Welcome to our first feature of the new year – we thought we would open the year with doing a feature month dedicated to a podcast that had a really successful 2018. Not only did the podcast reach over 100 on guests but it is also is now available on Spotify and Youtube. This month I have had the pleasure of sitting down with Improv London host and creator Stuart Moses to really go behind the microphone and find out more!

Hello Stuart! Tell us about yourself.
Hello, Holly! I’m the host of the Improv London podcast (https://soundcloud.com/improvlondon), one half of improv duo Doctor Twoprov (https://www.facebook.com/doctortwoprov/) and a part of The Ol’ Bill: A Post-Brexit Improvised Police Drama (https://www.facebook.com/theolbillimprov/).

How did you get into improv?
I used to host weekly tabletop roleplaying games on Sunday evenings, mainly Call of Cthulhu. I was so jealous of a friend’s ability to improvise I decided to learn how to do it myself. Luckily, I worked with Emily Murphy who was able to point me in the direction of Hoopla!

How did the world of Improv London Podcast begin?
My improv journey started with Hoopla!, so I wanted my podcast adventures to do the same. Steve Roe agreed to be a guest on the podcast when the podcast didn’t even exist yet and episode 1 remains the most listened to instalment.

What inspired you to start a podcast?
I’ve always loved the radio, now I feel grateful to be alive in the age of podcasts. I feel much more comfortable asking people to chat about improv if I promise to record our conversation and share it online afterwards. What a world we live in today.

What other podcasts do you find inspiring and why?
In Improv, Beat by Beat (http://curtisretherford.com/improv/) Curtis Retherford interviews 20+ comedians from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City and cuts together the interviews into episodes focusing on different aspects of improv. Curtis puts so much effort into every episode – and my approach to improv isn’t very UCB-centric, so I always learn lots. I’m never going to make a podcast in that way, but I’m very grateful that he does.

What have been some of the challenges that you have come across while recording a podcast?
As with improv, it’s the admin that’s the most difficult part. Sometimes it’s hard to find a time when the guest and I are both available. The Nursery has been very supportive by offering me space to record in The Situation Room, which has made things significantly simpler.

How do you go about finding your guests?
I like to have a nice mix of people. Generally, it’s people I’ve met, or seen perform, or who offer a perspective on improv that I’ve yet to delve into. I want to explore and promote the diversity the improv scene has to offer, or should aspire to.

For anyone wanting to start a podcast, what key three bits of advice would you give them?

i) Minimise background noise. ii). Make sure you’ve pressed record. iii). Enjoy yourself.

Out of all the guests that you have had on the podcast, what have been some personal highlights for you?
I remain fond of the conversation I had with Michael Such in episode 3, during which we explored the way in which roleplaying games and improv intersect. I didn’t know him well at the time of recording, but that episode convinced me that the podcast could be a going concern.

We will have more from Stuart Moses Next Week…

Why not listen to past podcasts of Improv London by clicking here