Before the show, I managed to chat with producer Annie Brown about the process of making the live show and what they wanted to achieve. “Listeners had such strong feelings about the evidence it was hard to just leave it as it was.” She shared that the overwhelmingly positive reception to the podcast made it obvious they had to involve the audience and give them the chance to play the jury in real time. “It’s just fun to be able to interact and engage with the people that gave the show such life.”

The show was split into three acts:

• Act 1 – A podcast recap with host Elizabeth Day with enough context and details for audience members that might not have listened to the whole podcast. Bonus behind the scenes audio outtakes and pictures of Tristan and Annie’s process kept it freshtoo.
• Act 2 – Feyther on trial. A stern telling off from detectives Jackie Malton and Hamish Campbell to focus on the evidence; a live reenactment of a suspicious phone call from the police file; an animated floor plan of the sequence of events from the night of the murder; and audience voting using a virtual polling app.
• Act 3 – A live Q&A for audience members to ask their questions to Tristan, Annie and Kate Dancy directly.

So what worked? Firstly, Elizabeth Day was the best person to host this show. When I asked Annie why they chose Elizabeth, she said “She’s an amazing stand-in for an enthusiastic audience member. She’s such a deep listener, a deep thinker and pokes and prods at the story as our audience members have been.” That’s exactly what she did on stage, guiding the evening and reminding us of all details we’d overlooked.

The visual elements were helpful too. I have to admit that at times, listening to the podcast was confusing because of the multiple versions of events and the sheer number of important details. The animations of the house and the chain of events were the perfect illustration – even if it did feel a bit like VAR with the audience playing the referee.

I wasn’t a fan of the live voting. Although I understand the intention, I think phones and theatres aren’t compatible. The light, the risk of technical error (of which there was only one, thankfully), and people checking their notifications instantly sucks you out of the world that’s been carefully built around you.

Finally, the story. Ghost Story is so successful because there’s something for everyone: hauntings, murder mystery, true crime, family drama. But at the heart of it is a tragedy. Whether it was a murder-suicide or a double homicide, these deaths are personal to the Dancy family. Ghost Story is not unscathed from criticism of sensationalising a personal family trauma, most vocally by one member of the Dancy family, Tash Cutts. Her open letter condemning the show was handed out outside the theatre. This criticism fits into a wider conversation in the podcast industry about the ethics of seeking out, dramatising and profiting from vulnerable individuals and their stories.

True crime makes great content because you have the thrill of someone’s messy and exciting reality while watching from a distance. But at what cost?

Ghost Story Live was made for the fans who loved the story, loved the characters and those who wanted to dive into the details together. The newly shared pictures and testimonials, particularly of Naomi Dancy, were a wonderful addition to an already vivid podcast, and served as a reminder of the central themes of legacy and reckoning with reality. Even after seven episodes, a bonus episode and a live show, I was still debating who could have committed the crimes! So, as we drop the final curtain on season 1, the ghosts of Feyther, Naomi and Maurice certainly live on…and I’m confident the legacy of Ghost Story will remain with us for a long time.

Listen to Ghost Story on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other popular podcast apps >>

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Katie Stokes is a freelance writer, editor and podcast producer. Her work explores mental health, social relationships and identity. She is the host of Re:Mind the Podcast, unpacking how small behaviours have a big impact on our mental health. She is also an educator, creating audio and video resources for migrants looking to learn English.

The post REVIEW // Ghost Story – Live appeared first on POD BIBLE.

The Referral with Dr. Karan

Dr. Karan brings his high-energy, simplified dissections of medical conditions from TikTok to podcasts. Each episode is neatly divided into medical news updates, mythbusting interviews, and a Q&A with questions from listeners. Medical podcasts tread a fine line between being really informative and too technical. Dr. Karan’s social media experience helps him strike just the right balance in this long-form content. His engaging style encapsulates new information and his guests’ insights into an easy pill to swallow. Bonus: hearing how proud he is to provide access to medical information to millions as a working NHS doctor and social media educator (currently with a combined 7.5 million followers across all his platforms). Listen now >>

The Retrievals

This five-part investigative narrative series is about a federal crime committed at Yale Fertility Clinic (attached to Yale University) in the US. The series explores fertility, female pain, responsibility, justice, and privilege. This podcast had me feeling a lot of things. The details made me squirm, the personal accounts hurt my heart, and as the story unfolded, the residual shock stayed with me for a while. Host Susan Burton leaves so many questions on the table about female health and voice in this cutting podcast. The reality is, we hear stories of female pain being routinely dismissed in the UK too. We shouldn’t have to, but how can we better advocate for ourselves? How do we demand more from our healthcare professionals? Where do we go from here? Listen now >>

ZOE Science and Nutrition

Now, I’m someone whose signature move is unbuttoning my jeans before a meal to prepare for the post-meal bloat. (Anyone else?) The ZOE Science and Nutrition podcast was my gateway show into dietary health. Created by world-leading nutrition and gut scientists, ZOE turns our digestive systems inside out, addressing the benefits and harm, public attitude and lobbying over the food we eat. The main line of messaging is that every body is different, so everybody’s diet should be too. I appreciate that they encourage listeners to use the podcast as a springboard to empower research and investigation into your own health. Listen now >>

28ish Days Later

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The Bias Diagnosis

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Let’s talk about sex (education)

Lucy Carr’s documentary on sex education in the UK was a flash-back to the awkward and uncomfortable lessons I experienced at school. Lucy lays out how sex education is driven by political agenda, misinformation and out-dated beliefs. Access to sexual content online is easier than ever before but it doesn’t seem like sex education has caught up with that. Even if you don’t have young people close to you who are directly going through this, it’s interesting to think about the long term effects of this education on our adult perceptions, attitudes and conversations around sex. Listen now >>

Honourable mentions list:

The Neurodivergent Woman – A majorly underrepresented and under diagnosed group, this show does an amazing job of opening up the conversation about and for neurodivergent women. Find out more here or listen now >> 

A thorough examination with Drs Chris and Xand – If you’ve ever felt frustrated with a family member’s health and lifestyle choices, listen to this. An emotional story of community and family involvement in health struggles. Listen now >>

Bias Diagnosis: Season 2 – The focus of this season is gender bias in medical systems. The lens shifts but maintains the patient-centred, deep investigative approach of season 1. Listen now >>

Sex Ed with DB – If you’ve ever had a sex question, it’s likely you’ll find the answer here. An LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-centred podcast, Danielle Bezalel speaks to sexperts about an immensely wide range of topics to debunk myths about sex. Listen now >>

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Katie Stokes is a freelance writer, editor and podcast producer. Her work explores mental health, social relationships and identity. She is the host of Re:Mind the Podcast, unpacking how small behaviours have a big impact on our mental health. She is also an educator, creating audio and video resources for migrants looking to learn English.

The post 10 podcasts to kickstart your health and wellness education appeared first on POD BIBLE.