Simon Raven (L), Chris Raven (R). Photo courtesy of Samosir Books.
RADIO RAVENS: A RETURN TO CLASSIC COMEDY
☆ JACK & LAUREL CAN’T TRAVEL: MEXICO ☆
by Emily Graham: LONDON (UK) - Best known for their quirky travel books, the Raven Brothers have set their sights on a new frontier: radio fiction. Introducing, “Jack & Laurel Can’t Travel: Mexico”, an uproarious comedy filled with misadventures, sharp dialogue and an eclectic mix of locals and oddball travellers. Armed with a leaky biro, I head across London to Pimlico, and meet Simon and Chris on the steps outside the Tate Britain. Simon is quick to reveal that they would love to talk about their leap into the world of sound, the creation of Jack & Laurel and their peculiar challenge of writing a travel comedy for the airwaves.
1) This is your first foray into radio fiction. What inspired you to write a story for the ear?
Simon Raven: We started writing comedy together early in our careers, and have long been obsessed with dialogue, the rhythm, the miscommunication, the awkward pauses. I think that's why the concept of creating a script for radio appealed to us both. A story driven by sound is fast and crazily efficient, the space you find yourself in is punchy and full of movement, you feel the chaos - the mariachi band penetrates your imagination with greater depth.
2) Are Jack & Laurel more or less the Raven Brothers? How autobiographical is this?
Chris Raven: Two clueless travellers flailing through the world, with delusions of literary grandeur. (laughing) It has to be us, right? I guess we like to think of Jack & Laurel as a distorted reflection of ourselves in a big mirror, that has been dropped one too many times.
3) The Raven Brothers are best known for writing gritty overland travel books, such as Driving the Trans-Siberian. What led to you writing fiction this time?
Simon: It was clear from the outset that Mexico would be our next book. We’d travelled to Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guadalajara a year earlier and the journey had blown our minds. The crazy thing is, we never really know what the story is going to look like when we first put pen to paper. We drafted scenes, and passed ideas back and forth, and quickly realised that the story that was materialising had a similar voice to our first book, Living the Linger. It was more personal and dialogue driven, with Mexico a colourful backdrop for the emotions and drama that we found spilling onto the pages.
Chris: Si’s initial suggestion of fictionalising the story was met by a firm “no way”. He chose to completely ignore me, and launched a second round of rewriting. I reluctantly read an opening scene featuring the names Jack & Laurel. After two or three lines, he succeeded in making me laugh. Steadily, the veil began to fall from my eyes.
Simon: We both became interested in the idea of writing fiction years earlier. We wrote the first draft of a screenplay about a forklift truck competition called The Big Fork Off, which Chris more recently resurrected. The process of writing fiction together had been hugely enjoyable. Giving birth to characters that now walked the earth for eternity, was pure addiction.
4) Was it difficult to make the transition from writing traditional travel literature to scripts? What did that process look like?
Chris: The technique of script writing is completely different to writing books. It took time to develop that skill, particularly together. On more than one occasion, we almost gave up. We hit the radio play multiple times in rapid bursts. Walking away is sometimes a great plan, and then returning with fresh eyes and new inspiration.
Simon: Script writing is a physical art. You often find yourself swiping the air, or muttering out loud - acting out the scenes in an attempt to imagine the emotion being expressed.
5) How do you write together, especially for something as tightly scripted as a radio play?
Chris: We usually start by brainstorming ideas together, plot, characters, key moments. Then we split the work, each taking scenes or sections to draft individually. We then pass the scenes backwards and forwards, in a massive game of tug of war, rewriting, refining dialogue - sometimes scrapping entire scenes.
Simon: We try not to speak too much verbally about the script when we’re working on a project together. It’s safer to just send it over, and wait for it to be thrown back. We’ve learned to trust each other’s instincts, remain flexible and fluid, and allow the script to naturally find its way.
6) What’s next for Jack & Laurel?
Chris: A sequel! We’re bringing Jack & Laurel home! Back to our hometown, and kilometre one of a rather unrealistic cycle ride on old bikes to Unst, in the Shetland Island, at the most northerly point of Britain.
Simon: To write Jack & Laurel is massive fun. I have a feeling they could be with us for quite some time.
7) Jack & Laurel is out in paperback - but what about radio?
Chris: It’s crazy, but we’re only just beginning to think about that ourselves! You never really know what will appear on the page until you sit down and experiment. The project morphed into radio, I think partly because there are two main characters (Jack & Laurel), who stay with us throughout the entire journey across southern Mexico. They are always present, making the dynamics of radio possible.
Simon: Our strength has always been originating new material. We could attempt to record Jack & Laurel ourselves, but maybe to work with raw talent would be a better plan. To make that happen we need to spread the word of Jack & Laurel far and wide. There are no limits on how much fun there is to be had here. This period in time belongs to us all - let’s make it colourful!
Jack & Laurel Can’t Travel: Mexico by the Raven Brothers is available in paperback from all good bookstores (15 November 2025). Samosir Books, ISBN 9781068773310.
Press Contact: Stuart Hill, [email protected]
Discover more about the Raven Brothers > https://samosirbooks.com/raven-brothers
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