Something ancient is stirring. The Lovecraft Investigations brings H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu into the modern world — a new season of cosmic horror from the hit independent audio fiction show.
The last time Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher left the office was back in 2023. There was a brief excursion for this year's Crowley documentary series (available here), but now we're ready to bring you a brand new full season of the show.
This time, our intrepid investigators are on a trail that is going to lead them around the world, in search of strange artefacts and a deadly cult that hides in the shadows. Like previous seasons, The Call of Cthulhu takes H.P. Lovecraft's source material and uses it as a springboard into a thoroughly modern adventure.
That sounded like marketing speak, didn't it? Sorry. I'll stop that now. I have a lot I want to say, so please bear with me...
OK, so we have the cast and crew back, and I'm thinking of this as the start of Volume Two of the story. We're going to be moving all around the world and I want to dive into everything from the occult history of the River Thames and weird shamanic practices, to the ultra-sinister Penzoldt Institute and our new BIG BAD, which is a global conspiracy with a LOT of money and influence behind it (they, it turns out, are the people who have been pulling the strings all along). Oh, and the Department of Works has also been reconstituted, and it is spoiling for a fight. We're also introducing the Pendragon Club in a big way - that's a place with a fascinating history and an awful lot of behind-the-scenes influence...
Under all that, though, is the strong spine of a really good mystery story - when this show really sings is when we have a seemingly interesting but real-world puzzle to solve, which spirals into something else entirely.
And we're no longer limited by episode numbers or length - this season can be exactly as long as it needs to be. And the more we raise, the more bonus episodes and bits and pieces we can create.
This is going to be the Lovecraft Investigations season I've been chomping at the bit to make for years.
As usual, we'll be recording on location with a full cast including Jana Carpenter, Barnaby Kay, Nicola Walker and Phoebe Fox. Sarah Tombling and Karen Rose are producing for Sweet Talk Productions.David Thomas is back on sound design duties - we're going to be presenting some sequences in Dolby Atmos, which is going to sound amazing. And Tim Elsenburg will once again be composing the music.
I can't wait to get going on this. I have a huge pile of research to start wading through, and a ton of ideas for new places and people. This is going to be exciting, immersive and the purest kind of escapism. I can't wait for you to hear the finished product.
But first we need to secure the finance. And that is where YOU come in.
In every other sector of the arts, raising money is boring and complicated and frustrating. But here on Backerkit, they make it fun for all the family.
For someone who has made his bones in film and television, interacting directly with the audience has been a new experience. And I love it. I can't tell you how gratifying it is to get direct feedback from backers and listeners, and I love the idea that this project, this entire story universe, is being community funded. And it's not just community funded, it's community built; from artists like Carl Pugh and Rayn Sheepens emerging from the audience to become key artists on projects, to people lending their names to characters, or offering advice on shipping and fulfilment, or putting me in touch with their friends who do graphic design, or brand notebooks, or make T-shirts, or print books... I've likened it before to the idea of a community getting together to put up a barn. And that's exactly what it feels like.
But underneath it all is the shows, and they cost a lot of money to make. Which is why we're gathered here today...
My guiding principle for this campaign was to present something that feels like a really great gift shop. You know that feeling as a kid of spending the whole day at a theme park, and then getting to go into the gift store at the end? That is the feeling I'm going for. We have a range of tiers which will, I hope, suit everyone. And within those, I've sourced some amazing items from the suppliers I was introduced to while doing the Crowley campaign.
Our CDs are made by Breed Media in Sheffield. The initial offering is a clamshell box, containing the discs in cardboard sleeves and a booklet. But what I really have my eye on is something really special; a hardback book containing artwork and behind the scenes stuff, with the CDs inserted into it. I've put that in as a stretch goal - if we hit that goal, everyone's CD packages get upgraded at no cost.
We also have some incredible collectors edition script books for every season so far, including this one. These things are immense; Smyth-sewn, heavy paper, ribbon bookmarks and dust jackets. They don't just contain the scripts, but also brand new essays on the seasons, BTS photos, artwork, illustrations...
And there's also a Pendragon Members Pack, for those who choose that tier, which I'm really looking forward to putting together. And a Cthulhu Case File, which will be a package containing facsimiles of every document unearthed during Matt and Kennedy's investigation.
In apparel, we have T-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, baseball caps and tote bags, all garments specially selected for comfort and quality, and printed by our friends at Notorious in Manchester, who are the absolute best in the business.
I really hope you can find something you like, and that fits your budget. Every penny you spend here not only helps make the show, but also starts to solidify the future for the Pleasant Green universe, and many more adventures to come.
The Lovecraft Investigations has always been audio fiction for people who don't like audio fiction. If you like true crime podcasts and mysteries, this is going to be right up your street. And this time, we're providing an on-ramp. Previous seasons have a lot of recurring characters and a convoluted set of plot threads to follow. While we're certainly continuing in that tradition, The Call of Cthulhu is also designed to be perfectly accessible to new listeners - no previous experience required.
