Television gets most of the attention, but for plenty of people the radio side of getiplayer is the real treasure. BBC Sounds carries an enormous range of shows, from breakfast programmes and drama to comedy, documentaries, and live music sessions, and get_iplayer records them as tidy audio files you can keep. This guide shows you how to find Sounds shows with getiplayer, download them in the quality you want, choose between M4A and MP3, and even automate a whole series. The commands are the same ones you use for TV, with a couple of radio-specific twists.
How radio works in get_iplayer
The getiplayer tool treats radio as a type of programme, just like television. BBC Sounds listings live in the same local cache as iPlayer listings, and you search them the same way. The difference shows up in the results and in the finished file: a radio download is audio only, saved as an M4A file with AAC sound by default, and it is far smaller than a TV download of the same length.
That small size is part of the charm. An hour of radio is a modest file you can keep without thinking about disk space, move to a phone in seconds, and play in any music or podcast app. If you grew up recording favourite shows to listen to again, this is that habit in modern form.
Step 1: Search BBC Sounds with –type=radio
Start with a search, and tell get_iplayer you only want radio:
get_iplayer --type=radio "Programme Name"
The --type=radio filter keeps TV results out of your list, which matters because plenty of names exist in both worlds. Add --long if you want fuller descriptions to tell episodes apart, or --channel to limit results to one station, which is handy for long-running shows that move between networks.
As always, the results come from your local cache. If a show you can plainly see in BBC Sounds does not appear, run get_iplayer --refresh to update the listings and search again. Radio shows also expire from Sounds after a limited window, so a missing episode may simply have had its run.
Step 2: Download the show
Recording works exactly as it does for TV. Add --get to your search:
get_iplayer --get --type=radio "Programme Name"
Or download a single result by its index number, or one exact broadcast by its PID, the code at the end of its Sounds page address, using --pid. The tool fetches the audio stream and ffmpeg assembles it into an M4A file in your output folder. A typical episode takes a fraction of the time a TV download needs, because there is so much less data to move.
Radio quality: the AAC modes
Radio streams come in quality tiers, called modes in get_iplayer language. The radio modes are AAC tiers, and the names you will meet include hafhigh for the higher quality tier and hafstd for the standard one. By default, get_iplayer chooses the best available suitable mode for each programme, so most people never set a mode by hand.
When would you? If your connection is slow or your storage is tight, asking for the standard tier with --modes hafstd keeps files lean. If you record music programmes and listen on decent headphones, the higher tier is worth it. Speech programmes, talk shows, comedy, and drama sound perfectly fine at the standard tier, which is a useful saving if you archive a lot of them. The quality guide linked below explains modes for both radio and TV in full.
M4A by default, MP3 when you need it
Your radio downloads arrive as M4A files with AAC audio. That format plays almost everywhere modern: phones, computers, smart speakers, and recent car systems all handle it happily. It also sounds better than MP3 at the same file size, which is why the BBC uses it.
Older players and some car stereos still insist on MP3. For those, get_iplayer has you covered with one option:
get_iplayer --get --type=radio --aactomp3 "Programme Name"
The download proceeds as normal and the finished file is converted to MP3 instead. You can save that setting in your options file if all your radio listening happens on an MP3-only device, and the options guide below shows how.
Thumbnails and tidy files
Audio files feel anonymous without artwork or details. Add --thumb to your radio downloads and get_iplayer embeds the programme thumbnail and metadata into the file, so your player can show the show’s image and title properly. It is a small option that makes a kept collection feel like a collection instead of a pile of files, and it costs you nothing but a few extra kilobytes per episode.
Keep a whole radio series with the PVR
Radio series are where getiplayer quietly becomes indispensable. A weekly show you love can be saved as a PVR search once:
get_iplayer --pvr-add "MyRadioShow" --type=radio "Programme Name"
From then on, running get_iplayer --pvr checks for new episodes and records any you do not have yet. Schedule that command to run while you sleep and your series simply accumulates. You stop racing the expiry window, because each episode is captured soon after broadcast while it is still in its Sounds window. The PVR guide goes deeper on scheduling and organising saved searches.
Building a radio library that stays organised
A few months of Sounds downloads can turn into a folder you are afraid to open. Three small habits keep a radio library pleasant. First, set a dedicated output folder for radio in your options file, so audio never mixes with your TV downloads. Second, switch on --thumb so every file carries its show artwork and metadata, which makes players display your collection properly. Third, let the PVR handle series you follow weekly, so episodes arrive in a steady pattern with consistent names instead of arriving in manual bursts.
None of this takes real effort, and it compounds. A library built with consistent folders, names, and artwork is one you will actually browse and enjoy, rather than a heap you search through with your fingers crossed.
What about live radio?
Most people use get_iplayer for programmes that have already been broadcast and are sitting in BBC Sounds, ready to download. The tool also recognises live types, livetv and liveradio, alongside the standard tv and radio types. Live content follows different rules from catch-up content, and the everyday workflow in this guide, search the cache, pick a result, record it as a file, is built around the catch-up catalogue. If you mainly want shows you can keep and replay, that catalogue is where your time is best spent.
Conclusion
Downloading BBC radio with getiplayer asks very little of you: search with --type=radio, record with --get, and enjoy compact M4A files that play anywhere. Ask for hafstd when you want smaller files, add --aactomp3 when a stubborn player demands MP3, and use --thumb to keep your library looking smart. Set a favourite series up in the PVR and it will look after itself. For spoken-word fans and music lovers alike, the Sounds side of getiplayer is where the tool earns its keep week after week.
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