Best A Shortform Podcasts (2025)

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Starting It Off Right 51:54

18h ago51:54

51:54

It’s the launch of Season 9! Rob and Adam discuss how to start off a monoscene, things to avoid in your initiation, and finding a nonverbal, secret contract between you and your scene partner. Also, we now have a Patreon! Find us at patreon.com/TheBacklinePodcast. Brought to you By: The Sonar Network…

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ReviewCast AI Spotlight - Vitality Chiropractic Family Practice | Sarasota Florida 9:36

2M ago9:36

9:36

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Vitality Chiropractic Family Practice in Sarasota, Florida! 🌴✨ 🎙️ In this podcast, we dive into what makes Vitality Chiropractic unique by analyzing their website and a multitude of Google reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to uncover the key themes and experiences shared by real patients. 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ Discover how Drs. Jess and Juan …

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Season wrap-up part two: Director of Cricket Tom Moody 31:30

3M ago31:30

31:30

Send us a text This is the final episode for season three and in it we speak with Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody as part of our wrap-up of the campaign. It’s part two of that wrap, following on from our chat with Chief Executive Officer Phil Oliver. Just like our conversation with Phil, there was a lot to unpack with Tom and we covered a sign…

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Season wrap-up part one: CEO Phil Oliver 34:05

3M ago34:05

34:05

Send us a text This episode is part one of a two-part wrap-up of the season. In part two we’ll chat with Director of Cricket Tom Moody, but this time we catch up with Vipers CEO Phil Oliver to paint the big picture for us on where the franchise is at after both an agonising loss in the 2025 final to the Dubai Capitals and also after three seasons o…

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Sam Curran, James Foster and Max Holden on Final heartache for the Vipers 15:55

3M ago15:55

15:55

Send us a text In this episode we reflect on heartbreak for the Vipers as the side has lost the final of the DP World ILT20 to the Dubai Capitals. In a thrilling match, the Vipers posted 189 for five after being put into bat and then reduced the Capitals to 31 for three in reply. But then Rovman Powell with 63, Shai Hope with 43 wrested back contro…

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Captain Lockie Ferguson previews the final! 19:56

3M ago19:56

19:56

Send us a text In this episode we preview the final of the tournament in the company of captain Lockie Ferguson with the Vipers preparing to face the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night, the 9th of February. Sadly, the hamstring injury Lockie picked up in Qualifier 1 on March the 5th means he won’t be able to play in t…

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Mohammad Amir, Max Holden and Alex Hales on victory over Sharjah Warriorz and a place in the final! 19:06

3M ago19:06

19:06

Send us a text In this episode we can reflect upon a fantastic win for the team – a seven-wicket success against the Sharjah Warriorz in Qualifier 2 that means the Vipers have booked a place in the final of the tournament, against the Dubai Capitals. Coming up we hear from Mohammad Amir, one of the stars with the ball against the Warriorz, and also…

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Coaches Simon Helmot and Carl Crowe, and UAE women's captain Esha Oza 15:53

3M ago15:53

15:53

Send us a text This is an episode with a difference. The day after the team’s last-ball defeat to the Dubai Capitals in the Qualifier, two of the coaches, bowling coach Carl Crowe and fielding coach Simon Helmot, meet up with eight players involved with the UAE women’s team for a session at the JA Resort’s dedicated cricket facility in Jebel Ali. T…

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James Foster and David Payne on last-ball heartbreak in the Qualifier against the Dubai Capitals 17:22

3M ago17:22

17:22

Send us a text This episode comes off the back of a heartbreaking loss to the Dubai Capitals in the Qualifier with the Capitals winning by five wickets off the very last ball to secure a spot in Sunday’s final. For the Vipers it means that in order to join them they have to do it the hard way, playing against the winners of the eliminator between M…

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Tom Moody and Lockie Ferguson on defeat to the Dubai Capitals and the play-offs to come! 17:11

