10 Questions with Samantha Baines

Samantha Baines Interview

Multi-award-winning Samantha Baines started her career as a comedian but soon ventured into acting, starring in British classics such as Silent Witness, The Crown and Call the Midwife. Samantha created her podcast ‘The Divorce Social’ where she openly talks about her own divorce and talks to others about their experiences. 

Samantha has just released her first children’s book ‘Harriet Versus the Galaxy’ which follows the adventures of Harriet who is hearing-impaired and has a hearing aid with a bonus. Samantha is a hearing aid wearer herself and an ambassador for RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People). 

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1. Comedian, actress, radio broadcaster and author, which one is your favourite?

I love them all! My first love is acting so that will always be special to me, there is nothing like getting an amazing script and taking on a new character. Children’s books are a new world for me and my second book, The Night the Moon Went comes out in August and is published by Bloomsbury (available to pre-order now) so that is really exciting. I wear a hearing aid and so do the protagonists in both of my books so it is brilliant to be able to weave in my own deaf experiences and bring some deaf representation to children’s books.

2. If you had to give one up forever, which would it be? 

What a question! I think I am naturally moving away from stand up comedy at the moment, my deafness means live gigs five nights a week are an overwhelming environment and it takes a lot of concentration to listen in noisy environments so it really tires me out. That’s not to say you can’t be a stand-up comedian if you have hearing aids, Angela Barnes does and is brilliant but it struggling in those environments made me realise there were other things I would like to do, like write books! I still love comedy and making people laugh so the comedian in me will always remain but I am doing less and less circuit stand up in clubs.

3. Your podcast ‘The Divorce Social’ is now on season 5, What’s been the best thing to come out of it? 

I love the community that the podcast has created. We have a divorce and break up chat room on the Patreon account for the podcast, where people can share their experiences, offer advice/support and it’s so nice to see people connecting on there. The messages I get from listeners are incredible and I am so proud that the podcast has been able to help so many people through such a tough time.

4. Who would be your ideal guest on the show?

Elizabeth Taylor! If we are talking about people who are still alive then Dawn French, Katie Price, Sarah Ferguson and Jennifer Anniston. 

5. The Crown and Call the Midwife are both fantastic shows to watch as a viewer but which was more fun to be in? 

They were both lots of fun. I had more filming time on The Crown so I think I would pick that. It was amazing to work with Kate Phillips who is brilliant and the crew on The Crown were all so lovely. The smog scenes were incredible as they had huge machines creating ‘fog’ and we filmed in a warehouse that was made to look like London at the time. Although I have to say, wearing a fake baby belly for Call the Midwife was fun, it has shoulder straps just like that Borat swimming costume! 

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6. Do you have any behind the scenes tales to tell us? 

I had a cold sore for The Crown filming and as my character was suffering from the smog the makeup department used it as a feature in my make-up instead of concealing it. We were filming in the hospital and the camera person was framing a closeup of me and commented on how amazing my make-up was, “that cold sore looks so real”. I just nodded and didn’t correct him.

7. Where did the idea for your debut book ‘Harriet Versus the Galaxy’ come from?

 I wanted to write a children’s book with a deaf protagonist, someone like me with one-sided hearing loss and a hearing aid but I wanted to make sure her hearing aid didn’t hold her back. I remember when I found out I had a hearing aid, I thought it was going to stop me from doing everything I love like performing and radio but it hasn’t at all. Harriet’s hearing aid translates alien languages and her Gran become Earth’s first line of defence against the Munchas, who are aliens who eat things like socks, pens, jumpers and even Gran’s knickers from off of her bottom!

Harriet is an adventure book at its core with lots of comedy and fart jokes too because making people laugh and forget their troubles is important to me. The messages from children and whole classes who have read it have been amazing and children with hearing aids dress up as Harriet for World Book Day and show off their hearing aids which is brilliant to see.

8. Are you planning on releasing more books? 

Yes! My next children’s book is called The Night the Moon Went Out and is available to pre-order now from all good bookstores. It will be published by Bloomsbury and is part of their Bloomsbury Readers selection of short chapter books for reluctant readers. The Night the Moon Went Out sees Aneira, a little girl with hearing aids who is afraid of the dark, go on an adventure to turn the moon back on, with the help of a friendly owl. 

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9. What’s been the best experience in your career so far? 

I think seeing a little boy with hearing aids giggling when he read my book Harriet versus the Galaxy and the excitement on his face when he said “she has a hearing aid just like me” was pretty amazing. Becoming an ambassador for RNID has also been incredible and I have met so many brilliant people. When someone told me The Divorce Club had literally saved their life was so humbling. I have also got to work with some incredible humans like Channing Tatum, Miriam Margolyes, Gaby Roslin, Laura Whitmore and lots you won’t recognise the names of who are equally brilliant so I feel very lucky.

10. What does your role as ambassador for RNID entail and how important is it to you?

I love being RNID Ambassador and I was so proud to be asked by the charity to represent them. I work with them on their campaigns such as #subtitleit, a push for subtitles on all streaming platforms. Can you believe new shows come out and there are no subtitles for them so deaf people have to wait to watch the latest thing?! I was the face of their subtitles in the cinema campaign last year and I have also been supporting a new digital service they are introducing this year so lots going on. 

The Night the Moon Went Out is available to buy now from all good bookstores.

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