As I’ve gotten older and my friends have started going out less, we’ve begun to swap boozy nights out for increasingly bizarre murder mystery parties. Usually, an industrious volunteer will choose a theme (space cowboys, the set of a 1970s porn film, a 1950s office party, that sort of thing…) and proceed to write a murder mystery plot line so nutty and so ridiculous that the group will spend the evening in fits of laughter. At the start of the night, we’ll usually gather in one room as the writer reads out a painstakingly detailed opening narrative as the rest of us wait in giddy anticipation for the clues that will form the night’s plotline.

I had that same feeling – of giddy anticipation – when I listened to the first episode of COLD TAPES: Winter Over from Free Turn. A murder mystery set against the backdrop of Antarctica’s six-month Winter Over, COLD TAPES centres around the suspicious death of a 33-year-old behavioural scientist Andrew Fairfield. The story is told through a series of ‘found’ tapes including phone calls, police interviews and personal recordings. We start with the moment DCI Tessa McCallister of the Met Police is invited to investigate a murder 9,000 miles away due to the ‘jurisdictional nightmare’ created by The Arctic Treaty. As the story unfolds, the listener becomes privy to the intertwined lives of a small group of international scientists and crew stationed on a remote research base, Bowers Wilson.

A nice idea for a fictional true crime podcast, sure. But what makes this show all the more interesting is the chance for audience participation. Inquisitive listeners are given the chance to win a £10,000 cash prize as well as earning the esteemed title of British Super Sleuth 2024 at Crime Con London 2024, described as ‘the ultimate True Crime event.’

To win the prize, participating detectives will need to explore up to 20 hours of audio content including the victim’s audio diaries, police interviews and other evidence. They’ll also need to demonstrate their ability to notice subtle clues, discrepancies and anomalies as well as showing their critical thinking skills. At a time when internet sleuthing is at an all time high (to a point where it’s even begun to hamper the investigation of real murders) COLD TAPES: Winter Over seems like the perfect outlet for a population hooked on true crime.

As I begin to make my way through the ‘found’ tapes, I find myself wanting to scribble down clues in a tiny policeman’s notebook. The victim’s finger appears to be fractured, there’s an untranslated tattoo written in Chinese script on the victim’s body, an inkling of a love triangle between crew mates… I’m in. To make the series, Free Turn worked with police officers, polar adventurers, and researchers to ensure the experience was as authentic as possible. And, even a casual listener would be able to tell they’ve taken the same meticulous approach to all elements of the show, including the immersive sound design. We hear phone calls cut in and out due to the poor Antarctic internet signal, latex gloves rustle their way through the autopsy and a body bag shuffle as the victim’s body is moved onto a gurney.

Also helping to bolster the show’s believability is an incredible performance from the actor behind DCI Tessa McCallister. Her persistent yet firm approach helps guide the listener through a number of difficult conversations with begrudging scientists, each with an acute case of cabin fever and many of whom are growing increasingly suspicious of the ominous sounding ‘Keony Industries’ funding the entire Antarctic mission. This story, which dances between unexplained mysterious psychotic events, interpersonal drama and strange global conspiracy theories clearly wants to be more than your average fiction podcast.

In fact, Gemma Batterby, COO and Founder of Free Turn, describes COLD TAPES as ‘a cerebral challenge and an intricate puzzle’ and that’s definitely what this is. So much so that the lengthier episodes, made to sound unedited, occasionally leave too much room for the listener to lose the thread. 20 hours of content will no doubt prove too much of an undertaking for some. But, then again, there’s nothing like the promise of £10,000 to keep people listening. A truly creative way to increase your listen-through rate.

Even more innovative than the £10k prize pot, though, is the podcast’s exclusivity model. A £5 ticket to enter the competition gives listeners the chance to binge the series ad-free, as well as giving them access to exclusive additional content. The only question that remains is how many listeners will actually be hooked enough to pay the £5 entry fee?

No matter what the outcome, Free Turn is clearly thinking of creative ways to incentivise listeners to pay for podcasting. Which, in such a turbulent time for industry, feels desperately needed.

COLD TAPES: Winter Over is out April 15th. The competition to solve the case closes on Friday 6th September, 2024. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

—

Beth Watson is a freelance writer and full-time podcast enthusiast, currently working as a Content Discovery Manager for BBC Sounds. Prior to the BBC, she was Marketing Lead at Message Heard where she worked on launching and growing impactful podcasts such as Conflicted, Power Lines and Who Robs a Banksy.

The post REVIEW // COLD TAPES: Winter Over appeared first on POD BIBLE.

As season two dropped last week on December 6th, we caught up with Richard to find out more about the show…

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

I am a writer, director, and actor. At first, I solely wanted to be an actor because I loved going to school for acting and learning different techniques. Then, my attention shifted to writing. And who is better at reading scripts than actors? I always thought my acting background gave my writing an edge, specifically with dialogue. Shortly after, I moved into directing. During my short film, I realized directing was a lot like the days in my acting conservatory, with the professor being the director and the student the performer. Now, I do all three roles as the creator of the podcast fiction series Visionaries Audio Drama.

Visionaries revolves around the concept of human evolution, an evolution that awakens unique and colourful eyes. These eyes carry special abilities. Humans who evolved are called Visionaries. Humans who do not evolve, meaning they have human eyes as we know it, are all Dead-eyes. The disparity in power leads to the enslavement of all Dead-eyes. The story begins with the Dead-eye slaves plotting a rebellion against their Visionary masters.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

The first podcast I listened to was The Leviathan Chronicles. I initially wrote Visionaries as a TV series. However, it felt nearly impossible to produce independently, and I did not want Visionaries to be just words in a script – I wanted to find a way to produce it. A friend of mine recommended I turn Visionaries into an audio drama. I had never heard of audio drama before then, so he suggested I listen to The Leviathan Chronicles. After listening to a few episodes, I was inspired and motivated to turn Visionaries into an audio drama.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I decided to start podcasting once I realized what sound can accomplish – not only in terms of cost but also for world-building. It has been a treat as a writer to follow whatever pops into mind for the story. It is a luxury I’ve never experienced writing for film and TV.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Once I shifted from TV to audio, there were several podcasts that inspired me with regard to execution, specifically their approach to sound, pacing, and dialogue. For example, Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a terrific show with fantastic sound design. Another example is Vega: A Sci-fi Adventure Podcast which has captivating one-person storytelling. I appreciate each audio drama for its uniqueness.

