Behind The Spine

Sex can be an uncomfortable subject for many, but for actors being filmed under the sheets, that discomfort takes on a whole new meaning. That's where the role of an intimacy coordinator comes in. Ita O'Brien has worked on many high-profile TV shows, including Sex Education, Watchmen and Normal People. She explores the narrative of sex, from the way its written about, to its portrayal on-screen, and how we respect the actors who perform often difficult scenes for our entertainment. Ita's intimacy guidelines can be found here: www.itaobrien.com/intimacy-on-set-guidelines.html

The beauty of country music lies in its simplicity - its ability to speak to the everyman. And yet it is powerfully evocative, with lovers of the genre finding an incredible depth of meaning in the words, as they relate to their own lives. Liv Austen is a Norwegian-born country musician, and in this episode shares her thoughts on song-writing, nostalgia and stubbornness. Snippets of her music feature in this episode, but if you want to hear more, you can find her on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2WPn21o

"If you think things are going back to normal, think again". It's a phrase we've heard time and again since this pandemic locked us all in our homes, but just how permanent will our behaviour changes be? Rory Sutherland works for marketing agency Ogilvy, and set up its behavioral science practice. In this compelling and funny conversation, he explores the emotions that drive us as human beings, and how our assumptions about outcomes are often wrong, no matter how logical they seem. Discover how "vectors", social copying and status can inspire your writing and character creation.

To tell an entire story, an entire history and personality, in just a few words, a single sentence, or a symbol - that is the power of brand marketing. From Coca Cola, to Disney or McDonald's, the name of a successful brand alone has the power to conjure images, memories and emotions in our minds. So what can writers learn from the way a brand tells its story? Pete Gomori is the founder of brand agency Studio Gomori, and in this episode he unpacks the structural, creative and emotional similarities between the worlds of marketing and fiction writing.

Research, evidence and building up a case - the work of a detective and an investigative journalist are closely interlinked, and both have much in common with the art of storytelling. In this episode we're joined by investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas. He explores the genre of true crime, and what we, as writers, can learn from the narratives of truth and memory, our fascination with the darker side of life, and our hunger for a conclusion.

Sport, and in particular football, has the ability to envoke such intense and strong emotions, both positive and negative. So what can we learn, as writers, from the obsession and passion of football fans, when developing our characters? Graham Sibley, host of the long-running podcast 'Sound of Football', explores how sport can so profoundly affect a person’s behaviour, and why that passion is such a difficult thing to explain.

Readers the world over are obsessed with stories of post-apocalyptic worlds, dystopian futures and pandemics - and now those stories have become our reality. Christian Hunt, expert in behavioural science and founder of ‘Human Risk’, explores our reactions amid the coronavirus crisis. This conversation serves to inspire your writing by drawing on the juxtaposition between our real-world behaviours and those of fictional characters.

Behind The Spine is a podcast which deconstructs genre and narrative, and finds learning opportunities for writers in the most unlikely of places. The first episode is coming soon, available on your favourite podcast platform from Wednesday 15th April - stay tuned.