Campus Celebrity Interview – Alex Morgan and Lewis Meade
Alex Morgan and Lewis Meade are the anchors behind the incredibly popular Purple Radio Show ‘Backstage Pass’, bringing you all the latest on the drama scene in Durham with some fun facts and games thrown in! I spoke to them about how they put the show together and ask them about some of their favourite moments.
How long have you each been involved in BP?
Alex: I founded it on the third day of my first week in Durham, but its obviously only got good since Lewis joined.
Lewis: I’ve only been involved since October, but we’ve been planning and creating ideas for it since last summer.
How popular is it?
Alex: We are, I think one of the most listened to radio shows. We have international listeners, which not many shows can boast.
Lewis: It’s surprising that we are so popular, because we target a very niche audience.
So, every week Backstage Pass presents funny and interesting facts about the theatre or a new on-air game. How do you come up with the ideas?
Lewis: Well basically we are really keen and plan every show days before…OK no we don’t but if we come up with a feature it’ll be us talking about stuff and then searching the web for funny stories.
Alex: When we write together we go to Lewis’ house and we get coffee…
Lewis: And red bull and then we just go for it. Alex will come up with the puns and I’ll write them down. If we do it the night before then whatever is said, goes.
Alex: We went to Bishop Langley just the two of us on Valentine’s Day to try and scout out good romantic spots for a feature. And it was just us and loads of couples. So sometimes we go on dates to prepare for shows!
Funniest on-air moment?
Lewis: My funniest moment was the Christmas Panto Alex and I wrote. We got some unsuspecting guests to play a couple of sweet, innocent children and the Dame and Alex played an alcoholic Santa and I played a naughty mouse, hilarity naturally ensued.
Alex: And so did nearly being kicked off the radio.
How hard is it not to swear? Have you ever made a mistake?
Alex: Harder to get some guests not to swear, not yourself.
Lewis: Someone started talking about sex once, Alex tried to cover it by talking about fracking and I know nothing about fracking so that was pretty dire. Five minutes of air-time with Alex basically just talking to himself and me attempting to provide some insightful input.
Alex: Euphemisms and innuendos are harder to control for us, although we have had no disasters yet.
Lewis: Touch wood.
Now, you have taken to playing a game called Alex, Lewis or Lie where guests are told various secrets about your past and they have to guess whether it was one of you or if it is just made up, what is the biggest secret that has ever been revealed?
Lewis (without any hesitation): Vaselining my bum crack in Exeter town square when I was doing a charity fun run and got chaffing.
Alex: I took Izzie, my girlfriend, for a romantic get-away in Newcastle only to have accidentally booked a recently converted nursing home in Gateshead.
Lewis: I had seven stitches in my knee after being chased by cows.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve found hosting your own radio show?
Lewis: Turning up on time. Or panicking when your co-host has food poisoning and you realize that you have no idea how to work all the buttons and you are supposed to go live in 5 minutes.
Alex: One of our guests was my girlfriend and Lewis made a joke about proposing. Having to try and keep my girlfriend live on air proved a tricky challenge to overcome.
(Lewis giggles to himself throughout this story)
Highly important question, you must know each other pretty well, if you were to assign an animal to one another, what would it be and why?
Alex: Lewis is a dog
Lewis: Why?
Alex: You’re always bouncing.
Lewis: Hmm, what would you be? I kind of want to go bald eagle, because it’s a very traditional animal to America and Alex is a very traditional guy to England with proper English etiquette and his tweed.
Favourite part about the show?
Together: Alex, Lewis or Lie
Alex (excitedly): Or the bit where we get our female guests…actually no I won’t say it.
Lewis: And obviously the active participation of Serena Gosling (I blush).
You’re both finalists, what’s going to happen to BP next year?
Alex: That is another story.
Lewis: Don’t say another Durham Story.
Alex: Actually, I can exclusively reveal to HerCampus that Lewis and I are carrying on with a podcast next year. So watch this space.
Describe each other in three words.
Lewis: The Durham Story.
Alex: Tall, dark and handsome.
Lewis (disappointedly): Oh, now I have to do something complimentary. I was thinking tweed (laughs at own joke). There are just so many words to describe Alex, picking three is just so…tough. OK, wait no, I’ve got it. Are you ready? (clears throat) My Other Half.
As Lewis keeps on alluding to, Alex, you presented the incredibly successful Durham Story that was nominated at the Royal Television Society Awards. What did you do to bring it about?
Alex: Well I co-developed it with Seif El Rashidi at the World Heritage Centre. He is like a magnet that attracts students and enables them to do amazing things. A truly brilliant man. I then teamed up with two amazing graduates and we shot it on a cheap camera and editing was done in a cupboard and it was just a lot of fun.
Lewis (not to be out done): I’ve done important stuff too, like….
Alex (after a pause): He’ll get back to you.
What’s next for the Durham Story? Got any more projects lined up?
Alex: Durham Story is going to be used for official tourist purposes it’s going online in a couple of weeks and for all the details simply go onto
www.facebook.com/durhamstory. Probably worth saying that lots of antics are revealed.
Finally, will you give a shout-out to HerCampus in your next broadcast?
Alex: Yeah, for sure.
Lewis: Is there ever going to be a HisCampus?
Me: No
Lewis (disappointedly): Oh, well yeah. We can. Unless I create HisCampus before then. In which case I’m promoting my own.
Enjoyed what you heard? Tune in on Fridays 11-12 to hear more hilarity and all the latest gossip from Durham’s Drama Scene!