Which dream actor would you cast in your show?

The dream actor I’d love to cast would be Viola Davis. Her presence and command of characters have always been captivating. In Visionaries Audio Drama, we will visit different cities to show other groups of Visionaries. For example, in season one, we hear the main character leave Burning Candle (home of the red-eye Visionaries) and run to Steady Mist (home of the blue-eye Visionaries). I want the listener to experience these cities through the characters. My dream would be to cast Viola as a general of one of these cities.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Visionaries is an episodic series. I highly recommend starting with episode one in season one. Many of the world’s rules are established in that first episode, as well as the main characters.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

You can listen to Visionaries Audio Drama wherever you get your podcasts, such as Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can follow us on Instagram @visionariesaudiodrama or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @VisionariesAD. Lastly, you can visit our website at visionariesaudiodrama.com.

Listen to Visionaries Audio Drama on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts >>

—

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

The post Visionaries Audio Drama: A sci-fi tale of privilege, conspiracy, betrayal and rebellion appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Award-winning mockumentary series, The Offensive, has reached its final episode after 5 seasons! Written and directed by Joel Emery & Adam Jarrell (Holy Smokes), produced by Stak (Football Ramble, Abroad in Japan), The Offensive has gathered a hugely loyal fanbase over six years of releases.

The Offensive follows the fictional Premier League club Ashwood City FC through their tricky transfer windows, disastrous deadline days and multiple manager breakdowns. The mockumentary gives a hilariously quick-witted insight into the behind the scenes of running a football club. It gives an entertaining take on the football industry from all angles, including the engaging vocal talent of Paul Waggott (Patrick Nolan), Helena Doughty (Jess Tate) and Adam Jarrell (Chris Woodall). The Guardian has called the series, “The Thick Of It meets Fifa career mode – a must listen for football fans”. The series placed top of the Apple Fiction Podcasting Charts and won Bronze at the 2019 British Podcast Awards for Best Fiction.

We caught up with creators, Joel & Adam, to reflect on 6 years of The Offensive…

HEY GUYS! SO, 5 SEASONS OF THE OFFENSIVE! DID YOU EVER IMAGINE THE SERIES WOULD GROW TO THIS SCALE?

AJ: We’re incredibly lucky with the listeners of the show and their passion for not only the characters, but Ashwood City itself! There wouldn’t be a total of five seasons without them, we’d have disappeared after one season in the Premier League like Swindon.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THE OFFENSIVE?

JE: The idea was around before the ‘Sunderland Til I Die’s, the PL ‘All or Nothing’s, Ted Lasso or anything like that. It was born from a love of things like the Warnock documentary and Big Ron Manager. We deliberately aligned our style as close as we could to The Thick Of It. Not just in terms of documentary style, but also explicit content.

We wanted something that wasn’t gushy or romantic about football.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENT OR EPISODE FROM THE SERIES?

AJ: There’s too many to choose from. Our lead actors, Paul Waggott and Helena Doughty, bring so much to Patrick Nolan and Jess Tate respectively, often it could be an ad-lib or a variation of a certain line of dialogue that keeps us on our toes and provides us with a laugh we weren’t necessarily expecting.

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED MOST ABOUT THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE SERIES?

AJ: Personally, we’ve been through a lot of tough times during the process of making the show. The entire world has as well, and it has been nice to receive tweets and messages saying how we have provided a bit of laughter during the toughest of times, or how family members have bonded over the storylines of the show, making it a regular listen each week.

LASTLY, DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL WORDS FOR THE SERIES?

JE: Final words for the series would be a clichéd thank you from Joel and myself. Thank you to the principal cast, thank you to our Producers Stak, thank you to the 200 plus cast members who have graced us with their vocal talents, to the cameos from the real footballing world but most of all, thank-you to the listeners who have taken a chance on a football comedy fiction show that when we first released back in 2018, one of our favourite early reviews read : “I thought this was going to be shit-it is not”. I think that sums it up.

To listen to all seasons of The Offensive, subscribe and listen by searching ‘The Offensive’ wherever you get your podcasts >>

—

Stak produces podcasts that entertain and inform, including some of the UK’s biggest and most popular shows – boasting a combined 4 million monthly listens and over 45 years of podcasting experience. Whether recording remotely or in their broadcast-grade London studio, they specialise in every stage of the podcasting process. To find out more or get in touch, visit stak.london! 

The post The end of The Offensive appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

We are the Dethick Brothers (Jim and Joseph) from rural Derbyshire, and we are the creators of The Sir Bernard Moore Show, which follows the unemployable, misunderstood, drunk gobby zombie Sir Bernard Moore and his Uncle Elliot Francois Campey on their tape-recorded adventures around the fictional village of Hobsick in 1992. It is a quintessential British sitcom with its streaks of absurdity, surrealism and farce and endearing yet often flawed characters. The show has a big heart and offers what we think is a unique comic perspective on the power of community and friendship.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

This is no doubt most unusual but we haven’t actually ever listened to any other podcasts. We don’t have smartphones and the whole concept of podcasts is quite new to us. For an audio comedy we’re more likely to be listening to a vinyl record of The Goon Show. In a way, being so unaware of what other people are making now has probably given this show a sound and direction which is quite out of the ordinary. People have told us that it sounds like nothing else.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

We originally come from a filmmaking background but have always done our own sound design, sound effects and music, so to make that transition from a visual to audio medium was quite smooth. There are so many freedoms you can have in creating a world with sound that you just can’t do visually on a limited budget, so this realisation opened up many possibilities. For a very long time we had improvised characters and comic sketches and songs as a means to creating ideas for films, but had always put certain characters on the back-burner until we felt old enough to play them, and focused enough to do the ideas justice. When we realised we can have control over what we put out, and where and when, it was a revelation. The time just felt right.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

The bulk of our inspiration comes from real life and real people – we lived in a busy guest house for 27 years and had people from all over the world staying and interacting with us. We met literally hundreds of people whose stories, quirks and unique voices helped us to create characters and fully flesh them out in realistic ways. We became keen observers, and honed the skills to translate what is just day-to-day conversation into comic material.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