3M ago17:11

17:11

Send us a text It’s the end of the league stage of the tournament and the Vipers have finished top of the six-team table with seven wins from 10 matches. But the regular season has ended with a whimper rather than a bang as the team went down to a nine-wicket loss with 17 balls to spare against the Dubai Capitals in Sharjah. Coming up we hear from …

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Head Coach James Foster ahead of the Dubai Capitals and the play-offs! 14:43

3M ago14:43

14:43

Send us a text In this episode we speak with Head Coach James Foster to preview the final league match of the campaign against the Dubai Capitals, in Sharjah on Monday evening, the 3rd of February. The Vipers are already assured of top spot in the six-team league table so it’s a case now of seeing if another victory can be chalked up ahead of the p…

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Luke Wood on coming back, boundary catches, Dubai Capitals and the play-offs to come! 13:16

3M ago13:16

13:16

Send us a text In this episode we begin the build-up to the Vipers’ final match of the regular season, a meeting with the Dubai Capitals at the Sharjah Stadium on Monday the 3rd of February – and we do that in the company of left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood. Luke has been absent from the side for the past five matches – and coming up he explains why.…

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Max Holden and Wanindu Hasaranga on victory over the Gulf Giants that seals a top-two finish! 17:38

3M ago17:38

17:38

Send us a text It’s happy days for the Vipers as not only have the team returned to winning ways with a five-wicket win over the Gulf Giants in Dubai, but in doing so they’ve confirmed their spot in the top two of the league stage and so guaranteed they have two chances to qualify for the final. The team impressed with the ball against the 2023 cha…

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Carl Crowe on defeat to MI Emirates and Tom Moody on Hasaranga the great! 17:51

3M ago17:51

17:51

Send us a text This time we’re looking back on a night to forget for the Vipers as the side slipped to a 154-run defeat at the hands of MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. It was the second-heaviest loss in the history of the tournament, eclipsed only by the Vipers’ 157-run loss to the same opponents in Sharjah in 2023. The crumb of comfort is that after tha…

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Sam Curran and Khuzaima bin Tanveer after victory over the Sharjah Warriorz 13:44

3M ago13:44

13:44

Send us a text We’re reflecting on a sixth win in seven matches for the Vipers as the side secured back-to-back wins against the Sharjah Warriorz. After a ten-wicket win in Dubai, this time it was an eight wicket win with 31 balls to spare. We hear from Sam Curran, standing in as captain for Lockie Ferguson, who scored an unbeaten 54 in only 34 bal…

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James Foster on Sherfane Rutherford and Wanindu Hasaranga being named in ICC ODI Team of the Year 16:58

3M ago16:58

16:58

Send us a text This is a special episode because we’re joined by head coach James Foster to celebrate the inclusion of two Vipers players – batter Sherfane Rutherford and spin-bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga – in the ICC Men’s One-Day International Team of the Year. It’s a huge achievement by both players and a source of pride for the Vipers …

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Behind the scenes with Vipers kit manufacturer PALMFIT 13:25

3M ago13:25

13:25

Send us a text This is an episode with a difference as we hear from Hanish Bhatt, the owner of PALMFIT, the company that produces the Vipers’ clothing. That might sound like a very dry topic but it’s anything but as Hanish’s company makes the kit used by the players and staff from recycled material, in keeping with the Vipers’ quest to be one of th…

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Fakhar Zaman, James Foster and Mohammad Amir on a record-breaking win versus Sharjah Warriorz 20:43

4M ago20:43

20:43

Send us a text This time we’re looking back on history as the Vipers secured the first-ever 10-wicket win in the history of the tournament, beating the Sharjah Warriorz at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday night. We hear from opening batter Fakhar Zaman, who blitzed an unbeaten 71 in the successful chase, Head Coach James Foster and also…

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Tom Moody on the Vipers' first loss of the campaign, against Dubai Capitals 12:54

