Shows
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasLucy V Hay - Author, Novelist & Script EditorNovelist, blogger & script editor Lucy V Hay shares her writing that failed before she became a published novelist, and screenplays that have yet to find a home.
Struggling with mental health issues and a subsequent cancer diagnosis, Lucy shares the story of how she went from being a teenage mum to becoming a successful novelist and script editor, and the driving force behind Bang2Write, one of the most well-regarded writing websites in the UK.
Audio Note:
Apologies but unexpected software issues caused the guest audio in this episode to be lower quality than...2025-08-1053 min
New Podcasts - trailers for new and noteworthy showsThe Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst Ideas Arts and Society & Culture
Official website: https://offcutsdrawer.com
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In The Offcuts Drawer, successful writers share their best worst ideas. Laura Shavin, a voiceover and actor, interviews great writers about the stuff they never finished, had rejected or can’t quite find a home for - and get them performed. This week is Dan Maier, a comedy writer who has written for Charlie Brooker, Harry Hill, and the Big Breakfast among others.
© 2025 All rights reserved. 2025-07-3001 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasDan Maier - Comedy WriterTV, film and radio comedy writer Dan Maier reveals a cornucopia of different formats for his offcuts that include a radio sketch written for a famous double act, a children's science fiction trilogy and a Victorian blog entry.
CAST: Chris Pavlo, Jake Yapp, Helen Goldwyn, Nigel Pilkington and Emma Clarke
Dan Maier is a television and radio writer with a career spanning satire, sitcoms, sketch, film, gameshow and comedy formats. He began writing for Have I Got News For You in the early 1990s and has contributed to television shows including Not Going Out, The...2025-07-2753 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasLouise Candlish - Author & NovelistBest-selling thriller novelist and author Louise Candlish shares her writing offcuts which include: a deleted chapter from one of her most successful novels, a TV drama that didn't get picked up, the prologue of an abandoned novel, a pitch for a book written before the idea was fully developed, and a couple of stories that reveal her taste for melodrama from a very young age.
CAST: Beth Chalmers, Helen Goldwyn, Emma Clarke and Marcus Hutton
Louise Candlish is an internationally bestselling author known for her contributions to contemporary crime and psychological thriller fiction. Since publishing...2025-07-1353 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasPaul Burke - Advertising Copywriter & NovelistAdvertising copywriter and novelist Paul shares rejected scripts that include a screenplay about a cab-driving priest, a dog that could still become a household name and a romantic reunion for the radio.
Cast: Chris Pavlo, David Lane Pusey, Helen Goldwyn, Christopher Kent, Marcus Hutton
Warning: This episode contains strong language
Paul Burke is a multi‑award‑winning advertising copywriter and producer, widely recognised as one of the UK’s foremost radio creatives. His work has earned him over 30 industry honours, including Cannes Lions and D&AD pencils. He has crafted memorable campaigns for major...2025-06-2949 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasLynn Ferguson - Screenwriter & StorytellerWriter and storyteller Lynn Ferguson shares a mixed bag of offcuts that include a London love story, a nightmare foxhunt, a ghostly family reunion and a family saga of oil-magnate ducks.
CAST: David Monteath, Nigel Pilkington, Gayanne Potter, Christopher Kent, Beth Chalmers
Warning: This episode contains strong language
Lynn Ferguson is a writer and story coach whose work spans radio, television, theatre, film and live storytelling. She began her career writing for BBC Scotland’s Megamag, and went on to create the Radio 4 sitcom Millport. Her radio work includes dramas, fairy tales and com...2025-06-1553 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasIan Martin - Screenwriter
"Swearing consultant", screenwriter and producer Ian Martin shares a combination of film scripts and short stories that include tales of gory ghosts, a mosquito-ridden dystopia, and body-swapping in the Bible.
