The Offcuts Drawer is a new podcast created and presented by actress and comedian Laura Shavin (from Radio 4’s The Now Show), in which successful writers share pieces of work that never made it and the stories behind them.

It is aimed at anyone who enjoys literature, drama or comedy, and finding out more about the people and processes that create them.

The original plan was to record in front of an audience, with actors performing the offcuts on stage alongside the writer being interviewed. So the pilot episode has comedy writer and radio presenter Jon Holmes sharing the highs and lows of his varied career, with clips performed by comedian Alex Lowe, impressionist Keith Wickham, and Radio 4 Drama stalwarts Chris Pavlo and Rachel Atkins.

But then Covid struck and plans for future theatre shows had to be shelved. Subsequent lockdown episodes feature:

• -  romantic novelist and Dr Who writer Jenny Colgan,

• -  Emmy award-winning comedy writer David Quantick,

• -  actress and writer Arabella Weir

• -  stand up comedian Simon Evans

• -  best-selling thriller writer and former stand up Mark Billingham

• -  writer, comedian and actress Katherine Jakeways

• -  comedy writer and producer Bill Dare

• -  writer, comedian and actress Emma Kennedy

  To hear the show and find out more about the writers and actors, click here.