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WOODEN OVERCOATS

Reference = The Bright Sessions

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

Plot
Stubborn undertaker Rudyard Funn runs his family's funeral parlour, which has fallen on hard times. His situation is further complicated by 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 needs to do what he can to ensure his business survives.

Chapman's company is modern and innovative, and is endorsed by Piffling Vale's mayor, who believes that the village can only 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 Rudyard’s pet mouse.

Cast and characters

 * Belinda Lang as Madeleine
 * Felix Trench as Rudyard Funn
 * Beth Eyre as Antigone Funn
 * Ciara Baxendale as Georgie Crusoe
 * Andy Secombe as Reverend Wavering
 * Caroline Quentin as Madame Lansbury Manning
 * Steve Hodson as Mayor Desmond (Season 1)
 * Sean Baker as Mayor Desmond (Season 2 onwards)
 * Hugh Fraser as Roger Noggins
 * Paul Putner as Sid Marlowe
 * Andy Hamilton as Herbert Cough
 * Kieran Hodgson as Serge
 * Max Olesker as Seymour Profitte
 * Julia Deakin as Nana Crusoe
 * Thom Tuck as Captain Scott Sodbury
 * Jason Forbes as Baz
 * Phil Wang as Wez
 * Ben Norris as Miles Fahrenheit
 * Katy Manning as Bijou
 * Alison Skilbeck as Agatha Doyle
 * Elle McAlpine as Marjorie

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.

Much of the series is recorded in a repurposed music studio. Narration is recorded in an audiobook studio and there are also scenes recorded on-location.

Reception
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. The series also won a silver award in the British Podcast Awards 2017 for Best Fiction Podcast.