16 episodes

A podcast all about fiction, storytelling, and narratives, and the way they change and shape us. Each episode we interview a fellow creative about three pieces of media that have inspired or influenced them personally or creatively. Hosted by Abbi Ruggles and Rory Doherty.

Contact us with questions on thestoriesthatmakeus@gmail.com, including inquiries about being a guest!

The Stories That Make Us Abbi and Rory

    • Arts
    • 4.5 • 4 Ratings

A podcast all about fiction, storytelling, and narratives, and the way they change and shape us. Each episode we interview a fellow creative about three pieces of media that have inspired or influenced them personally or creatively. Hosted by Abbi Ruggles and Rory Doherty.

Contact us with questions on thestoriesthatmakeus@gmail.com, including inquiries about being a guest!

    Final Fantasy 6, Whisper of the Heart, and The Adventure Zone, with Ben Ingham

    Final Fantasy 6, Whisper of the Heart, and The Adventure Zone, with Ben Ingham

    Abbi & Rory are joined by video game journalist Ben Ingham to talk about the media that inspired him. We talk about Final Fantasy 6 and what about it made Ben fall in love with video game RPGs, Whisper of the Heart and why Rory needs to catch up on Studio Ghibli movies, and The Adventure Zone and what makes it such a compelling Dungeon & Dragons podcast. 

    You can find Ben on twitter @DukeOfBenIngham

    *** 

    ***

    You can find Rory on twitter @roryhasopinions

    You can find Abbi on twitter @abbiruggles

    And you can find the podcast on Twitter or Instagram @thestoriescast or email us at thestoriesthatmakesus@gmail.com

    ***

    The music for the show is composed and played by Ben Ruggles.

    Thanks for listening!

    • 49 min
    The Last of Us Part 2, Atlanta, and American Beauty, with Aaron Bayne

    The Last of Us Part 2, Atlanta, and American Beauty, with Aaron Bayne

    Abbi & Rory are joined by video game journalist Aaron Bayne to chat about the media that has inspired his career, from the emotional twists and turns of The Last of Us Part 2, the uniqueness of Atlanta, to American Beauty and if it's possible to separate the art from the artist, we cover a lot of ground! 

    Find Aaron on twitter @WatchTypePlay. 

    The episode of his documentary series where he talks about The Last of Us Part 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yiy3i5XIvpCnlwQnapx32?si=P3Gh0o8ERiaCkrxDy65I2g

    And his BBC The Social gaming videos: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08d57wl

    *** 

    You can find Rory on twitter @roryhasopinions

    You can find Abbi on twitter @abbiruggles

    And you can find the podcast on Twitter or Instagram @thestoriescast or email us at thestoriesthatmakesus@gmail.com

    ***

    The music for the show is composed and played by Ben Ruggles.

    Thanks for listening!

    • 57 min
    Mary Poppins, The Secret History, and Game of Thrones with Daisy Treloar

    Mary Poppins, The Secret History, and Game of Thrones with Daisy Treloar

    Abbi & Rory are joined by freelance arts and culture writer Daisy Treloar to chat about growing up with Mary Poppins, reading The Secret History and Daisy's own experiences at university, and the different ways the Game of Thrones franchise inspired her love of fantasy books, TV, and video games! We also chat about guilty pleasures, player choice in video games, and our thoughts on the Game of Thrones ending. 

    You can find Daisy on twitter @daisytreloar and her Julie Andrews Pinterest board is here: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/daisytreloar/and-snap-the-jobs-a-game/

    *** 

    You can find Rory on twitter @roryhasopinions

    You can find Abbi on twitter @abbiruggles

    And you can find the podcast on Twitter or Instagram @thestoriescast or email us at thestoriesthatmakesus@gmail.com

    ***

    The music for the show is composed and played by Ben Ruggles.

    Thanks for listening!

    • 57 min
    ET, Doctor Who, and The Boat That Rocked, with Alex Gilston

    ET, Doctor Who, and The Boat That Rocked, with Alex Gilston

    For our first episode of season 2, Abbi and Rory are joined by presenter and film critic Alex Gilston as we take a journey through the media that inspired his career ambitions. From his love of films that started with ET, to how Doctor Who made him want to work in television, and finishing with why The Boat That Rocked made him fall in love with the idea of radio. We also talk about celebrities we've met, jobs that probably aren't as cool as they seem on screen, and our feelings about different eras of Doctor Who. 

    You can find Alex on Twitter and Instagram @PresenterAlex 

    Alex's podcast The Rank List can be found here: https://linktr.ee/theranklist

    And you can listen to Alex's radio show every Sunday from 2pm-3pm here: https://www.boltonfm.com/shows/film-on-sunday

    ***

    You can find Rory on twitter @roryhasopinions

    You can find Abbi on twitter @abbiruggles

    And you can find the podcast on Twitter or Instagram @thestoriescast or email us at thestoriesthatmakesus@gmail.com

    ***

    The music for the show is composed and played by Ben Ruggles.

    Thanks for listening!

    • 43 min
    Life on Mars, Tomb Raider 2, and Hunky Dory, with Daryl Baxter

    Life on Mars, Tomb Raider 2, and Hunky Dory, with Daryl Baxter

    In episode 12 Abbi & Rory chat to editor, author, and podcaster Daryl Baxter! We cover the BBC classic Life on Mars, Tomb Raider 2, and Daryl's favourite Bowie album, Hunky Dory. Along the way we chat to Daryl about his journey with writing and games, the way nostalgia is affecting games and other media, and the joy of good music to keep us motivated. 

    Daryl is the acting editor of Stealth Optional which you can find here: www.stealthoptional.com
    His podcast PALKEYS can be found here: @palkeyspodcast
    And Daryl can be found on twitter here: @darylbaxter 

    *** 

    You can find Rory on twitter @roryhasopinions

    You can find Abbi on twitter @abbiruggles

    And you can find the podcast on Twitter or Instagram @thestoriescast or email us at thestoriesthatmakesus@gmail.com

    ***

    The music for the show is composed and played by Ben Ruggles.

    Thanks for listening!

    • 51 min
    Dawn of the Dead, Uzumaki, and Silent Hill 2, with Olly Smith

    Dawn of the Dead, Uzumaki, and Silent Hill 2, with Olly Smith

    In episode 11, Abbi & Rory chat to video game journalist and EIC of New Game+ Olly Smith! For an episode not about Tracy Beaker, we talk about Tracy Beaker a lot but also manage to cover Olly's three picks! This is one for fans of horror as we take a look at Dawn of the Dead and how it still holds up as a zombie movie today, the creepy, dread-inducing Uzumaki, and why Silent Hill 2 is still one of the great video games ever made. 

    You can find Olly on twitter: @OllyWrites

    You find New Game+ on twitter: @NewGamePlus_UK or their website www.newgameplus.co.uk

    *** 

    You can find Rory on twitter @roryhasopinions

    You can find Abbi on twitter @abbiruggles

    And you can find the podcast on Twitter or Instagram @thestoriescast or email us at thestoriesthatmakesus@gmail.com

    ***

    The music for the show is composed and played by Ben Ruggles.

    Thanks for listening!

    • 52 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
4 Ratings

4 Ratings

dustyloops ,

just great

really funny, lovely hosts, just great listening overall 10/10 definitely recommend

daisytreloar ,

Love it!

A brilliant series of funny, incisive, and personal conversations about the narratives that never leave us. Bravo Abbi and Rory!

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