Scarred For Life

This week, we're delighted to welcome back one of our favourite returning guests, comedian and actor John Thomson. John joins us to explore one of horror's most enduring—and unsettling—icons: the scary clown. Drawing on his own experiences of playing clowns on screen, his lifelong love of horror, and a remarkable knowledge of the history of clowning, John takes us on a fascinating, funny and occas...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by comedian, actor, artist and collector Johnny Vegas. From giant gorillas at the bedroom window to terrifying children's television, Jonny takes us on a wonderfully funny, surprisingly moving trip through the fears that shaped him growing up. Along the way he explains why he'll never watch The Exorcist, reveals his meticulously...

It's time for another Scarred for Life Mailbag! Andy Bush and David Lawrence dive into listeners' memories of terrifying roller coasters, creepy video game glitches, spiral staircases, unsettling TV moments, and childhood books that left lasting scars. Along the way, they discuss comedy's darker side, Dracula, the Mandela Effect, and reveal how Scarred for Life has become the soundtrack to dog wal...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy and Dave are joined by writer, director and producer Alexander J. Newall, the founder of Rusty Quill and the creative force behind the hugely successful horror podcast The Magnus Archives. Alex explains how a childhood obsession with unsettling cartoons, classic horror films and British sci-fi shaped his love of the genre, before diving into the unique challenge...

In this special episode of Scarred for Life , Andy Bush, Dave Lawrence and returning guest Lizzie Hopley explore some of the most terrifying mothers in film and television. From Psycho and Carrie to The X-Files , The Sopranos and beyond, the trio discuss the mothers who scarred generations of viewers, examining why twisted family relationships remain such a powerful source of horror. To join Scarr...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy and Dave are joined by actor and sci-fi icon Sarah Douglas. Best known as the fearsome Ursa in the classic Superman films, Sarah looks back on a remarkable career that has taken her from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to Hollywood, via Superman II, Falcon Crest, Babylon 5 and Conan the Destroyer. Along the way she shares stories of working with Christopher Reeve,...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence welcome back writer, producer, former child actor, and all-round opinion-holder Gary Russell for a deep dive into one of science fiction's most enduring fascinations: alternative universes. From evil doppelgängers and fascist Earths to Mirror Universes, multiverses and "what if?" storytelling, Gary traces his lifelong love of parallel real...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by comedian, actor, writer and genuine pop culture legend, Patton Oswalt. From Star Wars and Star Trek to horror movies, comic books and classic animation, Patton takes us on a journey through the strange and unsettling things that left a lasting mark on him growing up. Along the way, he explains why comedy and horror are essent...

In this listener mailbag episode of Scarred for Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence share stories from the show's Facebook page, Instagram, and members forum. They revisit childhood TV traumas, creepy public-information posters, unsettling museum exhibits, and memorable celebrity autograph encounters, while discussing how nostalgia, faulty memory, and the inability to revisit old media often make ch...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by comedian, actor and Ghost Huns co-host Suzie Preece. Suzie has built a huge following exploring the paranormal with Ghost Huns, so it's no surprise that her scars are packed full of ghosts, witches and things that go bump in the night. Along the way, she shares stories of Ouija boards, haunted castles, psychic warnings, liste...

This week, Andy, Dave and producer Dane take a trip into The Twilight Zone as they explore the lost art of the TV anthology series. Andy finally confronts the black-and-white original Twilight Zone and watches the legendary "Time Enough at Last" – discovering that maybe, just maybe, old television isn't quite as rubbish as he thought. Along the way, the team discuss nuclear anxiety, thick-rimmed s...

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by wine expert, broadcaster, author and all-round enthusiast Olly Smith. Olly's scars take us from the shark-infested waters of Jaws, a film that left him terrified of swimming for decades, to the disastrous first hangover that scarred him for life, complete with a human skeleton under the bed and a quest to find the ultimate cu...

It's Deep Dive time and we're welcoming back previous guest Lisa Bowerman to take a trip down memory lane and listen to some classic TV theme tunes. Have you got a favourite? One that sparks a core memory for you? Let us know in the usual ways! To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sca...

