All this month, we are taking a look back at articles we have written earlier this year – today we look again at a podcast that is all about my experience on an improv podcast…

I have always been a huge fan of podcasts, I have listened to podcasts as far back at 2008 I think it was although I never really listened to them until a few years later. My first real introduction to the world of podcasts was when I was in my last year of university and had to spend hours in the classroom with two of my friends working on our coursework into the very early hours of the morning. It would just be the three of us, myself, Matt and Tom and whilst we were working, the podcasts of The Ricky Gervais show was blasting out into the room. It was in the moment I realised that podcasts can create so much comedy and can really sort of act like a ‘best friend.’ It also sort of created a special bonding moment between the three of us and I am still very much close friends with them today.

Over the years, I have learnt that podcasts can really be so much more then the ‘laugh’ and whilst I do listen to a lot of podcasts to help get me through the tough days, the good days and the times I have to work through the night, I also have found that it can be so much more.

Over the years, the idea of what a podcast is has obviously developed, especially with the pandemic and so many more have arisen and so much more content is now available and in a saturated market it can be hard to find really good shows. I have learnt that sometimes episodes of certain podcasts can really have an effect and over time I have shown my appreciation for these episodes on my social media channels.

I have previously spoken about the podcast episode that inspired me to start writing this feature, and you can read more about it here. This week we are talking about a podcast that I found incredible refreshing to listen to when it comes to relationships.

Podcast Episodes That Changed My Life –
Episode: Holly Bartolo
Podcast: Improv London

I find it really weird writing about myself as an article as it can feel a bit well, egotistical but today I wanted to write an article about myself because the experience I am going to talk about was a lot of fun and gave me a lot more understanding into the world of the podcast.

“… It was a really fun experience – we sat in a room in London Bridge and just had a really fun time talking to one another…”

I moved back to London in August of 2016, I had been away for a year for work and I was returning to the capital with one thing that was completely different I had discovered improv. I had been performing and training for a year so when I returned to London the one thing that I wanted to do was try and get into the improv scene. Initially, it was really intimidating as there was so many places to choose to do it and I eventually chose to go to a drop in lesson at London Bridge. I remember it was in a building that they do not use anymore for improv (and I saw a random robot exhibition in it once) and it was a really interesting space – there was one big room and one small – for this particular lesson we were in the big room.

I cannot remember a lot about the lesson but I do remember that in that first lesson I had in London, that was the first time that I met Stuart Moses, the host and creator of Improv London. I actually wrote a diary entry of that first lesson that you can actually read here if you wanted. From that first lesson in the capital, Stuart became someone who was always in my lessons and we became friends pretty much straight away. We both did a lot of shows at Hoopla Impro as well – there were many nights when Stuart was on tech and I was hosting that we ended up warming up by blasting Backstreet Boys and singing out hearts out.

“…I had been away for a year for work and I was returning to the capital with one thing that was completely different I had discovered improv...”

The option came up to be a guest on Stuart’s podcast and I jumped at the chance – firstly because it was a great show and I was honoured that I could be a part of it, secondly because I love talking about improv and thirdly I had never been on a podcast before. It was a really fun experience – we sat in a room in London Bridge and just had a really fun time talking to one another. It is weird listening to it back (I don’t like listening to my voice – does anyone like listening to their own?) as a lot has changed and my opinions on long form have adapted as well. I was very early into my experience of improv in London (only a year in) but I had these views of what it was and could be. We were performing shows regularly as well.

I wanted to mention this episode in this feature because I suppose someways it ‘changed my life’ because it allowed me to go on a podcast and I had a fun time talking to a friend.