A story of apocalypse, horror, and adventure, the Audible Original series Impact Winter has recently released its third season. Actors Ellie Bamber (who voices Willow) and David Gyasi (as Rook) took questions from t2 on the impact of their series and the popularity of non-visual storytelling.

What about Impact Winter first caught your attention and how have you seen the series evolve over three seasons?

Ellie Bamber: I thought the story Travis (Beacham, writer and director) crafted was one of intrigue and horror. When I listened to the first season, I was totally gripped and got all my friends on to it who were also terrified! I like dystopian narratives and the concept was a new take on a vampire tale. I love vampire tales! The twists were so exciting.
David Gyasi: Working with Travis (on the Prime Video series Carnival Row), I became an instant fan and find him to be one of the fiercest and most exciting world-builders out there. When the chance arose to work with him again, I jumped at it knowing that the project would be something intriguing and joyous! The multiple seasons have allowed us to delve deeper into the back stories of the characters and the dystopian landscape we find ourselves in.

What do you think makes the series so popular?

Ellie: Holliday (voiced by Darcy Dunraven) is amazing and the characters, even through this dystopian lens, feel relatable. The team makes the story feel vivid with their incredible production.
David: I think the writing, characters and timing. We recorded towards the end of the (pandemic) lockdown and people are perhaps, sadly, now more than ever, attuned to the idea of an apocalyptic situation. Then, of course, the storylines and characters. Maybe all those things combine to help with the traction.

What have you discovered about your voice and what you can leverage from it after working on this series?

Ellie: Travis and I worked on pushing my voice and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring how far I could take it. He would get us to explore crazy sound effects which was a giggle.
David: A good friend of mine always breaks down the word ‘reHEARsal’ and stresses how important it is to ‘hear’ words. I have always been interested in what is not spoken — movement, a look, a breath.... I think it has enhanced my respect for the voice, but I have also loved discovering the dynamism of this medium. Silence, breath and emotion are in play here.

Has voicing Impact Winter contributed to your craft, consciously or subliminally, in front of the camera?

Ellie: It has taught me how much I can really utilise my voice as a tool. I think about it a lot more now.
David: It has introduced new levels of play as well as voice control and gymnastics… some of those gut-wrenching screams though!

Why do you think that podcasts and other forms of non-visual storytelling are gaining so much popularity globally?

Ellie: It started to catch on during the pandemic but has gained traction now and people enjoy a different medium. It really stimulates your imagination.
David: The medium taps into areas of the human imagination which have been starved of stimulus for some time and perhaps that conscious/subconscious hunger is beginning to be fed.

If you had the chance to manifest a TV series/ film into an Audible Original, what would you pick?

Ellie: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I love the character of Sadie Green. I fell in love with that book.
David: Zone of Interest. I thought the soundscape for that was harrowingly poignant in reminding of the apathetic sleepwalking and numbness that must have existed in parts of Germany in the 1930s. In many ways, it serves as an alarm for dangers we face today! It would be fascinating to see what that would feel like in a podcast drama format.