Listen Again: Imagination, Inspiration, and Creative Resilience with Lizzie Hopley

Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I offer up my favorite episodes of the year. This year's Thanksgiving selection is my conversation with force of nature Lizzie Hopley. Enjoy!

(Original release date: July 16, 2025)

— Actress and writer Lizzie Hopley was born in Liverpool and trained at RADA. As an actress, she has worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Globe Theatre and recent screen work includes Black Doves and upcoming feature film Fackham Hall. As a writer, her radio sitcom Green won Pozzitive TV’s Funny Dot Comp 2021 and TV series Bloody Betty is currently in development. She has written and appeared in over 90 Big Finish audio adventures including Dark Shadows and Doctor Who, and her Doctor Who audio play The Curse of Lady Macbeth won the 2022 Scribe Award. Lizzie joins me to talk about how her childhood love of writing and acting became a vocation, auditioning for RADA—twice—and how she ended up continuing to write even as a drama student, how learning to think of acting and writing as having a target changed her work, and a whole lot more.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Lizzie Hopley shares her creative childhood and love for books. 04:56 Acting out movie scenes alone sparked early passion for performance. 08:45 Family encouraged storytelling, costumes, and imagination at home. 13:11 Difficulties pursuing creative careers; importance of following passion. 17:33 University and RADA experiences shaped her acting and writing path. 22:24 Writing plays began due to lack of desired acting roles. 27:29 Rewriting and feedback are crucial for improving both crafts. 32:54 Learning to target audience while writing; acting versus writing focus. 37:22 Acting training emphasizes focusing on scene partner, not yourself. 43:48 Importance of editors and learning to kill your darlings. 48:21 Confidence and caring less about others’ opinions increases with age. 53:07 Acting and writing overlap at Big Finish; playing her own roles. 57:16 Big Finish’s community impact, creative freedom, and professional development. 01:02:18 Target books and early Doctor Who fandom as creative inspiration. 01:07:04 Embrace varied interests; open doors for yourself in creativity.

Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing, theatre, and Doctor Who.

 

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

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If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.