It would be an undiscovered comedy genius called Dave Smith, from the environs of Chesterfield. We made a short comedy film with him ten years ago called Spotlight on Pork and his improvisational ability is astounding. He has a natural and formidable comic timing. If only we could persuade him to come out of retirement and sit in front of a microphone with us.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Episode 3 of series 1, ‘A Hobsick Odyssey: Discoveries of the Then and Mysteries of the Now’. It’s an almost 2 hour-long feature which goes into a lot of character detail relating to backstories and personal histories, and we think it’s the show at its very best. Though it was released as episode 3 of 8, it was actually the last one that we recorded, and it says a lot of the things that make the characters really come alive, and delves deep into the comic world. It’s also a largely improvised episode which was recorded on location and features a number of songs – it’s really a blueprint for how we’d like to make series 2.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

Everything we have produced is all linked from our website: temperancepictures.com, which is the name of our production company. All of our comedy work, music and films are on there, as well as a bit about our background and what we’re doing at the moment. You can also find us on YouTube: @thesirbernardmooreshow, where each episode is accompanied with some rather wonderful character photographs.

Listen to The Sir Bernard Moore Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

The post The Sir Bernard Moore Show: Tape-recorded adventures around the fictional village of Hobsick appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Season 1 was filled with the fuzzy twinkle of Game Boys and the muffled murmur of Sony Walkmans, as well as a star-studded cast including Akie Kotabe (Mad Men) as Jim, Omari Douglas (It’s A Sin) as Staten, and Sharon D. Clarke (Dr. Who) as Ellis. Set in the economic climb of 90s America, Jim Yang, a financial manager at Enron, one day receives an email from the future. The introverted video-gamer is catapulted into the greed, chaos and debauchery of the late 90s tech boom, juggling feelings for his one true love and those mysterious – and threatening – emails from the future. With the fate of humanity as we know it lying in Jim’s inbox, he makes choices that will change history forever.

Now returning for a second season, BOOM kicks off in the year 2000. The millennium is barely an hour old when Jim finds himself hiding in a Las Vegas Casino as federal investigators storm the building. Have those emails from the future finally caught up with him? As the USA prepares to welcome George W. Bush to the Whitehouse, Jim Yang navigates the chaotic world of Enron’s impending doom. His personal life is in tatters as he remains unable to explain to the love of his life, Cora, just why he is unable to commit to a meaningful relationship. As he goes even further down the futuristic rabbit-hole, he is being ruthlessly tracked every step of the way – and when he discovers he is not the only ‘Chosen One’, the revelations have a devastating effect.

Joel and Adam have dominated the podcast fiction space for many years with their production company Holy Smokes Audio. Their female-led thriller, Jackie the Ripper, topped the UK fiction podcast charts and was optioned by UK production company Goldfinch. They have just concluded the final season of football mockumentary and British Podcast Award winner, The Offensive, after 3 million downloads and five years of releases. Now, with BOOM! coming into its second season, they’re back for more.

Don’t miss the second season of BOOM, which will be released on July 10th, or if you want to catch up with season one you can find it right now wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to BOOM! now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

—

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

The post BOOM! is back: Fire up your Game Boy and try not to get killed… appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Whenever I hear someone claim “I am so obsessed with this podcast and I want everyone to know about it!” I have to add it to my queue, but even more so when it’s a independent show. Subterraneans was Suchandrika Chakrabarti’s Podcast of 2022, and her description of the eerie monologues about London, combined with the social and political issues that surround housing in the UK, intrigued me. I recently got around to listening to the new series, and immediately contacted the creator, James Thompson, to find out more…

What’s your podcast elevator pitch?

The first words I wrote in my design document were “NPR-style overproduced podcast about cryptids”, but it’s evolved a little since then. Subterraneans is a show about the strange creatures and forgotten stories that live underneath the bloody, violent heart of capitalism. It’s a mix of history and folklore, scored to nightmarish synths and haunting echoes, which drags you under the earth with it. It is not for the faint of heart, but it finds moments of hope in this dark place; in stories of resistance, of joy, and of solidarity. Let’s join hands and warm ourselves amongst the dirt.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I am a writer and a musician, so podcasting is a natural fit for my style of storytelling. It also lets me play audio games with the listener; since everything you hear on the show comes from me one way or another, I can completely control the experience, dropping strange and unsettling sounds in and out in a way that’s hard to avoid. I want to frighten people on the bus.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

As per the original design document, I wanted to do a version of This American Life or S-Town that takes folklore and horror seriously, in order to pull the rug out from under you. I’m always trying to borrow legitimacy from the scripted podcast medium, from serious journalism and embedded writing, and every time I get an email from someone asking for more details about some aspect of a story or my research then it makes my entire week. My biggest inspiration, in that way, is actually found footage horror; Occult (2009) has a direct line to my interests with the show.

Where do you find the inspiration for your stories?

Dreams, nightmares, and long walks. Truthfully, many of the subjects come to me when I see an interesting building or architectural feature and start walking down the garden path in my mind. I also have a close-knit and wonderful group of friends & loved ones who keep me grounded and send me strange happenings from around the city; without them, I simply couldn’t do it. My other major cultural influences would include Junji Ito, Mark Fisher, Karl Marx, Judith Butler, Rei Kawakubo, Jordan Peele, Park Chan-wook, and Kim Ki-young.

Why podcasting? What is it about the medium that you like?

Musically speaking, I’m a textural thinker; it’s the reason why I love harsh noise music. There’s something about thick, swirling, woozy textures washing over a listener that just feels so satisfying and evocative to me. Podcasting lets me explore this type of feeling while giving listeners an entry point and an anchor in my voice, in a way that I think mirrors the type of layered and complicated stories I want to tell. Gradually layering in complexity on top of complexity, leaving doors open, and disrupting the flow of sound with the unexpected or uncomfortable; that’s something you can really achieve very powerfully through an audio medium.

Also, it’s cheap and I can do it entirely by myself. That’s important.

Can you give our readers a point of entry? Is it best to start at S1 E1, or can they dive in at any point?

