WHAT IS THE PEEK WITH SAMUEL PEPYS?
The Peek with Samuel Pepys is a scripted fiction, historical-comedy podcast inspired by the diaries of British writer Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), which provide one of the only first-hand accounts of life in England’s Stuart Restoration, under the rule of King Charles II (1660-1685), through the eyes of a time-traveling celebrity gossip reporter. Irreverent and anachronistic, The Peek joins other absurdist, semi-factual historical comedies, such as The Great (2020-2023, Hulu) and My Lady Jane (2024, Amazon).

THE STORY
A jaded celebrity gossip podcaster asks the question: who the hell invented celebrities, anyway? He then accidentally time-travels to the Restoration Era. Oopsie. Luckily, he lands in the home of Samuel Pepys, famed diarist and theatre-obsessed freak. The men strike a deal: Pepys will teach the Podcaster all about the Restoration theatre scene and the budding pop culture scene around actors and playwrights, and the Podcaster will share Pepys’ diaries far and wide in the modern day…if he manages to make it back, that is.

CONTACT DETAILS
Website: thepeekwithsamuelpepys.com
Email: thepeekwithsamuelpepys@gmail.com
Social Media: @ThePeekwithPepys on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and BlueSky.

QUICK FACTS
Seasons: S1 in post-production, premiering August 1, 2025.
Episodes Per Season: 10
Episode Length: 15-25 minutes
Genre: Historical-Comedy
Audience: Made for teens and adults of all ages!

WHERE TO LISTEN
RSS Feed
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
CastBox
GoodPods
Podcast Index, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, and more!

TRANSCRIPTS
Transcripts of each episode will be made available here.

PRESS
Radio Times (UK) “The Pick of Best Audio on Demand - Comedy” Selection
BroadwayWorld Feature

CAST & CREW
(Check out our IMDb page for a full list of credits)
Lead Writer: Lee Melillo (they/she)
Producer, Showrunner, Director: Lee Melillo
Dialogue Editor: Lee Melillo
Executive Producer: Anna Mayo (any pronouns)
Starring: Charlie B. Foster (they/he); Ethan Peña Mock (he/him)

LEE MELILLO (Creator, they/she) is a New York City-based writer, director, and producer. Melillo’s work has been seen across the NYC indie theatre scene at venues such as The Chain, The Tank, Under St. Marks, TheaterLab, Brick Aux, East Village Basement, and more. Her play Slow Burn was a 2024 Semi-Finalist for the SheNYC Festival, and her short plays have been accepted into numerous competitive theatre festivals at Off- and Off-Off-Broadway venues. Find her on IMDb here, or on Instagram @leemelillo.

CHARLIE B. FOSTER (Voice of The Podcaster, they/he) is a writer and actor featured in movies such as Sparks (post-production) and Soyboy (post-production). In TV, he appeared in The Garcias (HBO), The HA Festival (HBO), and is excited to portray Wingo in the upcoming Scarpetta (Amazon). He has also been featured in podcasts like Popcorn For Dinner (Apple), The Coldest Case (Audible), and Supreme (iHeart). In 2022, he understudied for 2nd Stage's Camp Siegfried as Him. He is also the voice of one elevator in Soho. @charlie.be.foster

ETHAN PEÑA MOCK (Voice of Samuel Pepys, he/him) is a Tejano actor, director, and poet raised in Texas, now based in New York City. Mock has performed across NYC on numerous stages in Manhattan and Brooklyn in both new and classic works. B.A. in Theatre Performance from Fordham University.

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