Ghost Huns are set for their live Halloween show

Written by: Kat Mokrynski
Published: Saturday 26th October 2024

Ghost Huns, hosted by Hannah Byczkowski and Suzie Preece, is a podcast in which the two women "bring their special blend of humour and the supernatural together". Here we chat with Byczkowski and Preece about Ghost Huns, particularly their upcoming Halloween show at Bush Hall. They talk about the origins of the podcast, how they balance the silly and the scary and some of their favourite spooky stories.

So starting with a bit of a general question, how did you each first get started in the world of comedy?

Suzie: My mates told me to do it, and it took me two or three years to work up the courage to do a five-minute gig. I was an actor before, and then I just went into it because I enjoyed it more than Shakespeare! So, yeah, haven't stopped since, really.

Hannah: I had a midlife crisis when I turned thirty. It was like, "I don't want to just go to work anymore", and decided, "Yeah, I'll just give it a go!" And then it spirals out of control, really. But we were quite late to the game, weren't we, I suppose?

Suzie: We're not spring chickens!

Hannah: Loads of people started when they were like, eighteen, and I'm like, "Oh no, that would have been horrific!" You just don't care when you're over thirty. "Oh, a rubbish gig? Whatever. Not bothered."

Suzie: I wish I could be like, "Yeah, I don't mind about the rubbish gigs!" [Laughs]

Hannah: I care far less than I would when I was eighteen.

Suzie: Yeah, that's true!

Can you tell us a bit about how Ghost Huns was created?

Hannah: It was at a brunch! [Laughs] We got drunk and decided we both like spooky things, and then, as you do every time you're out with any friend, you're like, "We should definitely start a podcast!" We booked a studio while we were drunk and then we couldn't really go back on it! We did the first episode, and we're like, "Oh, there's something here!"

Suzie: Yeah! We did a pilot to see if it was any good. We drank a bottle of Prosecco, didn't we, at your old flat?

Hannah: Of course! I forgot all about that.

Suzie: We listened to it back and we were like, "Haven't got a clue whether this is any good!"

Hannah: And the theme has carried on. Really, it's just me and Suzie shouting at each other over a table and cackling, but people seem to enjoy it!

Can you tell us a bit about what goes into making an episode of Ghost Huns?

Hannah: My Google search history is really weird, because we've started writing our own stories for the pod! I'm staying at my parents' house on my own, which is really haunted, and I've got to write a ghost story. It's not good for you! There's a bit of that, and then we have to try and find ways of contacting the dead. And this is always a problem. If anyone in my family gets murdered and the police get a hold of my laptop, I am fucked!

Suzie: [Laughs] Yeah, yeah. And we also get listener stories in and they're true, creepy stories. There's a segment in the podcast called "Creep of the Week" and I find those the most fascinating ones, because people everywhere are haunted - it's really creepy! We get about seven or eight stories a day from all over the world and we can't keep up with it - everyone's got a ghost story!

Hannah: Everyone's desperate to tell it as well, which is nice.

Suzie: So it's got to be true, right? If you get that many stories...

And what was it like bringing the podcast live to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this past August?

Suzie: Well, we are still tired! [Laughs]

Hannah: That is true! I'm still exhausted, even though it was fun.

Suzie: Our show ended at midnight, so it was this camp countdown, like, "The spirits will come at midnight!" And then we had this mad ending. It was really fun because we had not just people who listened to the pod, but people who had no idea what they were walking into.

Hannah: It was obvious, looking out into the audience, which was which!

Suzie: I think we scared people. I think we made people laugh.

Hannah: Oh, yeah, it was very scary! It was fun.

What is it like recording a normal version of the podcast in the studio versus doing it live?

Hannah: There's a lot more preparation! [Laughs] It was quite hard at first, because we're both comedians. We're used to going into a room and making people laugh - or at least that being the goal. Every thirty seconds, you need to be getting a big laugh out of people. We needed to strike the balance between it being scary and it being funny. We've definitely managed it now, but that initially felt very normal to go into the studio and just chat, and then the funnies would come when they'd come. But being live, it was like, "Oh God, how are we going to cope being on stage telling a scary story without people laughing?" We got there in the end!

