Mum quit law to voice characters on Netflix show, Spike

Emily McGonagle, a mother from Essex, made a significant career change by leaving her demanding job as a lawyer to pursue voiceover work that allows her to stay at home with her children. Previously working late into the night in the legal sector of London, often finishing around 3 a.m., Emily realized the lifestyle was unsustainable after becoming a parent. Seeking a more flexible routine that would fit around her family life, she transitioned into the voice acting industry in 2019.

Emily currently voices eight characters in the children’s animated series *Spike*, which launched on Netflix on 12 October. The show quickly gained popularity and became the number one children’s program on Netflix in the UK. Originating as *Fire Spike!*, a preschool animation on YouTube, the series revolves around the adventures of a friendly dragon and his companions. The animation was developed by the Lithuanian company Bored Panda, which was established in 2009.

At the time Emily joined this project, the YouTube channel had fewer than 1,000 subscribers and limited viewership. Since then, the channel’s popularity skyrocketed to over 1.25 million subscribers, and during its first week on Netflix, *Spike* ranked as the seventh most-watched show globally. Emily expressed her amazement at this success, stating, “It’s insane.”

Her interest in voice acting started while watching children’s TV shows like *Paw Patrol* and *Peppa Pig* with her toddlers. She mused about what it would be like to work in that field but initially dismissed the idea due to her lack of an acting background. Determined to develop her skills, she set up a home studio with professional audio equipment and began auditioning for voice roles. After months of effort, she landed her first job with Google and supplemented her experience with acting groups in Colchester and a six-week course in London. Three years ago, Emily responded to the casting call for *Spike*, and she reflected, “If you’d have asked me, when I was watching *Peppa Pig* all those years ago with my kids, that I’d be hearing my own voice on radio and Netflix, it would be beyond my wildest expectations.”

Jonas Dovydaitis, head of animation at Bored Panda, expressed his excitement on social media about the global reach of the show, remarking that he could not “get over how cool” it was for children worldwide to be able to watch *Spike* on Netflix

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