BRITAIN'S MOST BIZARRE BENEFITS SCANDAL

Listen to The Countess, an audio play by Paul Kalburgi

This verbatim play tells the true story of self-styled, 'Countess' Mariaska Romanov, a Harlesden woman who led an extraordinary double life; claiming to be both a direct descendent of the Russian Royal family and her very own paraplegic twin sister - Marianne Johnson. After conning Brent council out of nearly £200,000 in fraudulent benefit claims, the decade-long web of lies was finally unravelled in a six-week trial dubbed ‘stranger than fiction. Told through exclusive interviews with the people at the centre of the story, illuminating transcripts and extensive research.

OUT 20 JUNE - Listen and follow here.

What’s one thing you can do today to move your writing forward? In this bite-sized episode, guests from last season share actionable steps to stay empowered, productive, and creative.

🎭 Join Paul for the Almost The Birthday Party book launch and live reading – Thursday 5 June, 7:30PM at Calder Bookshop & Theatre, Waterloo. Includes a copy of the playtext and a glass of bubbly!

🎟️ CLICK FOR TICKETS 🎟️

Connect with Paul

• Buy the book, The Writer's Toolkit
• Visit Paul's website
• Connect on Instagram @PaulKalburgi
• Connect on Twitter @PaulKalburgi

Support the show!

This podcast is fuelled by coffee. If you'd like to support the show, please send some writing juice via the link below.

• Buy me a coffee
• Make a donation

Want to advertise or sponsor the show?

Click here to get in touch

In this episode of The Writer’s Toolkit, we delve into the world of horror theatre at GrimFest, a month-long festival in October that celebrates the macabre at the atmospheric Old Red Lion Theatre in London. I chat with festival organisers Jack Robertson, the theatre's Artistic Director, and Nina Atesh about what makes the Old Red Lion the perfect venue for the genre, and Jack reveals opportunities for playwrights at the theatre. Plus, I’m thrilled to announce that a newly extended version of my dark comedy, Almost The Birthday Party, will enjoy a 10th-anniversary revival as part of this year's festival lineup!

BOOK NOW for Almost the Birthday Party at GrimFest!

Connect with Paul

• Buy the book, The Writer's Toolkit
• Visit Paul's website
• Connect on Instagram @PaulKalburgi
• Connect on Twitter @PaulKalburgi

Connect with the Old Red Lion Theatre

• Visit the website
• Follow on Instagram @orltheatre
• Follow on X @orltheatre

Connect with GrimFest

• Visit the website
• Follow on Instagram @grimfestuk
• Follow on X @GrimFestUK

Support the show!

This podcast is fuelled by coffee. If you'd like to support the show, please send some writing juice via the link below.

• Buy me a coffee
• Make a donation

Want to advertise or sponsor the show?

Click here to get in touch