Suzie: And it's quite nice, the feedback you get, like if a particular bit is scary in a story, and then when you do it live, people go, "Oh!" Or "Ooh . . ." Or "Oh my God!" I love that. It's so panto - everything we do is the campiest thing in the world. But it is fun getting the feedback from the stories. Because Hannah and I in the studio, we're like, "I don't know!"

So you said that you're balancing a mix of the scary and silly. How do you find that balance?

Hannah: I think they both go hand in hand. I really want ghosts to be real. I don't think they are, but I'd really love ghosts to be real. We're constantly doing ghost hunts for our Patreon, and I'd just love, one time, to see something that is obviously paranormal. But I don't think it is, and I think a lot of people out there don't think it is, so we can't really take these stories too seriously. We take the ones of our listeners seriously, because that's their story, and we want to respect that. But the stories that we read on the pod, you just have to laugh at it, because that's a way of pleasing everyone. We're not completely "woo, woo" about ghosts or anything like that - we do see the funny side, so it means that there's a bit there for everyone.

Suzie: And I think it helps that, because we're friends, we're trying to make the other person laugh. That dynamic is the reason why it makes it lighter, because there is obviously a very serious element to all of this. There's a lot of dark stories out there, but it's just two mates pissing about in a studio. In a way, I don't really know what that is. I think we just get on - we're very silly people and we just like ghosts!

You're bringing Ghost Huns Live to Bush Hall on Halloween. What is that going to be like?

Hannah: We can't give too much away, but there's twists, there's turns, there's jump scares, there's huge laughs, there's some really good stories, there's special guests, there's probably going to be potions and hexes and various different things. We're really pulling out all the stops!

Suzie: And the actual venue's haunted, so we're going to delve into that a little bit and talk about the history of the building. It's really cool! Vaulted Victorian ceilings and chandeliers, and there's going to be candles. It's your ultimate Halloween experience. You've got to come!

Do you have any favorite stories from doing almost 100 episodes of this podcast?

Suzie: Mine, it still is Lynn in Episode 1. There's this mad woman who peeps out at her boyfriend around the house, and he catches her peeking at him. She collects eyeballs and hides in closets... The whole thing escalates and it is the maddest story we've ever read. Lynn's become this almost mascot of the pod. We just happened to just read that out on the first one, and she's become famous amongst our fans - everyone's like, "Oh my God, it's Lynn!" So yeah, that one is a highlight. It'd be hard to beat Lynn!

And do you have any recommendations for people looking to go ghost hunting in London?

Hannah: There's loads of places! We've been to a couple of pubs, one of them's called The Viaduct Tavern; that's supposed to be really haunted.

Suzie: There's a load of old pubs on Fleet Street; Punch Tavern and stuff. My recommendation would be to go down Fleet Street, go in, get a pint, and just speak to the staff and be like, "Are there any ghosts?" Nine times out of ten, someone will be like, "Yes! I was changing the kegs and something happened..." There's a place called The Grenadier in Hyde Park. It's really hidden away - you wouldn't know about it unless you Googled it - it's properly down a little cobbled alley. It's a really cute old pub and they've got so many good stories! There's apparently one ghost that you need to give him an offering of cash, which feels like a Ponzi scheme, like, "How very convenient! The ghost requires cash" [Laughs] But, yeah, it's really good. I recommend finding that, because you feel like you've found a little hidden gem.

What do you hope audiences take away from Ghost Huns?

Hannah: It'd just be nice for them to feel like their Halloween thirst was satiated, really. We haven't got enough stuff going on in the UK. October is my favourite month, not just for ghosts or anything like that, but there's pumpkin patches now, which is a bit of a half-assed attempt. There's not nearly enough things going on, so I just want people to feel like they've done Halloween and we've done them a good service.

Suzie: And have a laugh, because ultimately, it's a comedy podcast. If they're not laughing, we haven't done our job. So hopefully, it's going to be very silly and very fun.

And finally, how would you describe Ghost Huns in one word?

Suzie: Camp!

Hannah: Chaotic.

Ghost Huns Live: Halloween Special is on 31st October at Bush Hall. Tickets

More information & listen to the podcasts