(This post was written by Leslie Sattler)
“The Hunchcast of Notre Dame” is the world’s first podcast about “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (“Notre-Dame de Paris”), available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!
Every other Tuesday, we’ll cover a different “Hunchback” adaptation, starting with an in-depth series about Victor Hugo’s novel. Expect historical insight, well-researched fun facts, and a new perspective on the story we all know and love.
But wait! Why did we decide to start a podcast about a nearly 200-year-old story? Why now? And why us, of all people?
We’re Patrick and Leslie, two “Hunchback” fans who were introduced to Victor Hugo’s classic story through Disney’s animated adaptation during adolescence. Like all kids in their early teens, we were struggling to find our tribe, and a story about a collection of outcasts resonated with us.
We watched as many “Hunchback” adaptations as we could, then hopped online and sought people who shared our interest. Our paths crossed, and we became friends: two kids living in different worlds who never would’ve met if not for a book penned two centuries prior.
Fast forward 12 years. As our love for each other has grown (we’re about to celebrate our fifth anniversary as romantic partners), so has our love for “Hunchback.” Patrick recently began soliciting representation for a manuscript about the cultural history of Hugo’s novel and its many adaptations, and Leslie recently flew 22 hours to Sydney, Australia to meet a fellow “Hunchback” fangirl.
One evening found us reminiscing about the early days of our friendship, spent hunched over secondhand laptops in our childhood bedrooms and chatting about Hugo’s novel over Kik and Instagram DM.
“There must be thousands of other Hunchback fans scattered across the world who feel alone in their love for this story,” we said. “How can we share our thoughts and expertise with them? How can we create a supportive, positive community where they can find their tribe, just like we found each other?”
Around the same time, we realized there was no podcast about “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Bingo.
“The Hunchcast of Notre Dame” isn’t just another podcast. It’s a community where all “Hunchback” fans are welcome. Whether you’ve read Hugo’s novel a dozen times or you’re only familiar with one mainstream adaptation, your love for this story is valid, and we want to hear your thoughts on our conversations, which we hope make you laugh and learn.
Listen to “The Hunchcast” here: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | YOUTUBE (or read episode transcripts HERE)
Share your thoughts with us (and enjoy free bonus content!) on social media: INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TUMBLR
We can’t wait to hear from you.