On the table sits a laptop and a rectangular metal frame, from which two microphones dangle. There are also three glasses of water at the other end of the table, presumably positioned as far away from the electrical equipment as possible in case of spillage.

She lifts a microphone from the floor of the stage and taps the end of it with a manicured nail. The speakers, one either side of the stage, broadcast the rhythm a little too loudly around the small room. Conversations stop as screechy feedback interrupts them.

‘Do I need to use this?’ she asks the room, holding the microphone aloft. The crowd answer with a unanimous no, so she flicks the power switch and sets the microphone down again.

‘Right,’ she says, unamplified, smiling at the crowd. ‘My name is Julia and I am going to be your host for the evening. Thank you so much for coming to this wonderful event. What a night we have in store!’

A few people around the room clap.

Julia continues, ‘We are very lucky to be joined tonight by two men who have made their mark on the world of storytelling over the past few years. It’s such a rare and wonderful opportunity to listen to these artists in such an intimate space. Shall we get them out?’

To this, the room erupts into a chorus of yeses and the two men we are here to see emerge from a side door near the front of the room.

They stride to their seats, taking their places, one on either side of Julia, who has placed herself in the middle chair. Reuben is wearing a very similar outfit to when we first met in Conwy, though he has lost the hat and has made an attempt to tame his shaggy hair. Ed is wearing a white shirt and black skinny jeans, both of which emphasise how thin he is.

‘What an introduction!’ says Reuben.

‘Yeah, I feel you’ve oversold us Julia,’ Ed declares, clean shaven and boyish, wagging a finger at the host. ‘I hope we aren’t a let-down!’

The room breaks into laughter.

‘So,’ continues Ed, ‘tonight is the first of four events around the country and we thought we’d start with a hometown show. As you can see, we have some equipment on the stage,’ he motions to the computer. ‘Our plan is to record this and put this out as a podcast, so that people who can’t make the event can still hear our news. So, for the sake of the podcast, we’d love it if you could give it the big one – clapping, cheering, that kind of thing.’

‘Make it sound like you’re having fun, even if you’re not,’ Reuben chimes in, eliciting more laughter from the crowd.

Ed then asks for silence in the room as he sets about starting the recording on the computer. He performs a microphone check and gives a thumbs up to Reuben, before launching into the introduction. When he raises his hands, the crowd go wild at his invitation and he flashes a wide smile of appreciation.