I normally link to S1E4 for new listeners. It’s about super basements in Kensington and Hampstead, and the strange sounds you can hear from beneath when exploring the dilapidated properties on Billionaires Row. That said, almost every episode is self-contained, so you can run them in order or jump around depending on your personal interests!

Listen to Subterraneans now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

The post Subterraneans: The forgotten stories underneath the heart of capitalism appeared first on POD BIBLE.

The show’s fifth season takes the death faking concept and gives it a historical twist – each episode is set in a different historical time period…

In this interview, co-creator Philip Thorne gives us a hint of what to expect from the upcoming Season 5, Part 2.

POD BIBLE: Did you always intend to write a historical season?

PHILIP: We knew from the beginning that The Amelia Project is an ancient organisation that has been faking deaths for many centuries…

Oystein and I often speculated about mysterious deaths and disappearances from history (Elvis, DB Cooper, Flight 19…) and would wonder: were these Amelia clients?

Then we came across some incredible real-life death faking stories, such as the case of Joan of Leeds, a 14th century nun, who got bored with monastic life, feigned mortal illness, constructed a dummy of herself, left it in her death bed, then escaped to pursue a life of “carnal lust”, as the records put it! How could she not be an Amelia client?

We first dipped our toes into historical waters with the Season 2 episode Cleo, which takes us back to Ancient Egypt and reimagines Cleopatra’s famous death by snake-bite.

But now with Season 5, we are taking it much further, each episode taking us deeper into The Amelia Project’s past!

How far back will you go?

P: We can’t reveal that! All we can say is that there is a lot of ground to cover. Which is why we’ve divided the season into three parts.

Part 1 is out already and takes us from 2001 to 1944. Part 2 will will pick up in the lead up to WW2, but you’ll have to listen to find out how far back it goes!

Finally Part 3 takes us all the way back to The Amelia Project’s mysterious origins.

What were the challenges of writing stories in other time periods?

P: A lot of research went into this season… and it’s a challenge to know when to stop too! Occasionally we’d ask ourselves “what was a fashionable beverage at this moment in history?”, then fall deep down a research rabbit hole and only emerge days later!

Are the stories based on real or fictional characters?

P: Some episodes reimagine the deaths of famous historical characters. Without giving too much away, we will radically reinterpret the death of a notorious female monarch, and tell the “real” story behind a celebrated 17th century playwright who died on stage during the final act of his play…

We also meet fictional clients… in two senses of the word! Clients we have invented, but also fictional characters from famous novels, who wander out of their literary homes and into our death-faking agency!

Did you have a favourite historical period to write in?

P: I have always been fascinated by a strange 18th century instrument called The Glass Harmonica. It was invented by Benjamin Franklin and for a brief period it was very fashionable. Even Mozart composed for it. But then it acquired a dark reputation… It was charged with invoking evil spirits, driving listeners mad, and sending its players to an early grave.

When I found out that one of the first pieces composed for this instrument is known as “Amelia’s Aria”, well, I just had to write an episode about that! The episode now bears the same name, ‘Amelia’s Aria’, and I really enjoyed digging deeper into the history surrounding this extraordinary instrument.

How different is this season to previous seasons of The Amelia Project?

P: In one sense it is a very classic season of the show. Each episode introduces us to a new client who wants to disappear. Like the early seasons, it’s almost like an anthology in that way. At the same time, the different historical periods give us a new set of references, textures, sounds, music, and archetypes to play with.

We also uncover some of the lore surrounding The Amelia Project, things that have only been hinted at previously…

And eventually, in the final part of the season, there will be some big reveals about our main characters.

You did your ‘advent’ series over December which was a great point of entry for new listeners. Would you say this historical series is also a great place to start for people just discovering The Amelia Project?

P: The best place to start with any fiction podcast is the beginning. Having said that, if you’re a new listener and a particular historical character or period grabs your attention, you can absolutely start with one of our new episodes and take it from there!

The Amelia Project combines a gradually unfurling mystery with standalone stories about clients. This means most of the episodes can be listened to out of context, and you can still enjoy them, even if you miss some of the details or don’t follow the framing plot.

Maybe avoid the first and last episodes of Season 5 Part 2 (as these are more plot heavy) but other than that, jump in wherever you want and enjoy your time with the world’s oldest (and most ridiculous) death faking agency!

Listen to The Amelia Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

—

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

The post The Amelia Project returns with a historical twist! appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Despite having no children to listen with, I’ve recently stormed through the catalogue of creation stories pulled together on In The Beginning. The show is made with children in mind (and with children in the cast!) and children will enjoy the playful way of connecting to other cultures through the sound design, acting and storytelling. But Producers Lucia Scazzocchio and Hawa Khan have created a show that is also perfect for adults wanting a light-hearted snippet of global culture in their podcast playlists.

I sent some questions over to Lucia to find out more about how the team pulled this show together…

What were the origins of this podcast – take us back to the Beginning of the show!

In the Beginning… Hawa Khan my co-writer/producer and I created a new family audio tour for the Tower of London where historical events are experienced through the eyes of two child ghosts. We had so much fun writing and producing together that we decided we would like to something else. Hawa is a natural storyteller and we are quite passionate about traditional stories and myths. We both come from quite mixed backgrounds and realised that many of these stories aren’t that well known in the UK. We wanted to tell these stories in a way that fully represented multi-cultural Britain in voices and styles of speech familiar to young audiences.

We pitched the idea to all the children’s networks we could think of, but kept hitting a wall. We then applied for an Audio Content Fund and partnered in Fun Kids who backed the idea from the start. We applied three times before the project was finally funded.

Did you take inspiration from any podcasts in particular before you started?

Not directly, I listen to many, many different podcasts and I did immerse myself in audio drama, especially the more immersive productions from QCode or Gimlet. There are some children’s podcasts that possibly inspired on a subliminal level, like Wow in The World, Radio Lab for kids and I was an avid listener of audio books when I was child. I bought by niece a Yoto player and rediscovered many of the stories I had listened to on cassette.

Co-producer and voice actor, Hawa Khan

The show was originally a radio show and made into a podcast – can you give us a little insight to how it worked between yourself as Producers/Writers and then the actors/the Fun Kids radio station.

The radio show and the podcast are the same format. I would say the big difference when producing for a radio station is that everything has to fit exactly into the time allocated, which isn’t the case for podcasts!