That said, if you did want to be on top of the comings and goings, the four previous seasons are available wherever you get podcasts; just search for "The Lovecraft Investigations" or head HERE for more details.
Hopefully the set-up here is not too confusing, but let's lay it all out so that no one feels like they're lost in Ikea, desperately trying to get to the meatballs.
The aim of the game here is to fund the show. Every pledge tier is calculated in such a way that the backer gets rewarded for their participation and a contribution from the pledge goes towards making the show. Whether you're pledging at the highest or the lowest level, you are instrumental is getting this show made and you are a key part of its existence - thank you.
For the uninitiated, the idea is that you pick a pledge tier that feels comfortable (we're not looking to bankrupt anyone), and then once you have selected that, you can add other stuff on top if you want to. Some things, mostly clothing, are not included in any of the tiers because sizes and numbers get complicated - if you want a T-shirt or a hoodie etc, throw them into the basket at the end. Or you can always come back and add them on later.
So, without further ado, the Pledge Tiers break down like this:
This is the entry-level. We're not about to ask anyone for money and not give them access to the show, so Cultists will get an RSS link to the show, to listen to it on their podcast app of choice, and a set of MP3s to download and keep forever (or as long as MP3s are a thing).Also, Cultists, you are the foundation of this whole enterprise - like any good cult, the more of you there are, the more powerful we get.
This tier gets everything in Cultist, plus Hi-Res downloads of the finished show (for Dolby Atmos amazingness), a PDF of the season scripts, the Cthulhu Case File PDF (facsimiles of all the documents encountered during the investigation) and instant access to "The Secret History of the World", which is an online folder that I will be adding to as we go; research, links, notes - a scrapbook of the stuff I'm looking at as I write the series). This is the digital-only ALL-IN bundle. If you want all the stuff but you either don't need more stuff in your home, or you're concerned about shipping fees, this is where you want to land.
From here on, we start adding in physical merchandise...
This tier gets everything in the previous tiers (if you're sensing a pattern, that's because there is one - each tier adds to what came before). Adventurers also get a hefty A4 softcover printed script-book and the CD Box Set (don't forget, these upgrade when we hit the appointed stretch goal).
For this one, you need to scroll down to the Pendragon Club and see the letter from St John Caul.
Remember those amazing Collectors Edition series scripts I mentioned? Well Librarians get the full set at this tier (individual volumes are included as add-ons for all tiers).They also get a page from the original production script, signed by the main cast, the crew, and whoever made the sandwiches that day.
This is the level where Associate Producers of the show live. Make no mistake - you're the people getting the show made. The margins on this and the Executive Producer tier make a real difference as to how many actors we can hire for how many days, what locations we can afford to rent, number of days of post-production we can afford etc etc. Each backer on this tier is paying for a new guest actor, at minimum. Your contribution could give us the next Parker or Eleanor Peck or Alice (poor Alice).
In recognition of your contribution, you get your name on the end credits, and on any relevant literature, along with a Red Hook Stories T-shirt and everything on the previous tiers.
You also, for your sins, get to participate in a monthly video call with Julian and your fellow big-shot backers backers, wherein I will tell tall tales of the research I am doing and try to convince you that the work is going very well, while at the same time answering any and all questions people have about the series and the universe around it. These calls will happen once a month from the end of this campaign to the start of recording.
Oh, and you also get a reserved seat for the Live Show, if and when the stretch goal triggers it to happen.
I was going to give this one a sinister title, but I need to get out of the habit of demonising execs. This is the high-roller tier. Everything I've said about the contribution made by Associate Producers applies here, and then some. Historically, people at this level have got really involved with the nuts and bolts of how these shows are put together - we don't just take your money and run, we do everything we can to involve you in the process.
In addition to everything else, you get more access via smaller, more detailed monthly calls with Julian. You also receive something REALLY nice to hang on your wall (see pledge details) and you get to come up with a character, in concert with Julian, who will feature in some way in the show, and you will then receive that character's Department of Works dossier.
You also get TWO reserved tickets to the live show (again, if and when).
So that's the pledge tiers. During the last campaign, I was quite active in jumping in and creating new tiers and bumping people up as a special reward etc. I'm going to try not to do too much of it this time, because it turned out to involve a LOT of admin on the back end. But you never know, I do get a little excitable while these things are running.
If everything looks a little rich for your blood, please remember that every single tier gets access to the show - you don't have to spend a fortune to hear what we make. If money is a serious concern (and let's be honest, when is it not?) Please scroll down for what to do if you're honestly unable to afford to participate.
