Once Upon A Lie, is a new five-part podcast produced by students from the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting course.
It explores the question what if the fairy tales we grew up with weren’t as innocent as they seemed?
The series delves into the dark origins of beloved tales such as Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast.
Across the five episodes, listeners are taken on a journey through time to uncover the cultural, psychological and historical truths that lie beneath “happily ever after.”
Hosts Annabelle Moore and Mark Williamson, alongside narrator Kelly Monisse, bring the stories to life with rich sound design and voice acting that offer a modern retelling grounded in each tale’s original meaning.
Jo Henwood, co-founder of The Australian Fairy Tale Society, joins the podcast to explain how these stories have transformed over centuries.
Industry mentors including AFTRS lecturer Jen Goggin, LiSTNR’s Lindsey Green, and sound designer Chris Marsh guided the student team, offering insight into professional production and storytelling techniques.
Jen Goggin praised the project, saying: “Once Upon a Lie fed my curiosity while giving me the best type of podcast escapism. It made the oldest stories in the world feel fresh and fascinating.”
Chris Marsh added: “From a sound design perspective, taking on fairy tale retellings opens up so many opportunities for rich, layered sound and these students have tackled the challenge head on.”
Once Upon A Lie is available now on Spotify, Acast, Amazon Music and other major podcast platforms.