Cast: Beth Chalmers, Keith Wickham, Kenny Blyth, Christopher Kent, Emma Clarke and Nigel Pilkington
This episode contains very STRONG LANGUAGE
Ian Martin is a BAFTA- and EMMY-winning comedy writer best known for his scathing political satire on The Thick of It, where he served as the show’s “swearing consultant” and for his work on HBO’s Veep. A longtime...2025-06-0149 min
The Friendship File4. Laura and SimonWhy did two young actors bring a rehearsal to a dead stop? What began this friendship of in-jokes, money-making schemes suggested and rejected, ex-girlfriends comforted and meals cooked? Oh - and does she actually like skiing? Listen to Laura and Simon uncover the friendship of a lifetime.Laura Shavin is an actress, presenter and voice artist - find out more here https://fvo1.com/voice-over-samples/.Her podcast,The Offcuts Drawer talks to writers about their unpublished work. Find that here - https://offcutsdrawer.com.You can discover Simon Pearsall's (brilliant but unprofitable!) c...2024-05-3022 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasLisa Jewell - NovelistBest-selling thriller writer Lisa ("Then She Was Gone", "The Family Upstairs", "Watching You") shares clips that didn't make it into her books, and talks in fascinating detail about her unusually practical and no-nonsense writing technique.
Clips performed by: Beth Chalmers, Christopher Kent and Rachel Atkins.
Lisa Jewell is the Number 1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels (shortly to be 20), including The Girls and The House We Grew Up In, as well as Invisible Girl and I Found You. Her first novel Ralph's Party, a book whose genre she describes as "flatmates and curry" w...2021-12-081h 00
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasCaimh McDonnell - Novelist & Screenwriter"Dublin Trilogy" novelist and former comedian Caimh (CK) McDonnell shares his sitcom set aboard a ferry, a pre-Fleabag Fleabag and a comedy about what happens when multiple timelines meet.
Offcuts performed by: Jake Yapp, Darrell Maclaine, Kenny Blyth, Lizzie Roper, David Monteith and Rachel Atkins.
This episode contains strong language.
Caimh McDonnell is the internationally bestselling author of the Dublin Trilogy which is set in his hometown. His debut novel 'A Man with One of Those Faces' – a darkly comedic crime thriller – was published in 2016 and nominated for best novel at the 2017 CAP awar...2021-11-2450 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasGeorgia Pritchett - Screenwriter & ProducerA rap musical set in a US prison based on a Noel Coward play, a sitcom about IVF and a story about JFK faking moon landings - just 3 of the offcuts from comedy writer and US showrunner Georgia.
Clips performed by: Desiree Burch, Beth Chalmers, Keith Wickham, Lizzie Roper and Jake Yapp. With additional music by Jake Yapp.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Georgia is a multi-award-winning comedy and drama writer, who has five Emmys, five Writers Guild awards, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Producer’s Guild award. She is cur...2021-11-1059 min
In Writing with Hattie CrisellGUEST EPISODE: The Offcuts Drawer with Laura ShavinNot a normal In Writing episode today, but a wholehearted recommendation for something new. This is a guest episode of the excellent podcast The Offcuts Drawer with Laura Shavin, on which successful writers share the contents of their bottom drawer – the bits of writing they never finished, had rejected or just like to hold on to for nostalgic reasons. Actors perform these pieces and the writer chats to host Laura Shavin about the stories behind them. In this episode, Laura meets Chris Lang, writer of the ITV detective drama Unforgotten (and lots more projects along the way).
Do subs...2021-11-0249 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasMiranda Kane - Writer & PerformerRaconteuse Miranda shares the bits of writing that didn't quite make it, along with tales of her former life as a sex worker, in a show that's definitely NSFW.
Clips performed by Chris Pavlo, Bhavnisha Parmar and Emma Clarke.
Warning: This episode contains strong language and explicit material.
Miranda Kane is a comedian, writer, and performer who garners inspiration from her previous career as a sex-worker and her more recent work in organising body positive events. She writes and stars in the Audible sitcom SLAVING AWAY, based upon her ‘utterly mundane life as a d...2021-10-2752 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasIsy Suttie - Writer, Actor & ComedianAn investigation into the Mole-man of Hackney, standup material about pond-dipping and a bit of angst-filled teenage poetry are just some of the offcuts shared by Isy.
Clips performed by: Lynsey Murrell, Beth Chalmers, Darrell Maclaine, Shash Hira, Toby Longworth and Emma Clarke
Isy Suttie is a comedian, actress and writer who started performing stand up in 2002. She trained as an actress and has written for the GUARDIAN, the OBSERVER, RED and GLAMOUR, and is a regular writer and performer on BBC Radio 4, where her show PEARL AND DAVE won a Gold Sony Award in 2013...2021-10-1355 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasVal McDermid - Crime Novelist & WriterScotland's "Queen of Crime" shares some stonking bits of early writing, including her attempt at a bonkbuster and the short story that prefigured her move into thrillers.
