sector. Some excellent shows are finding it harder to secure those all-important mattress/ bush-trimmer/ website design ads, as theyre all being hoovered up by, you guessed it, new celebrity shows. Still, there is no doubt that since lockdown 2020, audio has boomed. Expect even more next year.

1. Things Fell Apart (Radio 4)Jon Ronson traces the often surprising origin stories of todays raging culture wars.

2. Welcome to Your Fantasy (Pineapple Street Studios/Gimlet)Brilliant in-depth telling of the true crime story you never knew you wanted: the history of the Chippendales. Host Natalia Petrzela is excellent throughout.

3. Finding Q: My Journey Into QAnon (Audible)Journalist Nicky Woolf shows the wreckage that QAnon leaves in its trail, and gets a face-to-face interview with the man most likely to be Q.

4. Harsh Reality (Wondery)Wondery uses its long-established true crime techniques to examine the life of trans woman Miriam Rivera, and how a UK reality show exploited her and others.

5. Uncanny/The Battersea Poltergeist (Radio 4)Danny Robinss two brilliant Radio 4 series about the paranormal: The Battersea Poltergeist, a documentary (with drama sections) about the 12-year haunting of an ordinary family; and Uncanny, which examines 10 spooky real-life stories.

6. Coming in from the Cold (TalkSport/Unedited StoriesThis excellent six-part series traces the history of black players in English football, and includes testimony from Cyrille Regis, John Barnes and Raheem Sterling.

7. Windrush Stories (National Prison Radio) Full-length stories from the Windrush generation and their children, produced and presented by DJ Flight. NPR is nurturing some serious talent (see also Brenda Birungi, winner of best host: speech audio at this years Audio Production awards)

8. Comfort Eating (The Guardian)Famous people as varied as Scarlett Moffatt and Bernardine Evaristo discuss their past through the medium of their favourite comfort food with Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent.

9. We Didnt Start the Fire (Crowd Network)A witty and fascinating modern history lesson from Katie Puckrik and Tom Fordyce, through the lyrics of Billy Joels hit.

10. Sweet Bobby (Tortoise)A mad tale of the immensely complicated catfishing of a bright young UK woman, which starts off brilliantly but as is often the case with true crime falls away rapidly once the baddie is revealed.

Any podcast of a celeb interviewing another celebWith a few honourable exceptions, such podcasts are always too cosy to offer anything more than dull anecdotes and mutual stanning. We know you need the attention, famous people, but you can all stop now.

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Miranda Sawyers best audio of 2021 - The Guardian