The process was: Hawa and I first selected, then researched the stories, gathering as much information as we could about the people and places these stories come from.

Many of these stories are from ancient indigenous cultures and have been passed down over generations and some are still very much part of religious and cultural life. We wanted to make sure we properly acknowledged the people who these stories belong to and spent a lot of time researching the names, places and religious aspects.

Leona Fensome did a brilliant job helping us contact academics and indigenous elders to make sure we used the correct language and terms.
The next stage was writing the scripts. Hawa and I co-wrote each script by trying to embody the characters, Hawa is a brilliant voice artist so she developed the characters as we went along, deciding what accents, intonation and personality each character would have. We had decided from the outset that the voice of each character would be decided by their personality rather than from where the story is from. This means a Chinese dragon has a West Indian accent, or the Taino Sun is based on an Indian Raj. Hawa then worked with the children and adult actors to develop their characters and give them voice. The children played themselves, but the adult actors are all experienced in channelling diverse accents and characters so they really brought that into the studio when we recorded. We had already worked with some of the children and actors on the Tower of London project so this was helpful.

Once everything was recorded I worked on the pacing and sound design. Fun Kids helped us hone the original application and concept but they didn’t intervene during production. They trusted us to produce these stories in our own way. The final addition to this series becoming a podcast, was the creation of the artwork by Delphine – each episode has its own image which is gorgeous.

One of the things I really liked in the series was the children’s voices in the show. How important was it for you to have that?

Children love listening to other children and the children’s voices provide a narrative thread through the series. The children in the series are being told the stories and ask the kinds of questions that children listening might also ask. There is also a little life lesson in each episode that connects to the children’s interaction at the beginning of each episode.

As Producers, how did you find doing that aspect? (Never work with children or animals comes to mind!)

Hawa Kahn is a creative school facilitator so she is very used to working with children and firing their imaginations. The children in the series aren’t professional actors and the script was written around them – they are two sets of siblings. Time and patience is the key, with plenty of breaks. These children were superb to work with and incredibly literate. The youngest were 5 when we recorded and they were all just amazing.

Have you seen a difference in the reaction from listeners since it became a podcast?

Fun Kids has a very specific audience – children! The difference now that the series is a podcast is that it can reach audiences beyond Fun Kids and I think adults will enjoy listening just as much.

Do you have any advice for budding producers for Children’s audio?

Test your concepts and ideas with children first. They will tell you if it’s good and engaging. We got the children involved to read through the scripts, they were quite vocal if they thought something didn’t make sense or wasn’t funny.

Do you have a creation story you haven’t told yet but would love to?

There are so many! I think we will have to do another series. For example closer to home is the ancient story of Queen Albina and her sisters who was exiled from Syria to an uninhabited island which is now Britain.

Lastly, is there anything we didn’t ask that you’d like to add?

It was important for us to have a space to share more detail about the creation stories so In The Beginning.. now has a bespoke website inthebeginning.world where you can learn about the different myths, where they are from and more about the people they belong to. We have also transformed the artwork into a colouring book and postcards.

And finally I would say have a listen, you will hear stories from all over the world, told in a very unexpected and humorous way by an incredibly diverse and talented cast.

Listen to In The Beginning on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

The post Lucia Scazzocchio: Producing stories for children with In The Beginning appeared first on POD BIBLE.

On the 26th November 1977, Southern Television, a TV station located in the quiet Hampshire countryside, was having a day like any other. Five o’clock came and with it the early evening news bulletin. The reporter, Ivor Mills, began as usual but then, all of a sudden, came a distortion. The sound of the reporter faded and a mysterious voice began to speak. The individual identified itself as the alien ‘Vrillon’. For six minutes, it delivered an urgent plea for all humankind to disarm their “weapons of evil” and bring about peace.  Forty-five years later, it’s become the obsession of internet conspiracy theorists, but no investigation – official or otherwise – has come close to finding the culprit. ‘The Interruption’, a new podcast from Stak, dives into this murky world of UFO religions and pirate radio to try and solve the 45-year-old cold case. We sat down with host Tommie Trelawny to discuss the upcoming series.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE SOUTHERN TELEVISION INTERRUPTION OF 1977?

The deep monotonous voice of “Vrillon” that broke onto British TV has been circulating online for a while now. The internet has allowed lost stories like these to resurface. Ever since I first heard the audio of the incident, it’s been swirling around my mind. The intruder’s bizarre message of peace, love, and flying saucers has so many unanswered questions surrounding it. No one was caught and no one came forward. It’s a mystery too intriguing to be left unsolved.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO REOPEN THIS 45-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE IN THE FORM OF A PODCAST?

I don’t think I officially “opened” this investigation. It’s more a case of gradually falling down the rabbit hole. I suppose it began with a dusty Wikipedia article and a few YouTube videos and then, all of a sudden, I’m trawling through archives, securing leads and finding suspects. That, in essence, is the beauty of podcasting: it invites listeners into a deeper narrative. The listener gets to be part of the journey and experience the mystery unravelling it in real time.

WHAT WAS THE MOST UNEXPECTED THING (OR PERSON!) YOU CAME ACROSS THROUGHOUT THE INVESTIGATION?

I did not anticipate how much an investigator influences their investigation. My experiences, beliefs, and suspicions dictated where I searched, and who I talked to. All in subtle, unconscious ways. I guess I didn’t quite understand what an “open mind” really meant. Making the show took me to some surprising places. I visited the Aetherius Society (Britain’s oldest UFO religion), infiltrated online groups, and even interviewed Vrillon themself with the help of a channeler. The most unexpected encounter was with the celebrity illusionist Uri Geller. He was entangled in the investigation pretty early on. On a whim, I sent him an email asking for a comment. Later that day I was interviewing him on the phone. We still chat on WhatsApp every now and then.

FROM WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE RECIPE FOR AN INVESTIGATIVE PODCAST SUCCESS?

Leave no stone unturned.

