Everyone has a
“Your audio life story can now be heard forever...”
Writing an autobiography to document your memoirs can feel daunting, overwhelming and time consuming.
At ‘Life Tales’ we offer a professionally recorded one-to-one interview, allowing you sit back in a relaxed environment to tell your story and life tales.
In turn you will be provided with a recording as a keep sake, a permanent record of your legacy as you want it to be told, to be heard by generations of family and friends for years to come.
Plus new customers enter our UNLIMITED referral scheme, meaning you can earn £30 in vouchers which is UNCAPPED for every completed and fully paid ‘Life Tales’ recording.
It's your story to tell
“Skilled storytellers who build a bespoke interview structure with no time pressure”
Bespoke. Tailored. Relaxed.
Our pool of interviewers have many years of broadcasting and interviewing experience, they are highly skilled in storytelling, making you feel comfortable and bringing the best out of their interviewees.
We build a structure in the pre-interview consultation to tailor our conversation around your story with subject areas that are important to you.
There is no time pressure. We don’t clock watch, so you can take your time to tell your story on our designated day and we will edit it together in post-production afterwards.
Your very own professionally recorded autobiography
We will arrange to meet for a face to face interview in a relaxed setting.
Tell your tale for
£500
PLUS Unlimited Amazon Referral Incentive*
- A pre-interview consultation over the telephone or video call
- A professional recorded audio interview tailored to allow you to tell your life tale
- NO TIME LIMITATIONS – We have a whole day to record if required so you can take as long as you like to get your story across under no pressure to finish
- A fully edited recording in whatever audio format you choose (meaning you don’t have to worry about making mistakes or forgetting your words!)
The fee won’t change regardless of the time spent recording
We will take three payment instalments:
- £50 deposit prior to our pre-interview consultation
- £200* prior to the sit down interview
- £250* upon completion of the project
- £30 Amazon Gift Voucher for any referral that results in a booking
*discounted price available until 31st December 2023
Special offer
For £100 extra we can interview you alongside your partner, so you can tell your story as a couple.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are few questions that you might like to know the answers to.
Where do we have to meet?
The choice is yours. If you are most comfortable recording at home then our interviewer will travel to you, or we can organise a location of your choice. We will be flexible to fit around you.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO MEET FACE-TO-FACE IN PERSON?
Particularly after the year we have had, this is an understandable question. We can provide an alternative discounted recording to tell your ‘Life Tale’ via Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc if this is your preference.
WHAT IF I STUMBLE?
The beauty of a recorded interview means you can do as many ‘takes’ and go back on any story or answer you like, we will then look after it in the edit to cut out anything you don’t want included. Even the most experienced people in interview situations slip up, so this isn’t something you need to worry about as we will make it sound great.
CAN I ADD MUSIC?
If you fancy a “Desert Island Disc” style recording with favourite songs and memorable musical moments we can incorporate this into your life story for no additional cost.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL TURN UP?
Even though we work as a team, just one person be responsible for your whole audio life story experience. They will meet you to carry out your Audio Autobiography. It will be the same person you have spoken to in your pre-interview consultation, so you will both already have a good rapport and understanding of what you want to gain from the experience. The same edit your ‘Life Tale’ and have responsibility for delivering a final product you are happy with.
ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN FEES?
No! You won’t be charged for mileage, expenses or anything other than the agreed fee payable in three instalments. If you want us to put the audio onto a memory stick or hard drive, then we just ask you provide us with that on the day of the interview.
HOW WILL YOU DELIVER THE FINAL PRODUCT?
We will provide an audio file that can be saved on your computer and shared with anyone you choose. We can put the material onto a memory stick or hard drive if this is your preference too (although you will have to provide this for us). We can also provide CD copies.
UNLIMITED £30 AMAZON REFERRAL BONUS!
Once your recording is completed and payment has been made in full, you are eligible for our referral scheme. If you successfully refer a new customer who completes and fully pays for their ‘Life Tales’ recording, you will receive a £30 Amazon gift voucher. This is an unlimited offer that can be used for an uncapped period of time – so the more you successfully refer the more vouchers you get!
HOW LONG DO YOU KEEP THE AUDIO?
We will keep your audio for 12 months following the date the final edit of the interview is signed off as a backup in case you need to access it again. However if you would rather we do not keep your ‘Life Tale’ then we will remove it from our system.
I still have some more questions?
Not a problem, please do not hesitate to contact us via our contact for at the top of the page or by calling 0800 644 7373 and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.
IDEAS FOR YOU
‘Your ‘Life Tales’ recording is a personal experience, with the questions guided by your stories and recollections. However, it may be useful to have a chat with family members beforehand to help to plan what is important for you to talk about.
