The 98% is a podcast that will make you laugh, nod along in agreement/frustration, bring you comfort and help remind you that you are not alone in an industry that can, at times, feel impossible.

We started The 98% because we felt that the daily frustrations of being an actor had to be kept under wraps. In a time where social media is taking over, actors feel like they have to constantly be "on" and any signs of vulnerability or broadcasting the times you're not on set or in a rehearsal room seem nowhere to be seen, for fear of being viewed as not a 'proper, working actor.' But with only 2% of actors earning £20,000 a year from acting work that leaves 98% of us with uninspiring day jobs, less than 24 hours to learn 10 pages of script for an audition, trying to figure out how to pay for our Spotlight subscription and waiting for the phone to ring...only our stories are never heard. Whilst listening to interviews with actors who are well known can be interesting and inspiring, their stories of the hard times are usually looked back on in hindsight. We are in the thick of the hard graft, laughing and lamenting about the realities of being an actor. Being part of The 98% may mean that we aren't working consistently but there's still a lot of laughs, lessons and value in our experiences...and we're here to share them.

Series 1 episodes

  • S1E01 - Introduction

  • S1E02 - 'Resting Jobs'

  • S1E03 - Agents

  • S1E04 - Mental Health In The Industry; with Annemarie Lewis Thomas*

  • S1E05 - Resilience and Keeping The Faith; with Dr Steve Bull*

  • S1E06/7 - Auditions; with Annie Rowe*

  • S1E08 - Advice For Graduates

  • S1E09 - Musical Theatre; with Joseph O’Reilly and Alyn Hawke*

  • S1E10 - Special 10th Episode!

  • S1E11 - Drama School

  • S1E12 - Commercial Castings

  • S1E13 - Working For Free; with Emmanuel DeLange*

  • S1E14 - Directors; with Matt Holt*

  • S1E15 - Being A Woman In The Industry

  • S1E16 - Moving On From Acting; with Mabel Wright and Charlie Steatham*

  • S1E17 - Season Finale
    + Bonus Callback episodes
    + Tipsy Truth episodes

    + Christmas special crossover with The Show People Podcast

    *Episodes include interviews with guests and industry professionals

Listen to the individual theme songs we write and perform for each topic covered in episodes here!

Series 2 episodes

In Series 2 of The 98% we are introducing “Green Room Episodes” where we talk to members of The 98% about experiences perhaps more unique to them. However, we aren’t here to list of their CV’s and acting triumphs - you can use google for that! We’re hear to explore the experiences around their journey as an actor and they are valid coming from someone with a jam packed CV, or not!

  • S2E01 - We’re Back!

  • S2E02 - Body Image; with Alexandra Lawrence*

  • S2E03 - Self Tapes; with Manuel Puro*

  • S2E4 - Green Room - Elliot Langridge and being a dyslexic actor*

  • S2E5 - Making Your Own Work; with Martha Read and Isabelle Schuler*

  • S2E6 - Green Room - Robyn Holdaway and being a non binary actor*

  • S2E7 - #YesOrNo Matters

  • S2E8 - Masculinity and Sexuality; with Tom Ramsay*

  • S2E9 - Green Room - Mike Rogers and being a viral twitter sensation*

  • S2E10 - Episode 10 general catch up!

  • S2E11 - #RegulateAndState

  • S2E12 - Working as a casting assistant as an actor; with Emma Lundy*

  • S2E13 - Agenting Part 1; with James Davies*

  • S2E14 - Agenting Part 2; with Ikki El-Amriti*

  • S2E15 - Auditioning and being a casting director; with Kharmel Cochrane*

  • S2E16 - Series 2 Curtain Call

    + Bonus episode of Alexa on a panel at a mental health awareness event hosted by Industry Minds and Bumble

    *Episodes include interviews with guests and industry professionals

Series 3 episodes

  • S3E1 - We’re back! Again!