The Interruption is a new eight-part investigative podcast series from Stak, with two new episodes dropping every Monday. It’s available to listen to now – just search ‘The Interruption’ in your podcast app, or find it on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

—

Stak produces podcasts that entertain and inform, including some of the UK’s biggest and most popular shows – boasting a combined 4 million monthly listens and over 45 years of podcasting experience. Whether recording remotely or in our broadcast-grade London studio, we specialise in every stage of the podcasting process. To find out more or get in touch, visit out website at stak.london!

The post Who – or what – was behind ‘The Interruption’? appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Why podcasting? What is it about the format that appeals to you?

Several things. Coming from theatre, where no story lasts for more than a few hours tops, being allowed to tell a story that lasts for many years and where I get to develop characters and their relationships over time, has been very exciting for me. Then there’s the fact that we can reach audiences all over the world, that we’re not bound to one location. And finally, I love working in audio, a medium that plays so beautifully in sync with the listener’s imagination. All these things make it a great format in which to create.

If you could go back to before you started out and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t create as you go (at least not if you’re making a scripted fiction podcast!) For our first season we tried to write, record and edit episodes from week to week with very tight deadlines. We quickly learned that this created more stress than it was worth for us. As from season two, we’ve tried to stay ahead of the curve, and plan far in advance. We now attempt to have everything recorded and preferably also have the dialogue edits ready before a season starts.

Tell us about The Audio Advent Calendar!

I love advent calendars! I’ve been obsessed with them for years. I have a one-year-old daughter and she loves books with flaps she can open. I kind of see myself in that… Perhaps it’s that simple; I love discovering what’s behind the doors! I don’t know. I just know I have a very romantic relationship to advent calendars and the mood they trigger in me. So, I decided to write an Amelia Audio Advent Calendar consisting of twenty five podcast minisodes! The calendar gives you one little sketch, one little treat every day counting down to Christmas. It’s a gift to our fans and listeners – well, actually it’s a gift from our fans and listeners! They did after all help fund it via Indiegogo, for which we are super grateful! And it’s a great way to start your relationship with The Amelia Project if you’ve never listened before. You’ll get an insight into the Amelia offices and get to know the characters before you embark on the series from the beginning. We’ve made it so that it’ll be a treat whether you know the show already, or come to it with no prior knowledge. And it’s an advent calendar! What’s not to love?

Where should new listeners start? Do they have to listen in order or can they start with the latest episode?

Listeners should either start from episode one, or start with the Advent Calendar! The first two seasons of the show focus mostly on standalone cases, but there is a serialized element, which really kicks off in season three. Whilst there are some episodes that can still be listened to on their own, a lot of stuff requires prior knowledge. So, I recommend listening in order.

Which episode of your podcast means the most to you?

There are a lot of episodes that mean a lot to me for very different reasons. The early episodes, like “Zale Indigo Ravenheart“, carry with them the memory of starting a new adventure. The live shows, like our performance of “Phil and Amber” at PodUK, remind me of us all coming together, a luxury we haven’t had since before the pandemic (but which we are hoping to be able to experience again!). “Cleo” is perhaps the first episode where I felt like I really mastered writing in the Amelia universe… For every new episode we write and make, I discover new things about the characters, I am blown away by the fantastic performances that our amazing actors deliver, and I fall in love with a new episode… over and over… Right now, I’m falling in love with episodes that are in the making but which the audience won’t hear for many months!

Finally, what is your current favourite podcast you would recommend to readers?

I have recently discovered the phenomenon that is Midnight Burger. It is a space sitcom, but it’s really it’s own thing, not like anything else I’m listening to. The clever, clever writing, the fine tuned wit, the atmosphere (making me think of the times I’ve looked up at the big starry sky and felt very small) and the surreal and spaced out universe (and I mean “spaced out” both literally and metaphorically…) – all of these things make this show completely my cup of tea! I am pretty sure anyone who likes the absurd and nonsensical aspects of The Amelia Project will like Midnight Burger too!

Listen to The Amelia Project advent calendar on the main feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post The Amelia Project celebrates five years of the death-faking fiction appeared first on POD BIBLE.

“It’s the most ambitious project we’ve tried”.

That’s Joel Emery, the writer of BOOM. Launched in June, it’s the third drama that he and his partner, Adam Jarrell, have created with Stak, following in the footsteps of chart-topping comedy Jackie the Ripper and the award-winning mockumentary The Offensive. But BOOM is certainly like nothing they – or anyone else in fiction podcasting – has ever tried before.

“We wanted to achieve what The Duffer Brothers have with Stranger Things and the 80s, but with 1999-2001 – and in audio,” director Adam Jarrell explains. It’s taken hours of tweaking, experimenting, listening, tweaking again. Thanks to Adam and Tom Whalley’s (BBC Radio 6 Music, His Darker Materials) expert sound design, BOOM has lived up to its lofty ambitions: “Hearing the sounds of a 56k dialup, ‘You’ve Got Mail’, Nokia 3310 ringtones and Windows ’98 starting up is not just there for a bit of nostalgia, it’s all to ensure listeners believe they’re there with Jim in 1999.”

Set at the turn of the century in the headquarters of America’s doomed services and tech giant Enron, the story follows Jim Yang, a Finance Manager who is moved to their Broadband Services department to help fulfil the company’s chilling strategy: to control the internet. As Enron keeps growing, the once introverted Jim is thrust into the greed, chaos and dazzling debauchery of the late 90s. But it isn’t the new friends and soaring share price that changes his life. It’s an email. An email from a company in the future, who claim to have saved Jim’s life. And in return? They want Enron’s money.

What follows is an edge-of-your-seat thriller with a gripping dystopian twist, as Jim becomes embroiled in a time-travelling conspiracy that will blow his world apart. Few fiction podcasts can match the scope and ambition of BOOM’s plot, which reads more like that of a TV show than the first sixepisode season of a podcast. The show also boasts a hugely talented, star-studded cast, led by Akie Kotabe (Mad Men) – “a director’s dream, the perfect lead for our show”, says Jarrell. “Joining him are Omari Douglas (It’s A Sin), Sharon D Clarke MBE, Meg Cavanaugh and Mike Cappazola. What an absolute joy to be able to work with a cast like that!”

Each member of the cast spent hours with Adam in Stak’s studio in North London perfecting every last line – sometimes alone, but often recording with each other to capture the energy, tension and romance between the show’s characters.

