THERE’S BEEN A huge surge in the popularity of podcasts over the last few years (maybe enough of a growth to eventually inspire a song called Podcast Killed The Video Star), and because basically anybody can make a podcast, some unexpected genres are becoming more and more popular.
Podcasts aren’t just for listening to amateur detectives detailing gruesome murders that have never been solved, sportspeople having a bit of banter, or journalists talking about politics. They’re now an established platform for successful scripted dramas like Welcome To Night Vale and Limetown.
Now, the latest offering to the world of scripted drama podcasts is a project featuring Irish actor Chris O’Dowd. Set to be released on Monday (17 December), Chris O’Dowd is starring alongside Anne-Marie Duff (from Shameless and The Magdalene Sisters) in a new podcast named after the now controversial Christmas tune Baby It’s Cold Outside. The Christmas-themed podcast will deal with the topic of homelessness.
Chris stars as a homeless father named Ed, while Duff plays his estranged wife whose name is Sam. Ed wants to have a special day with his 9-year-old son George, without revealing the tragedy behind his circumstances, but as you’d expect, things aren’t that simple. Ed and Sam’s story is told over the course of three episodes.
O’Dowd is delighted that he had the opportunity to work on this series and said, “I feel privileged to be part of this story, one which reminds us how close homelessness is to each of us.”
Written by Regina Moriarty, this podcast was released in association with UK homeless charity Crisis. There’s a trailer online, which you can listen to here. Moriarty said:
Everyone needs and deserves a home, and until we make it our urgent business to ensure that everyone has one, we can’t even pretend to be a civilised society.
Along with the news of the podcast, it has also recently been announced that O’Dowd’s comedy crime series Get Shorty will return for a third series.
