Believe Me: Creative minds and The X Files

Hello Believers and welcome back. Today Chris speaks to fan culture academic, writer and X Files expert Dr Bethan Jones. Bethan is a research fellow with @mediacymru_, an honorary research fellow with @AmgueddfaCymru, on the board of @FanStudies, co-chair of @scmsFaAS, a @tandf_popcomm editor and author of the brilliant book The Truth is Still Out There: Thirty Years of The X Files about the show’...

Hello Believers. Today Chris speaks to Head of Cinema Events and musician Michael Garrad. Michael was assistant manager at London's much loved Close-Up Film Centre and volunteered at Resonance FM before becoming Head of Events for Curzon Cinemas. Alongside this he is the guitarist in the band Chips for the Poor and has a disconcerting number of copies of Ulysses by James Joyce. Michael talks about...

Hello Believers. Today Chris speaks to film marketing director, film PHD and Bruce Springsteen fan, Irene Musumeci Klein. Irene currently works for the cinema streaming service MUBI as Director of Marketing for Europe. Prior to that, she worked at Curzon and as part of the teams at London’s Elefest and documentary film distributor Dogwoof. Irene talks about getting the word out about arthouse cine...

Hello Believers. Today's conversation is with the late, great UK comic Darren Maskell. Darren sadly passed away earlier this year and was a much loved presence on the UK open-mic scene with his unique brand of kitchen sink absurdism and bedazzling fishmongery. In the chat, Darren talks about growing up in Croydon, dealing with fish and the general public, his trademark coat hanger routine, anxiety...

Hello Believers. Today Chris speaks to Suffolk based comics, novels and screenplay writer and artist Jon Chandler. Jon's visionary work perches on the precipice of degenerate dystopian dreams and tech noir bodily nightmares with uncategorisable outputs such as John's Worth and Another Rude World. After stints in London and Tokyo, Jon studied film under Tony Hill and Martine Thoquenne before moving...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to UK based graphic designer Natalie Clay. Natalie has been a designer for the best part of two decades and works with a massive range of clients from the Premier League to NHS, book publishers and city councils to Puma. Natalie talks about avoiding labels, bad careers advice, falling in love with type, moving to the midlands (or is the North?), so...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to book blogger and proprietor of the Cosy Book Cult, Cara Fielder. Cara has moved from animal management to alt modelling, emo music videos to bookselling and now runs her own online store alongside reviewing the best in genre books. It's quite a shape-shifting journey. Cara talks about modelling in the days of Myspace, dealing with exotic animals...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to San Francisco based artist and musician Dan Davis. Dan studied at Goldsmiths College and has had solo exhibitions at Bass & Reiner in San Francisco and the FOLD Gallery in London. In addition, he has participated in the group exhibitions Pyramid Scheme (2023) and The Long Look (2019) at Bass & Reiner, Either Those Curtains (2016) at FOLD...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to Isle of Lewis born visual artist Emma Macleod. Emma's work explores absurd and uncanny qualities in a variety of ways through sculpture, video, performance, photography, drawing and model-making. Emma has exhibited at The Neverending Glen, Art Walk Porty, Hidden Door Festival, Sett Studios, Royal Scottish Academy, Talbot Rice Gallery amongst oth...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to UK comedian, writer and podcaster, Hatty Ashdown. Hatty is a regular on the London & UK comedy circuit. She co-wrote and created the Comedy Central sitcom 'Give Out Girls', started in BBC radio 4 Sitcom 'Romance and Adventure'. She presents the Funny Mummies Podcast and hosts Screaming with Laughter comedy club. Hatty talks about trying to k...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to civil servant, former advertising creative, educator, guitarist, Dad of 5 and former bandmate, Tom McCaskill-Baxter. Lazarus is right! Originally from Guildford, Tom studied American Studies before winning a D&AD young creatives competition at an early stage in his career. Tom then went on to teach English, play guitar in the London punk ban...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to arts, theatre and film comms professional, X Files fan and esteemed colleague, Joe Crerar-Blythe. Joe is at the coalface of championing the transformative power of culture and has worked all over the Scottish cultural sector from running the doors at Glasgow gig nights to working with some of the country’s leading cultural organisations such as...

Hello Believers and welcome back to the show. On today's episode, Chris speaks to Glasgow based actor and producer Simon Weir. Simon has appeared in over 50 television shows from High Road, River City, Monarch of the Glen and Target to Crime, Guilt and Patrick Melrose. You'll have seen him in films such as The Football Factory, The Acid House and T2 Trainspotting as well as on stage in a multitude...

