Episodes
Theatre is a beautifully engaging art form and one that everybody can enjoy watching and taking in part regardless of personal circumstances.
And this week on Talking in the Dark, Evie chats with Ben Wilson from Extant, the UK’s leading theatre company for blind and visually impaired practitioners and audiences.
In this wonderfully insightful conversation Evie talks with Ben about a number of topics including; the fantastic work that Extant do creating and performing ground-breaking theatre productions, and some of the barriers visually impaired people face when accessing and involving them...
Finding the right words to describe this week’s guest has been quite a difficult task, for example should we use ‘actor’, ‘writer’, ‘broadcaster’, ‘narrator’, or simply ‘all-round icon!’
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie chats with the utterly remarkable and completely wonderful Stephen Fry.
In this beautifully enlightening and far-reaching conversation Evie talks with Stephen about many subjects including his childhood growing up in Norfolk, the fun he had narrating the Harry Potter books, and the many brilliant characters he has play on TV, film, and stage.
Stephen also discusses iss...
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie chats with Julia and Emma from Island Horse and Pony Aid about this very special charity which is dedicated to helping the horses and ponies of the Isle of Man when they become vulnerable, ill or neglected.
In this lovely conversation Julia and Emma discuss with Evie the many ways the charity intervenes to protect horses and ponies that are at risk, and share a number of uplifting success stories they have had over the years.
Evie also talks with her guests about her love of riding and describes how she controls a horse without the use of sight.
Tha...
There will undoubtedly be times in life when we all feel vulnerable, scared, and in need of specialist care. However, this perhaps will never be more so than at the end of a life or when facing a life-threatening illness.
In this week’s episode of Talking in the Dark Evie speaks with Aly and Kirree, two wonderful nurses from Rebecca House, about Hospice Isle of Man and the very special services this incredible charity provides.
During this conversation, which took place towards the end of 2023, Aly and Kirree also explain the origins of Hospice, as well as their very fond memories of meet...
In this week’s episode of Talking in the Dark, Evie sits down and speaks with the head of the Manx government, Chief Minister Mr Alfred Cannan.
During the conversation Evie and Mr Cannan discuss lots of very interesting subjects related to the role of Chief Minister including; what the job entails, how the Island’s government engages with the general public, and the work that is done to include the disabled community in the decisions that are made.
The Chief Minister also shares with Evie his hopes and aspirations for the Manx community along with some of his aims for the future.
This w...
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie speaks with Kirsty and Jay from Isle Listen, the wonderful Manx charity that works to support the Island’s community with their mental health.
In this episode Kirsty and Jay explain to Evie some of the services Isle Listen provide and discuss a range of subjects connected to mental health including; common stigmas, difficulties identifying mental health issues, and useful coping mechanisms and strategies.
Many thanks to Kirsty and Jay for coming on the podcast. It was lovely to meet and talk with you about such an important topic.
Stories don’t come any more inspirational than that of this week’s guest, Henry Fraser. His is one of triumph over adversity, and the discovery of a relentless mental fortitude that helped him accept, adapt, and thrive as a highly successful artist, and writer.
On this week’s Talking in the Dark, Evie talks with Henry about the details of his life-changing accident, and his incredible approach to dealing with it. Henry also discusses the inspiration behind both of his books, how it felt to have a West End musical written about him, and the joy that being a professional mouth-painter now bri...
At a time of the year when we are all encouraged to reflect upon the past and think about the future what better subject to talk about than the importance of finding more self-love and self-acceptance within ourselves. And who better to speak to about this topic than the highly respected motivational speaker and author, Jono Lancaster.
On this week’s Talking in the Dark, Evie talks with Jono about his life growing up with Treacher Collins syndrome and some of the challenges he has faced living with a visible difference. Jono also talks about the inspiration behind his book Not All Heroes We...
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie talks with Sandy Moore, from the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society about all of the wonderful work this charity does to educate and support the Manx community look after these lovely little creatures.
The winter time can be a particularly difficult period for the Island’s hedgehogs - its cold, food is in short supply and due to this many struggle to prepare for hibernation.
This happy conversation covers lots of interesting topics including the importance of hedgehogs to the eco system and what you can do should you find a hedgehog in your garden th...
It is estimated that on average the Samaritans receive a telephone call every ten seconds, and that in 2022 there was a Samaritans volunteer speaking with someone needing support every second of every day.
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie chats with Sinead O’Connor, from the Isle of Man branch of the Samaritans, about the wonderful work that this incredible charity does.