Our guest this week is the actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer, Nicholas Briggs. Nick is probably best known as the voice of the iconic Doctor Who villains The Daleks and The Cybermen, which he began voicing on TV at the start of the 2005 revival. Before that, he was writing and performing in audio dramas for Big Finish Productions, for which he’s now their Creative Director....

We're back with more of your messages! We were inundated after the last Mail Bag with messages, emails and voice notes, so thank you to everyone who got in touch. But, we still want more for the next one! Message us on Instagram @scarredpod or via our Facebook page. And of course if you're a Scarred Club member you can jump the queue and send your messages to us via the members forum. Or, send us...

Our guest this week is broadcaster Geoff Lloyd. Geoff began his career in radio in 1996 at Key 103 before moving to Virgin/Absolute Radio for almost 20 years. Along the way he racked up 4 Radio Academy Awards and a European Radio Award. Geoff also presented Reasons To Be Cheerful with Ed Miliband for 7 years - winning a Broadcasting Press Guild award for Podcast of the Year. Currently, he hosts Ad...

It's another Watch Club episode and this week we're delving into 3 Vincent Price classics! Witchfinder General (1968) The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971) and Theatre of Blood (1973) We'd love your recommendations for the next watch club, so if you have a perfect 3 film combo for us - or you just want to tell us how wrong our opinions are - let us know on socials, or send us a voice note on Whatsapp on...

Our guest this week is the horror author Catriona Ward. Catriona has been writing in the world of horror fiction for the past decade, becoming the first woman to be a 3-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel, at the British Fantasy Awards. She also won the Shirley Jackson Award for best novel in 2018, along with a ton of other awards and nominations, including The Times Brea...

The gang are joined this week by actor and regular guest Lizzie Hopley for part two of our deep dive into the world of slasher films! This time we get into the lesser known slashers and post-2000's entries. If any of the films we've talked about across this double bill have piqued your interest, then here's a list of films we've mentioned ... The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

Our guest this week is the actor and director, Dominic Brunt. Most of you will know Dominic from his iconic role as Paddy Kirk in the soap opera Emmerdale, who he’s played for almost 30 years!  Along the way he’s been nominated for 11 British Soap Awards, 4 Inside Soap Awards (winning one) and a TV Times Award. But, he’s also a massive horror film fan. So much so, that he produces and directs horr...

It's time for another Deep Dive episode and this week we're joined by regular guest and slasher fanatic, Lizzie Hopley. Jason, Michael, Freddy and Leatherface. No, they're not the members of a noughties boy band, they're the most iconic killers from the world of slasher films. In this first part of a two-part slasher special, we take a look at the 'big 4', the origins of the genre and which films...

Our guest this week is actor and comedian, Simon Day. We talk ghost stories, his ‘chequered’ past and the connection between trauma and comedy. Simon is probably best known as a performer on the legendary sketch comedy series, The Fast Show. Which he’s been a part of since it’s inception in 1994. Aside from The Fast Show, Simon has become a staple of British TV over the past 3 decades, appearing i...

It's the first of our new regular Mail Bag episodes! Thank you to everyone who sent messages and questions. If you want to be featured in the next Mail Bag, there's tons of ways to get involved, message us on Instagram @scarredpod or via our Facebook page. And of course if you're a Scarred Club member you can jump the queue and send your messages to us via the members forum. Or, send us a voice no...

Our guest this week is the returning fan favourite, the comedian,director, writer and actor - Rhys Thomas. His last appearance on the podcast was one of the highlights of last year and yet we’d barely scraped the surface. So we had to have him back! We talk rabies, piranhas, ghosts and more in this sprawling medley of scars.   For over 30 years, Rhys has been making, and starring in, some ofthe UK...

It's the second of our new Thursday episodes and this week we're doing our first watch club. Andy recently mentioned his distain for black and white films, so we thought we'd put it to the test. So this week we're watching ... Dracula (1931) The Thing From Another World (1951) and Dr Strangelove (1964) We'd love your recommendations for the next watch club, so if you have a perfect 3 film combo fo...