The Gilbert Twins: Under the Influence

In this episode, we’re joined by Carine and Frances Gilbert – The Gilbert Twins – identical twins, comedians, writers and content creators who have built an online audience of more than three million followers.

After creating hundreds of viral comedy sketches, the twins are returning to their musical theatre roots with Under the Influence, their original musical comedy co-written with Shona Maule. Following a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the show has now transferred to London’s King’s Head Theatre. 

And the inspiration behind it? They really did go to couples therapy together.

We chat to Carine and Frances about what led two sisters into couples therapy, turning that very personal experience into comedy, and the strange reality of building a career around the relationship you’re simultaneously trying to understand.

They open up about co-dependency, sisterhood and finding an individual identity when the world has always viewed them as a pair. We also explore the pressures of having millions of people watching online, the leap from 60-second sketches to telling a story on stage, writing about each other without destroying the relationship, and what Edinburgh audiences taught them about their own show.

Plus, we discover whether there are limits to what they’re prepared to reveal about one another – and ask the rather terrifying question: what happens if one twin gets the dream opportunity and the other one isn’t invited?

A funny, candid and wonderfully chaotic conversation about twinhood, therapy, social media, musical theatre and finding your own voice when you’ve spent your entire life sharing one.