4M ago12:54

12:54

Send us a text This time we’re reflecting on the Vipers’ first disappointing day of this year’s tournament as the side went down to a six-wicket loss to the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Monday night. It was a loss that followed four wins in a row to start the DP World ILT20 and to review it we’re joined by Vipers Director of…

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Nathan Sowter, Alex Hales and CEO Phil Oliver on the Sustainability Match win versus ADKRs 19:22

4M ago19:22

19:22

Send us a text Although it’s still early days in the tournament, things keep getting better and better for the Vipers as the side made it four wins from four against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and we reflect on that victory in this episode. It was a convincing 53-run win at the Dubai International Stadium in the side’s annual Sustainability Match,…

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Tom Moody, Lockie Ferguson and Fakhar Zaman on the win versus MI Emirates 24:10

4M ago24:10

24:10

Send us a text It’s three games and three wins for the Vipers after an excellent five wicket success against the defending champions, MI Emirates, under the Ring of Fire lights at the Dubai International Stadium, a victory achieved with five balls to spare. Coming up we hear from Director of Cricket Tom Moody, captain Lockie Ferguson and player of …

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Ben Hardy-Jones on this season's Sustainability Match 15:44

4M ago15:44

15:44

Send us a text In this episode we do something different – it’s time to hear from the Desert Vipers’ Sustainability Lead, Ben Hardy-Jones, as we approach the annual Sustainability Match, this year against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday the 18th of January. Ben talks us through what the day will involve fr…

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Alex Hales and Luke Wood as the Vipers make it two from two! 13:49

4M ago13:49

13:49

Send us a text It’s two from two for the Vipers as we can look back on another victory for Lockie Ferguson’s side – this time by six wickets with 14 balls to spare at the Dubai International Stadium against the Gulf Giants, the side that beat the Vipers in the inaugural final in 2023. We hear from two key contributors for the side – opening batter …

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Sam Curran on the Vipers' opening win against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 15:29

4M ago15:29

15:29

Send us a text We hear from Sam Curran, who was a key part of an opening match win for the Vipers against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. Sam made 50 not out from 37 balls, and with Dan Lawrence making 70 in 39 deliveries, the duo added 95 in 10 overs as the side ultimately made light of a potentially tricky chase after ADKR made 166 for …

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Lockie Ferguson - the captain looks ahead to the Vipers' first match! 20:17

4M ago20:17

20:17

Send us a text It’s almost time! In this episode, recorded around 24 hours before the Vipers’ first match of season three, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi, we check in with new captain Lockie Ferguson. Lockie’s had a whirlwind introduction to the Vipers having arrived from Australia, where he was playing for the Sydney Thunder in t…

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Tom Moody looks ahead to the season 19:26

4M ago19:26

19:26

Send us a text In this edition we hear from Tom Moody, the Vipers’ Director of Cricket, two days out from the side’s opening match of season three, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Sunday the 12th of January. We spoke with Tom to reflect upon the Vipers encouraging warm-up match against the Gulf Giants and Tom reflects on that pe…

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Nathan Sowter and Adam Hose after the Vipers impress in warm-up action against the Gulf Giants 14:15

4M ago14:15

14:15

Send us a text This time we’ve got some cricket to reflect upon as the Vipers have played their one and only warm-up match ahead of the tournament, against the Gulf Giants at the ICC Academy. And as a build-up to the main event, it couldn’t have gone much better. The Vipers bowled out the Giants for 125 in only 16.1 overs, then cruised towards that…

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Fakhar Zaman - the Pakistan powerhouse links up with the Vipers! 22:00

4M ago22:00

22:00

Send us a text This time we hear from one of the Vipers’ new boys, Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman. Fakhar has signed on to become the latest Pakistan star to join the franchise following on from Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Aamir and he linked up with his new team-mates for the first time at the ICC Academy on Monday the 6…

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Sam Curran - Many happy returns to the Vipers! 25:08