Clips performed by: Christopher Kent, Beth Chalmers, Leah Marks, Kenny Blyth, Emma Clarke and Rachel Atkins.
Val McDermid has sold over 17 million books to date across the globe and is translated into over 40 languages. She is perhaps best-known for her Wire in the Blood series, featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, which was adapted for television starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris. She has w...2021-04-1952 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasFrancesca Simon - Children‘s AuthorThe "Horrid Henry" creator gives us an out-take from her successful opera, unpublished articles and some other children's book ideas that despite her stellar international reputation still didn't get picked up.
Clips performed by: Beth Chalmers, Emma Clarke, Leah Marks, David Holt, Rachel Atkins and Keith Wickham.
Francesca Simon is universally known for the staggeringly popular Horrid Henry series. These books and CDs have sold over 22 million copies and are published in 29 countries. Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman won the Children's Book of the the Year award in 2008 at the British Book Awards. She...2021-04-0549 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasRobert Popper - Writer, Producer & Performer"Friday Night Dinner" writer Popper shares some truly bizarre offcuts including the fake CV that landed him his big break in comedy, a prank community woodland notice and a sitcom about a wasp.
Clips performed by: David Holt, Alex Lowe, Toby Longworth and Lizzie Roper.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Robert Popper is an award-winning writer, producer, performer, and bestselling author. He is the writer and producer of all 6 series of Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner, he co-created and starred in BBC 2’s Look Around You with Peter Serafinowicz, produced the Bafta-winning Peep Show...2021-03-2256 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasAndrea Gibb - Film & TV WriterA grab-bag of television and film scripts that didn't quite make it including a drama about GI brides and a psychological mystery set in the Scottish Highlands from screenwriter Andrea.
Clips performed by: Kate O’Sulivan, Kenny Blyth, Lizzie Roper, Shash Hira, Emma Clarke, David Monteath, Rachel Atkins and Beth Chalmers.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Andrea Gibb is an award winning Scottish screenwriter who has worked extensively in both film and television. Her feature length screenplays for ‘Dear Frankie’ and ‘Afterlife’ won her the Scottish Screen Filmmaker of the Year award and the Wo...2021-03-0849 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasJeremy Sams - Composer, Theatre Director & WriterThe West End theatre version of TV's "The Good Life", the "Toys" musical that came *before* the film... Jeremy's selection of near misses covers both stage and screen.
Clips performed by: Alex Lowe, Lizzie Roper, David Holt, Beth Chalmers, Toby Longworth and Emma Clarke.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Jeremy Sams has written and created countless successful theatre shows including Amour (Broadway), Ghetto (National Theatre and Broadway), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End and Broadway), and The Wizard of Oz (West End and tour). He's translated operas and plays such as Indiscretions (B...2021-02-2245 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasNeil Forsyth - TV Writer & AuthorCreator of "Guilt" and "Eric, Ernie & Me" Neil showcases some other shows that didn't quite make it and shares what it's really like writing for American TV.
Clips performed by: Lynsey Murrell, Beth Chalmers, David Monteath, Kate O'Sullivan, Nigel Pilkington and Kenny Blyth.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Neil Forsyth is an author and television writer. In television he is a Royal Television Society Award winner, and has been nominated for a BAFTA, a Writer’s Guild Award, and a Broadcast Press Guild Award.
He is the author of seven bo...2021-02-0847 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasJackie Clune - Actor, Writer & NovelistA sweary Karen Carpenter tribute act, women's rugby and the first black female astronaut - actress/comedian Jackie reveals an interesting range of subjects in her offcuts.
Clips performed by: Lynsey Murrell, Beth Chalmers and Lizzie Roper.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Veteran of the British theatre Jackie Clune started out as a drama lecturer before achieving critical success in her first one-woman show about Karen Carpenter at the Edinburgh Festival. She went on to write six more shows, and to star in plays written by other writers - including Mamma Mia...2021-01-2541 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasChris Brookmyre - Crime NovelistComedy, horror, Scottish football and a dog pooing in a bedsit are all to be found in the never-before-heard clips from best-selling thriller writer Chris.
Clips performed by: Christopher Kent, David Holt, David Monteath and Emma Clarke.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Chris was born in Glasgow and worked as a sub-editor at Screen International, the Scotsman and the Edinburgh Evening News before his first novel, Quite Ugly One Morning, won the First Blood Award in 1996 for the best first crime novel of the year. Twenty-three novels followed.
