Episodes

Happy New Year! To mark the end of a year of firsts and experiments for True Story London, we're sharing something special with you. In 2023 we debuted some unique live shows in which songwriters wrote and performed original songs inspired by another person's true story. We'd like you to have a taste of these captivating colaborative experiences as we close out the year - this is True Story Soundtrack. Stories: Bonnie's full story: https://www.truestory.london/10-make-me-one-with-everything-wb...

Today's storyteller is Donna Freed, telling us the wild and fascinating story of finding out she was adopted - and the shocking revelation of just who her birth parents were. Donna has written an entire excellent memoir on this topic, so we have plenty to talk about in our discussion after the story. Donna's memoir 'Duplicity: My Mother's Secrets' is available now, published by Muswell Press: https://muswell-press.co.uk/product/duplicity-9781739638290-paperback Donna can be found on Instagram a...

Today's storyteller is Maria Shehata, talking about the time she fell in love with someone across the Atlantic, then quickly fell out of love when they met in person. Maria is a brilliantly funny stand-up comedian and her story follows suit. Though, in our talk afterward, you'll also hear about how this story has more serious meaning in her life, and how both Maria's approach to her craft and understanding of herself are evolving. Maria can be found online at mariashehata.com -- Find out about...

Today's storyteller is Jess Carrivick, sharing her story of being diagnosed with the chronic pain disorder vulvodynia. Jess delights in shocking the audience into laughter while talking candidly about this rarely-discussed and really important health issue. After her story, we discuss the use of humor to broach serious topics, the nature of chronic illness, and how people with vaginas could be better served by the medical world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Michael Noel, sharing his story of how an optimistic road trip turned very dark. Since Michael is based in California, this is our first interview conducted entirely online - but we just had to give him a call to hear his developing insights into how he makes sense of this dramatic and transformative episode in his life. Follow Michael on Instagram here: @itsreallymichaelnoel Michael's sidecar tours of San Francisco can be found at ridesbyme.com This episode contains refe...

Today's storyteller is Dee Gibson, sharing how she realised her charmed life wasn't actually going in the direction she wanted - and what she did about it. Despite the difficult and unique circumstances, Dee manages to make this story highly relatable with insights into breaking with tradition, listening to intuition, and pursuing an unexpected path. Stick around after the story to hear Dee go into more depth about all of these topics and more. More information about Dee's hotel in Sri Lanka, K...

Today’s storyteller is Joe Milik, sharing his adventures in helping his friend and doppelganger to stage a proposal in the Welsh countryside. It’s a funny, risky, highly entertaining story and afterward I’ll talk with Joe about how he came to storytelling, what drives us to take risks, and look closer at story structure and craft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's storyteller is Ayanda Tambo, sharing her surreal experience of receiving a prestigious award from a prominent yet divisive public figure. Ayanda has such a measured and wise outlook on the events of the story, the wider societal context, and her own future as she steps into the working world. Stick around after the story when we dive deeper into all of these topics and more. Ayanda (and the things she bakes) can be found on her Instagram here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Today's storyteller is Clair Whitefield, sharing her story of uncovering the cause of her sudden onset and life-altering IBS. Clair is a talented poet and performer with a knack for making this taboo topic funny and accessible, without shying away from the harsh realities. In our conversation afterward, we discuss the experience of revisiting dark periods in your life, the power of performance, listening to our bodies, navigating the tube and more. Clair can be found online at clairwhitefield.c...

Season 2 of the True Story London Podcast is coming on 6th November! Make sure you’re subscribed on your favourite podcast app to be notified as soon as they go live. And if you haven’t already, check out our past episodes from Season 1 featuring 10 brilliant stories and some fascinating conversations with the storytellers. Oh, and remember to #BeNumber9 and give us a rating on your podcast app if you enjoy the show - it really helps us to reach more listeners and share these fantastic stories f...