5 in the U.K. has commissioned its first vodcasts, ordering two 20-episode series from Spirit Studios that will be made available on podcast outlets, YouTube, and on its streaming and linear platforms.
Reverend Richard Coles and Royal Correspondent Emily Andrews host Catching Up with the Royals, launching next week on podcast platforms and YouTube before airing on 5 on January 31. A Night In with Sally Lindsay is a talk show with celebrity guests each week. A launch date has not yet been announced.
Sebastian Cardwell, deputy chief content officer and head of scripted at Paramount UK, said: “We’re excited to step into the world of vodcasts, which offers a huge opportunity for 5. It’s a natural next step as we continue to give audiences greater choice in how and when they engage with our content. Our viewers have a real appetite for factual storytelling, and these new podcast series’ open up fresh ways to experience the stories we tell best. We’ve focused on two subjects we know resonate strongly with our audience and matched them with the perfect hosts—Reverend Richard Coles, Emily Andrews and Sally Lindsay. Spirit Studios are ideal partners for this project, bringing outstanding expertise, creativity and ideas.”
Matt Campion, creative director of Spirit Studios, noted, “We’re thrilled to be producing two new weekly shows for 5 designed to live seamlessly across podcasting, YouTube, streaming and television. It feels like a real shift in 2026 towards truly 360-degree content, and it’s exciting for Spirit to be at the forefront of creating shows audiences can listen to, watch on their phones, or enjoy in their living rooms. Working with talent like Sally Lindsay on a joyful celebration of TV nostalgia, and with Richard Coles and Emily Andrews on Catching Up with the Royals, is incredibly special—these are warm, witty, brilliantly entertaining shows, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover them.”
Catching Up with the Royals and A Night In with Sally Lindsay were commissioned by Cardwell and Federico Ruiz, commissioning editor.
