Recording guests from 15 to 90: a podcast studio's practical guide

James Jones Guest post from Granary Digital Published 28 September 2026 · 6 min read

The Generationally Speaking podcast has recorded guests aged from 15 to 90, and their age changes less about a recording than people expect. The microphones, cameras and room stay the same. What differs is the briefing, the set-up and a few assumptions about age that the data does not support. This guide covers each of those, plus remote guests, hearing aids and guests under 18.

The Alastair Greener Generationally Speaking podcast has released an episode every two weeks since January 2025, with guests aged from 15 to 90. It is recorded at Granary Digital, the studio I run in a 16th-century barn near Chichester. The youngest guests have included Kenan Noori, the 15 year old founder of the Nexus Party, and at the other end of the range is Maurice Collins, an inventor and entrepreneur who was 90 when he came on the show.

Recording a 15 year old and a 90 year old uses the same microphones, the same cameras and the same room. The preparation changes, and so do a few assumptions about age that the data does not support. Here is what works, whether you run a podcast, record interviews for your organisation or are about to be a guest yourself.

What changes when a guest is 15 or 90?

The biggest variable in any recording is how relaxed the guest is, and that depends more on the conversation before the red light than on their age.

The age gap between host and guest does matter. In Communication Habits and Preferences 2024, the survey of 4,067 people published on this site, 71% of Gen Z said they find it easier to communicate with people closer to their own age, against 36% of Baby Boomers and 39% of Gen X. When a teenager sits down opposite an interviewer three or four decades older, ten minutes of unrecorded conversation does more for the finished episode than any piece of kit. Show them the room, explain what the cameras are doing and let them hear their own voice in the headphones before the first question.

How should you brief a guest before the day?

Brief each guest in the way they are most likely to answer. The same survey found that 62% of the Silent Generation and 49% of Baby Boomers like phone conversations and have them frequently, against 32% of Gen Z. It also found that 53% of Gen Z would send a message if a call went unanswered, and only 12% would leave a voicemail. So ring an older guest to talk through the day, message a younger one, and confirm by whichever route they reply on.

For every guest, put the practical details in writing: the address, parking, arrival time and how long the session will take. An episode of Generationally Speaking usually runs to between 30 and 40 minutes, and the guest needs to know about the time around the recording too.

Clothes matter on camera. Fine stripes and small checks can shimmer on screen and a large logo pulls the eye, so suggest plain, mid-tone clothes.

For a guest under 18, ask a parent or guardian to agree in writing to the recording and to its publication, and invite them to come along. Agree beforehand which personal details, such as a school or home town, stay out of the conversation.

What should happen in the studio?

The podcast studio at Granary is an acoustically treated room with three 4K cameras and studio microphones already rigged, and an engineer sets up, monitors the recording and hands over the files. In any room, three things matter most.

The first is the distance to the microphone. People lean back when they relax and forward when they get animated, and every few inches changes the sound. Seat the guest so the microphone sits about a hand's width from their mouth and slightly to one side, where it stays clear of the camera's view of their face, and have someone watch the levels throughout.

The second is headphones. Some guests like hearing themselves; others find it distracting. Offer them, set a comfortable level and let the guest decide. Ask about hearing directly, too. RNID estimates that over half the population aged 55 or more have hearing loss, and that almost 80% of people over the age of 70 will. A guest who wears hearing aids may prefer to keep them in and go without headphones, which works well in a quiet, treated room.

The third is time. Put still water within reach, since fizzy drinks make mouth noise, and allow a few minutes to settle before the first question. Tell the guest that a stumble can be picked up and cut, which takes the pressure off a first answer.

Are younger guests more comfortable on video calls?

Not necessarily, which matters when a guest joins remotely. In the 2024 survey, 18% of 18 to 21 year olds who use video calls for work enjoy them frequently, against 40% of Baby Boomers. In between, the share who say they like work video calls and make them a lot rises with age: 25% of 22 to 27 year olds, 35% of Millennials and 37% of Gen X.

Who likes video calls for work and makes plenty of themShare of workers who use video calls for work answering "Yes, I do it a lot" when asked whether they like them

Gen Z aged 18 to 2118%
Gen Z aged 22 to 2725%
Millennials35%
Gen X37%
Baby Boomers40%

Base: workers aged 18 and over who ever use video calls for work Source: Communication Habits and Preferences 2024

So prepare every remote guest in the same way:

Do a test call the day before, on the platform you will use on the day.
Ask them to connect to their router with a cable if they can, and to wear wired headphones, which stops your voice echoing back into their microphone.
Raise the laptop on a few books so the camera is at eye level, with a window or lamp in front of them rather than behind.
Choose a small room with soft furnishings. Curtains, a sofa and a rug soak up echo that a bare kitchen will not.
Send one link, with no app to download, and a phone number to ring if it fails.

Which assumptions about age should you drop?

Two are worth dropping. The first is that older guests struggle with technology. In the same survey, 89% of Baby Boomers and 79% of the Silent Generation used a smartphone to communicate. Explain the set-up by all means, but do not over-explain it.

The second is that younger guests are at home on camera, which the video call figures above do not bear out. A confident 17 year old on Instagram can still be nervous in front of three cameras and a stranger. Alastair's line is "We are framed by our generation, not defined by it." Brief the person in front of you, and let their age tell you only where to start.

Frequently asked questions

How do you prepare a guest for a podcast recording?

Brief them the way they prefer to be contacted, by phone or by message, then put the practical details in writing: the address, arrival time and how long the session will take. On the day, allow ten minutes of unrecorded conversation, show them the room and let them hear their voice in the headphones before the first question.

Should podcast guests wear headphones?

Offer them and let the guest choose. Some people like hearing themselves and others find it distracting. A guest who wears hearing aids may prefer to keep them in and go without headphones, which works in a quiet, acoustically treated room.

How can a remote guest sound good on a podcast?

Test the link the day before, connect to the router with a cable if possible, wear wired headphones to stop echo, raise the laptop to eye level and choose a small room with soft furnishings. Send one link, with no app to download, and a phone number to ring if it fails.

Can under-18s be guests on a podcast?

Yes. Generationally Speaking has recorded guests as young as 15. Ask a parent or guardian to agree in writing to the recording and its publication, invite them to come along, and agree beforehand which personal details stay out of the conversation.

Hear guests aged from 15 to 90 on Alastair's podcast, recorded at Granary Digital.

Listen to the podcast

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Episode 1 · 7 January 2025 · 30 min