ByGandhinagar: Popular comedy podcast The Conversation Hat, known for its offbeat humor and intriguing guests, is set to release its final episode on December 29, this year. But fans needn’t despair, as the hosts are going out with a bang – a special year-in-review episode packed with highlights, blunders, and favorite moments from the past year.
They're quite right, you know, we are. https://t.co/tF8e99a0Th
— 🎙Conversation Hat Podcast🎙 (@ConvoHatPodcast) December 20, 2024
The Conversation Hat, brainchild of hosts Liam Taylor and Ben Pierson, began its journey eight years ago. Described as a “weekly chat show for geeks, artists and terrible people“, the show features Liam and Ben tackling a series of listener-submitted questions pulled from a hat. The format is simple yet effective, with the duo striving to answer as many questions as possible within their 40-minute time slot. Over the years, The Conversation Hat has evolved into a beloved platform for quirky discussions and comedic explorations, attracting a loyal following of listeners who enjoy the show’s unique blend of wit and absurdity.
The Origin story
But the true origin story of The Conversation Hat, as recounted in a mockumentary-style video on their YouTube channel, is far stranger and more hilarious than one might imagine. In this tongue-in-cheek retelling, Liam recounts the early days of the podcast’s conception, involving a third member, Steve, who was heavily into chaos magic:
“the conversation hat started in about 2015. me ben and steve had been talking for ages about doing some kind of comedy show steve at the time was really into chaos magic so rituals and sigils and stuff he was pretty sure he could use that to help guarantee our success i thought it was weird but who am i to say what works and what doesn’t so we let him get on with it”
The story takes a dark turn when Steve, in an attempt to harness the power of chaos magic for their comedic venture, seemingly explodes. Liam continues:
“a few weeks into writing we got a phone call from steve’s landlord steve had exploded to this day i’m still not clear on what steve was trying to do when we got to his apartment there was just human liquid everywhere and in the middle of it all was this hat i’m pretty sure it was a hat although it kind of hurt to look at it”
Amidst the aftermath of Steve’s unfortunate incident, they discover a hat – the very hat that would become the namesake and, seemingly, the driving force behind their podcast. Liam and Ben begin to hear a voice, not emanating from any physical source, but directly in their minds. They realize the hat is communicating with them:
“suddenly i started hearing this voice whispering to me i looked over at liam and i could tell that he could hear it as well at first i assumed it was steve in another room playing a big joke on us and then it sort of became clear that the voice wasn’t in the apartment it was just in our heads and i think me and ben we looked at each other and i think we realized at the same time it was this hat the hat was talking to us”
The hat’s cryptic demands and peculiar preferences lead to the creation of The Conversation Hat podcast. The mockumentary ends with a plea from Ben, revealing the slightly sinister nature of their hat-overlord:
“if the hat gets angry we all suffer you’ve no idea what it’s capable of please for the sake of humanity listen to the conversation hat podcast please i’m not getting paid you”
In the End
The year-end special promises to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane, revisiting some of the most memorable guests and conversations from the past twelve months. Fans can expect to hear snippets from interviews with international comedians like Riki Lindhome, Michelle Brasier, and Tez Ilyas. They’ll also get a glimpse into the world of Swamplesque, an ogre-inspired burlesque and drag parody, through an interview with its creator, Trigger Happy. And for music lovers, there will be highlights from the appearance of music YouTuber Tantacrul.
The special episode will also feature moments from Liam and Ben’s guest appearances on other podcasts, including Why This Film and BBC Sounds Essex. Listeners will get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of podcasting, as Liam and Ben share their insights on podcast marketing production and content marketing. And of course, no Conversation Hat retrospective would be complete without a nod to the show’s trademark technical mishaps, like the time Ben accidentally deleted an entire episode by tripping over a wire.
The decision to end the podcast comes after a period of significant growth for the show, spurred by the implementation of a regular recording schedule. This new approach allowed the team to produce more video content to promote the show, expanding its reach and attracting new listeners. However, this growth came with its own set of challenges, particularly when Ben moved to a different city.
Prior to 2024, the duo would record whenever they could squeeze in an hour, often rushing through episodes. The move forced them to adopt a more structured approach, booking recording spaces in advance and batch-recording four to six episodes in a single session. This shift resulted in a more polished and consistent product, making it easier to create video promos.
Liam reflects on their journey, while speaking to podcastingtoday.co.uk saying : “When you start any kind of project, particularly creative projects, the only advice out there is to ‘make it good’ and ‘be consistent’. But how do you actually do that? That was the question we wanted to answer in 2024.
“Ben moving to another city could have been a huge roadblock, but it actually worked out well. Up to 2024, we’d just grab any spare hour we could to record. Sometimes we’d be rushing and that would come across in the episode.
“Now we have to pick a day every month, book a recording space, and batch our episodes – usually between four and six in one sitting.
“This has meant we now have a consistent product that is easy to produce, and it’s easy to create video promos if we only have to set the cameras up once a month.”
While the curtain is closing on The Conversation Hat, fans can revisit the show’s extensive archive of episodes, each a treasure trove of offbeat humor and thought-provoking discussions. Here’s a glimpse into some of the topics tackled in previous episodes:
- Episode 223 “Farming was the crime, potatoes were the pyramid” (featuring Riki Lindhome): Explores the complexities of starting a pyramid scheme, designing flags, and navigating the world of fancy lifestyles.
- Episode 222 “Lovely flaps” (featuring Trigger from Swamplesque): Delves into vegetable identification, the joy of laughter, and the origins of Swamplesque.
- Episode 221 “I put the screw in the tuna”: Discusses historical epithets, the feeling of being “Top Gun”, and the mysterious case of the screw in the tuna.
- Episode 220 “Chad Wife”: Covers the essentials of spare clothes, the art of hiding creepy things around the house, and the ever-changing color of the sky.
- Episode 219 “Sticky Magic” (featuring Roman Armstrong): Explores the world of real magic, the art of accepting compliments, and more.
- Episode 218 “Estranged sock daddy”: Tackles the woes of hair loss, the horrors of sock discoveries, and low-effort political takes.
- Episode 217 “Mum, he made my poo brown”: Debates the merits of pens versus pencils, the acceptable number of cats one can own, and more.
- Episode 216 “Vomit Stories” (featuring Emily Slade): Discusses the intricacies of voice acting, the unpleasant experience of being sick on a train, and more.
- Episode 215 “AK-40 Cheesecake”: Ponders the presidential hatred for certain weekdays, the prospect of donating body parts to science, and the strength of mythical beasts.
- Episode 214 “George Costanza works too hard” (featuring Michelle Brasier): Grapples with the realities of aging, the fear of falling off a cliff, and the best type of egg.
- Episode 213 “I got a filling, oo-hoo” (featuring Roman Armstrong): Imagines a world without dishwashing, the allure of sticking fingers in places, and more.
The final episode of The Conversation Hat promises to be a fitting farewell to a show that has consistently entertained and engaged its listeners. While the hat may be hung up for good, the conversations it sparked will undoubtedly continue, echoing in the minds of its dedicated fanbase.
