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The Story behind Debatable Discussions …
19 Plays3 days ago
Today John and Dejan have a rather unusual episode, the story of the Debatable Discussions podcast. Go hear them discuss how they started the podcast as teenagers in High School.
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Transcript
Introduction to Debatable Discussions
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Debatable Discussions podcast. You join us today for a very exciting episode and something that is perhaps a little bit different to what we usually discuss.
00:00:50
Speaker
Yeah.
00:00:53
Speaker
Yeah.
00:00:58
Speaker
Yeah.
00:01:02
Speaker
And on top of that, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of views across social media.
00:01:18
Speaker
Yeah.
00:01:52
Speaker
It's not that long. Yeah.
00:01:57
Speaker
Yeah.
Origin Story: A Chemistry Class Bond
00:02:11
Speaker
more Yeah, so Dan, you mentioned there the start of the podcast and to sort of, when um people ask me why we started Debatable Discussions and how importantly, I tell them about chemistry and they're always very confused. And I tell them, um yeah I really enjoyed chemistry for the two years I did it at GCSE.
00:02:37
Speaker
In fact, it was my favorite science. Because most people, because from chemistry, Diane and myself, we both got grade nines at GCSE. So we were very delighted from that end product to chemistry. But equally with that as well, perhaps we founded debatable discussions sitting next to each other in chemistry.
00:03:02
Speaker
Yeah.
00:03:28
Speaker
Yeah.
00:03:30
Speaker
Yeah. And so it was an amazing moment in that lesson. And I think for anyone young listening, it's really bizarre to say, but seating plans can have a huge effect on your life because it did for us. The fact we were sitting next to each other meant we started debatable discussions.
00:03:49
Speaker
um And that's just the sort of luck and opportunity that luck sort of gives you, I suppose, in life. um Just the random chances. And so be said, why don't we start a podcast?
00:04:01
Speaker
um We went to a teacher's office straight
Starting Despite Challenges
00:04:04
Speaker
after. And at the time, it seemed absurd in a way, because looking back at us now, we were 16 years old then, or or really just turned 16. We had ah the biggest exams of our lives, our GCSEs coming up. and this teacher said why not sort of do it um so we um released about six episodes i think it was um six episodes that did really well actually um
00:05:08
Speaker
Education. Yeah. and And actually something that I'll always remember from starting the podcast, I think for the rest of my life is on that day we started it and we said we'd do it.
Support from Friends
00:05:21
Speaker
I went back to my room at school and i had two friends in the room and I said to them, slightly hesitantly, because I didn't know how people would react when I said this, I said, I'm thinking about starting a podcast.
00:05:33
Speaker
um And I sort of phrased that as statement, just slightly unsure what they would say. And their enthusiasm for me to start it was what I remember. ah Both of them, I remember saying, you should do it, they said. um And definitely i should start a podcast. And I think that will always stick with me, actually, just having... um really that enthusiasm behind when I started it. Perhaps, I don't know, I didn't think people would think it's you know the the the cool thing or something, I don't know. um and I suppose it certainly wasn't, but I think that backing um that I received and then ah a few people initially that helped us was really helpful at the start of the journey that we've had for the past two and a half years.
00:06:29
Speaker
Yeah.
00:06:38
Speaker
Yeah.
00:06:43
Speaker
Yeah. yeah
00:07:05
Speaker
Yeah.
00:07:28
Speaker
Yeah, and it was it was amazing you said that, Diane.
Rebranding Journey
00:07:30
Speaker
And I think the thing I most remember from the new episode is that we've recently, as you as you can see, only two days ago, did a rebrand. In the first episode, we did name change, which is even more significant. ah I think we started our podcast as Coffee Table Conversations. It's an awful name. ah But we kept the we can i think it gave us the idea of alliteration, which helped with space for discussions, I suppose. um ah But a question I've got for you, Diane.
00:07:58
Speaker
We've done 81 episodes of the podcast now. You mentioned there that we've nearly received 10,000 streams and hundreds of thousands of views of clips on social media. If there's one episode to you that will stand out, what is it and why? Okay, yeah.
00:08:38
Speaker
Okay, yes. print Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:00
Speaker
yeah
00:09:18
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:33
Speaker
Yeah. um just Yeah.
00:09:45
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:48
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:50
Speaker
Yeah.
00:10:15
Speaker
Yeah.
00:10:17
Speaker
Huge. The huge
Memorable Guest Episodes
00:10:19
Speaker
gulf. Yeah. Yeah. I think for me, i've got two answers. I think... Firstly, I've got two episodes that will really stand out to me. The first one is Ryan Wayne, the first time we recorded with him, which was our second season, episode one. and And what was so special about that episode was that it was the first guest episode we ever did.