4M ago25:08

25:08

Send us a text With the tournament just days away, we hear from England all-rounder Sam Curran. Sam has been one of the first overseas players to arrive at the JA Resort as the squad starts to assemble in Dubai, and we caught up with him after the team’s first training session at the ICC Academy at Sports City. It’s a case of many happy returns to …

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James Foster - the Head Coach on the past, the present and what lies ahead! 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

Send us a text This time we catch up with the team’s Head Coach, James Foster. We chat with James about what he’s been up to since last season, his reflections on the previous campaign, his assessment of a host of players – some new and some returning from last term – and we get his assessment of where the squad stands ahead of the first match. Jam…

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Tanish Suri 23:32

4M ago23:32

23:32

Send us a text Happy New Year from Vipers Voices! In this episode - our last one before the players and support staff start to assemble in Dubai ahead of season three of the DP World ILT20 - we speak with Desert Vipers’ UAE wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri. Tanish was one of two UAE players, along with all-rounder Ali Naseer, on last season’s roster…

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Dhruv Parashar - back in the Vipers fold! 49:14

4M ago49:14

49:14

Send us a text In this episode, our last of 2024, we hear from UAE off-spinning all-rounder Dhruv Parashar. Dhruv was the Vipers’ first pick in the UAE player draft that took place in November and it’s a case of many happy returns for the 20 year-old as he is back with the franchise after being part of the squad in season one and then working as a …

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Nathan Sowter - spinning all over the world in 2024! 33:46

4M ago33:46

33:46

Send us a text In this episode we hear from Vipers leg-spin bowler Nathan Sowter, a man who has racked up the miles in pursuit of his craft in 2024. The man Director of Cricket Tom Moody christened 'the racing snake' for his agility and speed in the field, Nathan made his debut for the Vipers in season two of the DP World ILT20 and impressed everyo…

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Three Ghosts of Improv 33:57

4M ago33:57

33:57

It’s the season finale of The Backline. This episode Adam and Rob reflect, vivisect, and/or project the past, present, and future of improv. We’ll be taking a short hiatus, in the meantime feel free to reaach out to @thebacklinepodcast on Instagram for improv questions, or queries. Brought to you By: The Sonar Network…

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David Payne - one of the Vipers' new boys for season three 25:27

5M ago25:27

25:27

Send us a text In this episode we hear from new signing David Payne. Left-arm swing and seam bowler David has been a leading light in Twenty20 cricket in England for more than a decade and he has joined the Vipers for this season after being part of county side Gloucestershire’s success in last summer’s T20 Blast. In our chat he talks us through hi…

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Lockie Ferguson - part two: reflecting on a busy 2024 and plenty more! 22:47

5M ago22:47

22:47

Send us a text In this episode, part two of our chat with the newly-installed Desert Vipers captain, Lockie Ferguson talks about his busy 2024 and much more besides. There was the obvious low for him - and his New Zealand team-mates - of failing to progress out of the group stage at the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, but within tha…

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Lockie Ferguson - part one: the new captain speaks! 24:31

5M ago24:31

24:31

Send us a text In this episode we hear from newly-appointed Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson, the New Zealand fast bowler. Lockie talks us through his joining the Vipers and his appointment to lead the side, as well as his captaincy style, the schedule of 10 group matches in 23 days and how he can marry the role of being an attack leader with …

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Too Many Teachers 41:46

5M ago41:46

41:46

It seems like there’s a billion improv teachers each with their own philosophy, terms and way of improvising. But what do you do when those ideas contradict each other? Who do you listen to? How do you choose what you to practice onstage? This week, Rob and Adam discuss competing philosophies, building your own artistic practice, and so much more. …

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Tom Moody - part two: some key retentions and new signings 26:47

5M ago26:47

26:47

Send us a text This episode is the second part of our two-part chat with Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody. Last time out we chatted about the side’s fixtures for season three, the signings of Dhruv Parashar and Khuzaima Bin Tanveer in the UAE player draft, the captaincy and the overall strength of the squad compared to the past two seaso…

