The Audio File: A Scottish Podcast

Some podcasts are just so big, and come up in conversation so much, I just can't ignore them. Eventually, I have check them out just to see what the fuss is about. Sometimes they turn out to be overrated, but other times they turn out to indeed be worthy of the praise. That brings us to the podcast we'll be reviewing today. We're taking a look at A Scottish Podcast. 

A Scottish Podcast follows two Scottish dudes named Lee and Douglas. Lee used to be a radio DJ, but he recently lost job. In his quest to not starve, Lee has stumbled across, what he thinks, will be a surefire path to success: starting a paranormal investigation podcast. Lee soon drags Douglas along for the ride, and the two set out to make the best paranormal investigation horror podcast set in Scotland. 

Well, I must admit, I'm glad I finally gave this podcast a listen. I wouldn't so much call A Scottish Podcast a horror podcast. I'd say that it's more of a comedy/slice-of-life podcast that happens to include horror elements. The podcast primarily focuses on Lee and Douglas' day-to-day lives, and the various mundane aspects of running a podcast. Still, there's plenty of laughs to be had, and shout-out to other podcasts. Lee models the podcast, known as The Terror Files, as essentially a Scottish version of The Black Tapes. Haven't listened to that one, but from what I understand, it's kind of like the X-Files. Though, The Black Tapes is a fiction podcast, whereas The Terror Files would, in-universe, be a non-fiction investigation podcast. In other shout-out, at one-point Lee and Douglas discuss an episode of Campfire Radio Theater that is set in Scotland. It's a meta joke, because Lee and Douglas' voice actors, Rob Cudmore and Matthew McLean, played the lead roles in that episode. Two other podcasts Lee hopes The Terror Files will be able to rival is The Message and Limetown. Like I said, plenty of shout-outs and love to go round. 

Now let's talk characters. A Scottish Podcast is very much a character-driven show. There are plot threads that are set up at the start of the season, but it really is the characters, and the focus on their lives, that carries the show. Granted, there are hints of horror throughout the seasons. Things also tend to come to a head during the finale episodes of each season, which take a more serious tone, at least at the start.  

Anyway, back to characters. Lee has a freewheeling devil-may-care personality. He's the type to jump in first and hammer out the details as he goes along. That pretty much describes how he created The Terror Files. By contrast, Douglas is more sensible and cautious. Well, he did agree to Lee's crazy idea, but otherwise he's pretty sensible. He's also got a bit of a chip on his shoulder due to the time he shit in his pants on live television. 

Lee and Douglas' primary financial backer is a gangster named Bruce. He's the top gangster in Scotland, and widely considered to be the most dangerous man in Britain. He's also a huge fan of horror investigation podcasts, and The Terror Files is right up his alley. Douglas was a bit hesitant about being sponsored by a violent criminal. Lee meanwhile, pretty much said "where do I sign?" immediately. Though, considering their primary sponsor prior to that had been a hemorrhoid cream company, perhaps it is understandable why Lee said yes so quickly. A good bit of humor comes from how Brice his always cordial and polite, even when he's doing gangster stuff. For example, one time he politely calls to ask how the podcast is going, while also murdering a man in a cement mixer. He's also speaking with an English accent, which I found a bit odd. Is that common with Scottish gangsters? I once took a school trip to London (and Paris and Venice) and encountered a Scottish drug dealer selling marijuana. I had to do my best to defuse a tense situation after one of my stupid classmates pissed him off, but I digress. Bruce is voiced Karim Kronfli. He has dyslexia, but that hasn’t stopped him from perusing a successful career as a voice actor. 

In other notable characters we have Helen, the perpetual drunk who practically lives at the local bar. I'm not sure how I feel about her. She was amusing at first, but then she got kind of annoying. Still, the prequel episode where she fills in for Lee as Santa at a charity even for sick kids was kind of fun. Helen, being Helen, rented some vans and took the kids to the pub, and bought them all jäger bombs. That was probably one of the best Christmases those sick kids ever had. It was also amusing when Lee think he's died and gone to Hell, which appears to him as the local pub. When questioned, Helen basically says, "it's Hell, everyone is Scottish." She is voiced by Sarah Golding, who is to the audio drama community what John Ratzenberger is to Pixar movies. She’s a true gem of the community, and has appeared in countless audio dramas in various roles. 

