The drama, sub-titled ‘an alluring time travel romance’, tells the story of Tobias and Syd, how they meet, the role seduction plays in bringing them together, and how their relationship spirals, through a series of time-travel episodes, into smoke-filled darkness, exploitation and addiction.
Written and directed by multi-award nominated Elspeth Penny (Silva Lining’s Care Plan), and made by award-winning, Bristol-based 2BU Productions, the play gathers original research with a lot of surprising history and a cast of compelling characters.
Initially inspired by a talk given by Professor Andrew Russell on the Anthropology of Tobacco at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol in 2020, the play also contains tender and truthful ‘Letters to My Breath’, written by patients as part of research based around the real voices of people with respiratory conditions.
‘Letters to my Breath’ was conducted by Elspeth Penny and Dr Alice Malpass from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care as part of the interdisciplinary, Wellcome-funded ‘Life of Breath’ project, between 2015 and 2020. The project was led by Professor Jane McNaughton (Durham) and Professor Havi Carel (Bristol).
So far, the play Tobias and Syd, which is available on Spotify and Podbean, as well as other major podcast platforms, has been awarded the following credits:
- Winner of the Best Audio Fiction Standalone, Apulia Webfest 2023;
- Winner for Best Audio Fiction Standalone, Sydney Webfest 2023;
- Winner for Best Narration for an Audio Fiction Podcast, Baltimore Next Media WebFest 2023: Ell Potter.
Tobias and Syd has also been selected for:
- Rio WebFest 2023 (Best Podcast Fiction/Best Director categories)
- Hollywood Series WebFest 2023
- LA Webfest 2023
- Baltimore Next Media WebFest 2023
- Minnesota Web Fest 2023 (Best Podcast Director)
- Cusco Webfest 2023 (Best Podcast International)
At Baltimore Next Media Web Fest, the play was nominated for:
- Best Dramatic/Slice of Life Audio Fiction Podcasts
- Best Dramatic/Slice of Life Audio Fiction Podcast Director (Elspeth Penny)
- Best Actor in an Audio Fiction Podcast (Sion Daniel Young)
- Best Sound Design in a Podcast (Iain Hunter)
Elspeth Penny said: “I am so proud of everyone who has contributed to Tobias and Syd - from our young advisory group to our creative team, to our academic collaborators, and most especially our international audience; all together we have created and grown a unique and beautiful play, which helps take down the smoke screen around commercial tobacco use.
“As for next steps, we are looking at some exciting and as yet unexplored original sources in Bristol to reveal themes for new creative content, including a new play. This will involve collaborations with several departments at the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, and internationally, with input from a group of diverse creatives. Watch this space!”
Dr Alice Malpass said: “Podcast drama has been described as ‘the punk rock of audio’! I believe podcast audio-drama has the potential to open up new perspectives on contentious public health issues like tobacco. The success of Tobias and Syd points to the importance of the podcast audio-drama as a vehicle for enabling ideas contained in academic texts to be presented in creative, inclusive, enjoyable and collaborative ways.
“To the best of our knowledge tobacco and respiration (breath) have never been the direct subject of an audio-drama before, either on public radio or podcasting platforms. The play includes and commemorates the voices of people who struggled with breathlessness, many of whom have since died as a result of their respiratory condition, as well as giving ‘voice’ to tobacco itself.”
You can listen to the full play on the Tobias and Syd website (1 hour, 6 minutes), where there are also interviews with the actors, feedback from listeners, and information on how the production team worked closely with young people to make the play relevant and accessible to a young audience.
There is also information about a series of online events, held after the launch, discussing different perspectives on tobacco use, its history and health impacts.
Listen to the interview with Alice and Elspeth about Tobias and Syd on BBC Radio Bristol’s Clare Cavanagh show (January 2023).
Get involved
One of the key aims of the play is to open up conversations around tobacco use and its impacts. Have your say on:
- Instagram: @tobias_and_syd_play @2buproductions
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@tobiasandsyd
- Facebook: @elspethpennywriter @2buproductions
- Linkedin: @elspethpenny @centre for academic primary care
- Twitter/X: @elspethpenny @2buproductions @capcbristol