Six more Global podcasts now sell an ad-free version, from £2.99 a month. The new subscriptions cover James O’Brien’s shows (Full Disclosure with James O’Brien, James O’Brien Daily, James O’Brien: The Whole Show and James O’Brien’s Mystery Hour), My Therapist Ghosted Me, The Crime Agents, The Sports Agents, The Wittering Whitehalls and Vogue & Amber. Global announced the expansion on Monday 26 October 2026.
The practical answer first: you do not have to pay anything. The subscriptions are an add-on to the shows you already get. What you buy is the same episodes without the ad breaks, and on the dearer tier some extra episodes that free listeners will not hear. It works inside Global Player and on YouTube.
What each subscription gives you
| Subscription | Ad-free episodes of | Extras announced |
|---|---|---|
| James O’Brien | Full Disclosure, James O’Brien Daily, The Whole Show, Mystery Hour | Ask James Anything (weekly listener questions), James Reacts (bonus series revisiting LBC moments), two newsletters a month |
| The Crime Agents | The weekly show | A monthly long-form episode on a landmark case, starting with Lucy Letby |
| My Therapist Ghosted Me | The weekly show | Not specified |
| The Sports Agents | The show | Not specified |
| The Wittering Whitehalls | The show | Not specified |
| Vogue & Amber | The show | Not specified |
James O’Brien is the clear flagship. One subscription covers four feeds plus two new shows that exist only for subscribers, and he is writing newsletters on top. Global has not said which of the two price tiers each show sits in.
What it costs
- Ad-free episodes: from £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year.
- Ad-free episodes plus exclusive content: from £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year.
- Each show is sold as its own subscription. Global has not announced a bundle covering all of its podcasts.
The six join podcasts already on Plus, including Nick Abbot: The Whole Show from LBC and the F1 show Up To Speed, and they sit alongside Radio Plus, the ad-free version of Global’s music stations that launched in September.
Why Global is selling ad-free now
The audience is there. My Therapist Ghosted Me is No. 10 in our Top 100 and No. 6 in our comedy chart, while The News Agents, No. 5 in the Top 100, is not among the six. Across the UK, RAJAR’s latest quarter puts weekly podcast listening at 30.7 per cent of adults, rising to 35 per cent once people who watch podcasts are counted, according to Adam Bowie’s write-up of the figures. RAJAR now asks whether people listen to or watch podcasts, and last quarter’s 26.9 per cent covered listening only, so part of the jump is a change of measurement.
Simon Pitts, Global’s group chief executive, said: “I’m delighted we’re expanding our Plus offering with subscriptions for some of our biggest and most popular podcast brands.” He called it the beginning, with more Global podcasts to join Plus soon. Craig Hunter, managing director of Global Studios, said: “Our show subscriptions work like a members’ club, building a community of fans.”
We think the James O’Brien package is the only one of the six that is obviously worth £4.99 on what has been announced, because it adds shows rather than just removing ads. For the comedy shows, £2.99 a month to skip the breaks is a fair price if you listen every week, and no price at all is still an option. Goalhanger’s membership scheme, which we looked at in September, shows how much money a UK podcast company can make from listeners who choose to pay; Global is now testing the same idea with its own presenters.
Reader questions
Do I need the Global Player app?
Global says the ad-free episodes are available on Global Player and on YouTube. The announcement names no other app, so for now the paid versions live in Global’s own app and on YouTube.
Do the free episodes change?
Global describes Plus as ad-free versions of the shows listeners already hear, and nothing in the announcement says the ordinary feeds change. You can keep listening to the free feeds, with ads, and the five shows linked above are on BestPodcasts.
Can I pay once for all of Global’s podcasts?
Not on what Global has announced. Each show, or in James O’Brien’s case each presenter, is its own subscription. Radio Plus is a separate product for the music stations.
Which shows are next?
Global has said more of its podcasts will join Plus soon but has not named them. We will update this article when it does.
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