Wooden Overcoats

Wooden Overcoats is a British sitcom podcast created by David K. Barnes.[1] Set in the fictional English village of Piffling Vale,[2] the story follows rival funeral directors as they compete with each other to be the best in the locale.[3]

Wooden Overcoats
Presentation
Starring
GenreComedy
Created byDavid K. Barnes
Written byDavid K. Barnes
LanguageEnglish
Production
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes34
Publication
Original releaseSeptember 24, 2015 – present
Websitewww.woodenovercoats.com

Plot

Stubborn undertaker Rudyard Funn runs his family's funeral parlour, Funn Funerals, with the help of his sister Antigone and their assistant Georgie Crusoe. Funn Funerals was the only funeral parlour on the island of Piffling Vale until the arrival of a dashing new undertaker called Eric Chapman, who sets up his business across the square. With Chapman's company immediately hitting successful heights, Funn Funerals needs to do what they can to ensure the business survives.[4]

Chapman's company is modern and innovative, and is endorsed by Piffling Vale's mayor, who believes that the village could become a town if it has two funeral parlours, rather than just one. Tensions heighten in the village as the disagreement between the two companies spirals out of control, descending into espionage and sabotage. These unfolding events are narrated by a character called Madeleine, who is a mouse that resides in Funn Funerals and is Rudyard's friend.[5]

Cast and characters

Production

The idea of a story involving two competing undertakers arose from discussions between eventual cast members Felix Trench and Tom Crowley. Trench shared a lodging in London with writer David K. Barnes, who was looking for a new project. The initial idea was to create a short film out of the idea, but the large budget required to do that, and also the increasing popularity of podcasts, meant Wooden Overcoats became an audio project.[7]

Much of the series was recorded in a repurposed music studio.[8] Narration was recorded in an audiobook studio and there were also scenes recorded on-location.[9]

Wooden Overcoats concluded after four seasons, released between 2015 and 2022. A number of live shows were also done at Kings Place in Kings Cross, London, as episodes from the fourth season were released in early 2022.[10] The final episode, A Funn Farewell, was released on the 31st March 2022.[11]

Reception

Critical reception

Wooden Overcoats received an extremely positive critical reception, with the New Statesman describing the series as "funnier than anything broadcast on the BBC".[12] In another favourable comparison to the BBC, the Daily Telegraph stated in 2018 that the "release of this funny, clever, independently produced sitcom marks a quietly significant moment in British radio comedy, when the BBC networks stopped being the only conduit by which top-rank young writers and actors got their wares to market."[13]

Writing for the New York Times, Phoebe Letts wrote, "over the four available seasons of “Wooden Overcoats,” it becomes impossible not to adore everyone in the village.”[14] And in the Reader's Digest, Chloë Nannestad stated that, “this podcast is hilarious, charming, there’s three seasons of it to fill your longest driving day and there’s also a mouse called Madeleine. Download immediately".[15]

Wooden Overcoats has been described as a "shining example of the power of the form (of audio drama)” by Forbes,[16] a "very funny, very British radio drama" by Wired[17] and a "hit podcast" by The Independent.[18]

Awards and nominations

Wooden Overcoats won two awards in the Audioverse Awards 2016 for 'Best Original Long Form Cast' in a comedic production and also 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' for Felix Trench.[19] The series also won a silver award in the British Podcast Awards 2017 for Best Fiction Podcast.[20] In 2018, Wooden Overcoats had further success at the Audioverse Awards, winning 5 in total. These were for Best Audio Engineering, Best Original Composition, Best Production, Best Writing and Best Ensemble Performance.[21]

References
  1. "DAVID K.BARNES" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Micheline Steinberg Associates Retrieved 05 August 2021
  2. "Podcast / Wooden Overcoats" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine TV Tropes Retrieved 05 August 2021
  3. "‘Wooden Overcoats’ is a classic British comedy in podcast form" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine The Hindu Retrieved 05 August 2021
  4. "Life, gods and death – podcasts of the week" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian Retrieved 05 August 2021
  5. "‘Wooden Overcoats’ is a classic British comedy in podcast form" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine The Hindu Retrieved 05 August 2021
  6. "Wooden Overcoats Cast" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Wooden Overcoats Retrieved 05 August 2021
  7. "Why It Pays to Be Nice in Podcasting" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Timber Retrieved 05 August 2021
  8. "Making Story-Driven Podcasts on a Budget" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Medium Retrieved 05 August 2021
  9. "How to Make a Great Drama Podcast" Archived 2021-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Medium Retrieved 05 August 2021
  10. "A Podcast All About Twilight (and 4 More Shows Worth Checking Out)" Archived 2022-04-05 at the Wayback Machine Vulture Retrieved 05 April 2022
  11. "Season 4 Episode 10: A Funn Farewell" Archived 2022-03-31 at the Wayback Machine Wooden Overcoats Retrieved 05 April 2022
  12. "The best podcasts of 2016" Archived 2021-08-06 at the Wayback Machine The New Statesman Retrieved 06 August 2021
  13. "The best comedy and drama podcasts" Archived 2021-08-06 at the Wayback Machine Daily Telegraph Retrieved 06 August 2021
  14. "Fiction podcasts to get lost in" Archived 2021-08-06 at the Wayback Machine New York Times Retrieved 06 August 2021
  15. "30 Best Podcasts for Road Trips to Make the Miles Fly By" Archived 2021-08-06 at the Wayback Machine Reader's Digest Retrieved 06 August 2021
  16. "The Audio Verse Awards Celebrates the Best in Audio Drama" Archived 2021-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Forbes Retrieved 11 August 2021
  17. "Ghosts, Serial Killers, and 3 Other Podcasts You Should Scare Up This Week" Archived 2021-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Wired Retrieved 11 August 2021
  18. "How podcasting is having a major revival with new audio productions of The X-Files and Doctor Who" Archived 2021-08-11 at the Wayback Machine The Independent Retrieved 11 August 2021
  19. "2016 Winners" Archived 2021-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Audio Verse Awards Retrieved 05 August 2021
  20. "2017 Winners" Archived 2021-10-05 at the Wayback Machine British Podcast Awards Retrieved 05 August 2021
  21. "2018 Winners" Archived 2021-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Audio Verse Awards Retrieved 05 August 2021
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