In 2006 he w...2021-01-1147 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasLuke Harding - Foreign Correspondent & AuthorMichael Gove humiliating himself at university, a KGB-supplied sex manual and tales of derring-do in warzones around the world from foreign correspondent Luke.
Clips performed by: Christopher Kent, Lynsey Murrell and Nigel Pilkington.
Luke Harding is an award-winning British foreign correspondent with the Guardian. He has reported from Delhi, Berlin and Moscow and has also covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Libya and Syria. Between 2007 and 2011 he was the Guardian's Moscow bureau chief; the Kremlin expelled him from the country in the first case of its kind since the cold war. He is the author...2020-12-2846 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasJay Rayner - Journalist, Writer & BroadcasterPresenter and columnist Jay knows about food. But he's an acclaimed novelist, journalist and musician too. Hear his unusual play with music, the novel that never was and his celebration of Welsh drag act Lady Ding.
Clips performed by: Keith Wickham, Toby Longworth, Christopher Kent and Rachel Atkins.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Jay Rayner is probably best known as being the regular food critic for the Guardian and Observer newspapers for the last 20 years. But he has also written extensively across the British and international media as both feature writer and co...2020-08-2748 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasChris Lang - Screenwriter & TV ProducerA film script written with the young Hugh Grant (yes, that one), a TV show about The Sex Pistols and a romcom based on his real-life relationship - just 3 of the top notch offcuts from the writer/producer of the multi award-winning TV drama Unforgotten.
Clips performed by: Toby Longworth, Lizzie Roper, Christopher Kent, Leah Marks, Nigel Pilkington, Emma Clarke and Rachel Atkins.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Chris Lang has created over 100 hours of original prime-time television drama since he cut his teeth on established favourites like Soldier Soldier, Casualty and The...2020-08-2047 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasEmma Kennedy - Writer, Presenter & ActorYes she's a writer of *breathes in* TV comedy series's (her own and other people's), drama, animation, children's books, memoirs, novels, programme guides and plays but she's also won Masterchef and Mastermind. And she has some very useful advice to writers starting out.
Clips performed by: Keith Wickham, Leah Marks, Emma Clarke, Beth Chalmers and Toby Longworth.
Emma Kennedy wears many hats. Having trained in and practised law (a hat she then discarded) she has gone on to be an actor, novelist, comedy writer, producer, playwright, presenter, winner of TV competitions and Queen of Lego...2020-08-1346 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasAlex Lowe - Actor, Writer & Character Comedian
"Barry from Watford" and paranormalist "Clinton Baptiste" are just 2 of Alex's alter egos that you've likely met. But did you know he's written material for just about every comedy performer in the UK? Hear his story, and the worst impressions of Barack Obama and Tom Cruise ever.
Clips performed by: Chris Pavlo, Christopher Kent, Emma Clarke, Lizzie Roper and Beth Chalmers.
Alex first worked as an actor as a teenager when he co-starred with Kenneth Branagh in the West End theatre production of Another Country. Since then he has worked continuously in all genres, but i...2020-08-1150 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasMark Billingham - Crime Fiction Novelist & ScreenwriterFrom standup to multi best-selling crime novelist and screenwriter, Mark's own story includes hair-raising real-life encounters with gangsters and even serial killers. Among the TV show ideas and unpublished articles there's some standup material and even a song lyric which has yet to be performed by his band of fellow novelists The Fun Lovin Crime Writers.
Clips performed by: Keith Wickham, Chris Pavlo, Emma Clarke and Christopher Kent.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Mark Billingham is one of the UK's most acclaimed and popular crime writers. A former actor, television writer and...2020-07-3049 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasDave Cohen - Writer, Comedian & TeacherAs one half of the renowned Sitcom Geeks, Dave knows more than a little about what it takes to be a successful comedy writer. From his early association with Rik Mayall and co, through award-winning sitcoms and sketch shows, right through to his latest novel, Dave's offcuts cover the various trends of comedy from the past 40 years.
Clips performed by: Chris Pavlo, Emma Clarke, Keith Wickham and Rachel Atkins.
Dave Cohen was a stand-up comedian and founder member of the Comedy Store Players with Mike Myers and Paul Merton and now works as a writer, s...2020-07-2447 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasKatherine Jakeways - Writer, Actor & ComedianComedy writer/performer Katherine - "the new Victoria Wood" and star of the Horrible Histories movie, shares never-before-heard bits of her writing for TV and radio.
