A University of Winchester Creative Writing and Drama Studies graduate is one of the team behind a new comedy podcast following a team of hopeless monster hunters in a fictional Nevada desert town.
The new spooky serial, Welcome to Hole, launches on 29 October - just in time for Hallowe’en.
Co-created by Winchester alumnus Brendan Way, the scripted comedy follows a ragtag team - a trucker with a penchant for conspiracies, an eight-year-old girl with superpowers, a vampire hunter trained at the Vatican, and a government man in black - trying to save their small town (Hole) from monsters and magic.
While the podcast’s “monster of the week” format is inspired by The X Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural, the storylines and characters are based on a tabletop roleplaying campaign played by the cast.
Brendan, 33, from Tavistock, said: “We took what happened on the table, tidied it up, then added some extra gags and heart.”
The creative team behind the show - Kate O, Natalie Haven, Duncan Thompson, Sean Toole, and Brendan - are a multinational quintet who met through improv comedy.
Between them they provide 60 voices across twelve 40-minute episodes.
Brendan studied at Winchester from 2010-13 and during that time he was part of the Film and Radio Societies and was active in Depthcharge Theatre group for which he wrote and starred in several plays at the Theatre Royal. Brendon also co-hosted a monthly stand-up comedy show, Late Train Comedy Night, at the Railway Inn.
He said: “Drama Studies gave me invaluable experience in devising, collaborating, and building ideas together. Our final year project was a group devised play and it was good practice for working in an ensemble, an experience I now repeat in the production of this podcast.
“Creative Writing taught me not only how to structure a script, but how to gracefully/tactfully receive and give feedback on work. This diplomacy was vital when creating the podcast because there was a range of writing experience between us, so we have to be mindful of that when giving notes. We started as friends - and I want to stay that way!”
Dr Glenn Fosbraey, current associate Dean in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, who co-directed some of Brendan’s Depthcharge productions, said: “Brendan was the kind of student who really made the most of his University experience by grabbing every opportunity that came his way, and approaching everything with curiosity, enthusiasm, and boundless energy. I'm delighted, but not surprised, that he's approached post-Uni life in a similar fashion, and his latest creative venture may well be his most ambitious yet.”
Episodes are available on all podcast platforms and welcometohole.com
Pictured: The cast of Welcome to Hole with Brendan Way (second from left). Also pictured (from left to right) Sean Toole, Kate O, Natalie Haven and Duncan Thompson.
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