Most of all, BOOM is a must-binge. The story will have listeners instantly hooked and wanting to come back for more. Because beneath the show’s futuristic twists and turns, listeners will be gripped by the touching story of Jim’s self-discovery as well as the ticking time bomb at Enron. The company’s infamous boom and bust is a timeless story of greed and the human condition – one that is more relevant than ever in our hyper-digital, hyper-corporate age today. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your Sony Walkman and climb into your own time machine – it’s going to be quite the ride…

All six episodes of BOOM’s first season are available to listen to now – just search ‘Boom’ and hit subscribe, or find BOOM on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post BOOM: Podcasting’s answer to Stranger Things appeared first on POD BIBLE.

What was your introduction to podcasting as a listener?

I started listening to podcasts a few years ago when I was in my final year of uni. I was feeling lost and unsure of what to do next so I turned to podcasts to help me find my way. I would listen to podcasts, like Oprah’s ‘Super Soul Sundays’, that would interview people who have done amazing things in life to motivate me. After a while I learnt that just like any other medium there are so many different genres in the podcasting world! I started listening to dramas and audio documentaries and I’ve been listening ever since!

Why was audio the right medium for your project?

Audio was the only way this project could come to life. It allowed me to mix the dramatisations with expert interviews without taking away from the seriousness of the topics. Audio also gives the listener freedom to visualise the worlds described in a very personalised way and I think that’s important for a series like this one that is so reliant on the imagination.

What the biggest thing you’ve learned from making the podcast?

On a personal level I learnt just how much I really love storytelling! This was the first project that I worked on where I had all the creative licence and it was just so much fun trying different forms of storytelling. I also learnt the importance of having a great team around you! My AP, Researcher and drama writer made the experience so enjoyable and the long hours less painful!

What would you like to see more of in the podcast space?

More diverse voices. And not diverse in order to tick a box but podcasts that allow people from all walks of life to tell stories that are authentic to them. I think The Digital Sisterhood podcast does a great job of this! The host interviews Muslim women from all walks of life and allows them to speak candidly about subject matters that are close to them. We hear so many discussions about Muslim women but we rarely hear them speak for themselves and this podcast does that beautifully.

Listen to The Museum of Bad Vibes now on BBC Sounds and other popular podcast apps.

Don’t forget to check out the other interviews in this series.

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab: Hanna Adan – The Museum of Bad Vibes appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

We are Shouting Is Funny, an independent audio production company based in London, UK. The company consists of Christian Powlesland, Harvey Badger and Angus Maxwell – three friends who joined forces when we met on the Actor-Musicianship BA course at Rose Bruford College. We make the musical fantasy adventure series The Chronicles of Wild Hollow – a mix of epic set-piece drama, oddball comedy, cinematic orchestral score, original songs… and a significant amount of talking animals.

Our show takes place in the fantasy world of Wild Hollow, and we put out our episodes in trilogy form. We have two major releases so far. Firstly, we have ’The Boursin Trilogy’, following mouse/bounty hunter Fandango Boursin on various high-octane jobs, whilst unknowingly being drawn deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that spans across all of Wild Hollow… And then there’s ’The Gray Trilogy’, where we follow fox/smuggler Artemis Gray on a piratey voyage in search of an ancient nautical treasure, in the hope of discovering her mysterious truth…

A third trilogy is currently in development, and well as a series of Wild Hollow Shorts that give more insight into the lives of our weird and wacky secondary characters!

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Angus’s first foray into podcasts was If I Were You, hosted by Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld. Their satirical, comedic approach to discussing anything and everything really spoke to his sense of humour.

Harvey’s first pod was Song Exploder, hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway. Harvey is a singer-songwriter in his own right, and took an immediate interest in the dissection and analysis of some of the world’s greatest songs.

And Christian began his podcasting journey with My Dad Wrote a Porno, hosted by Jamie Morton, Alice Levine and James Cooper. The closest to a ‘fiction podcast’ of the three, Christian immediately connected with the possibilities of comedic storytelling via audio.

So it’s not really surprising that now we’ve come to making our own show, it heavily leans into satire, comedy, storytelling and music. Wild Hollow takes elements of all three of these shows, for sure.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

Well, back in our days of training at Bruford, we stumbled across the format of audio fiction fairly early on. Christian had a microphone and a bit of a home studio set up, and we all shared a similar sense of humour and an urge to create original content in some form or other. So we combined the two and found ourselves recording (admittedly pretty terrible) improvised tales into a mic in Christian’s dorm room and sticking them on YouTube.

During our training, we had a module focused on radio, which is where we really started to understand more about the medium and where we could take our work. The marvellous Jeremy Mortimer gave us some invaluable preliminary tools, alongside our ’throw enough stuff at a wall and see what sticks’ origins.

And then came the Rona. We were set to graduate from our course in Summer 2020, and Covid demolished any chance of a smooth transition into the creative industry. BUT, without it, we don’t think Shouting Is Funny would have materialised. Or at least, not at the rate it has done. We were all desperate for some kind of creative output during lockdowns, and so we decided to attempt a from-isolation approach to making an audio fiction show. And that show evolved into The Chronicles of Wild Hollow.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Admittedly, we weren’t hugely clued up on the fiction podcast scene when we began. We were more inspired by audiobooks and dramas we’d grown up with. However, when we decided we wanted to make a comedy audio drama, we very quickly discovered the excellent Wooden Overcoats. When we started going down the fantasy route, Angus started to draw some parallels from Not Another D&D Podcast. And we are all musicians, and wanted to infuse music and song into our show – The Fall of the House of Sunshine presented itself in a glorious google search. We like to think of Wild Hollow as a unique entity, but there are definitely inspirations from a variety of sources.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

So obviously being a scripted, fictional podcast, we don’t have the opportunity to invite guests onto the show in the traditional sense. But there are some voices that we would love to feature in our show. Bob Mortimer is a man who we all just crease up listening to – he’s a comedy legend and we’d write pretty much whatever character he wanted if he was to get on board. If anyone knows Bob, we’re up for a chat.