Clips performed by: Beth Chalmers, Emma Clarke, Rachel Atkins, Leah Marks and Toby Longworth.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Katherine Jakeways is a British comedian, actor and writer, whose writing was described by the Radio Times as "acutely observed" and they suggested she may be "the new Victoria Wood". Katherine has appeared in multiple television, radio and theatre shows. TV appearances include Extras, Horrible Histories, Sherlock, Trace...2020-07-1647 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasSimon Evans - Stand Up Comedian, Presenter & WriterA lesser known fact about erudite standup comedian Simon is that he used to write for porn magazines. But there's also scientist comedy in the mix plus a little bit of politics and the truth about whether he really is a Brexit comedian.
Clips performed by: Nigel Pilkington, Toby Longworth, Beth Chalmers and Keith Wickham.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Simon Evans is an established UK comedian with his own BBC Radio 4 series Simon Evans Goes to Market, and numerous TV appearances to his name which include two appearances on BBC One’s L...2020-07-0949 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasBill Dare - Comedy Writer and ProducerA world without sex, a rubbish support group, the invisible woman making breakfast in her underwear - just 3 of the scenarios featured in the unfinished or rejected early work from the BBC comedy supremo Bill Dare.
Clips performed by: Toby Longworth, Rachel Atkins, Beth Chalmers, Chris Pavlo, Nigel Pilkington and Keith Wickham.
Bill is a renowned BBC radio and TV comedy writer and producer. For TV he created shows such as The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Dead Ringers, The Late Edition With Marcus Brigstocke, and I’ve Never Seen Star Wars. And radio shows he created in...2020-07-0348 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasArabella Weir - Actress, Writer and ColumnistArabella rose to fame in The Fast Show asking "Does my bum look big in this?" which she wrote as well as performed, but did you know about her musical based on the life of Tina Turner? Hear a clip of that and various radio, TV and film scripts she penned that didn't get the go ahead.... yet.
Clips performed by: Rachel Atkins, Beth Chalmers, Leah Marks, Chris Pavlo, Nigel Pilkington and Keith Wickham.
Warning: This episode contains strong language.
Arabella is an actress, author and presenter. She is best known as one...2020-06-2547 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasDavid Quantick - Comedy Writer, Author & JournalistQuantick, the swiss army knife of the writing world, has worked on some of the most iconic comedy creations this century, but now's your chance to hear his earlier, less successful work, plus the first ever online sitcom - about heroin addicts - that preceded his later triumphs.
Clips performed by: Alex Lowe, Rachel Atkins, Beth Chalmers, Toby Longworth, Chris Pavlo and Keith Wickham.
For a tracklist of the clips visit offcutsdrawer.com/david-quantick
Warning: This episode contains strong language and adult content.
David is a comedy writer, cultural commentator, acclaimed b...2020-06-1846 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasJenny Colgan - Romantic Novelist & Science Fiction WriterRenowned worldwide for romantic fiction Jenny shares her earliest novel... about rabbits, as well as an unpublished bonkbuster set in the world of nuclear physics and a Dr Who TV series for very small children.
Clips performed by: Rachel Atkins, Beth Chalmers, Toby Longworth, Leah Marks, Nigel Pilkington and Keith Wickham.
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including Christmas at the Cupcake Café and The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris. Meet Me at the Cupcake Café won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was W...2020-06-1155 min
The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasJon Holmes - Writer, Comedian & BroadcasterThe pilot. Jon shares tales of spies with technical trouble, insulting Keanu Reeves and why he received the largest fine in UK broadcasting history after a call from a 12 year old. Definitely NSFW.
Recorded in front of a live audience.
Clips performed by: Rachel Atkins, Alex Lowe, Chris Pavlo and Keith Wickham.
Warning: This episode contains strong language and adult content.
Jon Holmes is a double BAFTA and nine-time Radio Academy award-winning British writer, comedian and broadcaster. He has presented his own radio shows on national BBC and commercial stations. His man...2020-06-0447 minThe Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst IdeasTrailer For The Offcuts DrawerIntroduction to The Offcuts Drawer podcast. Laura Shavin interviews successful writers and gets them to share the writing offcuts they keep in their bottom drawer.
For more details visit offcutsdrawer.com
2020-05-2301 min