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Tom Moody - part one: the fixtures, the captaincy, the UAE newcomers & lots more! 20:55

5M ago20:55

20:55

Send us a text In this episode we speak with Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody, the first part of a two-part chat ahead of season three of the DP World ILT20. Tom talks with us about, amongst other things, the Vipers’ fixtures for the new campaign, he reflects on the lessons learned from season two, and he speaks about the captaincy and t…

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Max Holden on joining the Vipers for season three 20:52

5M ago20:52

20:52

Send us a text In this episode we speak with one of the Vipers’ new recruits, the English top-order batter Max Holden, who plays his cricket for county side Middlesex and for the Manchester Originals in the men’s Hundred. A former England under-19 player, Max tells us all about his background and also talks about his excitement at joining the franc…

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Defensive 53:24

5M ago53:24

53:24

To perform comedy, you have to be vulnerable – but its incredible difficult to do so when surrounded by people who make fun of things for a living. In this episode Rob and Adam discuss vulnerability, courage, likability, and uncynical play. Brought to you By: The Sonar NetworkBy [email protected]

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Playing the Verb 37:52

6M ago37:52

37:52

In this episode, Rob and Adam open up the Backline Mailbag to answer listener questions about Rob’s book Improvising Now: A Practical Guide to Modern Improv and the new concept of “The Act of …” Brought to you By: The Sonar NetworkBy [email protected]

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A Comprehensive Guide to All Shortform Games – Part Two 1:10:55

6M ago1:10:55

1:10:55

This week Adam and Rob, use extensive metrics and data (definitely not just their opinion) to determine an ongoing ranking system for all shortform games. Brought to you By: The Sonar NetworkBy [email protected]

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The road to season three starts here! Azam Khan & Luke Wood launch the Vipers' new kit! 30:13

6M ago30:13

30:13

Send us a text With the next edition of the DP World ILT20 just a couple of months away, it's time to kick-off a new season of Vipers Voices - and what better way to do it than to speak with Luke Wood and Azam Khan at the launch of the side's new playing kit for 2025. What makes this kit fantastic is that it's produced locally, in the UAE, thanks t…

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Auditions and Disappointment 52:22

6M ago52:22

52:22

After a big audition, it’s not uncommon to be disappointed with the results. Change can be hard. Lack of change, can be equally demoralizing. Whether you didn’t get onto the team you wanted, or you feel stuck with your current situation, this week Adam and Rob discuss their own feelings about rejection, disappointment, and feeling lost. Brought to …

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Control 52:33

7M ago52:33

52:33

Built into the fabric of improv is going with the flow, not thinking ahead, and letting go of control. But being completely “out of control” isn’t a good thing either? Why do some improvisers want to direct the scene, and others are happy to see what’s around the corner? This week, Rob and Adam discuss the need to control what happens next and how …

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Teaching Your First Workshop 47:59

7M ago47:59

47:59

Eventually, every improv professional needs to teach their first class. But what about? How do you pick a topic? How do you make that workshop successful? Is there any pitfalss to avoid? In this episode, Rob and Adam discuss teaching your first workshop. Brought to you By: The Sonar NetworkBy [email protected]

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The Problem with Strong Characters 57:03

8M ago57:03

57:03

Strong characters! It’s whatever everyone wants to do onstage. But how do you do it? What’s the difference between a strong characters and a cariacture? How do I avoid stereotypes? What do I do when I run out of things to say? In this episode, Rob and Adam go over techniques, tricks and tips for better characters. Brought to you By: The Sonar Netwo…

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The Unteachables 55:55

9M ago55:55

55:55

Can improv be taught? What about funny? What about stage presence? What about “star power”? This episode Rob and Adam discuss what can and cannot be taught in the classroom and the mysterious, and amorphous qualities make for a great improviser. Brought to you By: The Sonar NetworkBy [email protected]

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