Delivery's expensive isn't it? Well, not any more. Actually, it still is, but you should have seen what it looked like before. Some of the prices of the heavier tiers (those books are HEAVY - lift with the knees!) were frankly, dispiriting.
So I did some napkin-maths and I've decided to throw in for some of those bigger ticket deliveries. What that means, in practice, is that I'm capping some of the delivery fees and the asterisked price below (ex-VAT) is what you're left with. YOU'RE WELCOME AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND!
Before we unveil our gorgeous shipping table, please understand that these are estimated prices only, because we don't know how much things weigh until we make them. I hope we have over-estimated in all cases (except where we have capped - YOU'RE WELCOME CANADA!)
The Boring Bit: Shipping and customs charges will be charged in the pledge manager, when we're ready to start sending stuff out.
If you count as Rest of World, please email [email protected] prior to placing an order - thanks to a variety of shifting geopolitical situations, there are quite a few countries we are currently not able to deliver to.
OH! And I nearly forgot; if all you want is a T-shirt, and shipping seems expensive or ecologically hostile, we're offering digital downloads of the entire T-shirt design set in the add-on store, so you can get a T-shirt printed locally yourself.
Anyway, that shipping table (remember: estimates at this stage):
Everything we have sourced for this campaign is made in the UK, and I would say that almost all of it is created by small businesses. We're one of those, and we're keen to support others.
Notorious in Manchester are a small screen-printing and embroidery firm who are doing the design on all the bags and apparel.
Breed Media, who make the CDs and associated packaging are a bunch of incredibly can-do and enthusiastic musicians base in Sheffield.
We source from the UK partly to help businesses like this, partly because businesses like this allow you to speak to an actual human being when you're trying to sort out orders and designs, and partly because it means we are not shipping or flying in items from abroad unnecessarily. We're trying to keep our footprint on the planet as light as possible (because we don't want to wake anything up), and you will see that reflected in our shipping practices and packaging wherever possible.
A whole host of people are involved in making our shows, and producing merch etc. But between the conception of a crowdfund campaign, through the writing of scripts etc, it is just me (excepting Carl Pugh, who creates all the artwork, obviously).
At this very moment, I am administering this campaign, organising shipping and fulfilment on Crowley, AND writing The Call of Cthulhu (I'm also trying to learn French, but that feels more like a me-problem).
All of which is to say that if you have problems with the Backerkit mechanism, or questions about pledges and add-ons etc. Please be patient - I will answer all queries joyfully and with enthusiasm, but it might take a minute to work through everything.
Also, if I get lots of queries that have overlap, I will post something in FAQs, so it's worth checking there in case your question has already been answered.
For UK backers: all prices include VAT where applicable. Where your pledge exceeds the market value of the rewards included, the additional amount is a voluntary contribution to production costs and is not subject to VAT.
It's the hot-button issue of the day, and so I should probably address it here.
The Lovecraft Investigations is recorded with real people, largely on location in real places. If it sounds like Kennedy and Heawood are walking down a street, it's because they were walking down a street. The Church of Starry Wisdom, in the Haunter of the Dark, for instance, was recorded inside a real church. The tunnels Kennedy enters under the Devil's Reef Trailer Park in Season 1 were old smugglers tunnels underneath a hotel in Brighton.
Where we add sound effects (and we obviously have to, aliens and eldritch entities don't adhere to scheduled recording hours) they are effects that we have either created and recorded ourselves or else they have been recorded by someone else and placed in a library which we have subscription access to, or are paying for.
Every now and then, a motorbike will speed by during what turns out to have been the best take of a scene. Technological advances now allow us to get rid of that sound from the recording. Some of those solutions use machine learning, but they are used solely as tools to remove things, and only utilised when absolutely necessary.
We do not use generative AI in the writing, recording or post-production of these shows.
Likewise, our artwork and logos are created by real artists who are paid for their work.
The Lovecraft Investigations is made by people, for people.
I want to be a part of this, but I can't afford it.
I want to be a part of this, but I can't afford it.
Times are hard (were they ever not?), and we understand that not everyone can afford to splash out on a campaign like this. I've been where you are, so have most of the people reading this.
Our first four seasons were made for the BBC and they are available for free on their Sounds platform, and on whatever podcast app you prefer worldwide. But we're not a BBC show any more and a full season costs a lot to make. For that reason, we charge for access to the show and there are no plans to make it free in the foreseeable future.
We have done our best to price the Cultist tier as low as we can afford, so that everyone who participates gets access to the show and receives MP3s that they can keep.
But not everyone can spare the money to splash out on something like this, and I hate the idea that money is the only thing stopping you from enjoying our work.
So if cost is your barrier to entry, email [email protected] and we'll figure something out.
UPDATE: We have a Community-Created Pledge tier, in limited numbers, that is funded by the community of backers here. If you can't afford to get on board, pledging for £1 at that level will get you access to the show when it is released.
