Helena Merriman is the creator of three original podcasts – The Inquiry, Tunnel 29 and Room 5 – which between them have amassed over 30 million downloads.

She has also produced and presented numerous radio documentaries, covering a range of subjects, including the financial crisis, Egypt’s secret police and artificial intelligence.

Room 5 is a series about mystery medical diagnoses for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Series 1 launched in Jan 2022 and Series 2 came out in November 2022. 

Each episode tells the story of one person’s search for diagnosis, along with the Doctor who diagnosed them. Combining intimate storytelling, immersive sound-design, candid interviews, science and a large dose of compassion, Room 5 is a series of stories of extraordinary people at a moment when everything changes.

– Won Gold at the 2023 ARIAS for Best New Radio Show 

– No 3 in Society & Culture, Apple Podcasts

– Radio 4 Pick of the Week

– Podcast of the Week – The Week 

– Radio Choice – The Telegraph, Guardian  

– Nominated Best Radio Podcast (British Podcast Awards)

– Nominated Best Wellness / Relationship Podcast (The Ambies) 

‘Mesmerising….Helena Merriman knows how to tell a compelling story…Merriman turns people’s experiences into 30-minute narrative dramas, spoken word juxtaposed with an immersive soundscape that transports the listener…the honest and intimacy brings light to some of the darkest moments we can face.’
Rachel Cunliffe, The New Statesman 

“A sensitive and intelligent interviewer, Merriman is interested in what happens after the Room 5 moment. The medication, the rehabilitation, the strain. The real-life consequences of a couple of sentences said in a room….and it’s thoroughly absorbing.”
Miranda Sawyer, Observer

“Demystifying and affirming.”
Financial Times

“Powerful.”
Caitlin Moran

Tunnel 29 tells the extraordinary story of a group of friends who dug a tunnel under the Berlin Wall in 1962. 

Helena wrote, produced and presented the series, drawing on hundreds of hours of her original interviews with the survivors as well as thousands of pages of Stasi documents. Her podcast revealed the stranger-than-fiction story of the ingenious group of student diggers, the glamorous red-haired messenger, the American news network which filmed the escape and the Stasi spy who betrayed it.

The TV rights were bought by Sister productions; the series is being written by Georgia Pritchett (Succession) and will be directed by Johan Renck (dir. Chernobyl.)

– Number 1 on Apple podcasts

– Over 9 million downloads 

– Top 5 podcasts of 2019 – New Yorker  

– Foreign Press Association’s Podcast of the Year

– Rose D’Or Best Audio Entertainment

– Best Radio Podcast and Moment of the Year – British Podcast Awards.  

Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, Best Podcasts of 2019: “Smartly structured, elegantly written series, narrated and produced by Helena Merriman….Tunnel 29..combines the fun of a thriller that we know will end happily with grim perspective on history and tyranny…stunning.”

Greg Cochrane, NME: “Helena Merriman does a superb job of telling this compelling piece of modern history.”

Hannah J Davies, The Guardian, 10 of the best gripping podcasts: ‘Brilliant, claustrophobic storytelling.

Observer, Best Podcasts of 2019: ‘A truly exciting yarn..creates a sense for the listener of being right there in the tunnel. Brilliant.’

Richard Brooks, The Guardian: “Tunnel 29 is a truly exciting yarn….Her podcast’s immersive approach, coupled with atmospheric music, creates a sense for the listener of being right there in the tunnel, experiencing the dangers.

Guardian, Pick of the Week: “This is a story that is genuinely unpredictable…..a suspenseful yet thoughtful listen, coinciding with this year’s 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

James Holland: “Do listen…it’s superb.”

Daily Mail: “Gives a vivid account of a strange and surreal period in 20th century Germany.”

Daily Maverick: Merriman deftly interweaves the backstory of the Cold War into the fast-paced action-driven plot… Based on interviews, Stasi archives and film footage of the tunnel…detailed scenes, top-notch sound design and a riveting plot will keep you hooked. As soon as you press play, you’ll find yourself racing through and hungry for more.”

The Inquiry is a weekly current affairs programme for BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and BBC Sounds.

Launched in 2014, it pioneered a new form of analytical storytelling. Asking provocative questions about some of the most contentious subjects of our times, it combines razor-sharp analysis with compelling storytelling.

– Number 1 on Apple podcasts

– Best Current Affairs – British Podcast Awards

‘If you ever feel bobbed and buffeted, but not much wiser by the streams of constant 24/7 news feeds, listen to this and feel wiser.’ – The Times