Category Archives: Belle Media in the Press

Belle wins 2023 Independent Audio Award

Our “Stormy Weather” series wins coveted award!

Posted by Richard on March 23rd, 2023

Kay receiving the IPA Audio Award from Konni Huq and Zebralution’s Rebecca Souster

We were delighted to win the 2023 IPA Audio Award for our 5-part radio series Stormy Weather at a prestigious ceremony at London’s OXO Tower. The series was presented by acclaimed transport historian and broadcaster Tim Dunn and was inspired by our first ever publication – Hurricane Hutch’s Top 10 Ships of the Clyde.

You can find all 5 episodes in the series

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Kay addresses All Party Parliamentary Group at Westminster

APPG on Commercial Radio celebrates the work of the Audio Content Fund

Posted by Richard on March 21st, 2023

Kay at the APPG Meeting at Portcullis House, Westminster

Kay was one of only four industry speakers asked to address the All Party Parliamentary Group on Commercial Radio yesterday on behalf of the Audio Content Fund (ACF).

The Symposium was called to mark the work of the ACF and to discuss the future of public funding in audio production. The session was chaired by Andy Carter MP and attended by a range of parliamentarians and officials, including former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale.

Belle was chosen out of a total of 91 possible suppliers, so it was quite an honour to represent the industry.

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We take our hat off to teachers on World Book Day

Posted by Kay on March 7th, 2023

Scores of excited children, dressed up as their favourite characters greeted Richard when he visited Coleshill Infants on World Book Day. Yes, it’s that time of the year when children across the country (with a little help from their parents) dress up in all sorts of interesting and inventive costumes with a least a nod to their favourite book. And, as any author will tell you, sometimes their costumes can be rather elaborate and not entirely practical – it’s not unusual to see kids trapped inside carboard structures twice their height or lugging around vast papier-mâché props and still be expected to manage a full day’s lessons too. Trying to work out which characters are on show is a huge part of the fun, but it’s also a test of your knowledge of the world of children’s books – as well as a test of your diplomatic skills!

And this time Richard was faced with something different – every single child was also wearing a Captain Bobo captain’s hat!

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Royal toast for TS Queen Mary

Princess Anne hosts reception to celebrate TS Queen Mary’s 90th Anniversary

Posted by Kay on February 10th, 2023

Princess Anne finding out about our Stormy Weather series

We were honoured to be invited to a champagne reception to celebrate TS Queen Mary’s 90th Anniversary. Royal Patron Princess Anne met supporters and volunteers helping bring the ship back into operation at an event in Glasgow’s Central Hotel (and just a few hundred metres away from the ship’s original home base at Bridge Wharf). Princess Anne also spent some time with us hearing about our Stormy Weather series and talking with Kay about her father’s time as Captain and as Mate.

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Stormy Weather – Times Radio – New 5 Part Series Begins 21st October 2022

A unique celebration of our Coastal Cruising Heritage

Posted by Kay on September 15th, 2022

Transport historian and broadcaster Tim Dunn has a passion for ships.

He might be best known for his love of trains, presenting programmes like The Architecture the Railways Built and Secrets of the Underground, but over the summer he’s been working with us on Stormy Weather, a new 5-part radio series for Times Radio celebrating the country’s proud heritage of day excursion cruising.

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The Adventures of Captain Bobo – London/Lunnainn

Nautical fun for younger readers - Belle Kids New Picture Book Out Now!

Posted by Richard on March 31st, 2022

The latest in our Adventures of Captain Bobo series: London is published simultaneously in English and Gaelic (Lunnainn). This time a sight-seeing tour of London turns into something quite unexpected.

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Tigeropolis – New 10-part Radio Series narrated by Ashwika Kapur

Comedy Adventure with Conservation at its Heart

Posted by Kay on December 10th, 2021

We are pleased to announce award winning India wildlife filmmaker Ashwika Kapur is the voice of our new conservation themed children’s radio comedy drama Tigeropolis. The series launches on Fun Kids Radio on Friday 14th January 2022.

This is our second major radio series commission, and once again Tigeropolis is based on a popular book series published by Belle Media.

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Tigeropolis – 5 x Radio Eco Features

Children Challenge Climate Change

Posted by Richard on October 31st, 2021

Gillian Burke with children from Ladock C of E Primary at the Cornwall Beaver Project learning how beavers build their dams

We’ve been working with Eco-champions from schools across the country on a new Fun Kids radio show for Winter 2022. Our eco-champions have been quizzing some of the country’s best-known natural history broadcasters and filmmakers on the issues that matter to them.

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Captain Bobo – Out now in Gaelic

Posted by Kay on April 22nd, 2021

Following the success of the Captain Bobo radio series we’ve been working to bring out these wonderful picture books in Gaelic too. The first book in the Sgeulachdan a’ Chaiptein Bobo series is Bananathan! and it has just been released. It’s a story of teamwork, lost elephants and helpful pet mice, all set against Scotland’s magnificent West Coast. It’s available here and from book shops across Scotland.

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Bill Paterson narrates Hurricane Hutch’s Top 10 Ships of the Clyde

Posted by Richard on April 8th, 2021

Bill Paterson brings his unique and unmistakable voice and wisdom to this wonderful retelling of Captain Hutchison’s best-selling social history of life on the Clyde.

Bill rarely narrates audiobooks, so we were so lucky he agreed. And as he told The Daily Express, he was predisposed to the project, remarking,

“When this came up, I felt drawn to it… I travelled on these boats and was part of that mythology. Hurricane Hutch had a career that will never be lived again.”

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