Rockpool Podcasts

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to a What The Music Podcast crossover with Rockpool Podcasts hosted and produced by Nicole Kilpatrick.

What The Music is a podcast series dedicated to the grassroots scene within Ayrshire & Glasgow hosted and produced by Nicole Kilpatrick. 

Rockpool Podcasts is an award wining music and chat show produced by John McBlain with a revolving team of hosts and special guests.

We’ve decided to release Nicole Kilpatrick’s interview with John McBlain as a crossover episode on both What The Music and Rockpool Podcasts as both shows are champions of what’s going on with creative people in the creative industries across Ayrshire & Glasgow!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to our International Women's Day 2024 episode!

Ayrshire College's Equality & Diversity Performance Lead, Charlotte Mitchell is joined by Principal and CEO of Ayrshire College, Angela Cox for a conversation in celebration of International Women's Day 2024.

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to The Backstabbing Traitors!

In this behind the scenes video episode produced and directed by Ciaran Owens and Robert Myles with assistance from the Intro to Media Video Squad...

14 Media Students at Ayrshire College play the ultimate game of lies and deception in the hope of winning a variety of prizes but hidden amongst them are The Traitors whose job is to secretly murder the Faithful without getting caught!

Slight sound warning as all the clips were recorded on a phone.

Everything from our audio episode, behind the scenes video episode, website, artwork, photography and photo galleries were produced by the Introduction to Media, Film & Broadcasting Team as part of their studies at Ayrshire College!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to Traitors Talk!

On Friday 2nd February 2024, Ayrshire College's Introduction to Film & Broadcasting Students were invited to play a game inspired by the UK, US and Australian versions of internationally renowned reality TV show, The Traitors!

On this episode, Introduction to Film & Broadcasting Students take over Rockpool Podcasts to interview the cast of the first episode of The Traitors: Ayrshire College!

Traitors Talk features interviews with Host and Claudia Winkleman impersonator John McBlain, Ayrshire College Staff Members Juliana Pyper-Mcfarland and Michelle Kerr, cinematographer Ciaran Owens and of course, The Faithful and The Traitors!

Everything from our audio episode, behind the scenes video episode, website, artwork, photography, website and photo galleries were produced by the team as part of their studies at Ayrshire College!

Hello Hello Hello!

Evan Keen welcomes back John from his recent illness and absences to talk about our new collaboration with Lochnorris Primary School in Cumnock, our partnership & forthcoming episodes with Ayrshire Growth Deal & Community Wealth Building, music video shoots, student feedback, upcoming gigs at Ayrshire College & Venue 38 in Ayr, The Traitors at Ayrshire College, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Chappel Roan, Saltburn and Jacob Elordi Bathwater Candles.

Hello! Konnichi Wa! Mabuhay! Hola! Bonjour! Hei! Nǐ Hǎo!

John and Evan are in Rockpool Studios for one final time in 2023 to bring you ROCKPOOL WRAPPED 2023: A WRAPIFY!!! - celebrating all things Rockpool Podcasts and Spotify Wrapped!

Featuring voicemails from 40 Friends of The Pod, this is a jam packed episode full of music, chat and good, good times!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to Rockpool VR!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to Rockpool Podcasts!

We are an award-winning music and chat show hosted by our team of producers, musicians, and broadcasters where we champion inclusion, equality, and innovation. What do we talk about on the show? Well! Here at Rockpool Podcasts, no topic is off limits!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to Episode 300!

The team are back for one last time to wrap up Season 6 and to celebrate the 300th episode of Rockpool Podcasts! Reunited in the studio are John McBlain, Joe Smith & Sara Turkington - the OG hosts of the show - alongside Evan Keen, Linda Corbett, Nathan Harkins, Ryan Robertson & Nicole Kilpatrick to celebrate this milestone episode! Keep an eye on Twitter and Instagram for our photos from the episodes as the team were having too much fun with a Polaroid camera!