In season two, Lee and Douglas are joined on their adventures by an American woman named Gina. She's a big fan of The Terror Files, and I though she provided a good foil to Lee and Douglas. There are plenty more characters, but those are the ones who really stand out. So then, let us move on to other subjects. 

Season three is perhaps the most bonkers to date, but in a good way. Lee disappears for a while. Then, Douglas finds him again. Specifically, Lee is on a spaceship, and he’s taking Douglas to the planet Yuggoth. They’re off to explore the mysterious ruins of Yuggoth. We went from a slice of life with horror elements, to what I can best describe as We Fix Space Junk, but with two Scottish dudes. Hmm, would that be Wee Fix Space Shite, then? Well, didn’t see that coming, but I’m all here for it. In all of its glorious insanity. 

I must also take a moment and talk about the fantastic voice acting this podcast has. I also must be very careful about how I chose my words. The team behind A Scottish Podcast are usually good sports about negative reviews. In fact, they've turned several of their negative reviews into drink coasters that you can purchase. All the same, I'd prefer if my reviews didn't wind up on a drink coaster for the wrong reasons. I'd also just like to say the official series title card is awesome. Even more than good word-of-mouth, it is what really convinced me I needed to give A Scottish Podcast a try. 

Okay, so how do I put this delicately? Fine, I'll just be brutally honest. I've always found Scottish people to be kind of annoying. They always sound like seals barking, which I, half-jokingly, suppose explains where the legend of the selkie comes from. However, I found the cast to all be rather pleasant to listen to. They're all very talented, and clearly hard working and devoted to their craft. Also, if this does wind up on a coaster, I demand a royalties check. Just putting that out there now. 

In addition to the main show, A Scottish Podcast has had many fun special. They did a Burns Night Special, where the characters all read poetry, but it was all original works, rather than the poems of Robert Burns. They also did a special where the characters all read poems written by HP Lovecraft. This was framed as a poetry contest that Bruce was running to sponsor a butcher shop he owns. They're famous for their meat pies...if you know what I mean. Naturally, he was declared the winner, because everyone was too scared of what would happen if he didn't win. 

Lovecraft was clearly a pretty big influence on the creators. Several of the strange things Lee and Douglas investigate have strong Lovecraftian undertones to them. For example, in season two they investigate a professor from Miskatonic University who conducted experiments for the British government during World War II. Also, apparently Miskatonic University is real in the world of A Scottish Podcast; albeit as a mundane university that is a bit annoyed that Lovecraft featured them in his works. Season one also featured Lovecraftian horrors lurking beneath Edinburgh, but also an undead cannibal warrior from the 10th century. A Scottish Podcast even did it's own adaption of The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The set-up is that Douglas is traveling to England on holiday, and stays at the seaside town of Innsmouth. Ah, so that's how Lovecraft slipped that one under the radar. Everyone thought the reals Innsmouth was in New England, like the story, but it was actually in Old England all along. Thought, to be clear there is no Innsmouth on either side of the Atlantic in real life. 

There was also an episode where A Scottish Podcast crossed over with several other horror podcast audio dramas. The episode featured Lee and Douglas attending a podcasting convention, and meet with the creators and/or characters of the other podcasts. However, they were all podcast I don't listen too, so I didn't quite have the intended effect on me. Still, for fans of those podcasts, I'm sure they were over the Moon. I know I got excited when A Scottish Podcast merely mentioned Campfire Radio Theater, one of my favorite podcasts. 

So there you have it. A Scottish Podcast is a comedy/slice-of-life podcast about two Scottish dudes trying to create their own horror investigation podcast. It's a name you often hear in the world of audio drama podcast, and I'm glad I finally gave it a listen. Give it a listen yourself, you'll be glad that you did. 

Well, I think that should be enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time. 

The Audio File: Fall of the Shah

Britain has had a long history of producing quality audio dramas. I suppose it is partially because television arrived there later than it did in America. Of course, even after television arrived, the British continued producing audio dramas, even into the present day. That brings us to the podcast we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at Fall of the Shah, a BBC production.

Fall of the Shah tells the story of the early days of the Iranian/Islamic Revolution. We see this historic event though the eyes of many people. There is of course, the Shah and his wife, but also leaders in America and Britain, a Canadian journalist, and an Iranian family divided by the revolution.

