HAVE YOU HEARD?
HAVE YOU HEARD? // Archergeddon
Have You Heard? is a series in which the team from Pod Bible meet the people behind the podcasts you may not have heard of yet. While the Oh. My. Pod. section in the magazine gives a quick shout out to shows of that ilk, Have You Heard aims to go deeper in an effort to spread awareness for shows that deserve more exposure! In this week’s edition we sat down with Sam Cochrane to discuss the Gigglemug Sounds podcast, Archergeddon!
Pod Bible: Who are you and what’s your podcast about?
Sam Cochrane: Gigglemug Sounds is a brand new hub for scripted comedy podcasts and our debut series Archergeddon! is a parody of The Archers which sees the people of Bambersham try to survive the apocalypse whilst preparing for the Easter Fete.
PB: Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?
SC: We perform comedy musicals with our theatre company, Gigglemug Theatre, and our debut production was the Edinburgh Fringe hit Timpson: The Musical. We’re keen to make our work available to as many people as possible (which is why Timpson: The Musical is now free to watch on YouTube!), and we saw podcasting as the perfect opportunity to provide big laughs whilst reaching a completely different audience.
PB: Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?
SC: We’re big fans of Lewis Doherty’s new podcast Shadow City Chronicles which is also a scripted series. Similarly to Lewis, in Archergeddon! we try to immerse our listeners in a fictional world where they can get lost in the story. The big difference is that Lewis somehow manages to play all the characters himself, whereas our podcast has a cast featuring The Great British Bake Off‘s Mel Giedroyc, as well as Susan Harrison and Justin Brett from The Showstoppers!
PB: What was it like to record the series?
SC: Everyone involved in Archergeddon! was hilarious and professional in equal measures. We got a lot done in a short amount of time and had an absolute blast in the process, which I think is clear when you listen to it! Hearing our actors bring these different characters to life and then having our audio engineer, Ben Richardson, create a world around them was simply brilliant.
PB: What is your favourite episode?
SC: Every episode of our podcast focuses on a different plague of the apocalypse, each more terrifying than the last. My favourite is probably ‘Undead’ as it’s the darkest episode in the series but also has some of the best gags. I mean, it’s The Archers set in a zombie apocalypse, what more could you want?!
PB: Will there be a second series?
SC: I don’t think this is the end for Jane and her allies, so if people are keen for us to make more episodes then it’s definitely something we can look into. I’d love to see these characters venture out of Bambersham, maybe even into space…
PB: Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?
SC: You can keep up to date with all things Gigglemug on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages: @TheGigglemug, or head over to our website gigglemugcomedy.com