Half of UK podcast listeners are under 35

Peter Crouch's 5 Live podcast has been a hit since launching in September

Whether they are commuting to work, walking the dog or doing some cooking, young people are increasingly turning to podcasts to keep them company.

Research by broadcast regulator Ofcom has found that half of podcast listeners in the UK are under 35.

Overall, the number of listeners has almost doubled in five years - from 3.2 million in 2013 to 5.9 million in 2018.

The 15-24 age group has seen the steepest growth, with almost one in five people hitting play every week.

The most popular podcast topics are comedy, music, film and TV.

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Broadcasters have responded to the demand, with the BBC enjoying success with podcast versions of radio shows - such as Desert Island Discs and Friday Night Comedy on Radio 4 - and new formats like 5 Live's That Peter Crouch Podcast.

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The corporation has also learned from the success of ITV's Love Island: The Morning After, and has created a Strictly Come Dancing spin-off podcast called Strictly Confidential with Scott Mills and Amy Elizabeth.

The Ofcom data, which was collected from Rajar, ACast and TouchPoints, also found that 96% of podcast listeners also tune in to radio.

Ofcom's research shows that UK listeners access podcasts from a range of sources.

Among the most commonly used were the BBC website and app (used by 36% of podcast listeners), YouTube (26%) and iTunes (25%).