And recently we were lucky enough to attend the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2022, where we discovered the wonderful Bridget Christie. She was awarded Best Scripted Comedy (Longform) for her show Mortal, and her acceptance speech alone made us want to get her on the show.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

Don’t rush. And maybe, given the fact we’ve released 7 episodes in 18 months, we could do with not taking our own advice. But realistically, we wouldn’t have been able to put out the episodes to a standard we were truly proud of unless we took the necessary time. Wild Hollow is scripted, and heavily sound-designed, featuring a full cast of wonderful actors and original songs and score left right and centre. Plus, a plethora of original artwork to accompany our characters, scene locations and episode cover arts. The amount of work that goes into this show is mammoth, and giving ourselves the time to achieve it all is necessary. We started with grand plans for new episodes every few months, but making the decision to pace ourselves (and not gauge our successes vs other shows in the community) was formative in our creative process. It’ll be ready when it’s ready!

Also, give your characters funny names. Funny names are great.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

’The Gray Trilogy – Episode One: A Smuggler’s Honour’. That’s the first of our three new releases, it introduces brand new characters, locations and it’s a great place for new listeners to jump in and get a taste of what we do. There’s definitely links to The Boursin Trilogy that a new listener would miss, so if you’re a completionist, maybe you’d want to start with Fandango’s trilogy opener ‘Fandango Boursin and the Lilypad Lounge’. But ‘A Smuggler’s Honour’ would be our recommendation – immerse yourself in Artemis’s journey, then pop back and see what Fandango gets up to. And then, if you’re feeling festive, we have a Christmassy adventure featuring our mousey bounty hunter as well – our very first release back in 2020.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

Where CAN’T they. You can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’re active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @shoutingisfunny. We have a company website at www.shoutingisfunny.com, where you’ll find insights into our current and future projects. You can directly support our ongoing work via our Patreon at www.patreon.com/shoutingisfunny. And, if you’re part of the r/audiodrama or r/podcasts subreddits, you can find us squirrelling away on there as well.

Listen to Chronicles of Wild Hollow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post The Chronicles of Wild Hollow: Adventure, comedy and talking (and singing) animals appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Everyone knows the story of Jack the Ripper, the infamous serial killer who haunted the streets of 19th century London. 134 years later, there’s a new killer in town. In this modern reimagining, men are the victims of dark, sexually aggressive murders committed by a woman: the mysterious, remorseless Jackie.

Season 1 of Jackie the Ripper was released last October and, inevitably, it ended in chaos for hapless lead detective Frederick Abberline as Jackie escaped his grasp.

Within five episodes, the show hit #1 in Apple’s fiction charts and a few months later was optioned for a TV adaptation with Goldfinch. Now, an extremely paranoid, slightly clueless, and definitely over-caffeinated Abberline must conduct his woman-hunt all over again as the culture war around the case intensifies, his career crumbles around him, and that very annoying paperwork on his desk just keeps piling up.

“The second season of Jackie the Ripper brings Detective Abberline face to face with Jackie as she commits her most gruesome murder yet,” says writer Joel Emery, who is also one of the creators of the hit comedy The Offensive.

Razor-sharp humour lives hand-in-hand with a timely, wry commentary on gender politics and the culture within the Met police, with a chilling conspiracy to match. But there’s so much more to the show than just a thrilling script. “Jackie the Ripper features a brilliant, diverse cast of voice actors who all record remotely from literally all over the world,” says Joel. “Together they make a group of characters that sound and behave like modern Londoners.”

London might be brought to life, but there’s only one way Jackie’s victims are going. Jackie’s back and she’s ready for more…

Season one and two of Jackie the Ripper are out now, listen via ACAST, Spotify or Apple Podcast.

This article from Stak first appeared in Issue #020 of the Pod Bible Magazine.

The post Jackie The Ripper: The chart-topping comedy podcast returns appeared first on POD BIBLE.

I caught up with SallyCade Holmes, the Senior Manager of Business Operations and Partnerships at Next Chapter Podcasts, to find out more…

Can you tell us how you got involved in Play On Podcasts?

I’ve worked as a consulting producer with Play On Shakespeare for years. When I heard the plan to make these modern verse translations of Shakespeare’s work into podcasts I jumped at the opportunity to work on them!

Most people will be used to seeing Shakespeare on stage or film. Would you say that Shakespeare’s plays lend themselves well to podcasting?

The Play On Podcasts create an aural environment that allows your imagination to run wild. Our sound designers, directors, composers, and actors all work together to create a listening experience that’s truly out of this world. It really allows you to hear and understand Shakespeare in new and more clear ways.

One of the things that stands out to me is the use of sound to make the world feel very populated. I am assuming (given COVID restrictions) this wasn’t the case in real life… Can you give an insight into how this was achieved?

During the height of the pandemic, all of our cast recorded remotely. We have a stellar crew of engineers, sound designers, technicians, and producers that work tirelessly (and remotely) to achieve the highest quality listening experience.

Sadaharu Yagi, KING LEAR Recording Engineer 3 – Photo Credit Edgar Camey

Can you remember your own first introduction to Shakespeare?

I think it was in 7th grade? Romeo and Juliet? But it was in English class so we were just reading the text… I don’t think I realized that this text was meant to be performed. It just felt like a thing I had to read. As I got more and more into theatre, I realized how much more alive these stories are when amazing actors are breathing life into the characters.

We always like to give people a point of entry to new series – there’s now 5 series/5 plays – do you have a favourite series you’d direct people towards?

Oh man. They’re all amazing. I’m really partial to A Midsummer Night’s Dream because it feels so whimsical and your imagination can really go wild. I also love Macbeth because I’m a huge RuPaul’s Drag Race fan and our witches are played by Peppermint, Manila Luzon, and Monet X. Change — three queens from Drag Race.

Keith David, who plays King Lear in the latest series. Photo Cred Bernard White

Were you influenced by any other podcasts whilst developing this?

I spoke with our Executive Producer Michael Goodfriend who said Passenger List by Radiotopia and Blackout by QCode were examples of immersive listening experiences that inspired the Play On Podcasts’ style. He was engaged by the number of levels in the audio storytelling that exist in these pieces — phone calls, intercoms, dialogue, etc. Also Floodlines by Atlantic Magazine has a sound design that we were inspired by — it illuminates the story without overpowering it.

Listen to the latest Play On Podcasts now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post Play On Podcasts: Shakespeare runs wild appeared first on POD BIBLE.