Our clients Made By Mortals are celebrating this month as their hit podcast Armchair Adventures is the first kid’s podcast available in-flight on all Virgin Atlantic flights!

Virgin Atlantic have teamed up with the Manchester-based Made by Mortals CIC to offer its young passengers an unforgettable flight experience with its award-winning podcast, Armchair Adventures. We work with the not-for-profit on the marketing of the Armchair Adventures podcast. 

Described as a ‘positive podcast’ by BBC Radio 4, Armchair Adventures is a journey of the imagination. It follows the story of Connie, a young girl whose family-run travel agency is at risk of going bust as a result of the pandemic, so working with her customers, who are portrayed by the group’s elderly participants, they create an alternative to a traditional holiday – an adventure from the armchair.

The news of the partnership comes shortly after the Armchair Adventures podcast took home the Bronze prize for Best Family Podcast at this year’s British Podcast Awards. This is the latest addition to the podcast’s growing trophy collection, which has previously picked up awards from the Digital City Awards and Manchester Publicity Association Awards.

Cathy Walters, Manager of Inflight Entertainment at Virgin Atlantic, said:

We love the story of Armchair Adventures, which brings different generations together through this fun, interactive podcast. We’re really proud to have them as part of our entertainment line-up and I’m sure children will enjoy letting their imaginations fly while onboard.

Led by directors Paul Hine and Andy Smith, Made By Mortals work alongside elderly people and those with mental health conditions across Manchester and the North West, bringing their experiences to life through participatory music and theatre sessions. Made By Mortals works with a diverse range of people who would typically not engage with the arts and are at risk of exclusion and isolation for many reasons, which became particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

When the 2020 pandemic saw millions of people restricted to the walls of their homes and deprived of vital social interactions, Made By Mortals recognised a crucial need for an outlet which people, young and old, could turn to for unity and a sense of support. As a result, Armchair Adventures was born: a fun, interactive podcast for children, created by older people.

Andy Smith, Director at Made By Mortals, adds:

When the pandemic hit, we wanted to keep the connection between the older people and younger generations that we had established through our theatre productions and workshops. We wanted to keep giving the participants the purpose many of them gained through creating the productions for the young people.

“We decided that since we couldn’t take the shows out to children anymore, we’d provide a podcast for them, an interactive and fun arts and culture experience. We quickly adapted to Zoom, upskilling the elderly people, setting them up on the software and equipping them with cameras and microphones – that’s where the Armchair Adventures podcast was born and even fully produced for its first few episodes!

Made by Mortals continues to work with groups of people in Manchester to create further episodes for series three of Armchair Adventures, which launched on Thursday 6th October. New episodes are released twice a month. 

Listen to Armchair Adventures

For free on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts. You can also listen on your Google Home, Alexa or directly on the Armchair Adventures website

To find out more about Made by Mortals, visit: Madebymortals.org