Ewan Spence

My Cat’s Tale: Shadow and Taffy

Season 1

Episode 35

00:27:23

Louise has lived much of her life with cats and dogs. Last year, her cat Taffy was joined by Shadow, a timid and anxious rescue cat who was constantly being passed over in the shelter. Louise brought her home, and the long process of helping Shadow and Taffy live with each other began.

Ewan listens to Louise’s many tales of introducing cats to other cats (and the occasional dog) in her home, how being patient and respectful is key, and how Shadow is starting to come out of her shell.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Des Bishop (Grey Matters, 2016)

March 2, 2023

Season 18

Episode 25

00:17:52

Getting his big break on Irish television in 2004, and then working up the rungs to his first Edinburgh show in 2010. The momentum kept building, including a sting of becoming fluent in Chinese to do a stand up show in the country, multiple years selling out venues at the Fringe, and bringing back something bigger each year.

It’s easy to be an observations comic. It’s hard to be a really good observational comic. Des makes it look easy.

In my minds eye, let’s head to our luxury studio beside a touring theatre company… in real life lets head to a shed next to a double decker bus with a performing space on the top deck…. Back to 2016, back to the Grey Matters of Des Bishop.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – MJ Hibbert (Hey Hey 16K, 2015)

February 23, 2023

Season 18

Episode 24

Following on from the viral success of his retro throwback to the days of the ZX Spectrum and other 8-bit home computers, MJ Hibbett brought his musical mix of comedy and meme-ability to the Edinburgh Fringe… although the hit song was released in 2000, and he didn’t make the Fringe till 2015, this might feel tenuous but when you have a one-hit wonder online, you live the dream.

MJ, along with Steven Hewitt, expanded that little ditty into a time-travelling rock and roll opera, mixing in Back to the Future, Ukuleles, and obscure Doctor Who references. They join myself and Jen Blacker in he Leith Radio Studios to talk about the show, viral success, and of course, they brought a guitar for a bit of a turn.

So not only are we back in time to 2015 but back in time to 1982 as well. It’s the Free Fringe at Sneaky Pete\s, it’s Hey Hey 16K.

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My Cat’s Tale – Regi, the Queen of Queens

February 22, 2023

Season 1

Episode 34

00:34:47

One day, while roaming the streets of Queens, Regi decided it was time to move to a new house. And she decided to move in with Rachel. From that first moment on the doorstep, through a call to her then-owner, to accepting each other, Rachel and Regi became inseparable

Now aged 21, the loving bond between Rachel and Regi is stronger than ever. Ewan listens to tales of vets appointments, the power of Jackson Galaxy, trying to guess how old a cat is, and how Regi appears in Rachel’s upcoming novel ‘Sushi and Sea Lions’.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Old Trunk (The Bastard Children Of Remington Steele)

February 16, 2023

Season 18

Episode 23

00:15:29

Put on by Old Trunk in 2014 – Sadie Hasler (Playwright/Actor) and Sarah Mayhew (Director/Actor) brought The Bastard) Children of Remington Steele to The Fringe. The play is less about about the television series and more about life and finding a place in it

Curiously, this show was a double-header at the Fringe – while this and ‘The Secret Wives Of Andy Williams’ were both standalone plays, they were also designed to be seen in partnership with each other and create a larger story.

The podcast brought them into the local radio station – the show that year pulled double duty with online downloads, streaming, and FM transmission – to talk about the shows, although our resident chaos bunny Dan rapidly derails the conversation towards the titular Remington Steele.

We’re heading back to 2014, back to the Underbelly on the Cowgate, and back to Remington Steele.

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My Cat’s Tale – Leo

February 15, 2023

Season 1

Episode 33

00:26:11

Leo arrived into Jaylan’s household as a tiny kitten with a big heart, who promptly went on to light up everyone’s lives. As the coronavirus pandemic raced around the world, this little ball of fluff kept spirits high through dark times.

Ewan listens to an exuberant Jaylan about the difference Leo has made to the family, the unspoken disagreement over his surname, and how he bewitched her sister into becoming a cat-person.

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My Cat’s Tale – Chloe The Service Cat

February 8, 2023

Season 1

Episode 32

00:35:18

Chloe, along with Toshi, lives with Ian and she has made a huge difference in his life. Starting with walking on a leash, through a long-distance train journey, and to a life around London, Chloe decided she was going to be a service cat and help Ian as much as she could.

Ewan listens to Ian as he talks about how Chloe became his service cat, the positive and negative reactions from businesses to Chloe, and how he hopes to train Toshi alongside Chloe.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Jeremy Nicholas (After Dinner Stories From My Disastrous Broadcasting Career, 2018)

February 2, 2023

Season 18

Episode 22

00:12:52

Jeremy Nicholas’ career includes working as a news and sports reporter from his early days at studio radio, an award-winning breakfast radio show on BBC Greater London, recognition for his live commentary at the horrific Hillsborough Disaster, the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence, and 11 years as the voice of the FIFA computer games.

2018 saw Jeremy bring a show packed full of anecdotes, hilarity, and humility to the Edinburgh Fringe with the keyword packed ‘After Dinner Stories From My Disastrous Broadcasting Career’. It’s a mix of a new discipline with a long and varied career.

What brought Jeremey to the Fringe? How did he decide on this hour of material? And who will you find in his audience?

Let’s head back to the Gilded Balloon, back to a dining room converted into a stage fro someone to talk about speaking in dining rooms. Let’s go back to 2018 and Jeremy Nicholas.

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My Cat’s Tale – Oscar, Erica, And Living With A Diabetic Cat

February 1, 2023

Season 1

Episode 31

00:33:18

Oscar and Erica live with Stephanie Erica after many years as a community cat living outdoors, Oscar through adoption. They are both very territorial and are quite happy splitting up the workspace and the home space.

Ewan listens to Stephanie talk about their lives, and her previous cat Quintus. Oscar, like Quintus before him, is diabetic. How do you diagnose feline diabetes, what treatments are available, and how can you support your cat and find out more information?

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Matt Parker (Humble Pi, 2019)

January 26, 2023

Season 18

Episode 21

00:17:35

Maths and stand-up is a strange formula – but one that clearly has an abundance of puns if you put your mind to it.

One performer who has put their mind to it is Matt Parker. Like many performers at the Fringe, he’s Australian but lives in the United Kingdom. His early days at the Fringe saw him appear in ‘multi bill’ shows, with two other scientists, taking 20 minutes each… before he stepped up to a full solo show.

One of those hours was in 2019, with Humble Pi. Based on the book of the same name, it brought ‘mathematical mistakes and errors’ from history to the stage, with hilarious results… all backed up with proof.
And so lets regress (ahem) back to 2019, back to the Pleasance Dome, and back to, roughly Humble 22 over 7.

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