Hello Believers. On today's episode, Chris speaks to Surrey-born, LA based games publicist Tom Green. Alongside an appreciation for wrestling and action cinema, Tom has worked on a whole range of major entertainment releases from comics to studio flagship film titles and now some of the biggest games on the market. We chat about how to launch a new game, life in California, accessing filth in the...

Hello Believers. In today’s episode, Chris speaks to Canadian performer, cabaret host, online cocktail connoisseur and all round trash fan, Trixie Malicious. Trixie has been a mainstay on the cabaret scene in London, working out of Bethnal Green Working Mens and is the mastermind and MC of SLEAZE Cabaret Clubnight, a brilliantly enthusiastic b-movie reviewer, internationally loved burlesque dancer...

Hello Believers. In today’s episode, Chris speaks to Australian broadcaster, comedian and artist Madeleine Culp. If you’ve travelled across Oz you may have seen Madeleine’s I Heart Art TV programme or seen her pop up as a roving presenter for CTV Plus or heard her on Radio Triple J. Reviews of her stand-up shows have called her like Fark where she’s been described as 'genre-busting' and 'shambolic...

Hello Believers. In today’s episode, Chris speaks to viral sensation, content creator, filmmaker and comedian, Matthew Highton. Matt has performed comedy all over the world, he is a member of a the Weirdos comedy collective who have in past years performed alternative pantomimes and shows on ice, you may have seen his very popular mashup videos where he splices together aspects of recent and retro...

Hello Believers and Happy New Year. In today’s episode, Chris speaks to UK comedian and national treasure, Nathaniel Metcalfe. Nathaniel's wonderfully constructed hour shows have made him a much loved presence on the UK comedy scene and you'll no doubt have heard him on various podcasts and radio shows including Nick and Nat’s Fan Club and recently ‘Springleaf’. Nathaniel talks writing, on-stage p...

Hello Believers and Merry Christmas. In today’s episode, Chris speaks to product designer, football coach and very good friend, Russ Brown. On his website Russ describes himself as someone who also writes about design and productivity and makes music. He ends that short paragraph by saying 'That’s it' but he is being very modest there as he’s one of the most energetic and energising people. We tal...

Hello Believers. In today’s episode, Chris has a very frank and funny conversation with comedian, filmmaker and podcaster, Stuart Laws. You will know Stuart from his many stand-up shows both at the Edinburgh Fringe and touring the UK, he’s been a tour support for James Acaster and you may have seen any of the myriad of brilliantly funny twitter videos, his online comedy series and his short films....

Hello Believers. In this episode, Chris speaks to Calder Valley’s finest: the artist, educator and horror fanatic Jodie Goddard. Jodie talks to us about escaping Blackpool, David Icke, early 2000s art school experiences, attending a seance and we will be speaking about The X Files Season 1 Episode 5 entitled Jersey Devil. You can follow Jodie's work on instagram at @the_devils_cauldron_ Follow us...

Hello Believers. In this episode, Chris speaks to filmmaker and scriptwriter Tiago Teixeira. If you've been to a horror film festival or a short film festival recently, chances are you have seen one of Tiago's brilliantly unsettling offerings. Tiago has written for HBO and won numerous awards for his work including 'Dog Skin', 'Wrong Number' and 'Molar'. His first feature film 'Custom' is currentl...

Hello Believers. In this episode, Chris speaks to award-winning photographer, designer and cat connoisseur Ed Moore. Ed has photographed everyone. Full stop (consensually). He talks to us about how his experiences at boarding school shaped him, how he captures the essence of performers on stage, the greatest segue of all time and we’ll be speaking about The X Files S1 Ep3 entitled Squeeze. You can...

Hello Believers. In this episode, Chris has a swift chat with UK writer and musician Danielle Goldstein. Danielle writes for The Guardian, Time Out, NME and Loud & Quiet. She is the Deputy Editor of Jewish Renaissance, regularly DJs around the UK and sings and writes music with the band Collars. And we also chat a bit about S1 Ep2 of The X Files titled 'Deep Throat'. We do not make a joke abou...

Hello Believers. In this episode, Chris speaks to comedy promoter, old friend, writer, exec producer and all round good egg, Henry Widdicombe. The former grocery based comedian talks us through how he does what he does which currently also includes being the founder the excellent Machynlleth and Aberystwyth Comedy Festivals. And we also chat a bit about S1 Ep1 of The X Files handily titled 'Pilot'...