Spark - True Stories Live

1994, Birmingham. University student Navreet takes an impromptu detour and ends up in fear for her life. From June 2012, when the theme was 'Lifesaver.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At a special event last weekend we celebrated the launch of the National Trust's Soho Stories app (available from all good App Stores) at Foyles Bookshop. Clayton Littlewood told this story of his time living in Soho, based on his new book 'Goodbye to Soho'. WARNING - as you'd expect, the story contains very graphic sexual language. This one's not for hearing with the kids about!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Glen has been invited on an old friend's stag weekend. Humbled, he sets off on an adventure to rediscover his youth - but has everyone grown up a little too much? From June 2012, when the theme was Lifesaver. Spark London is heading to the Edinburgh Festivals. For more details, go to our new Facebook page: facebook.com/sparklondon.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Maggie told this wonderful true story at the Canal Cafe Theatre earlier this month. We'll be in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival this August - why not drop by and join us? Details can be found here. This month's podcasts were recorded by Dave Pickering. You can thank him for his fine work by subscribing to his podcast Getting Better Acquainted. (It really is very good)  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To look cool at school, Alisdair has only one option: lose his virginity, and fast. This is the story of how it happened. Oh, and Alistair says the odd swearword plus, as you'd expect, talks about sex. Obviously. From May 2012's open mic night at the Brixton Ritzy, where the theme was 'Winning.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We made it! This is our 100th edition of the podcast - which coincides with a year of open-mic events at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton. So as a double celebration, here's a double bill from our most recent night. Thank you for listening to our stories over the past three years. We hope to keep entertaining you for another hundred...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jo told this story at our open-mic night in Brixton. When she moves in with her Gran in London as a teenager, she has to cope with her pet chihuahua's bathroom habits.... Apologies for the audio fault right at the start of the story - a glitch meant we had to rely on our EMERGENCY BACK-UP SYSTEM. Yes - we have one.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Late last month we had another successful night at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, where ordinary folks stepped up and told stories of 'Pets.' This is one such story, by Sophie. If you're interested in telling a story, please do get in touch: info@sparklondon.com. Oh, and we're doing something at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. Just thought you might like to know that. More details soon...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we welcome back Andy Bodle with open arms, with his true story on the theme, Back From The Brink. We have some great events coming up on the themes of 'Winning', 'Life Savers' and 'Family Holidays'. Think you have something that fits? Email us at sparklondon@gmail.com.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eddie has set his sights on being Salesman of the Month - and has the new contract to prove it. All he has to do is get it to the office... From April 2012, where the theme was 'Back from the Brink.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tori was only in the UK for a couple of weeks on vacation, and still found time to drop in to the Canal Cafe and tell this story. Recorded in March 2012, when the theme was 'Change.'  We've two Spark London events in April; in Little Venice the theme is 'Back from the Brink' and in Brixton it's 'Pets'. We'll have the best stories to share with you here, so stay subscribed... and spread the word! For more on our monthly lives events, visit sparklondon.com/events.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When he was young, Ben moves with his parents from Britain to the Caribbean. As with anyone moving to a new school, it's tough to fit in. But then Ben has an interesting idea... From March 2012 at the Canal Cafe Theatre, where the theme was 'Change.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David is going backpacking and his dad offers him a lift to the station. Will this be the moment for a genuine heart-to-heart? And will David be able to cope? From March 2012, when the theme was 'Change'. Got the storytelling bug? We're running a workshop on the 17th March at the Canal Cafe Theatre - check out our website for more details.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Life is, they say, a series of lessons - some of which, when Max's dad are involved, are crueler than others. Max tells us how he came to turn the tables. From February 2012, when the theme was 'The Unexpected.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Julie is something to Spark royalty here at Spark London; she performed more than any other storyteller, each time with something new from a long and adventurous life. And she shows no signs of stopping: this month she won silver for Best Comedy Newcomer at the Silver Comedy Festival 2012. This is another of her finest, from April 2010, when the theme was 'Home.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Deborah's story has a twist to it - and one that threatens her dream of competing in the Olympics. Warning: this ep ontains some strong language at a rather loud volume. Probably not ideal for the school run, which is why we've decided to put it out at half term... You're welcome. If you have a story, please do get in touch. We're celebrating one year at the Brixton Ritzy next week (20th Feb) and we'd love you to join us. Details at sparklondon.com.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're back - and with some more fresh-faced true storytellers for you to enjoy. When David was young, he was taken to a party hosted by Richard Branson. That should be the story. It isn't. From February 2012, where the theme was 'The Unexpected.' Our theme music, incidentally*, is by Dan Weltman, a wonderful composer who you should really have a listen to. Find out more at his website: danielweltman.com. * Intended joke. Apologies.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Continuing our special season of favourite storytellers, Gigi Hanna returns to the pod with another story. Curious as to how her parents met, Gigi investigates her Egyptian roots and discovers just how close she came to being an entirely different person... From October 2010, when the theme was Saints and Sinners.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Locked out of the house by his wife, Radcliffe falls into a world of drugs and crime that betrays his education, reaching rock bottom in this remarkable true story from our archives. We recorded this story live in June 2010 during our residency at the Blue Elephant Theatre, who we send our humble thanks. Hey - in other news, did you see we're one of the most listened-to podcasts on Mixcloud, for the second year running? Not bad eh? Next show's on 6th Feb at the Canal Cafe Theatre. Come on down and see what we do live!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Handpicked by the Spark London team, this is another of our favourite storytellers from over the years. Jacqueline is in love with a guy and there's only one problem; he's a student and she's a member of the college staff. From June 2010 and our week-long season at the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell. The theme of the night was 'Animal Magnetism'.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.