Rhodri Talfan Davies on the Future of the BBC | Audio Academy Festival 2026

Audio Academy members can watch every Audio Academy Festival 2026 session now, without waiting a fortnight for the next one. Join from £48 a year, or free if you work for one of our Patrons: https://audioacademy.org.uk/membership/ 94% of people use the BBC every month, but only 80% of households pay the licence fee. Rhodri Talfan Davies (Deputy Director-General of the BBC) tells Katie Thistleton (BBC Radio 1) how that gap is shaping the corporation's audio plans, from far more visualised audio to protecting the big live shows. He also explains why there is "no world" in which AI replaces human presenters, shares a favourite piece of BBC audio, and offers three things anyone in audio can do differently right now: challenge the unwritten rules, move faster and be more confident. Session: Keynote: The Future of the BBC Host: Katie Thistleton (BBC Radio 1) Keynote: Rhodri Talfan Davies (Deputy Director-General of the BBC) Producer: Jocelin Stainer (BBC) Chapters 0:00 Welcome and BBC audio in numbers 2:38 What a Deputy Director-General does 3:52 What is the future of the BBC? 6:52 The licence fee funding gap 8:43 Live radio and visualised audio 10:38 Advice for people starting out 12:51 AI and human presenters 15:10 Rhodri's audio pick: Ricky Gervais 18:01 Three things to thrive Recorded on the Festival Stage at the Audio Academy Festival 2026, Royal College of Physicians, London, 1 October 2026. More from the Audio Academy: https://www.audioacademy.org.uk Instagram: @audioacademyuk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ukaudioacademy #AudioAcademyFestival #Radio #Podcasting