This May QED Comedy launch a three day celebration of podcasts, The Saint Audio Podcast Festival. Daily Info sat down with the team to chat about this new festival, plus we get the best tips if you're looking to set up your own podcast.
Daily Info: What's the Saint Audio Podcast Festival all about?
QED Comedy: The Saint Audio Podcast Festival is a weekend of live recordings of some of the best and funniest podcasts from the US and UK. We at QED Comedy Lab have taken the same keen eye to curating acts that we bring to the Oxford Comedy Festival to bring you some of our favorite shows to Oxford.
DI: What can audiences expect from this festival?
QED: Audiences can expect an opportunity to see one of their favorite podcasters in a live setting or to discover a new favorite show. With topics ranging from film to folklore, ghosts to dinosaurs, and more we hopefully have something you'll love to see.
DI: What are some of the highlights of the weekend's line-up?
QED: We have two American podcasts coming to the UK that I am very excited about: The Bechdel Cast, a show about the roles of women in film that is equal parts silly and insightful, and The Flop House, is a trio of friends who have been watching the worst that cinema has to offer for over a decade now and they make a show that is non-stop, rapid fire jokes that make the bad movies worth seeing. Also, my team is very excited that as part of the Flop House's programming we will be screening Spice World at the Ultimate Picture Palace on Thursday the 23rd as well.
DI: As someone with their own podcast, what tips do you have for anyone looking to set one up?
QED: Getting a good microphone is key and also learning how to edit just to make your show listenable. But the key to longevity is to find a topic that you and your collaborators are passionate about because if it isn't fun for you it really isn't worth doing.
DI: Your podcast (Saint Misbehavin') covers all kinds of obscure saints. Do you have a top saint?
QED: The saints we talk about lead some wild lives and the more I learn about them, the stranger they get. One of my favorite episodes was about the wild life (and afterlife) Saint Seraphim of Sarov, he was a Russian monk who lived in the woods with a bear, for some reason got to go to space, and had the single worst patronage that I've ever heard (it broke my brain when my co-host Anna told me). One of my favorite things about the podcast though is learing the stories behind saints who's name I know but didn't know anything about like Saint Patrick (possibly the 5th century's greatest conman) and Saint George (sure he slayed a dragon but once I heard the full story, I was more on the dragon's side).
DI: Can you sum the festival up in three words?
QED: Probably not but I'll try: Fun Podcast Weekend. How's that?
The Saint Audio Podcast Festival runs in venues across Oxford from Friday 24th May to Sunday 26th May and tickets can be purchased here.