The Stories That Make Us

Abbi & Rory are joined by video game journalist Ben Ingham to talk about the media that inspired him. We talk about Final Fantasy 6 and what about it made Ben fall in love with video game RPGs, Whisper of the Heart and why Rory needs to catch up on Studio Ghibli movies, and The Adventure Zone and what makes it such a compelling Dungeon & Dragons podcast. 

Abbi & Rory are joined by video game journalist Aaron Bayne to chat about the media that has inspired his career, from the emotional twists and turns of The Last of Us Part 2, the uniqueness of Atlanta, to American Beauty and if it's possible to separate the art from the artist, we cover a lot of ground! 

Abbi & Rory are joined by freelance arts and culture writer Daisy Treloar to chat about growing up with Mary Poppins, reading The Secret History and Daisy's own experiences at university, and the different ways the Game of Thrones franchise inspired her love of fantasy books, TV, and video games! We also chat about guilty pleasures, player choice in video games, and our thoughts on the Game of Thrones ending. 

For our first episode of season 2, Abbi and Rory are joined by presenter and film critic Alex Gilston as we take a journey through the media that inspired his career ambitions. From his love of films that started with ET, to how Doctor Who made him want to work in television, and finishing with why The Boat That Rocked made him fall in love with the idea of radio. We also talk about celebrities we've met, jobs that probably aren't as cool as they seem on screen, and our feelings about different eras of Doctor Who. 

In episode 12 Abbi & Rory chat to editor, author, and podcaster Daryl Baxter! We cover the BBC classic Life on Mars, Tomb Raider 2, and Daryl's favourite Bowie album, Hunky Dory. Along the way we chat to Daryl about his journey with writing and games, the way nostalgia is affecting games and other media, and the joy of good music to keep us motivated. 

In episode 11, Abbi & Rory chat to video game journalist and EIC of New Game+ Olly Smith! For an episode not about Tracy Beaker, we talk about Tracy Beaker a lot but also manage to cover Olly's three picks! This is one for fans of horror as we take a look at Dawn of the Dead and how it still holds up as a zombie movie today, the creepy, dread-inducing Uzumaki, and why Silent Hill 2 is still one of the great video games ever made. 

In episode 10 Abbi & Rory chat to singer-song writer Olivia Rafferty who brings an element of pure chaos to this week's episode! We hear about her love of Lord of the Rings and how it inspired her first attempt at writing a musical, why High School Musical was so important to her, and er... honestly? There's no way to explain Olivia's last choice, you'll just need to give it a listen. Along the way we also talk fanfiction, not being embarrassed about the things you love, and the way media finds its way into our relationships. 

In our first episode of the new year, we got to chat with the multi-talented David Carcasole about his work in video games journalism and his theatre experience. We cover the spectacle of Phantom of the Opera, the PS2 stealth platformer game Sly Cooper, and the hard-hitting play Scorched. In between we manage to squeeze in inviting ourselves to a wedding, pitching Rory's musical ideas, and googling a game called Mr Nutz. 

It's the holiday season, so in this special christmas episode Abbi and Rory take a look at some christmas films and TV specials that have been important to them. Rory has some strong opinions about what counts as a christmas movie, Abbi makes fun of her Mum (Sorry Mum!), they rank the hotness of actors who have played The Doctor in Doctor Who, and finish with a chat about the best christmas movie ever made. 

Thank you to everyone who's listened this year, however you celebrate the holidays we hope you have a lovely time! 

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On the show this week Abbi & Rory talk to film and TV critic Katey Stoetzel! We talk about Harry Potter and how we engage with problematic art, the classic Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode 'Hush', and the how Mad Max: Fury Road explores themes of hope. 

This week Abbi & Rory chat to film critic Amy Smith! We cover Hitchcock's Psycho, Baumbach's Marriage Story, and the Netflix hit Bojack Horseman. There's also lots of talk about Amy's journey into film criticism and running her own website, the pros and cons of streaming services, and the possibility that ghosts MIGHT be writing reviews for a national newspaper... 

This week Abbi & Rory chat to freelance writer and screenwriter, Gavin Spoors! We have a Rian Johnson double bill so we chat about why he's one of our favourite directors at the moment, we start a campaign to get everyone's Mums to send Abbi some Star Wars merch, and we chat about the making of Senua's Sacrifice and mental health representation! 

This week Abbi and Rory talk to writer and actor, Jack Cameron! We cover what weirdness means in writing, the intense experience of watching Perfect Blue, and we try and explain another video game to Rory - this time, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, as well as chatting about how video games can evoke visceral reactions from their players. 

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In episode three, Abbi and Rory interview entertainment writer and editor Alex Dewing! We chat about not being embarrassed about the movies you love, female characters in video games, and how important soundtracks are. 

In this second introductory episode, Rory interviews Abbi about A Series of Unfortunate Events and Mass Effect. We talk about our childhood diaries, the influence a good story can have on you as a kid, and the power of telling a story through a video game.  

In the first ever episode of The Stories that Make Us, Abbi talks to fellow host Rory about two movies that have had a big impact on him; Coherence (2013) and Arrival (2016). We talk about how they inspired the kind of stories he wants to write, how movies have helped his mental health, and we throw some hot takes about Christoper Nolan's films out there.