How two writers took the plunge into podcasting

This is the story of how Wild Swimming Wangers got off the ground – and into the water… 

My friend Marianne and I decided to create a podcast together to take back control of the creative process, give ourselves a new focus, and have a good laugh. We’re both writers, and occasionally find the ebb and flow of the scribe’s life frustrating. Sometimes you’re really busy with a new draft or a big edit, but at other times you can feel slightly aimless, waiting for notes or a new idea. There’s also a lot of stuff in publishing that’s out of your jurisdiction – how well a book does is partly down to marketing and luck, neither of which you can do much about. 

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We were looking for a project to get stuck into – something fun and fulfilling where we were in charge. Doing a podcast felt daring in a manageable way! Wild swimming as a subject seemed like a good option, because we often meet for a dip anyway, so it’s an extension of an existing hobby. Plus, it gets us into nature and outdoors, body image, fitness, mental health, motherhood, and many other fruitful topics. We decided on a simple format: each week we would have a swim, then talk about it, and any tangents that occurred to us. Recent flights of fancy have included celebrity spots, impromptu quizzes and an obsession with noting exact water temperature. Our aim is to make the show informative, engaging and fairly light-hearted. We do cover some more serious themes, but mostly it’s us just chatting, teasing each other and, of course, wanging on about anything water-related. 

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The first thing we noticed about podcasting is how egalitarian and immediate it is. As Marianne said to me when the opening episode dropped, ‘a few weeks ago we had nothing, and now we have our own show!’ It’s amazing how quick and satisfying the process has been. We’ve also had a rapid and positive response from listeners – not just our own friends and family, but actual strangers; real people. It feels like we’ve created a little community, and that’s incredibly rewarding.

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Technically, it’s been a steep learning curve. We’re still getting to grips with the recording equipment, and I’m gradually mastering the editing software. Marianne is in charge of our socials, putting together taster clips and ‘flooding the grid’ on Instagram on ‘Wanger Wednesday’ when each episode drops. Each week we try to be a bit more polished, professional and inventive – we want to produce a quality product, but also keep it jolly and not take it too seriously.

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As a writer, I often feel daunted; anxious and insecure about my work, embarrassed about self-publicizing. With podcasting, it’s the opposite – I’m jaunty and relaxed; totally comfortable boasting that we just hit no.1 in the UK charts for swimming podcasts! I’m not quite sure why that is – maybe it’s the novelty, the fact that it isn’t my ‘day job’ or that the process is nimble and straightforward. But whatever the reason, we’re having tremendous fun, feel proud of what we’ve created, and want to hang on to that feeling for as long as we can. 

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Whether you’re a wild swimming nutjob like us, or simply water-curious, tune in and listen to us wang on about pike attacks, neoprene nappies and post-swim snack.

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Beth Morrey and Marianne Levy are writers living in North London. Their podcast, Wild Swimming Wangers, launched in April 2025.