Recorded on the hottest day of 2023 with 8 people and 4 microphones, the team look back and reflect on 300 episodes of Rockpool Podcasts starting with a monologue from John before descending into a multiverse of tangents, conversations, chaos and Padam Padams! Not even a torrential rainstorm can interrupt the celebrations!

The team say a huge welcome back to Joe Smith to hear all about his career since graduation from Ayrshire College and bid adieu to Nicole Kilpatrick, Ryan Robertson, Kym McSwan and Andrew Dooner who will soon be following in Joe's footsteps with their own graduations and careers.

In addition, to paraphrase the Spice Girls, the team are also saying Goodbye... My Friend... to Sara Turkington. Sara has been a producer and host of the show since day one and we wanna wish her all the best as she starts her new job and career. "Sara has gone from being a name on an email signature to not just a colleague, co-host and award-winning podcast creator, but a true friend, a pal and a confidante. You might be leaving us, but you're legacy lives on Spotify forever. And on Whatsapp voice notes. Insert your own painting nail emoji and Shade Button noise as you see fit!" - John

Hello Hello Hello!

Rockpool Podcasts has teamed up with ACTV to bring you a behind the scenes look at the Ayrshire Film Festival 2023!

Hosted by Cara Beck and produced by ACTV, and filmed on location at the Gaiety Theatre, Ayr; this special video episode features interviews with Jake McEwan, John Rae, Richard Scott, Nathan Clark, John McBlain, Tymofi Donets, Juliana Pyper-McFarland; behind the scenes footage from the festival; and some teasers and clips from the films show on the day!

Many thanks to Cara, Steven and Mia for creating the video and congratulations to everyone involved at Ayrshire College for bringing the Ayrshire Film Festival 2023 to life!

Hosted and produced by Nicole Kilpatrick and Ryan Robertson, Rockpool Podcasts are on location, live and local at HMV Ayr!

In conversation with Jay Cope, manager of the HMV Ayr store, Nicole and Ryan, they're recording from the shop floor to hear all about HMV's '1921 Records' record label, the 'Live & Local' in-store live music events supporting local grassroots music and the dynamic social media presence the HMV Ayr team have built with their customers and followers, establishing a true sense of community through a shared love of music.

Hello Hello Hello!

This episode is full of emotion as Evan and Nicole go into detail and talk about the highlights of two high profile gigs they were recently at: Harry Styles (also known as the Fruitman) who rocked Scotland's capital with two sold out nights for the "Love On Tour"; and Sam Fender’s return home to Newcastle for his two sold out homecoming shows at St James Park.

With music from Harry Styles and Sam Fender and special quest voice messages from Evan's friends David Ryan and Rachel, Nicole and Evan really get into the heart of why music plays such an important part in their lives! Get your tissues ready for this one - you’re going to need them!

The Wheel Of Pod is back! Evan, Nathan and Nicole take on the wheel for the first time as they put their music taste to the test! Featuring music from The 1975, Taylor Swift and many more! Prepare for one of the most chaotic episodes yet! 

Over the past few years we’ve dedicated many episodes to conversations around mental health, health and wellbeing and we are gonna continue this trend by welcoming two special guests to the show: Martin Hammond - Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Ayrshire College and Jackie McCullagh Tobacco Cessation Prevention Officer from NHS Ayrshire and Arran,  who are here on the to speak about Quit Your Way - an advice and support service for anyone trying to stop smoking in Scotland.

Quit Your Way Online

Where to even start with this one! John, Evan, Nicole and Nathan reunite in the Rockpool Studio for the first time in a long time for a good old chit chat!

Recently, John was invited to Lochnorris Primary School in Cumnock, Ayrshire as part of the school’s World of Work Week to talk to pupils about careers in the Creative Industries and pathways to future courses and jobs. A huge thank you to the Staff and Pupils at Lochnorris Primary School for their warm welcome and we look forward to our next visit!

John, Nathan, Evan and Nicole talk about their own experiences of careers advice, opportunities, inspirations and aspirations they had when they were young; reflect upon the 2023 Music & Sound Department’s Final Fling Gig; have a discussion on their progress over the past year; and chat about camaraderie amongst music students and the importance of encouragement and feedback!

