Ewan Spence

My Cat’s Tale – Oliver James Big Paws

Season 1

Episode 26

00:21:24

Oliver is a strong-willed Norwegian Forest Cat who loves to roam his neighbourhood. When Annette’s previous cat passed away, Oliver paid a visit. And over the months and years made it clear that he had moved in with Annette and her husband.

Ewan listens to Annette as she talks about Oliver’s mystery walks outside the house, when she knows it is the right time for snuggles, and how he helped comfort Annette during lockdown.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Ismo Leikola (Observing The Obvious, 2015)

December 8, 2022

Season 18

Episode 14

00:11:58

This week I want to head back to 2015. That year the show was broadcast live on Leith FM community radio, as well as being a podcast, with a number of guest hosts joining me – so you’ll hear the voice of WUSB New York’s Emma Backfish – as well as our comedy just… Finland’s Ismo Leikola.

For countless decades, the ‘observational comedy’ routine has been a staple of stand ups… yes we have all seen just how many Cafe Nero’s there are, and how many stamps you need to get a free coffee, but Ismo brought a new angle on this to the Fringe… doing it in his second language.

A laid back Finnish style put me in mind of the razer sharp gentleness of Arnold Brown. Ismo’s skills wasn’t the choice of well-worn topics, is was putting a twist on the resulting points that lifted this show up.

So we return to the Gilded Balloon, we return to the time honoured comedian watching our everyday life, we return to a rather chaotic studio, to Observing the Obvious.

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My Cat’s Tale – Cedric the Cat

December 7, 2022

Season 1

Episode 25

00:25:52

Cedric is one chill cat. From a very early age, he just sat back and enjoyed the world… unless he hears the hoover. Chelsea was introduced to him when he was a one-week-old kitten, and there was never any doubt that he would be joining Chelsea and her partner as they all started a new life in a new home.

Ewan talks with Chelsea about moving house (twice) with Cedric and how he has adapted to moving house, matching the new sofa styles to Cedric’s cat tree, and the two other cats in his life who could be his Uncles.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – James Seager and Les Enfants Terribles (Vaudevillans, 2016)

December 1, 2022

Season 18

Episode 13

00:12:44

Everyone at the Fringe is inventive, but one group is very much associated with that in my mind, Les Enfant Terribles. Formed in 2002 by James Seager and Oliver Lansley, they have brought many shows to the Fringe over the years, from psychological World War One horror, through Piratosaurs, to 2016’s vaudevillans;a classic murder caper mixed with a variety show.

James Seager popped into our studio that year to explain it… although that year the studio was a shed next to a double decker bus that had been renovated to be a theatre on wheels. Oh and Lucy Evans joined me from Edinburgh Student Radio Fresh Air FM as well.

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My Cat’s Tale – Yvie Pawdly

November 30, 2022

Season 1

Episode 24

00:24:18

Brought in to her local shelter, Yvie’s kittens were quickly adopted, but it took Sam coming along before Yvie could find her forever home.

Diagnosed with cerebellar hypoplasia, Yvie’s wobble has not stopped her enjoying life at all, with the run of the house, lots of love, and the ability to lip-sync whenever required. She’s also made a huge difference to Sam and her fiancé, filling that classic cat-shaped hole that every family has.

Ewan sits down with Sam to talk about Yvie’s life, how Sam became comfortable around cats, and why Yvie’s name is a perfect fit.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Jeff Innocent (Eco-Worrier, 2006)

November 17, 2022

Season 18

Episode 12

00:16:34

An artist at heart with a long and varied list of interests, Jeff Innocent went on a stand-up comedy course in 1996 – led by alt-comedy legend Tony Allen – and he’s not stopped since then. Jeff has carved out a place in the UK stand-up scene like no other, as well as working as a writer and actor.

In 2006 he brought the show Eco-worrier to the Edinburgh Fringe – environmentalism remains a strong part of his ethos to this day – and it’s interesting to be reminded of how the path looked some 16 years ago.

So we return to the Stand, with Jeff Innocent, and listen to 2006’s Eco-Worrier.

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My Cat’s Tale – Eric And His Escapades

November 16, 2022

Season 1

Episode 23

00:28:01

The clue to this adventurous little cat is in his online name… Eric’s Escapades. Paul and Helen met Eric when he was a year old, and a cat-shaped hole in their lives was quickly filled. Eric very much knows what he wants, and more importantly who he wants to help him during the day.

Paul talks to Ewan about Eric’s life, the many places around the house where he loves to sleep, and the very precise routines he demands.

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archive – Celia Pacquola (Let Me Know How It All Works Out, 2014)

November 10, 2022

Season 18

Episode 11

00:13:18

2014 saw Australian comic Celia Pacquola return to Edinburgh for her fourth Fringe Show. ‘Let Me Know How It All Worked Out’ looked at the world of psychics and their promise of foretelling the future; specifically one who said she would never have children.

(Spoiler… congratulations are in order, Celia and her partner had their first child earlier this year,).

Since the Fringe Pacquola moved frequently between the UK Australia, with various apeprances, scriptwriting, and starring appearances in a wide range of shows on the circuit, including radio work on Fox FM and Radio 4, TV work on Would I Lie To You, Live At The Apollo, and Have You Been Paying Attention, and staring in Rosehaven, and The Breaker Uppers.

All that was ahead of her in 2014 when she joined me in the podcast studio to talk about her show. It wasn’t the first time she’d been on the Fringe podcast, so the whole ‘tell us about your show’ quickly descended into discussions of synchronised diving, Tom Daley, Pro/Am contest, and a love of Converse trainers.

This week’s trip is back to the Gilded Ballon, back to a time when the future we live in now was quite definitely not going to happen, as Celia Pacquola asks the audience to Let Me Know How It All Works Out,

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The Edinburgh Fringe Archive – Shedload Theatre (The Statement of Randolph Carter, 2015)

November 3, 2022

Season 18

Episode 10

00:17:08

The world of H P Lovecraft is one that many people have explored, both the horror of the writing and the horror of the man. In 2015 Shedload Theatre looked at the former, in an inventive show called The Statement Of Randolph Carter.

The big moment in the show is the Foley work. The show is presented as a radio play, and that means lots of sound effects performed live. The story is very much classic horror, but the theatre experience is much more visual than you would expect… and thoroughly engaging. There’s also the importance of the entire body of work built on H P Lovecraft’s work – all which is out of copyright and free to perform.

As Shedload Theatre piled into the studio, we did something a little different. Yes there’s an interview in here to find out more about the show… but there’s also a performance from part of the show (a story called The Temple) which they perform live… along with all those foley effects!

And so we head, warily, to Surgeons Hall, to a desk of foley effects and horror, to the Statement Of Randolph Carter.

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My Cat’s Tale – Clara and Storm

November 2, 2022

Season 1

Episode 22

00:20:23

Clara and Storm are two very social cats. They know many people where they live, who has the nicest spots to catch the sun, and who will feed them. They also have a little GPS collar so David can find out where they have travelled… and they travel far and wide during all hours of the day and night.

Ewan sits down to talk with David about the technology he uses to support Clara and Storm, how excited they are when he comes home, and a curious night with a hedgehog.

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