nerdfest Podcast: Movies, TV, Trivia and Fun!

We have lots of new movie, TV, book and even orchestral recommendations for you this week. But before that, we discuss who we'd all like to see as the next James Bond. Is it Tom Hardy? Or possibly a more outside choice? Tune in to find out! To kick off our recommendations, Dan shares his nostalgic experiences of listening to the John Williams “Live in Vienna” concert. He also has a review of a bra...

Dan got married! Jon got a puppy! Ian grew a beard! We have lots of reasons to celebrate in this episode, so please do join us for a bit of non lockdown-related happiness! We also have a great round of Film Buff or Film Bluff for you - including Jon’s definition of a “dedication” to Dan and his new wife. Ian has some made-up movie reviews to fool us with, Peter heads into the land of sci fi, Dan h...

Love is in the air today, as we open the show celebrating Hazel and Andy’s minus one wedding anniversary, and Jon and Peter offer up some unusual ways on how they can celebrate it :) Then we bring you a tonne of new recommendations for your viewing pleasure. First up is 'Lovecraft Country' which premiered recently in Sky’s ‘Watchmen’ slot. Hazel then talks about an easy binge-watch on BBC iPlayer...

This time we answer a question from a listener about just how wrong we all are. This leads us into a fun discussion about certain films that we personally love, but need to mount a bit of a defence for to other people. Before that we have our Film Buff or Film Buff quiz, which tests our knowledge on roles that had to be replaced mid-shoot due to an actor’s untimely death, the movie 'Almost Famous'...

A pod poem: We hear all that’s going on, at San Diego Comic Con. “Old Guard” and “Palm Springs” halt time’s advance, as we cross space with “The Expanse”. A sequel to the “The Last Of Us”? (and Hamilton’s on Disney plus!)

Join Peter, Jon, Dan and Ian for another X-Citing episode of the Nerdfest podcast! In our regular Buff or Bluff feature, we examine the complicated profession of bounty hunting in the Star Wars expanded universe as well as some weird and wonderful cinematic sounds, before answering a listener question on how to bring the X-Men into the MCU and who we’d cast in the key roles. Then Jon delves into h...

This week we’re answering some of your profound listener questions, such as "Which is the best cartoon TV show?", and "What's the most horrifying piece of movie tie-in merchandise you’ve ever seen?" giving us an excellent opportunity to talk about a certain pair of Pinocchio boxer shorts. Then we have our recommendations of the week. Dan has two podcasts worthy of your time, including “Californian...

The Ians align for our latest episode! Yes, Ians Mayor and McLaughlin join Peter, Jon and Dan for a game of Buff or Bluff, encompassing everything from Aerosmith to Vin Diesel’s dog, before we squee about the many exciting things in store for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Join us for our thoughts on 'Black Widow', 'Eternals', Jane Foster as Thor, and loads more Marvel-ous stuff!

In a masterful and suspenseful episode, we discuss five of Hitchcock’s greatest film accomplishments. Join us as we dissect 'Rear Window', 'Psycho', 'The Birds', 'Vertigo' and 'North by Northwest' and see how they hold up today. We discuss the groundbreaking shots, the cameos, the treatment of women, behind the scenes factoids, the unique sets, and much more. Before that, we have an eclectic bunch...

It’s a very special week here at Nerdfest, as not only did the brilliant 'Film Stories' magazine recommend us as their podcast of the week, but also it’s our fifth anniversary! We formed our cinema club in the pub, this time five years ago, so we open the show with a little bit of reminiscing. Also in this episode is our Film Buff Or Film Bluff quiz, featuring true and made-up facts about director...

Join us, won’t you, for a Nerdfest recommendations special, with not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but SIX! nerds together on the podcast to discuss their top picks for lockdown entertainment. Andy kicks us off with a YouTube channel presented by Tom Scott, where he’s been learning such things as "Do the numbers on toaster dials mean minutes?", "What really classifies as a mountain?...

Welcome to another nerdy lockdown episode - as Jason Nesmith was fond of saying, “Never Give Up! Never Surrender!” Which leads us nicely in to this episode’s Shameful Gap, as Hazel has, quite shockingly, never seen 'Galaxy Quest'! Hear her thoughts as she watches it for the very first time, and bring yourselves on a nostalgic trip back to 1999 with Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, a bunch of deligh...

Looking for some lockdown inspiration? Our nerds discuss our most recommended distractions across movies, TV and comics. Hazel gets the ball rolling with a review of new Apple TV+ production, “The Banker” starring Samuel L Jackson and Anthony Mackie. Jon recommends TV show “Succession” with the one and only Brian Cox (not that one). Dan promotes the virtues of offbeat documentary “The Imagineering...