Okay, I know that doesn't sound terribly exciting, but this is an excellent podcast. Being produced by a major company means that the audio production is a true cinematic experience. The BBC usually does with their productions. I say usually because there have been some occasion, many within the last few years, that they've gotten sloppy with their audio drama standards. Thankfully, Fall of the Shah is not one of those instances. Everything from the voice acting, to the music, to the sound effects, are all top of the line. Fall of the Shah has a full voice cast, but also features a narrator, voiced by Dame Diana Rigg, who helps to set the scenes and explain some of the background details about the various events the podcast depicts.

I should perhaps give a bit of background to help set the stage.  The Iranian/Islamic Revolution wasn't the first revolution. The first revolution occurred in 1953. It was a socialist uprising, and since it was the Cold War, the United States and United Kingdom didn't look too kindly on it. Especially since Britain owned several oil companies in Iran, and the Iranians were trying to reduce British influence in their nation. The uprising was swiftly squished, and America and Britain installed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the Shah of Iran. The Iranian people always resented this, especially since Pahlavi was rather incompetent as a ruler. This anger continued to simmer until it boiled over into a new revolution.

Obviously, the Shah gets a fair bit of focus. I'm heard some people accusing this podcast of whitewashing the actions of the Shah. I would argue that it doesn't, as it takes time to have other characters voice precisely why so many people are angry with the Shah's government. More on that in a bit. Even if it might go a bit soft on the Shah, I'd argue that the writers did so because they knew what came after him was much worse. It's a bit like how media relating to the Russian Revolution tends to downplay Tsar Nicholas II's faults, because everyone knows how much worse the Soviet Union turned out to be. And I will applaud the writers for really humanizing the Shah.

On the flip side, the podcast also does an excellent job portraying Ayatollah Khomeini. He's cold, cunning, and calculating. The podcast doesn't say away from the fact that he was a religious extremist. At the same time, the podcast also makes a point of show how he was able to manipulate people and gain their support. Hats off to the voice actor who played him, and really captured Khomeini's public speaking ability. Many of those who initially supported the 1979 Revolution were socialists, but they believed the Ayatollahs and their followers would be useful idiots. They wrongly assumed that the Ayatollahs would be too obsessed with their religion to be of much harm. It is quite ironic that Khomeini's exile took him to Paris, a modern secular Western city. He railed against all of these things, and yet he only survived because of them.

We also get to see things from the perspective an Iranian family, and see how revolution divides, and ultimately disillusion them. The kids begin by getting involved in student protest groups, which were key in the early stages of the revolution. Then the fundamentalists begin to seize control of the government. Like I said before, the podcast might glossed over the Shah's flaws because the fundamentalist government was so much worse. For example, the Shah had 3,000 political prisoners, but the Islamic government had over 300,000 political prisoners, and that was just at the start of the revolution. One definition of revolution is to move in a circle, or in other words, make things like they were when you started. Having the family as one of the groups of focus characters gives a really great street view of revolution.

We also get to see things from the perspective of leaders in America and Britain. First, off, whoever played Jimmy Carter really nailed his voice. The writers also did a good job portraying Carter sympathetically. Carter is often remembered for how he mishandled the Iranian Hostage Crisis. In my opinion, Carter wasn't a bad president per se, but he got dealt a bad hand. It was during his presidency that the OPEC Oil Embargo, and the ensuing Oil Crisis, occurred. My mother tells me she remembers that because she'd just gotten her drivers license and gas had gone up to the outrageous price of one dollar per gallon. Carter can be said to, perhaps, have been in over his head, and might have made a better Secretary of State than president. He was a nice guy, but maybe not necessarily pragmatic enough for the job.

The podcast ends on a somber note. The Shah has died in exile, and the fundamentalist government maintains its grip on Iran. Women who once dressed as freely as Western woman now walk the streets clad in burkas. The desert waits for rain, and the Iranian people wait for the day when they can breathe freely once again. A powerful ending indeed.

So there you have it. Fall of the Shah is an excellent audio drama podcast from the BBC. It chronicles the Iranian/Islamic Revolution from a variety of perspectives, and I happily recommend it. Sorry if this review was a bit on the short side. I've been planning a...not so secret project, shall we say. If you are in the same Facebook groups I am you should be able to guess what it is. If not, you'll be hearing more about it relatively soon-ish.

Well, I think that should be enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time.