Below are some features, themes and areas that you might want to expand on or think about memories you would like to share (however please note, we do not have to cover all of these areas so please don’t be overwhelmed!). Some may not be applicable to you and some you may not want to discuss. These are just a guide to help to give some pointers and provide areas to potentially talk about.
EARLY LIFE
· Earliest memories growing up and childhood memories
· Siblings and family members you were close to – parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles.
· Hobbies and activities you did
· Holidays and days out
· Childhood friends
SCHOOL AND EDUCATION
· Where you went to school and subjects / lessons you recall
· Favourite teachers and friends
· What did your school reports say!
· Did you know what you wanted to do after school
· Further education, College and University life
YOUNG ADULTHOOD / “FIRSTS”
· Your first job, what you spent your first pay cheque on
· Your first car
· Your first time living away from home
· Your first album / sporting match / ticket to a live event / pint of beer!
· Hobbies and interests
· Friends and relationships
FAMILY LIFE
· Where you called home, or where you moved to and from
· Career and jobs
· Memories meeting your partner and those early years
· Marriage
· First dance and honeymoon
· Relationship with your
· Children
· Pets
· Things you would do together
PERSONAL INTERESTS
· Favouite music
· Favourite TV programmes and films
· Sport – teams you supported, sports you watched
· Favourite meal
· Other hobbies or interests
· Your childrens hobbies and interests
· Funny moments or embarrassing moments
· Things that happened then that you would never see or do now!
‘MOMENTS IN TIME’
· Memories of certain eras that were significant in your life
· Historical events that might stand out
· “I was there” moments you may have witnessed
· Fashion – your own fashion habits, hair cuts and clothing styles you wouldn’t see now!
· Currency comparisons, the cost now and then
· Technology then and now
· Biggest influences (people you know or may never have met)
LEGACY
· Things that have shaped you as a person
· Mottos or sayings
· Rules and principles you live by
· Proudest achievements
· How you’d like to be remembered
Contact us
Call us
Please call us to book your life tale recording or if you would like any more information.
We would love to speak with you.
We are happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Get in touch to find out more
Please fill out your details below if you would like more information.
We would be happy to provide you with more information.
Our founder
Hello
My name is Simon Watts and I am an active journalist with over 20 years experience working in Radio and Television broadcasting.
Firstly may I thank you personally for taking the time to look at our website.
This is an idea I had been sat on for a number of years, but only had the time to finally get it off the ground during the crazy periods of lockdown.
Why I love story telling
I’ve been in the privileged position to have met and interviewed many big names from the World of news and sport, working for the likes of the BBC and Sky among others. However over the years, my most memorable interviews have come from meeting “ordinary” people. Because I believe we ALL have amazing stories.
Whether that be inspirational torch bearers at the London 2012 Olympics, survivors of the Holocaust, people who went out of their way to help others in their community during the Coronavirus outbreak, or hearing the every day stories of listeners interacting with the various radio stations I have been lucky enough to represent.
What has always been clear is that EVERYBODY has a life tale. I just love listening to people’s stories, their backgrounds and finding out about the lives and experiences of others.
My motivation
20 odd years ago while I was still at University, I was driving home from a football match with my grandfather – Don. He chose our journey to reveal his experiences while carrying out National Service in Malaya. We went on to talk about his experiences living in the jungle, his years racing stock cars, how he happened across a friend who taught him how to fly a hot air balloon and spending time living in South Africa.
These were revelations, I knew Don as just a humble plumber by trade, born and bred in Buckinghamshire who loved football and motorsport. He passed away less than a year later and only when I had two young children of my own did I really regret having not made some sort of recording Don’s life stories.
With the benefit of modern recording and editing technology, it is now so much easier to sit down and record an audio interview.
We are able to track our family tree through websites like Ancestry, Genealogy and Find My Past to discover records of our ancestors dating back hundreds of years. My aim for this service is to provide substance to this precious family history, so your story can be heard for generations to come.
It’s easier and more personable than writing an autobiography, it means you can voice your own stories – think ‘This Is Your Life’ or ‘Desert Island Disc’, but without the live studio audience!
My team of people
This is a genuine start-up, driven by my passion for providing a high quality service with an end result that can be kept for years to come. A family legacy. As I am still actively working as a journalist, I also have a pool of respected colleagues working regionally, fellow broadcasting professionals who I can trust to deliver and who I can guarantee you will enjoy speaking to!
The whole idea is that we come to you, we make it comfortable and FUN, without any time pressures, using our years of interviewing and social skills to make it a fantastic experience and trip down memory lane, with a high end final result. An oral history for life.
Please feel free to get in touch and I will happily discuss how we could make something bespoke to you and answer any questions.
We don’t have a sales team, we’re not pushing for a hard sell, there will be no pesting or pressure for an answer.
Thank you once again for reading.
Simon.