This lovely conversation includes details about the training of the volunteers that work for the Samaritans, the care and support that the Samaritans provide the community they serve, and the benefits of reaching...
What better way to celebrate the 20th episode of the Talking In The Dark podcast, than to share a conversation about matters that effect all children.
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie chats with the Isle of Man Children’s Champion, Kerry Sharpe, MLC. Through this interview Evie discovered what the role of Children’s Champion is, how Kerry works to better the lives of the young vulnerable children of the Manx community, and some of the challenges she faces in her role.
This was a lovely and highly illuminating conversation with a person that holds a very significant position in relati...
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie has a truly inspiring conversation with the incredible actress, comedian and writer, Francesca Martinez.
Francesca was born with cerebral palsy and talks to Evie about many topics including; growing up ‘wobbly’, how she began her acting career in Grange Hill, and the huge role comedy has played in her life. Francesca also speaks about the gift of having loving parents and the thrill of writing, and performing in, her ground-breaking play ‘All of Us’, at the National Theatre in 2022.
A massive thank you to Francesca for agreeing to come on the podcast,...
Some people really do go to extraordinary lengths to support and encourage those less fortunate than themselves, and Adam Diver is one such individual.
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie speaks with Adam, a former army captain, about his incredible mission to raise money for ex-service men and women by swimming over 30 miles across the Irish Sea from Cumbria to the Isle of Man earlier this year.
In this conversation Adam recounts how he first planned the adventure and then overcame many challenges along the way before finally achieving his truly inspirational feat of endurance and will....
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Annalisa Dinnella, the incredibly talented writer of TV and Radio who has worked on such brilliant and ground-breaking shows as Sex Education and Ralph and Kate.
Annalisa has Retinitis pigmentosa and through this sparkling conversation she describes her life as professional writer and a busy mother of two children, explaining some of the challenges she has faced over the years working in such a demanding industry, as well as the importance she places on representing the disabled community that she loves so mu...
Mental health difficulties can effect anyone at any time in their life regardless of age or gender. And Evie is very concerned with highlighting the damaging effects of stress on a person’s sense of wellbeing as well as exploring methods to alleviate pain and suffering.
So, who more fitting to speak with on Remembrance Day about this important subject than former soldier, author, and founder of the Maverick Survival School, Craig Harrison.
In this episode of Talking in the Dark, Evie chats with Craig about his childhood, his 23 year career in the Household Cavalry, and his subsequent and ...
Distance running is an incredibly challenging sport for anyone to take part in and it's a discipline that requires great commitment, resilience, strength and stamina to succeed in.
This week on Talking in the Dark, Evie speaks with top blind runner Keith Turner about growing up visually impaired, attempting a new world record for the half marathon at this year’s Great North Run, and the many wonderful ways running has informed his life.
This is a lovely conversation with a truly inspiring athlete who is also a fantastic ambassador for the sport of running.
A big thank you to Keith for com...
Many people live with disabilities that are not immediately recognisable, and this can lead to lots of issues for them around accessibility and inclusion.
In this highly informative episode of Talking in the Dark, Evie speaks with Lucy Buxton from the Manx Deaf Society about some of the problems that deaf people face in society and many of the misconceptions that surround this very common disability.
A huge thank you to Lucy for taking the time to speak with Evie and helping to spread more awareness of a very significant condition.
Evie has aspirations of being a professional broadcaster one day and for this week’s podcast she got to interview one of the best in the business. Gary O’Donoghue is the BBC’s chief political news correspondent for North America, and also just happens to be blind.
In this absorbing conversation Evie talks with Gary about his life
growing up blind and his subsequent journey into journalism. The discussion covers a wide range of topics including some of the challenges Gary has faced over the years, and the emergence of technology and how this has enhanced his professional life.
A huge thank...
The Mayor of any town or city is a very important person indeed.
The Mayor presides over Council meetings, promotes public involvement in the Council's activities and represents the Council at civic and ceremonial functions.
For this week’s Talking in the Dark podcast Evie was lucky enough to sit down with the Mayor of Douglas on the Isle of Man, Cllr. Mrs Natalie Byron-Teare.
In this fascinating conversation Evie talks with the Mayor about many interesting subjects including; how she first becoming interested in politics, the history of the Mayor’s office, and what she enjoys most about ...
To say that Fearne Cotton is an icon of British broadcasting would be a huge understatement.