In amongst the Shade Button being put to good use, tangents and topics include: John FINALLY getting his hands on tickets for Loreen thanks to Evan "The Ticketmaster Himself" Keen, Nicole's quest for Niall Horan tickets, writing a theme tune for Nathan Skywalker, The Frock Destroyers, Kylie Minogue, Padam, the Tragedy Fan, the HEAT IN THE POD STUDIO, Padam, ASMR, Paris Hilton, Kim Petras, Paris Hilton following John on Twitter, Padam, Nelly Furtado, Padam, our forthcoming 300th episode, Padam, Evan’s “old age”, Padam, the Kaarija money jar, Padam, Kaarija + much much more!

More importantly, Nicole also tries to put a stop to John & Evan stan-boying over Kaarija and Cha Cha Cha! Good luck with that, Nicole! lol

Joining Linda Corbett in the Rockpool Studio is new Student Vice President, Tim Chan, and Charlotte Mitchell, Student Association Advisor, to chat all about the 2023 Student Presidential campaigns, elections and results which saw Linda herself be voted in as Ayrshire College’s new Student President.

Linda, Tim and Charlotte talk about the role of the Student Association, forthcoming plans for the new Presidential Team and what they are excited for in their new roles and future at Ayrshire College.

Ayrshire College’s Media, Film & Broadcasting and Core Skills department recently were responsible for the 2023 Ayrshire Film Festival which took place on Friday 26th May 2023 at the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr!

Joining John McBlain on the pod is special guest, Vincent Mulligan - one of the leads in bringing the festival to life - to give us a recap on the festival, share some of the highlights from the day and celebrate the awesome success of the Ayrshire Film Festival 2023!

Links and Links and Links... Go check em out!

Hello! Hello! Hello! Linda and Nathan are in the studio talking all things Mental Health following on from Mental Health Awareness Week 2023.

They chat about their own mental health as well speaking with Charlotte Mitchell from Ayrshire College’s own Student Association about the Wear It On Your Sleeve Campaign and the student ambassadors for the campaign. Joining Linda and Nathan via Zoom is Tony McLaren of Breathing Space to talk about the services available from the Scottish based organisation that aims to support people with their mental health via phone and online web services. In addition, you'll hear from Students from Ayrshire College talking about their individual experiences with mental health and wellbeing and what strategies they use to cope - a huge thanks to all Students who gave their voices to this episode.

Hello Hello Hello!

John McBlain welcomes Cara Beck and Vincent Mulligan to the Rockpool Studios to talk about the 2023 Ayrshire Film Festival!

Beginning as a showcase student film festival for Ayrshire College media students it has now expanded to include entries from students across Scotland. The festival has a full programme of events including guest speakers, screenings, industry discussions and an awards ceremony.

Hello Hello Hello!

Welcome to a post-Eurovision and post- Bridge 2 Business Awards celebration episode hosted by John McBlain, Evan Keen and Nicole Cullen!

The trio are in the studio to celebrate the 2023 Bridge 2 Business Awards, John becoming a HALO Ambassador, Ayrshire College's 2023 Student President Elections, the Media Department's 2023 Ayrshire Film Festival, the Music & Sound Department's Final Fling Gig of 2023 and Eurovision 2023! How many times did we fit '2023' in there?! Almost as many times as John and Evan FANBOY over their new hero - Kaarija! Cha Cha Cha!

Congratulations to John McBlain on for winning the College Enterprise Champion Award for the 3rd consecutive year; congratulations to everyone at Ayrshire College for winning the Enterprise College of the Year Award; and congratulations to all the finalists and nominees at this year's awards! We also want to extend a huge thank you to the team at Bridge 2 Business and Glasgow Clyde College for hosting a truly fantastic and memorable awards ceremony! It was a pleasure to meet everyone in person and we look forward to catching up with you soon!

