London, 3rd October — Leading podcast production company, Listen is proud to announce the appointment of Emma Williams as Director of Marketing and Partnerships, a newly formed role that will see her lead the company’s commercial and growth strategy across their award-winning visualised slate, expanding originals and Labs, its marketing and consultancy division.

Emma brings 15 years of PR and media expertise, including a standout three-year stint at The Diary of a CEO, where she was involved from its startup phase. She played a pivotal role in the podcast’s rapid growth, securing extensive press coverage and booking major guests such as Stephen Fry, Lewis Capaldi, and Louis Theroux. Emma also expanded the podcast’s distribution to 14 airlines, including BA, Emirates, and Jet Blue, and launched the first video podcast fast channel on Samsung TV Plus across the UK, Germany, Austria, and The Netherlands. Additionally, she worked on the USA chart-topping podcast, Modern Wisdom, hosted by Chris Williamson, securing high-profile guests and new distribution opportunities to broaden the show’s reach and impact.

At Listen, Emma will enhance and grow the existing podcast slate, while driving fresh creative and commercial opportunities for talent-led original podcasts. Through Listen Labs, she will enhance and grow the premier podcast consultancy, trusted by top brands like Netflix, The Telegraph, and SheerLuxe. Emma brings her exceptional partnership expertise, having driven innovative collaborations with leading brands including WHOOP, The Financial Times, and Mercedes.

Josh Adley, Managing Director at Listen, says: “Emma joins us at a hugely exciting time for the company, 2024 has been our most widely recognised and commercially successful year to date. As we move into the next phase of Listen’s growth, Emma’s unrivalled experience of building global podcast brands and securing flagship commercial deals will add significant value to Listen’s shows. The insight she will bring to Listen Labs will be invaluable to our clients.”

Emma Williams adds: “With its reputation as a leader in visualised podcasts, I’m incredibly excited to be joining Listen at such a pivotal time. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to the team and contributing to the ongoing success and growth of its exceptional diverse podcast slate and beyond!”

The Listen team have never been busier, with the recent launch of M&S’s Proper Tasty Pub Quiz, hosted by chef Tom Kerridge and broadcaster Chris Stark, a new season of The Traitors: Uncloaked confirmed, and a continued focus on the third series of Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right, following its British Podcast Award win last week. Plus, Rylan and Scott Mills continue to bring their signature charm and wit to new BBC visualised podcast, Pop Top 10, taking audiences on a nostalgic journey through pop culture.

53 Minutes is the completely unbelievable – and completely true – story of football’s biggest mystery: Ali Dia.

“Ali Dia has long been a bit of an urban legend for football fans – most of us have heard the name, or the chants, but the reality behind his story is often entirely misunderstood at best. Ali fascinated me because he’s as much a name in football as he was 25 years ago. The idea for 53 Minutes came from really wanting to get to the truth of this story that has yet to be told in full.” – Aidan Judd, Series Producer.

Through this six episode miniseries, we tell the story of Ali Dia, while exploring the reality of what was going on in the football scene in the 90s, unearthing the exceptional circumstances that allowed a below average footballer to find his way onto football’s most elite stage, the Premier League.

The show landed at #1 in the Sports charts on Apple Podcast and Spotify, as well as in the Top 5 Podcasts overall. Since launch, 53 Minutes has been featured by Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, The Guardian and many others.

Football’s biggest mystery, as told by those who were there

How do you track down someone that disappeared from the public eye 28 years ago? By finding and speaking to everyone that was there and involved at the time.

We began by plotting out the central figures to this bizarre moment in football history, including footballers Matt Le Tissier, Ken Monkou, Francis Benali, Paul Thompson, Peter Harrison and Simo Valakari, as well as football journalists Ed Aarons, Frank Simon, Amy Lawrence, Graham Nickless, John Gibson, Graham Hiley, Steve Menary, Kelly Naqi and former football agent Winston Makamure, Southampton club historian Duncan Holley and Mady Touré who is the CEO of Generation Foot.

Securing Graham Souness’ participation, despite his previous reluctance to discuss Ali’s famous kick-about, marked a significant moment in the show, and for the team behind it.

That wasn’t enough and we needed to get closer to Ali, which we did by speaking to those who knew – and played – with him. Until we finally tracked him down…but you’ll have to listen to hear what Ali had to say.

Hosted by comedy legends…

Award-winning comedian Josh Widdicombe and Mock The Week’s Dara Ó Briain bring their hilarious chemistry to this addictive story. Their genuine interest in unveiling the details of what happened makes this narrative a must-listen for both comedy lovers and sports history fans alike.

Josh Widdicombe said “It is an honour to be asked to host this podcast on the greatest mystery of the greatest decade in the history of football. Like any football fan with their priorities right I see the story of Ali Dia as the sacred text of the sport and so I hope we can do it justice. Also, what a joy to be working with Dara and not have him ask me for some unlikely things you’d see in an action film.”

Dara Ó Briain added: “I jumped at the chance to finally get the truth about the legend that is Ali Dia, even though that might involve asking Graham Souness a question and getting a hard stare back.”

Binge the full series of 53 Minutes, out now.