Over her long and highly successful career Fearne has presented many of the popular TV and Radio programs we have all grown to love and cherish, such as; Top of the Pops, Red Nose Day, Children In Need, and the Radio 1 Chart Show.
In 2018 Fearne created the Happy Place Podcast, a wonderful weekly podcast in which she talks to celebrity and expert guests about matters around lifestyle, spirituality, and wellbeing. Due to the great success of this podcast Fearne then established the Happy Place Festi...
Episode 10: On a particularly wet and windy afternoon His Excellency Sir John Lorimer, the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, and Lady Lorimer took time out of their incredibly busy schedules to visit Evie and talk with her on the podcast about their lives and careers.
In this fascinating chat Evie discusses with her esteemed guests amongst other things; the people that have inspired them, working in the military, 60’s prog rock music, Midge - the first dog of Government House, …and bungie jumping!
This lovely talk is highly engaging and provides a wonderful insight into the lives of...
Episode 9: Chris McCausland is an extremely well respected and utterly hilarious comedian, writer and TV personality.
On this week’s Talking in the Dark Evie sits down with Chris and talks with him about his life and career being blind.
In this wide-ranging conversation Evie and Chris discuss, amongst other things his particular form of blindness, the role humour can play in breaking down barriers, creating the hit TV show “Wonders of the world I can’t see”, and whether, if given the opportunity, Chris would ever want his sight back.
This conversation is both funny and illuminating...
Episode 8: Well, this episode is an absolute treat as earlier this month Evie was lucky enough to interview star of stage and screen, the utterly incredible, Mr Mat Fraser.
Mat, who has a physical disability, has been at the centre of British culture for the past 35 years. Immediately recognisable for his performance work in such shows as American Horror Story and His Dark Materials, Mat is also well known and greatly respected as a staunch advocate for the disabled community.
Through this wonderful conversation Evie and Mat talk about many issues related to disability, including growi...
Episode 7: For this week’s podcast Evie was visited by Katie King the utterly amazing curator of Art and Social History, and Community Outreach Officer from the Manx Museum.
Lovely Katie brought with her several fascinating historical items from the Manx Museum’s collection for Evie to experience and spoke about the work that she does with her team to create exciting exhibitions and displays for the Manx community to engage with.
This is a fascinating discussion with a wonderful guest about a very important and highly cherished Manx organisation covering a range of topics including in...
In this episode Evie talks with a truly inspiring guest who less than 12 months prior, after a long and very challenging illness made the huge decision to have one of his legs amputated.
Adam shares with Evie an incredible story of cancer, treatment, recovery and his recent participation in the Manx Parish walk.
This conversation is immediately inspiring, often humbling and ultimately incredibly life affirming.
Thank you Adam for coming in extra early in the morning to speak on the podcast. We feel privileged to have met and spoken with you!
Evie talks to Debbie from SightMatters about the incredible organisation, the great work and support they offer the people of the Isle of Man, and thier yearly Coast to Coast walk that raises funds for the charity.
It was such a delight to welcome Debbie into the studio. Thank you Sight Matters.
One of Evie's most favourite past-times is horse riding. In this episode Evie talks with Kat from the IOM Riding For The Disabled, about the wonderful opportunities they provide for young people with additional needs.
A lovely chat with a truly inspiring guest from an incredible organisation.
Thank you to Kat from IOM RDA for coming in to see us, it was a joy to have you with us!
Episode 3: Evie chats with James and Laura from the world famous Hammond School for Performing Arts!
James and Laura visited Evie’s high school, to work with drama and performing arts students, to give them an insight into what life is like at the Hammond.
This lovely conversation is full of wonderful information for any aspiring performer and also touches upon how Evie engages with theatre.
Thank you to James and Laura from the Hammond for coming in to speak with Evie - it was truly lovely to meet you both!
Episode 2: Evie has a lovely chat with Beth Penhallurick from the Manx Wildlife Trust, discussing the Island's wildlife and a wide range of related issues such as conservation, bio-diversity, sea-life, and the famous Wallabies of the Curraghs!
Thank you to Beth from the MWT for coming in to speak with Evie - it was lovely to meet you!
Through the podcast Evie aims to remove the stigma and stereotypes around disabilities whilst having fun conversations at the same time!
During the interviews Evie will talk to people from all walks of life, including, at times, people with hidden and physical conditions like hers, getting to know all about them and the lives that they lead.
In the below episode, Evie talks to Krish from the MSPCA about the important work this wonderful organisation does looking after and protecting the vulnerable animals of the Isle of Man.