We produce timeless podcasts
popping with improbable connections
and human stories
Our values
Like you, Aunt Nell is beautiful and complicated.
By human stories, we mean that our podcasts aim to include everyone, in the tales we tell and how we produce them. We uncover colourful stories you can hear next door, stories that feel like you.
Our timeless podcasts sparkle with wit and queer allure, sashaying from night to day, and day to night. They are filled with the improbable connections between histories and bodies, feelings and fire.
Our promise
Aunt Nell promises to create human connections through our podcasts, to open our listeners’ eyes through colourful audio.
We promise our partners and collaborators to help them make sparkling podcasts that they could not make alone.
And we promise each other, as producers, to listen, to be honest, and to work with integrity.
We love repeat collaborations, generating fresh energy from the combination of skills, interests and attitudes. This is how we build a community around our podcasts.
Who we are
Aunt Nell is an independent production company built around
a joint promise: to listen, and to keep you listening.
Aunt Nell was founded in 2021 by
Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, who all identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Today, the company directors are Tash and Adam, and they work closely with a growing network of other producers and collaborators including our co-founder Shiv.
Within the company and our network we have a wide range of experience from journalism in print, broadcast and online,
to radio DJing, music promotion, podcast production, and theatre.
Tash Walker
she/they
Co-director and co-founder
Tash is an energetic community organiser, who has sat on charity boards for over 8 years including Switchboard - the LGBT+ Helpline. She is co-founder and presenter of Get In Her Ears, a collective that supports women and non-binary people in music with a show on Soho Radio.
t: @TashWalker85
ig:
@TashWalker85
Adam Zmith
he/him
Co-director and co-founder
Adam is the writer among us, having authored a book about the history of the drug poppers, stage shows, short films, and several unpublishable novels. He is a former journalist and audience engagement editor at The Economist. He relies on Tash for beer recommendations.
t: @AdamZmith
ig: @Adam.Zmith
w:
adamzmith.com
We've worked with
What we make
Our productions
Awards and honours
Works in progress
Aunt Nell is working on a new series in partnership with Queer Britain, the nation's LGBTQ+ history museum, funded by Mindsets and Missions.
Plus developing some of our own productions. Watch this space...
Also by our team
About the podcasts we make
Aunt Nell makes podcasts indepedently and in partnership. Our directors also make audio work outside of Aunt Nell. We're developing several exciting new podcasts in partnership with some amazing organisations and individuals. When they launch, they will be added here.
We've made several podcasts in partnership with charities: our director Adam was interviewed about how our productions help to boost charities' comms and fundraising on the Fundraising Bright Spotspodcast.
Sing It Pink is "a lovely series and a history that definitely needs telling", wrote Miranda Sawyer in The Guardian. It's a rich documentary series about the remarkable history of the oldest LGBTQ+ choir in Europe, made in partnership with The Pink Singers.
Queer Roots and Routes is a co-production with The Love Tank and a collective of queer migrant men, including nonbinary people raised as men, and those descended from migrants — telling stories of where we've come from, and how we move in the world today.
Our series Black And Gay Back In The Day brings to life a photo archive of Black LGBTQIA+ life in Britain from the 1970s through to the early 2000s. This 10-part series was made in partnership with Marc Thompson, Jason Okundaye, Gaydio and the Audio Content Fund. Featured in The Guardian, Financial Times and Metro.
Our directors / co-founders have also produced The Film We Can't See for BBC Sounds and She Said, They Said in partnership with Mermaids UK.
Before we founded Aunt Nell, together we made The Log Books podcast, telling untold stories from Britain’s LGBTQ+ history through a unique archive dating back to 1974.
The Log Books won Best New Podcast (Gold) at the British Podcast Awards in 2020 and has been received with wide critical acclaim and 5* ratings.
Transcripts
Queer Roots And Routes
Black And Gay, Back In The Day
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
View the transcript as text or as a PDF here .
Talks
Hire us for a talk!
We’re experienced speakers and panellists, focused on using stories to open minds and make the world more inclusive.
We can talk about:
- LGBTQ+ history, using the unique archives and interviews from our podcasts The Log Books, and Black And Gay, Back In The Day
- Improving workplace diversity and inclusion through learning about LGBTQ+ history
- How we make timeless podcasts that are alive with human stories
We talk at podcast conferences and events, and we've been hired to speak to a range of organisations in the private, public and charity sectors, including:
We’re available for:
- LGBTQ+ History Month, every February in the UK
- Pride month, every June in the UK
- Your staff LGBTQ+ network event
- Any panel event or talk throughout the year
Testimonials:
“Adam and Tash came to speak at an organisational event for LGBT History month event in 2021. The care and attention they took to sharing such powerful and rich histories made for an incredible session. The stories and reflections that this prompted staff to share from their own lives and experiences really brought the staff team together in a wonderful way – and created the safe space needed for these stories to be shared. Thoroughly recommend!”
—Francesca Nyman, The Children’s Society
"The Log Books talk was inspiring, moving and compelling.
It was helpful and meaningful to link historical LGBT+ struggles with current issues, nicely balance with tales of celebration and joy.
Highly recommended for health and social care staff, third sector organisations, commissioners and frankly anyone!"
—NHS (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust)
"Adam and Tash delivered a truly enlightening and engaging talk on LGBTQ+ history in Britain. Their knowledge and passion for the subject was evident throughout the presentation, and they expertly intertwined historical facts with personal anecdotes from The Log Books to make the material both informative and entertaining. The team left the talk feeling not only more educated about the subject, but also inspired by the progress that has been made and the work that still needs to be done. Almost a year later, colleagues still talk about how great it was and everything they learnt. Overall, it was a truly enlightening experience and I would highly recommend Adam and Tash to anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of LGBTQ+ history."
—Klaviyo
“Adam and Tash, through the podcast (a must listen for people from the community and allies alike) and through their talk, bring to life the incredible history, experiences, and lives of LGBTQI+ people with the stories of the Switchboard archive.
So much of it is relevant to the experiences of today and understanding the battles that needed to be fought, and that still need to be fought, to achieve true equality and inclusion. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will learn.”
—The Pensions Regulator
Contact us
to ask us about your event!
Contact us
We’re open!
Drop us a line to talk about a potential podcast or collaboration.
You can contact us on:
tash@auntnell.com
adam@auntnell.com
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Photographs by Robert Workman, courtesy of Robert Workman Archive
