SO A LOT OF YOU ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS So we answered every one we were asked
1. What is an element of your story that surprised you?
How quickly the Holmes and Watson dynamic we used as a writing crutch entirely flipped through our characters growing and developing. Feels became the star rather than the sounding board in a way that is really organic and good - Jack
Its scope. I had dabbled with absurdism before Kane and Feels, but never gone full existential horror. Iâm more of a like quiet melodrama type so i love that jack was able to get me writing more esoteric bullshit- Oli
I donât know if it's surprising, but thereâs a tenderness to a lot of the series that I wasn't expecting when we started. It sets its tropes out strongly, and then the characters interact in that space and take it in wildly different directions, while remaining true to the genre. - Jude
2. Is audio drama the only medium you've worked in? How does it compare to other mediums?
Audio dramas are the only form I've ever received feedback for really, I have a literature degree and I am constantly making stories but I don't really have any other published works like this. - jack
Iâve studied in other mediums, but not worked in them. Iâve done bits of filming at school but found quickly my talents laid in sound. - Jude
Iâm an audio nerd, through and through. Started as a musician, became a DJ, wrote a sitcom, did a degree, made some docs and factual programmes and then it's been audio dramas since then. It's a difficult medium to master but a rewarding one when itsâ done right. - Oli
3. What are some audio dramas that inspire you? Both in general and for your podcast.
Welcome to nightvale was a big early touchstone, the work of Dirk Maggs like batman knightfall meant a lot to me as a child, I had it on cassette tapes
HItchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy (the radio series) is a big one. I listened to it religiously when growing up. Neverwhere was another one that inspired me from a sound perspective. The shifting brickwork always tickles my brain. - Jude
I listened to a lot of HP as a kid, while going tobed. I graduated onto the BBC7 âComedy Clubâ which played a mix of half hour sitcoms and stand up comedy vehicles between 10 and midnight when I was going to sleep⌠occasionally I would drift into the âseventh dimensionâ where Iâd hear the man in black, Blake 7 and all other sci-fi horrory affairs. When Nightvale turned up, that was a game changer, cause it opened the field to people like me to go make audio dramas without the clout of the BBC behind us. Same with Wooden overcoats.Â
More specifically though, there is a direct line between Aker and Blackerâs âbeyond Beliefâ on the Thrilling adventure hourâ and the early drafts of Kane and Feels
4. Who is a character that took you by surprise?
Councilman Geoff Grace. Go listen for why - Jack
Jeanine (the housewife) wasnât surprising, but she was shocking. I just loved her framing and existence in the story. It's one of those ones where you can feel the screen on the scene. you âre looking in at this strange commercial of a woman as she lives this warped 50âs vibe. - Jude
For me, its the monster from wonderland. I had this idea for something grotesque, that pulled apart the idea that words donât hurt. Of course words hurt. Thatâs why they can lead us to violence or action or whatever. So I had this idea of a monster who said words âscar from the insideâ. Jack said âthis is great, what is this monster?ââŚ. And i hadnât thought that far ahead. I said âI dunno, thatâs your job, spookymanâ - so suddenly its the voice of the goddess of spite, we get Vivi P, the most terrifying italian woman ever to grace our studios to do her voice, and then pepper her in through out the series making her a serious big bad. Didnât know sheâd have that milage considering it was essentially a joke about sticks and stones breaking bones. - Oli
5. If you're the writer, how did casting/producing change how you thought about the podcast?
No one gave a fuck about our opinions on this particualr subject. - Oli
6. If you are a voice actor or audio editor, what is your favorite blooper moment?
There's a line with constituents in season one episode 4 that I just couldn't say - Jack
I think a lot of our weird bloopers end up in the show, either as the take or buried beneath some stuff. Season 2 is lousy with them, from Chippieâs final monologue to the sound of me and Oli in Thornbushâs charity shop. To even the joke about Paul Bearer in the final episode. - Jude
Thereâs one take we never used, where Ali Cambell, Jeaninesâ actor, improvised a story about their first hamster. In the story, she crushes it to death. We loved it at the time, but it was arguably better than anything any of us had written so I personally cowardâd out and didnât put it in. - Oli (Idâ forgotten about that - Jude)
7. If you could make a crossover (canon or non canon) with any other audio drama, what would it be?
Am I allowed to say âCamlannâ? Even though its very recent weâd slot in very well.or Victoriocity - Jude
I mean, I want to be on hello from the magic tavern, but not as kane - Jack
Sandman. Wanna work with Dirk. or Whatâs the Frequency or if Rose Drive ever resurrects. - Oli
8. What is an inside joke or reference that is hidden in your podcast?
So many wrestling kayfabe references -Â Jack
I always think of âGET BACK VILE BEASTâ *dunstan throws a spanner at a bird* - The real joke is that a lot of the rocks from St Dunstan made it into Camlann episode seven when the hill opens up into the underground.
The inside joke for me is the loops. âJudeâs discount Loopsâ - hacking these beautiful pieces of music that Oli has made and getting them to work. Theyâre all like 14 minutes long and thereâs chopping that needs to be done.Â
9. What are some of your favorite podcasts to listen to?
World Beyond Number. Westminster Insider, Too many Tabs, Chapo Trap House. Iâm a trash person who listens to trash. (other than WBN, most exciting actual play on the scene RN) = Oli
Is it terrible Iâm more of a music person? Iâm currently spiraling back into Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. I listen to old audiobooks to sleep. At the moment it's the good omens radio series with Mark Heap and Peter Serafinowitz. - Jude
I have an elaborate weekly schedule of podcasts I listen to, my current favorite is 'mom can't cook'
10. Are the podcasts you make / enjoy making the same kind you enjoy listening to (genre, formatting, etc)?
I mostly listen to character improv comedy and comedy reviews of film and wrestling. A little bit of D&D actual play too. so I guess... no? - J
I canât just say âI donât listen to podcastsâ... I mean I can and I donât. - Jude
No. - Oli
11. Free space! Tell me something cool about your podcast!
The music is crazy good - Jack
The Sound Design is once in a generation. - OliThe writing is ambitious and exciting - Jude