Links n Things:

Hello! Bonjour! Pryvit! Laskavo prosymo na nashu vechirku Yevrobachennya 2023!

Hosted and produced by Evan Keen and featuring fellow Eurovision fanatic, John McBlain; Master of Rockpool Podcasts' Eurovision Ceremonies Evan hosts a Eurovision 2023 pre-party-podcast and takes a deep dive into his Top 5 entires for Eurovision 2023 and predicts his winner / potential winners!

We'll be following this pre-party podcast episode up with a post-party podcast episode! Leave a comment on the Spotify App, send us a voicemail, DM us on Twitter or Instagram or get in touch via the Rockpool App and let us know what your all time FAVOURITE Eurovision anthem is and be part of our follow up episode!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to John’s 40th birthday podcast celebration!

Hosted and produced by Evan Keen and featuring... ahem... extra "special" guest - John McBlain - Musician & Producer; Host, Producer & Showrunner of Rockpool Podcasts; Award-Winning Lecturer in Music, Media & Performance at Ayrshire College; expert in 90s and 00s pop music and pop culture; and shy, retiring wallflower, who is now 40 years old! Emphasis on the old! Lawl! Insert painting nail emoji and hit that shade button multiple times!

With birthday voicemails from the Rockpool Podcasts Editorial Team, music from Spice Girls, Chase & Status, Confidence Man, Creamy and 5ive (yes… 5ive not Five!), Evan has invited John to the pod booth to celebrate his birthday and play a game of ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ by letting John loose on the mic to chat about… well… lawl... you’ll need to tune in and find out! Trust us when we say this is a not-to-be-missed episode!

Gird your loins, grab a drink, take a set and prepare for an episode full of tangents, tea, shade and surprises! Happy 40th Birthday, John!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Evan and Nicole are back in the studio talking about the 2023 Bridge 2 Business Awards, Stagecraft Performances and Evan's review of Paramore’s gig at the Hydro in Glasgow!

The two close friends go over Coachella 2023, talking about performances from Labrinth, Rosalia, Dominic Fike, Muna and many more. They also take a deep dive into the Frank Ocean controversy and talk about the weekend show stealer (at great length) Boygenius, a supergroup made up of three of the most talented female singer-songwriters in the world Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus!

Nicole challenges Evan in a game of Song vs Song pinning some of Evan’s favourite tracks against each other!

Welcome to another Sun Turtle Takeover of Rockpool Podcasts!

Produced by Sound Production Student Cameron MacNee, this episode is hosted by David Ballantyne, Sound Production Student at Ayrshire College who is here to talk about Didgeridoo Promotions - a student led promotions company who are working in partnership with Sun Turtle Records to host a special event at Harley’s in Ayr on Thursday 27th April 2023 featuring some of Ayrshire’s finest up and coming musicians.

Joining David in the Rockpool Podcasts Studio is  Ochiltree based musician, Ayrshire College Music student and one of the most talented stage performers and musicians I have had the pleasure of working with, Angus Hendrie to speak about his work under the moniker Sacred Groove and his appearance at the forthcoming Didgeridoo Presents event at Harleys in Ayr on Thursday 27th April 2023!

For more information please check out the following links:

Didgeridoo Promotions

Hello Hello Hello!

Hello Hello Hello!

We are back after our 2 week holiday! John and Nicole are in the studio to talk about the Bridge 2 Business Awards 2023 because the Rockpool Podcasts Team are finalists for the Social Enterprise Award, Ayrshire College is a finalist in the Enterprising College Award and for the third year in a row (and having won the award 2 years in a row), John is a finalist for the College Enterprise Champion Award! Congratulations all round! Thank you to Bridge 2 Business and congratulations to our fellow finalists from across the College Sector in Scotland!

John McBlain, Linda Corbett and Nicole Kilpatrick are in the studio to for a lil’ pod party as we head into our Season 6 mid season break! 

Hello Hello Hello & welcome to a very special and first of its kind episode of Rockpool Podcasts!