  • S3E2 - Being in The 98% in Vancouver, Canada; with Maya Grant*

  • S3E3 - Casting; with Annelie Powell*

  • S3E4 - Intimacy co-ordination; with Lizzy Talbot*

  • S3E5 - Living outside of London; with Andy Turner*

  • S3E6 - Tips from a top North American Acting Coach; with Andrew McIlroy*

  • S3E7 - Casting; with Sophie Holland and Faye Timby*

  • S3E8 - From actor to Artistic Director; with Paul-Ryan Carberry*

  • S3E9 - Producing; with producers Francesca Moody and Craig Tuohy*

  • S3E10 - Episode 10 general catch up!

  • S311 - Not going to drama school; with Lauren Douglin and Simon Lennon*

  • S3E12 - Green Room - Philip Joel and his journey from viral sketch videos to making a pilot*

  • S3E13 - Parenting; with Jo and Luke Norton and Emma Manton*

  • S3E14 - Release of live webinar with psychologist Dr Steve Bull on mental wellbeing*

  • S3E15 - Green Room - Scarlett Maltman and Cathy Read of Industry Minds*

  • S3E16 - From acting to filmmaking, mental health and change with Crystal Leaity*

  • S3E17 - Series 3 Finale

series 4 MINI SERIES’

  • Mini Series 1 - Updates, thoughts and industry goings on in the pandemic

  • Mini Series 2 - Actors helping actors

series 5

  • S5E1 - From Learning to Earning, A Story of Mistreatment in the Acting Industry Part I; with Katie Gibson* - Mistreatment at drama school

  • S5E2 - From Learning to Earning, A Story of Mistreatment in the Acting Industry Part II; Abuse in the Arts re-release; with Industry Minds*

  • S5E3 - From Learning to Earning, A Story of Mistreatment in the Acting Industry Part III; with Helen Raw* - Holding industry abusers to account

  • S5E4 - From Learning to Earning, A Story of Mistreatment in the Acting Industry Part IV; Listener stories of abuse and mistreatment at drama school and beyond

  • S5E5 - Abuse in the Arts, Across the Pond in Canada; with Nikki Bon*

  • S5E6 - Casting; with Amy Jackson*

  • S5E7 - Working in a co-op agency; with Owyn Stephens*

  • S5E8 - Safeguarding child actors; with Arlene De Cruz*

  • S5E9 - Avoiding Actor Burnout; with Jeannie Scott*

  • S5E10 - Catch up with Alexa and Katie

  • S5E11 - Safe space actor retreats; with Steph Upsall Morgan*

  • S5E12 - Being an empowered actor; with Brian Patacca*

  • S5E13 - Leaving the industry and finding happiness; with Em Holdaway*

  • S5E14 - Do’s and Dont’s as an actor on set; with 2nd A.D Erin Morris-Large* (see below!)

  • S5E15 - The craft of acting; with Terry Knickerbocker*

  • S5E16 - The ins, outs, why’s and how’s of the SAG-AFTRA strike with Kylie Sparks and Dominic Burgess*

  • S5E17 - Accessible acting classes; with Ben Brookes*

  • S5E18 - Using trauma from a cult-like acting class to become an art therapist with Brooke Henderson*

  • S5E19 - The first post-reveal interview with West End Producer and the man behind the mask Christian Edwards*

  • S5E20 - Accessible, relatable tax advice for actors and creatives with Pete Mooney*

  • S5E21 - EFT Tapping for creatives with Dana Middleton*

  • S5E22 - With casting director Erica S Bream CSA

  • S5E23 - Halloween special! True Crime in Hollywood

  • …more to come!

Below is the call sheet used in S5E14 for reference.
Use the images to follow along as our guest Erin, a 2nd A.D, breaks down all the parts of a call sheet so you are as prepared as possible for your next day on set!

more

  • Mic, Concern, Reaction episodes - Thoughts and reactions to current affairs for The 98%

  • Abuse in the Arts - Collaborative episode with Industry Minds in response to the revealed abuse and harassment by Noel Clarke and other influential industry professionals

  • Christmas episodes, songs and stories

*Episodes include interviews with guests and industry professionals

Listen to The 98% wherever you get podcasts, including Spotify, or on our website here!

guests include:

“I don’t recommend you listen on a packed tube train unless you’re happy snorting with laughter, but if you’re in The 98% of actors I DO recommend you listen to this podcast!”
— Josh Boyd Rochford, Agent