A Crosby man was inspired to create an award-winning podcast after being left feeling “humiliated”.
Graeme Smith, the brains behind the OUTCAST UK podcast, “realised attitudes weren’t going in the right direction” after he was subjected to homophobic slurs while walking his dog in Newsham Park. Wanting to make a change the 36-year-old wondered how he “could do even just a small thing” to contribute to the debate on LGBTQ+ issues in a positive way.
What was born out of Graeme’s brainstorm was an award-winning podcast which has resonated with millions of people through social media already. The podcast producer told the ECHO: “Off the back of lockdown we began to see LGBTQ+ hate crime on the rise in Liverpool and we know this was scary at times for those of us who live and work here and are out as LGBTQ+. But this was a national issue also.
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“One day after being on the receiving end of a homophobic slur - for the first time in Liverpool since growing up in the 90s - just out walking my dog in Newsham Park, I realised attitudes weren’t always going in the right direction. Being on the receiving end of some abuse did make me realise there was work to be done. When I got home, I was torn between feeling a bit pathetic and helpless and also really angry. It took me back to bullying as a kid to be honest and lead to me doing a lot of thinking. It was how casually I was humiliated, just minding my own business, out with my dog. It's not happened since I was a teenager and it took me right back.”
Having the last laugh, Graeme created a podcast which focuses on LGBTQ+ issues and draws on his own experiences of issues, such as homophobia, addiction and mental health, first-hand. Directed towards a Gen-Z audience, Graeme “set out to make a different kind of podcast", one that he says features different voices compared to other podcasts.
The former St Edwards College, West Derby, student said: “We hit the brief by bringing the real stories from parts of the community that don’t always get a voice. We let people be their uncensored authentic selves and bring a bite to stories that can feel dry in the mainstream media coverage. Complex issues need human emotion and humour to bring them to life.”
Graeme claims OUTCAST UK prides itself on putting “black, trans, HIV -positive perspectives right at the storytelling” and despite only being in its first series, it has already been listened to by almost two million Tik Tok users. He added: “We used Tik Tok to take the stand-out moments from the podcast and allow people to see these perspectives who might not normally engage with podcasts and the social media response was literally overwhelming. Discussions raged underneath in the comments on our videos, with a young and diverse audience showing support for the perspectives we brought and often trying to educate any of the trolls.”
The first six episodes of the podcast accumulated over 120,000 likes, and around 400 comments and were shared almost 400 times. However, Graeme’s podcast success doesn’t end there as it recently won a top award at the prestigious British Podcast Awards in London.
The politics and history graduate, who acts as a one-man production team, was up against the might of podcasting giants including the BBC and Spotify. Those judging the awards said: “A truly inclusive show, delivered with honesty, exuberance, and charm, by a presenter who welcomed listeners with their guests’ absorbing life stories. There was no doubt the guests felt safe and heard. We could have listened for hours.”
Hosts included Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, who presented awards to the best podcasts in the UK of the last year, including the podcast Champion Award for the late Dame Deborah James whose parents collected her award. Graeme added: "I am lost for words that something I made on my own in the garage with a handful of amazing guests has made such an impact. I'm feeling pretty blessed. I’m so happy not just for me but actually mainly for the fact LGBTQ+ stories and perspectives like this can be told authentically and be recognised.”
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