Chris Addison

Sarah Kendall talks to three different storytellers about what ‘story’ means to them.

How have they developed their own style of storytelling in their respective mediums?

In this opening episode, comedian, writer, actor, director Chris Addison recalls his journey from joke writing to screen writing and directing, discussing his relationship with storytelling across his broad body of work.

Sarah started out as a stand-up comic in late 1990s Australia. After performing for 15 years around the world, she transitioned into storytelling.

Sarah wanted to create something on stage that felt like the sort of films she loved to watch, so she wrote an hour-long show with a single personal story. She reimagined her teenage years as though they had been directed by John Hughes, giving her memories a full, cinematic makeover.

This connected Sarah to her audience in a more meaningful way compared to her original joke-based routines.

Her live storytelling shows were adapted for BBC Radio 4 with two seasons of her award-winning ‘Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy’. Since then, Sarah has gone on to write and star in the Royal Television Society award winning and BAFTA nominated sitcom ‘Frayed’.

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2021.