Can our nerds go the distance, as we attempt to trick each other with fiendish Buff or Bluffs on ludicrous "X-Men" characters, composer Hans Zimmer, the videogame "Donkey Kong" and seminal Edgar Wright masterwork, "Spaced"? Then Andy fills another shameful gap (how many can one man have?) by watching movie classic: "Rocky". What does he think of it? "Adriaaaaaaaan!" and we discover Peter and Ian's...

As Hazel and Dan watch Hamilton on opposite sides of the Atlantic, Jon is keeping the host’s chair warm as we offer up a brand new set of nerdy recommendations. Make yourself a tea (Earl Grey, hot) as the nerds discuss Patrick Stewart’s return to Starfleet in ‘Star Trek: Picard’, and 'Doom patrol', 'I’m not OK with this', and 'Midnight Family'. And Andy provides a quiz to test our knowledge of mov...

This is the first chance we’ve had to bid a fond farewell to Terry Jones. So, we open the show by reminiscing about his best moments (Python and otherwise), and chat about some of the lesser known cultural influences he’s had. Then we have our Buff or Bluff quiz, featuring facts on Michael Palin, musicians in the movies, swearing in cinema, film production stories, and a lucky dip! Finally, we hav...

Welcome one and all to the newly-created Nerdfest 'Cats' Support Group. Curiosity got the better of Dan and Jon, and so they recall their cat-astrophic experiences of watching Tom Hooper’s 'Cats', with what little remains of their souls. As Dan remarks, "curiosity killed the cat, but Cats might kill your curiosity..." On a lighter note, we chat happily about the various Oscar winning films that we...

In one of our notoriously bad segues, we begin this week’s episode not with a Buff or Bluff quiz, but with a trip to the gateway of the Hellmouth, the home of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Hazel has been rewatching the series from the start, and so our nerds discuss the groundbreaking storylines, the amusing consequences of remastering it for widescreen, and how they feel now about certain episodes....

What with 'Wonder Woman 1984’, 'The Eternals', 'Black Widow', 'Ghostbusters Afterlife' and more, the lineup for 2020 releases is looking mighty fine indeed, as our nerds count through the year, naming the movies we’re really looking forward to... and 'Candyman'. Also join us for our deep-into-spoiler-territory review of 'The Rise of Skywalker'. We’re joined by the much-missed Ian Mclaughlin, overc...

It’s our 50th episode! To celebrate, we reflect back on some of our favourite recording moments from the past 2 years, and Hazel has a special quiz to test our knowledge of, well, ourselves! Also in this episode we each count down our top 3 films of the year. There are some surprising inclusions, and we debate and discuss how we feel now about certain movies. Any 50th episode would be remiss witho...

As we head into that time of year where no one has a clue about what day it is, and we constantly emerge blurry-eyed from multiple turkey comas, you can take comfort in our many and varied holiday viewing recommendations! In this episode, we review the excellent 'Watchmen' TV series, which Jon has declared his favourite TV show of the year. We also do a spoiler-free preview (because we obviously h...

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, please take your seats for the return of Nerd Court! In the dock this week is a film that has almost divided a relationship - Thor Ragnorok. Engaged couple Andy and Hazel battle each other in the Nerd courtroom, in our most fiercely fought nerd battle yet. Will Thor Ragnorok see off all the evidence weighted against it? Will Judge Jon pronounce an unbiased ruling?...

The year was 2019. An era of political strife. A climate crisis loomed. Royal reputations were in tatters. Cats were "sexy". And Sonic the Hedgehog scared the living daylights out of children and adults alike. Through the mist, one podcast emerged from tens of thousands of other film podcasts to bring peace and prosperity to each and every one of its listeners. In this episode, play along to our “...

This week our Film Buff or Film Bluff quiz includes questions on ridiculous Disney live action plots, some devious Terminator facts, the weird and wonderful films available on SyFy, movie costumes, and how food was used as an effect in some iconic movies. Also Ian Mayor contacts us from the Void, to talk all things unique to John Wick, the Hipster Assassin. And spurred on by some recent awful exam...

In one of our favourite episodes yet to record, we prove just how divisive “Joker” really is, as each of our nerds viewed the film in a different way. Our spoiler-heavy review explores fan theories, direction, Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the character, and how it all fits into today’s world. Before that, we have our main Reviews section. This week, Jon has been lucky enough to attend a preview scree...