00:10:43
Speaker
And we started the podcast probably being a bit brazen, a bit bold. so we interviewed So we emailed the biggest. um And in that case, it meant that we emailed Tony Blair.
00:10:56
Speaker
Obviously i think Tony Blair ah was dealing with some far greater matters at hand ah but unfortunately couldn't give us an interview. so the Institute said they'd almost give us his right-hand man in many ways, Ryan Wayne. And I remember being so excited when we got our first guest. um I think a common trope of podcasting and perhaps in general with this, with trying to interview guests is you send so many emails and everyone says no Obviously um Ryan Wayne didn't say that and he agreed to come on the podcast um which was fantastic to have him as our first guest and he was really generous in that sense to give us his time ah not only once but twice
00:11:41
Speaker
And then Anthony Scaramucci, I remember being probably about 10 years old or so and um seeing him on the news. um And I'd always remembered his name since that moment where I saw him on the news ah being interviewed as White House press secretary, um really probably at the start of when I became interested interested in politics, sort of eight, nine years old.
00:12:02
Speaker
um and so it was absolutely amazing to be able to interview him twice not only was it perhaps and advantageous or beneficial from the amount of awareness and attention he brought to the podcast but actually seeing to interview someone of his um notoriety was fantastic and it it will be one of the most memorable days of my life. ah Last year, it was over a year ago now, ah we were in London in a studio interviewing him um which was amazing, an amazing experience.
00:12:38
Speaker
Leanne, a lot of people have always... um I think what's been hard with our podcast journey, perhaps, is balancing recording episodes ah with schoolwork.
Balancing Podcast and Schoolwork
00:12:51
Speaker
ah for For those who don't know, um we are 18 years old. We've just um done our A-level exams. um So we've been on this quite long journey, perhaps over the two and a half years, not only with podcasting, but also with education.
00:13:08
Speaker
um so how would you say to someone listening about how we've managed this or perhaps the hard moments that have emerged trying to balance schoolwork and exams and also hosting a podcast?
00:13:31
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:58
Speaker
yeah
00:14:16
Speaker
Yeah, i don't's but it's enjoyment. yeah
00:14:33
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:11
Speaker
Yeah.
00:15:29
Speaker
Yeah, and you mentioned there the flexibility, which I think we've really had to incorporate doing it alongside school. And admittedly, it's been difficult to releasing perhaps episodes and stay up quite late in evenings to do so. but I think we've tried to achieve a healthy balance in which we definitely haven't felt at all, either of us, that we've um taken away from our studies to do this. Not at all. It's really actually been complementary to them. ah not once has it felt for me that it's been taken away from my work.
00:16:01
Speaker
um So I think it's that flexibility and balance and also we've had an amazing network of people, not only guests have been very helpful ah but also some of the guests that are perhaps slightly closer to us in many ways. um You mentioned Daniel who's been really helpful as a recurring guest um Some of our other perhaps more younger guests, you could say, um are people we've known from school. And similarly, James Hewins, who helped us with the podcast ah for a while, someone who was really, really helpful in helping us manage the podcast. So we've had a really amazing network of people to help um not only run the podcast, but contribut contribute to the episodes.
00:16:46
Speaker
Yeah.
00:16:53
Speaker
And actually, that links to my next question, sorry, about the future. ah There's been lots of updates and I think I'm interested in
Future Plans and New Website
00:17:03
Speaker
history. And I think there's one thing and that I always see there, which is that innovation can easily translate success. So what is perhaps the next steps for the podcast?
00:17:38
Speaker
But
00:18:37
Speaker
Yeah.
00:19:21
Speaker
Yeah. And as you said there, Diane, I think the website really for me, as we've discussed it over the past few weeks, is almost the written version, you could say, of what's on our minds.
00:19:33
Speaker
what we're thinking about. um So Diane is sort of going to be leading the film section because you like film and things like the Odyssey, I suppose, have been on your mind um and you've just travelled. that's been on your mind or Animal Ethics has been. And similarly with me, I visited the Tate Modern, as you said, and that's sort of I've been thinking about it. So it's almost...
00:19:55
Speaker
our thoughts translated into the written word. And I think that's what's really nice about it. It's um just things we find interesting or things Daniel or many of the contributors would find interesting.
00:20:36
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:11
Speaker
critiques yeah
00:21:23
Speaker
and i think that wraps it up nicely the episode a sort of a journey of our past few years um we've released 81 episodes of the podcast as you mentioned there diane um views and sort of i think figures that have really pleased us and um made it something that we want do in the future. um And I suppose the website is only just the next step of what would be perhaps an exciting few years we've got with it.
00:21:51
Speaker
um So I'll speak soon and see you the next episode.