nerdfest Podcast: Movies, TV, Trivia and Fun!

DID George Lucas really name a Star Wars planet after Jon Stewart? DID Faye Dunaway once throw a cup of urine in Roman Polanski’s face? DID Patrick Swayze really chew on ice in order to hide his breath during the filming of Ghost? And DID the producers of "Thunderball" REALLY drag a dead shark past Sean Connery, only to discover it wasn’t actually dead? Find out in our regularly deceptive quiz, Fi...

The pitiful remains of what was once Jon Farthing join us for a bumper crop of recommendations and quizzing. Dan raves about Helen O'Hara's new "Superhero Movie Guide", Hazel swoons over Sir Ian McKellen's live show, Peter checks out the backstory of "Pennyworth", Batman's butler, Jon enthuses over Tarantino nostalgia-fest, "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", and Ian eventually drag(on)s himself away...

We’re excited by the recently-revealed plans for Marvel Phase 4, but Hazel and Jon think there’s room for one or two other ideas. So, for this episode we created our own version of Kevin Feige, to which Hazel and Jon must pitch their new Phase 4 concepts. This includes a movie centred on the backstory and adventures of Valkyrie, as well as a comeback vehicle for Marvel’s long-lost character, The S...

This week our two special guests, Louise and Andy, join their significant others (Jon and Hazel) in the ultimate Mr and Mrs battle: ”How Deep Is Your Nerd?” See how well they know their partner’s true nerdiness, with a series of movie-based questions. We've lots of new recommendations for you, too: Peter tells us why new Amazon series “The Boys” is different from the other superhero shows. Andy en...

Welcome to a very special live episode, where hosts Hazel, Jon, Peter, Dan and Ian broadcast in front of an audience, as part of the Newcastle Improv Festival. We’re joined by some very special guests, including Bev Fox from renowned improv group The Suggestibles, who joins Ian to talk about the secret ingredients to their success, and we unearth some new intimate details about how they first met!...

If you're a fan of entertainment trivia you'll love our 40th episode, which is a Buff or Bluff bonanza! The nerds face off on questions about actor/ musician duets, obscure casting choices, the one and only Keanu Reeves (including whether or not he was babysat by Alice Cooper), the "Angel" TV series, and the career of James Cameron. Was he really the one who came up with the idea to cover Arnold S...

This episode is a mega review special - featuring everything new and exciting we've been moved by recently.... and "Brightburn". And we welcome a new guest. It may be a surprise to some listeners to find that Louise actually exists, and is not just a product of Jon's deranged imagination, but we're delighted to have her join us for this episode! We discuss Game of Thrones behind-the-scenes documen...

It’s a fight between good and evil, as Hazel and Jon contest the fate of “Superman 3” in Nerd Court. Will Hazel’s evidence send it to the Phantom zone? Dan is the unbiased judge, with Peter as our expert witness. We also have a voyage to the Void as Ian Mayor bids a wistful goodbye to Vertigo Comics, which announced its dissolution last week. Ian talks about how this comic giant came to be, and wh...

This episode takes us on a wild and crazy ride as we discuss the life and times of 1980s comedy stars Steve Martin, John Belushi, Rick Moranis, Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy and John Candy. Gain insights into everything from "Ghostbusters" to "Beverley Hills Cop" from Dan’s review of Nick de Semelyn’s new book ”Wild and Crazy Guys”, then test your own knowledge of 1980s comedy trivia as he sets us a q...

If there was ONE thing that really stood out in 1997’s "Batman & Robin".... In light of the news there’s going to be a new Batman protecting the streets of Gotham, our nerds debate who was the greatest actor to don the Bat Cape, Bat-nipples or no Bat-nipples. Most of us chose different portrayals although, spoiler alert, none of us selected Batfleck (in fact, we sort of forgot about him...) Before...

How do you become a guest on the Nerdfest podcast? Sex and cookies, apparently. This time we have a new voice amongst our nerds, Andy, who joins us for an extra long spoiler special on 'Avengers: Endgame', now that most of the world has seen it (Some of us three times!) In the second part of the show we go scene-by-scene, discussing the fate of many beloved characters, whilst also pondering the et...

So, if you HAD to, which dinosaur would you choose to "make the beast with two backs" with? It’s these sort of high-brow questions and more which our nerds seek to tackle in this episode. First up is Film Buff or Bluff, starting with Jon's three outlandish storylines involving The Joker. Then Dan gives us three Jeff Goldblum facts, (one of which is his favourite dinosaur, taking us on said dinosau...

In celebration of two great franchises both coming to their conclusions, we have some special features for this episode... Dan has devised a dragon-sized Game of Thrones quiz, spanning all seven previous series. And we record our first reactions to seeing "Avengers Endgame" - mere minutes after leaving the cinema (but after relieving our bladders!). Don’t worry - it’s all spoiler free. Before that...

