★★★★
It has become a bit of a joke that nearly everything has a podcast, from rewatching Neighbours to reviews of favourite breakfast cereals. And with the production of Podcastery (is that a word?) now so ubiquitous, they can feel as overproduced and as lifeless as a British Library Audio Tour. Luckily Colin Hoult’s newest podcast is the complete opposite, and I hope he takes it as a compliment. Hoult has built a metaphorical Starship that takes us into the Neuroverse, and it is often a chaotic, unpredictable, funny place.
Hoult’s diagnosis of ADHD and openness about his Neurodiversity in The Death of Anna Mann at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe led to him winning our first ADHD Comedy Award. Since then, his own understanding of being an atypical neurotype has extended to him pursuing an autism diagnosis too. In the podcast, Hoult is at times very vulnerable but very much himself, something he says he rarely feels, relying so long on various masks and crutches, including Anna. There is a lot of depth to the podcast, not only funny but there are many important talking points too. In the opening episode he talks about ‘bad mantras’ those negative catchphrases that we can often hyper-fixate on that can take us to lonely and depressed places.
This isn’t a polished piece of work, it’s a work in progress, but its potential is very exciting. To have such a talented and funny performer dissect neurodivergence in this unique way, will lead to more connections and a wider community, and that is a brilliant thing.
