'Nothing is off limits' in new BBC News NI podcast

For years, Tara Mills and Declan Harvey have been synonymous with radio and television coverage in Northern Ireland - but they are now moving to a new medium.

The duo are spearheading The State of Us - a podcast which aims to tackle news stories that impact Northern Ireland in a fresh way.

"We're allowed to loosen the top button a little bit and that's really exciting," Declan said.

The first episode is set to be released next week.

"The podcast world is very busy," Tara admits, "but it's also very successful.

"There's definitely an appetite for going and finding your news in slightly different ways," she adds.

The State of Us hopes to offer a more informal, conversational approach to the news agenda.

"We do a lot of discussing and debating stories," said Tara. "We just thought, where is there space for that?

"Maybe there's room to go down the rabbit holes and into the weeds of stories that don't get the time on other BBC outlets."

The podcast will expand upon the range of stories that the BBC is reflecting, by offering a platform for them to breathe.

""In TV and radio there is a lot of time pressure. We have been released from that pressure," Declan says.

Both Tara and Declan will still be keeping on their day jobs as BBC Newsline presenters.

The name of the podcast is one that will be recognisable to people living in Northern Ireland.

"It's like 'up the Lagan in a bubble'. It's kind of one of those phrases that we say that is quite peculiar to us in Northern Ireland," Tara said.

Declan expressed how the name sets the tone for what the podcast aspires to represent.

"We're just going to talk about the state of us. The good, the bad, what could be better and the stuff we are doing brilliantly. ," he said.

The relationship with the audience will be key to the podcast.

"This should feel like you're just having a chat with friends," says Declan.

"We laugh, we joke, we pull apart the bits that are stressful - why can't we have a conversation about the news like that?"

As Tara puts it: "We want people to get knowledge, friendship, companionship and a bit of craic."

The pair were keen to emphasise this will be completely different to what audiences have come to expect.

"We're really excited at covering just a massive range of stories, we've been told that nothing is off limits, and we intend to make the most of that."

Tara and Declan have worked together within BBC News NI for more than half a decade.

They struck up a friendship presenting BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra together and working as part of the BBC Newsline television team.

"For as long as I've known Tara, we have always chatted and debated the news and laughed about things outside of the studio.

"What this is doing is just putting a microphone in front of that conversation and hopefully people will join us in the conversation as well," Declan finished.

Kevin Kelly, head of news and current affairs at BBC News NI, said it was an "exciting new addition to our stable of content for BBC audiences in Northern Ireland and further afield".

"The State of Us" podcast will talk about the news, make the news, and help people learn about news stories in an informative and engaging way. It will tackle the big stories, and the serious issues affecting all our lives, and will hopefully have some fun as well along the way," he added.

He said it would increase BBC News NI's digital programme footprint.

Tara and Declan will be delivering two episodes of "the State of Us" each week and it will also be available on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday mornings.

The release of the podcast coincides with the streamlining of Evening Extra into a dedicated news hour from 17:00 BST to 18:00 focusing on the latest news updates and breaking stories.

Click here to subscribe and listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds every Tuesday and Thursday.

You can get in touch with the team by contacting [email protected].