Hello Hello Hello!

Ayrshire College's Student Association Advisor, Charlotte Mitchell hosts a special episode dedicated to the Student President Elections 2023!

Tune in to find out more about the role of the Student Association, the role of the Student President and how you can get involved!

In this Student Association Takeover episode, Ayrshire College Student President, Ellie Jamieson and Student Association Advisor, Charlotte Mitchell are in the studio and on the mic to talk about the work of the Student Association, what it does and how it supports students at Ayrshire College!

The Rockpool Podcasts Team were on location at the Carlton Hotel in Prestwick recording live from the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Conference which took place on Wednesday 15th March 2023. Proudly supported by RAD Hotel Group, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland, the full day industry event brought together the hospitality and tourism sector and was the first of its kind and a unique opportunity for people and businesses to come together, learn, and network with others.

Produced by John McBlain and hosted by Evan Keen, Linda Corbett, Nicole Cullen, Nicole Kilpatrick, Nathan Harkins and Ryan Robertson with photography and digital support from Andrew Dooner, this episode includes just under 2 hours of audio, 24 interviews and the entire closing panel speeches that concluded the event.

Hello Hello Hello!

Produced and directed in less than 5 minutes, Ayrshire College Lecturer and Best Friend of The Pod Richard Scott hosts an exclusive video episode getting to know the team running the show at ACTV Letteboxd HQ!

Letterboxd is new online platform and App dedicated to, and all about movies where you can review movies, interact with other movie fans and catalogue your own watch lists!

Always the innovators in the Media, Film & Broadcasting Department; Ayrshire College is the FIRST educational establishment in Scotland to secure the highly sought after Letteboxd HQ status!

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to Rockpool Podcasts!

Linda Corbett is hosting an ACTV Letterboxd special with frequent Friends of The Pod, Benn Easdown and Richard Scott!

Letterboxd is new online platform and App dedicated to, and all about movies where you can review movies, interact with other movie fans and catalogue your own watch lists!

Always the innovators in the Media, Film & Broadcasting Department; Ayrshire College is the FIRST educational establishment in Scotland to secure the highly sought after Letteboxd HQ status!

Linda, Benn and Richard are here to tell you all about the platform, the ACTV Student Team running the show and what type of content you can expect to see, hear and read on ACTV Letterboxd HQ!

Sara is back with a special Rockpool Podcasts episode with Sarah Prager, writer, speaker, and activist. Sarah’s book ‘Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed The World’ is one of the titles in Ayrshire College’s new Pride Collection of books available in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) at Kilmarnock campus, Ayrshire College.

In this episode, Sara and Sarah chat about all things ‘Sarah’, over Zoom, as we get to know more about her; her story; her books; the song that best describes her; her favourite song by an LGBT+ artist; and her song on repeat. She even gives Rockpool Podcasts an ‘exclusive’!

Sarah is now an official friend of the Pod and we look forward to speaking with her again soon!

Hello! Konnichi Wa! Mabuhay!

Evan, Nicole and Nathan, three of our new hosts enter the Pod Booth to host, record & produce their first episode of the show!

Linda, Kym & Nicole K, three of our new hosts enter the Pod Booth to host, record & produce their first episode of the show!  

There's chat about goings on in their lives, creative work they're involved in, a wee game of Name That Tune + much more! 

With music from Kesha, RuPaul and Mozart!

We're here to say Hello Hello Hello to our Season 6 Editorial Team and on this episode, we're passing the mic to Nicole Kilpatrick!

We're here to say Hello Hello Hello to our Season 6 Editorial Team and on this episode, we're passing the mic to Nathan Harkins!

We're here to say Hello Hello Hello to our Season 6 Editorial Team and on this episode, we're passing the mic to Linda Corbett!

We're here to say Hello Hello Hello to our Season 6 Editorial Team and on this episode, we're passing the mic to Nicole Cullen!

We're here to say Hello Hello Hello to our Season 6 Editorial Team and on this episode, we're passing the mic to Evan Keen!