Charlie Dinkin

Hi guys, how is Lockdown 3.0 treating you lately?

Zoe: I’d point you to the fact we’ve just made a 10-part horror podcast.

Charlie: In my mind I’m on holiday in Hawaii, but also listening to the podcast we just made.

How did you two become comedy partners and what drew you to each other?

Z: The first time I saw Charlie we were both doing a stand-up gig (remember those?), and I was overwhelmed with this weird feeling that we were related.

C: Right, because we’re both short women with curly hair and glasses. How could we not be related?

Z: Charlie thought I was just being a creep, but then six months later she finds out she’s got a great great grandfather with the surname… Tomalin. So I guess the answer is: nepotism.

C: We’re both professional gag writers, so we got to know each other properly last year after writing on a couple of topical shows together. We both agreed it would be nice to write about some horrible things that weren’t actually happening. And like a creeping sickness that tells you you’ve made a terrible mistake… it grew from there!

Can you describe SeanceCast to readers who haven’t had a chance to listen yet?

C: SeanceCast is an extremely haunted sketch show, which follows two beautiful women (spoiler alert: it’s us) as we hold seances in order to find otherworldly content for our podcast.

Z: Each episode has its own story, as well as four ‘scenes from the beyond’ performed by some of the best comedy talent in the UK… we’re talking Amy Gledhill, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Alison Thea-Skot, Kat Bond, Nimisha Odedra, Toussaint Douglass, Amy Sutton, Jen Ives and Mali Ann Rees.

C: We spent most of the budget getting our incredibly talented cast cursed with bursting pustules so they couldn’t do TV work and had to make our podcast.

SeanceCast features sketches specifically from female and non-binary comic writers, how has this decision affected the content of the podcast?

Z: Firstly, it’s made it fucking great. We were so lucky to work with brilliant writers including Olga Koch, Athena Kugblenu, Catherine Brinkworth, Jen Ives, Shelf (Ruby Clyde and Rachel Watkeys-Dowie), Siân Docksey, Tasha Dhanraj, Heidi Regan, Charlie V Martin, Kate Hinksman, Georgia Wagstaff, Jain Edwards, Atlanta Green and Emerald Paston. Follow them all on Twitter before they’re megastars!

C: From the start we wanted to do something by and for womxn that allowed them to be weird and gross. Too often, shows that are supposed to be ‘for girls’ flatten the female experience into this glittery girlboss thing. So we’ve made a show about ghosts and murder instead – stuff chicks are really into.

You’ve just been nominated for the BBC Audio Drama Award, what does this mean to you?

Z: I got into comedy because I was obsessed with the now defunct Radio 7 when I was a kid so it’s a real honour to be on a list with writers and performers who made you want to do the job in the first place. Basically when we saw the nominations we did a big fangirl.

C: … and then, of course, thanked Satan for delivering on his side of the bargain. 

What one episode of SeanceCast would you recommend people listen to in order to get the full spooky experience?

C: Episode 1, but our other favourites are 4 and 9.

Z: I hear episodes 2,3,5,6,7,8 and 10 are pretty good too.

CATCH UP ON ALL EPISODES OF SEANCECAST HERE