Nine years ago this week, I launched the Please Don't Hug Me podcast with Micky Boyd. It was hard going in terms of having to learn how to edit and most of those early shows were recorded from the hotel I was living in for almost half a year. 500 podcast and radio shows later, I can look back and say that apart from the live Resonance FM era of Daniel Ruiz Tizon is Available, the early Please Don't Hug Me episodes were probably the most fun I've had making a podcast.
So many people are making podcasts now which is great, but so many underestimate just how much work it takes to put them together which is why after a few weeks, even shows by big names can be intermittent. It's a lot of work which is why I stopped making them so that I could focus on more important projects, but I'll always look back with affection at the early Please Don't Hug Me episodes, even with all its Micky-heavy features, The Boydie Beautiful, Ask Boydie, etc and let's not forget, the hugely competitive Toilet Bingo.
We were fortunate to have some good co-presenters on board too. Stuart Armstrong, Roisin Rae, Clay Lowe, Brooks Livermore, Fiona Hardingham, John Rain, Alan Mitchell, The Chin (who wrecked episodes 51 and 52 which never aired). We had Grant Static behind the artwork and a memorable theme tune from the brilliant and lamented by me Keyboard Choir.
I hope I haven't forgotten anyone.
It was all new and exciting and a big learning curve. And of course, though it was a tiny audience, we had some brilliant and very funny listeners who bought into whatever it was we were trying to do and became a big part of the show. As much as they might’ve looked forward to Thursdays for the next PDHM episode, we looked forward to hearing from them.
All 55 episodes are available here on this website.