Duh duh du-du-duh duh du-du DDUUUUUH. "Game of Thrones" is back in front of our eyeballs and we couldn’t be more excited! In this episode we make our predictions for who we think will die first, and who'll end up on the Iron Throne at the end of the series. Unfortunately the three-eyed raven we’d hired for this purpose flew away, which means none of these predictions will come true, but it’s a fun...

It’s "Captain Marvel" review time, the majority of which we spend trying to come up with our own synopsis. Once we get that established however, we have a lively debate about the film’s merits and shortcomings. In another inspired quiz, Ian borrowed the DeLorean to ask his 5 year old self to describe 10 famous movies, while the rest of us try and guess it from his cryptic clues. And we start the s...

Can you tell the difference between the snarl of a Gremlin and the pwish of the Enterprise doors? Then you’ll probably do a lot better at Ian’s masterful movie sounds quiz than we did! Also in this episode are our(spoiler-free) reactions to 'Captain Marvel' - captured in our mobile recording studio (AKA Hazel’s car) just after leaving the cinema. In Buff or Bluff, Dan delves into the sitcom career...

It's a full Nerd house, thanks to Hazel’s recovery (though Jon doesn’t quite want to let go of his temporary hosting duties) and Ian Mac being back from whatever he was doing... Ian recommends perhaps the strangest video game concept we’ve ever heard (two words: "Vicious Strawberry".) Jon cautiously recommends the updated version of “Suspiria”. We find out whether the eyes have it for “Alita: Batt...

We have lots of wonderful recommendations for you this episode - Jon tests the breakability of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass”, Dan endures a nightmare commute on the “Last train to Busan” and Peter shares some “Sex Education” From beyond the void, Ian Mayor enthuses over the incoming news about Denis Villeneuve’s "Dune". And once more we brave Jon’s Sack of Fun, the world’s unluckiest dip. WARNING....

In the official* Nerdfest preview of 2019, we chat about the likes of Star Wars Episode IX, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Toy Story 4, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and Avengers Endgame. Find out which will make the top of our watchlist. We partake in our usual fun and frivolities during a Film Buff or Film Buff Quiz, including unusual hobbies of Marvel actors, some musical trivia, and some Mu...

Love him or loathe him, you can’t deny that Nicolas Cage is... interesting. in this episode, No. 1 fan Jon breaks the podcast record (probably)for the most NC references, including his ‘recommen-dont’ film called Left Behind (“It’s the f*****g rapture, innit”) - another consequence of Jon’s late night, post-pub viewings. Dan has the misfortune of reviewing Next, the Cage-starring caper he picked f...

Well hey there 2019, you sexy thing you. So, what was 2018? A whole crock of... well, we won’t go into that here. But the saving grace for a lot of us was the cinematic experiences we encountered, so enjoy our rundown of the best that last year had to offer. This episode also sees the first appearance of Jon’s "Sack of Fun", whereby we all benefit from his recent trip to a discount DVD store, and...

ORDER! ORDER! Please assemble for the return of Nerd Court, in which we engage in our fiercest debate yet: the merits of "Total Recall". Will Peter succeed in his quest to send this Arnie classic to Nerd Jail, or will Jon's real-life lawyering skills save it from a fate worse than a decompressive explosion? Also in this episode, we discuss the trailer for "Avengers: Endgame"- including why Tony St...

Yeehaw! pardners. There’s a Wild West theme to this one-year anniversary episode, as we cover new Coen Brothers movie, "Buster Scruggs" and the game "Red Dead Redemption 2". Other recommendations are Pratchett and Gaiman collaboration "Good Omens", Netflix’s "Apostle" and comedian-testing panel show "Taskmaster". And we choose some great nerdy gifts for Xmas, including a Geek cookbook, a giant leg...

Spider-Quiz, Spider-Quiz. Does whatever a Spider-Quiz does. Which in this case, means we talk about a peculiar Spider-Man comic book arc that distinctly rhymes with the word ‘Quiz’... Yep, our Film Buff or Bluff Quiz is back, and this time we try to out-fact each other on fake documentary synopses, 'Quantum Leap' episodes, 'Spider-Man' comics, and which films feature the famous ‘Willhelm Scream’....

Our podcast can now legally consume alcohol in America! Three cheers to that! To celebrate, we go on a right old rant as Ian ‘takes one for the team’ and reviews the disappointing Venom (in a very amusing way). It’s not all doom and gloom, as we chat positively about Making a Murderer II, Bohemian Rhapsody, John Carpenter’s tour, and Bad Times at the El Royale, before going all ranty again about D...