‘He’s chameleon, comedian, Corinthian, and caricature,’ sings David Bowie in 1971’s ‘The Bewlay Brothers’: the musician could well be describing himself. Across 50 years and 26 studio albums, Bowie continually reinvented his image, pushing the boundaries of music, fashion and performance. In David Bowie: Changeling, the latest instalment of BBC Sound’s Music Uncovered series, Kate Moss explores the first decade of the singer’s extraordinary career.

The podcast was no doubt made to coincide with the opening last month of the David Bowie Centre at London’s V&A East Storehouse. Consequently, it serves more as an accompaniment than a standalone production. Split into just eight 15-minute parts, it’s often left to the listener to place the events of each episode within the context of the musician’s early work and Bowie novices may feel discombobulated. But for those who know their Major Tom from their Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie: Changeling is what the Beeb does best: informative, well-produced and engaging.

Listeners are treated to a collection of interviews with everyone from childhood friends to Iggy Pop, Woody Woodmansey and Lady Gaga. Most enlightening is the testimony of Bowie himself. The picture it paints is of a studied reader of the cultural temperament; like a magpie, he knew how to take eclectic inspiration from those around him and fashion into something wholly original. Concluding with the release of Young Americans in 1975, there’s plenty of material as yet unexplored. Don’t be surprised if Part II: The Berlin Years drops in the near future.

All episodes of David Bowie: Changeling are available now; main picture: Ellen von Unwerth.