Goalhanger, the renowned media company responsible for producing popular podcasts such as The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, and Sherlock & Co., is set to launch a new audio drama titled “Bear Hunt”. The ten-part series follows a fictional mission to assassinate one of the world’s most powerful and heavily guarded leaders.
The plot of Bear Hunt revolves around a retaliatory strike by the British government after 350 civilians are killed by Russia. Dubbed as a “British Bourne”, the geopolitical action thriller takes the listeners on a thrilling journey spanning from Westminster to Washington and finally behind enemy lines.
The original audio drama was meticulously created by Goalhanger’s award-winning drama team, Joel Emery and Adam Jarrell. The series was developed with valuable inputs from current and former military and defense professionals, including Sergeant Dave Allen, a serving airborne serviceman and military advisor. This has helped in grounding the fictional world of Bear Hunt in real-world political, intelligence, and operational details.
Tony Pastor, Co-Founder of Goalhanger, shared his excitement about the project, stating, “I first met Dave Allen in 2024 during the recording of We Have Ways of Making You Talk for the 80th anniversary of Market Garden. During a walk on the Dorset coast a year later, I asked him a hypothetical question about eliminating a foreign leader, and his response was so intriguing that we immediately started working on the series. Dave’s expertise and attention to detail have been invaluable in making Bear Hunt feel frighteningly plausible.”
Creators of Bear Hunt, Joel Emery and Adam Jarrell, also expressed their enthusiasm for the project, saying, “One of the greatest things about audio drama is the endless possibilities it offers to create a vast world. With Bear Hunt, we can take the listeners on a journey from Downing Street to Washington, and deep behind enemy lines, while they visualize the scenes themselves. After the success of Sherlock & Co., we wanted to explore a different genre and deliver ambitious and original storytelling, and Bear Hunt is the perfect opportunity to do so.”
The first two episodes of Bear Hunt will be released on 10 September, with new episodes being released every week. The series will be available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The star-studded cast of Bear Hunt includes familiar voices from Goalhanger’s other productions, such as Al Murray, co-host of We Have Ways of Making You Talk, and Dominic Sandbrook, co-host of The Rest Is History and The Book Club. The ensemble also features Thomas Mitchells as Prime Minister Alex Kernoway, Naomi Miller as Director of Intelligence Mel Murray, Michael Lyle as Addie Azikiwe, Lauren Ingram as Miriam Brann, Freddie Trenholme as Sgt. Shaun Wade, and Luke Jasztal as former spymaster Sir Pilgrim Moore. Donald Pirie leads the cast as Sgt. Tom MacDuff “Duffy”, accompanied by an international ensemble of over 50 voice actors.
Bear Hunt is the first of many original productions planned by Goalhanger Drama for 2027. This announcement comes at a time when Goalhanger is experiencing tremendous growth and was recently named Britain’s fastest-growing private company in The Sunday Times 100. The company continues to expand its reach in various fields, including audio, video, membership, live events, and commercial partnerships. In fact, their biggest shows were recently brought together at London’s Southbank Centre for the successful three-day event, Goalhanger: The Rest Is Fest.
Bear Hunt will be available on all major podcast platforms starting from 10 September.
