The Offcuts Drawer is a podcast where successful writers share the contents of their bottom drawer – the bits of writing they never finished, had rejected or they just like to hold on to for nostalgic reasons. Actors perform these pieces and the writer chats to host Laura Shavin about the stories behind them.
Yes, that’s me, I’m Laura Shavin, the creator and presenter of this podcast. I’m an actress and voiceover who might be familiar to you if you listen to BBC radio comedy. (I’d like to think it’s my talent you remember but it’s more likely to be my name, which is unusual and sounds like the title of a very dull porn film.)
One Drawer Opens
In 2019 I came up with the idea for The Offcuts Drawer in an attempt to combat a slump in my voice acting career. I thought: I know some comedy writers. I have a voiceover studio. Maybe someone’s got a script lying around that they don’t need – a sketch or sitcom perhaps. I could work on it, perform it, try and turn it into a radio show. So I set about writing the pitch that would persuade writers – who I mainly don’t know that well if I’m honest – to spend an hour or two searching through their old material to do me the favour.
The Big Question
How could I incentivise them? I didn’t have any money to offer. Sure, there’s the possibility of creating something that gets commissioned so they’ll be rewarded eventually. But writers spend their lives listening to empty promises. And statements like “the exposure will help your career” don’t pay the rent.
So I thought “appeal to their vanity”, offer to do a whole show just about them, featuring only their scripts. Hell, maybe even interview them about it. Yeah, one episode per writer. So if nothing else they will have a sort of audio CV to show for it. And have answered questions about their process and career for half an hour or so. Might that be an attractive enough proposition to get them to spend a morning rummaging around for material for me..?
And the more I thought about it, the more I thought: actually, the voicing of these scripts doesn’t interest me nearly as much as the interviewing, and hearing the stories behind the ideas. The next thing you know The Offcuts Drawer was born, pretty much fully formed.
And the rest – please excuse the cliche but I’m not a writer – is history.
More About Laura
I’m a multi-award winning British actor, voiceover and comedian whose first of many TV appearances was in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. Currently I’m the Announcer on Channel 4’s new primetime show Tom Allen’s QUIZNESS and I’m playing vicar Maggie Roberts in the new radio soap opera Greenborne. Having worked a lot in radio comedy and drama I was a regular team member on The Now Show on Radio 4. I’ve also had 2 seasons of my own show on BBC Radio Essex and presented on national station talkRADIO. As a singer I was one third of comedy musical group Bellacappella who toured the world and supported The Chieftains at the Royal Festival Hall.
Originally I trained at drama school as an actor and went on to appear in several plays including 4 at the Royal National Theatre. Having also toured the UK as a stand-up comedian and impressionist much of my time today is taken up with voice overs for ad campaigns, corporate films and all sorts of audio projects. You may well have heard my work on radio, TV and online, as well as messaging systems for such companies as British Gas, Marks & Spencer and Computashare. I’m even the voice of certain lifts (or “elevators” if you’re from the US)!
For more information about my voice over work visit fvo1.com and you can follow me on Twitter where I’m @laurashav