Scarred For Life

Our guest this week is writer and presenter Emily Dean. As a child actor Emily appeared in the classic British TV show Day Of The Triffids from 1981, for which previous Scarred For Life guest Mark Gatiss - deemed her “Sci Fi Royalty”. Emily was the co-host of The Frank Skinner Show on AbsoluteRadio for over 15 years and now she hosts the hit interview podcast Walking The Dog - in which she intervi...

It's the first of our new Thursday episodes and this week we're exploring the world of vintage creepy board games. Joining us to share his expertise is returning guest John Thomson. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠...

It’s the first episode of series 5 and our guest is comedian Ross Noble! Ross first burst onto the scene in the 1990s, quickly becoming a cult favourite thanks to his wildly unpredictable stand-up style, before going on to become a familiar face on TV through shows like Have I Got News For You , QI , Top Gear and his own series such as Ross Noble Goes Global and Freewheeling .Aside from his comedy...

Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined each week by a special guest who brings with them three terrors from their childhoods that 'scarred' them for life. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Foll...

It's the last episode of series 4 and this week our guest is author and screenwriter Sarah Govett. Sarah co-wrote the screenplay for the 2023 sci-fi thriller Tim about a rogue AI humanoid robot that went to number one on Netflix in the UK. She's also written several successful young adult novel series including The Territory  trilogy, the India Smythe series and the dystopian standalone We Go On F...

Our guest this week is writer, journalist, cultural historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet. Alongside Mark Gatiss, Matthew co-writes the detective series Bookish for U&Alibi, and is the author of works including Inventing the Victorians , Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema , as well as the novel The New Forest Murders . A familiar voice on radio, he has presented The Sound...

This week’s guest is actor, writer and producer Gary Russell. As a child actor, Gary starred in the classic BBC adaptation of The Phoenix and The Carpet, he also played Dick in The Famous Five, and had the starring role in the Scarred For Life favourite Dark Towers from the Look and Read series.  Gary has written extensively in the world of Doctor Who and spent six years as script editor of the TV...

This week our guest is author Sally-Anne Martyn. Sally-Anne specialises in writing female-led psychological thrillers inspired by the working-class women she grew up with. Her work includes The Beauty Queen, The Home and The Clinic, with the latter inspired by her time working in a Victorian asylum. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening and...

This week we're joined by actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist… Mark Gatiss! Mark's career is so extensive that any attempt to list his work here would be doing him a disservice, so we’ll simply say that if you’ve watched any British TV in the last 30 years, you already know why he’s here. Mark was a dream guest of ours and it was an absolute delight to speak to him, so s...

This week's guest is actor Seán Carlsen. Seán is perhaps best known for playing the Time Lord Narvin for Big Finish Productions, a role he has played for over 20 years. His TV credits include The Other Bennett Sister, Mudtown, His Dark Materials, Torchwood and Casualty. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening and access to the members forum -...

This week’s guest is comedian, writer, and presenter Dom Joly. Dom gained cult status in the 2000’s for his genre re-defining hidden-camera show Trigger Happy TV and has since become an accomplished travel writer and presenter, specialising in dark tourism. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here...

This week our guest is the award-winning actress Maxine Peake! Maxine is known for roles such as Twinkle in Dinner Ladies and Myra Hindley in See No Evil, as well as her roles in Shameless, Black Mirror and The Village and a BAFTA nominated performance in Say Nothing. Socially conscious and politically active, Maxine often chooses roles which highlight issues of poverty and inequality and lends he...

This week we're treating you to a free bonus episode! If you don't know by now, our Scarred Club bonus episodes are an opportunity for Andy, Dave and Dane to dig a little deeper into Scarred For Life related topics. This episode delves into some festive TV horrors and has been available to Scarred Club members for a couple of weeks alongside Part Two. If you enjoy this episode (and want to hear Pa...

It's Christmas week and there's an end of term vibe on the show this week as Andy, Dave and Producer Dane are joined by returning guest Lizzie Hopley. We cover off some more of our own festive scars while we dive into listener's scars and remind ourselves of a few highlights from this year on the show. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening...

This week’s guest is writer, producer and director, Doug Naylor. Doug is the co-creator of the legendary sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, which he has written or co-written since 1988. He has also co-written and produced shows such as The Cannon and Ball Show, Comic Relief and Spitting Image. His latest project is the children’s novel Sin Bin Island which is available right now. To join Scarred Clu...

This week we welcome The First Lady of The Paranormal - Yvette Fielding! Yvette's TV credits include Seaview, What's Up Doc?, City Hospital, Juliet Bravo and also being Blue Peter's youngest ever presenter. But arguably her biggest contribution to TV is as the creator and presenter of the TV phenomenon - Most Haunted. 25 series and 300 episodes later she's still getting spooky in basements. To joi...

Our guest this week is journalist, film critic and author Kim Newman. As an author, his fascination with horror and alternate realities led to the novel Anno Dracula and its sequels. He has also written in the world of Warhammer and, in non-fiction, the BFI Companion to Horror and Nightmare Movies among many others. Steeped in knowledge of the horror genre, Kim has won awards from the Bram Stoker...

This week's guest is comedian Phil Ellis! Fresh from his breakout appearance on Taskmaster, Phil's 2025 Edinburgh show Soppy Stern scooped both the Malcolm Hardee Award for Act That Should Make a Million Quid and joint Best Show at the ISH Comedy Awards. He’s also the creator of the cult-hit live children's stage show Funz and Gamez. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly...

Our guest this week is the horror and sci-fi author Mark Morris. Over Mark's 35 year career he's written over 50 novels, novellas and short story collections including many official Doctor Who novelisations - picking up 2 British Fantasy Awards along the way. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up he...

Our guest this week is the legendary Annette Badland. With over 200 acting credits over a 50 year career, Annette has appeared in an astonishing amount of iconic TV shows and films. You may have seen her in Bergerac, Doctor Who, Eastenders, Midsomer Murders, Ted Lasso or even the recent remake of The Toxic Avenger. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, monthly newsletters, ad-fr...

This week we're joined by the writer and comedian, Archie Maddocks! With over a decade of stand-up experience, Archie has become a staple of the comedy circuit, earning multiple award wins and nominations including a nomination for an Olivier Award in 2022. He recently wrote and starred in the coming-of-age drama Crongton , now streaming on BBC iPlayer. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bon...

It's a very special Halloween treat! This week we're live from the Cultplex cinema in Manchester with returning guest John Thomson. John has appeared in so many iconic shows such as Spitting Image, The Fast Show and Cold Feet, and he brings with him 4 new scars for our listening pleasure. Thank you to everyone who came to our first ever live recording, it was an incredible night. If you want to pl...

Our guest this week is comedian, actor and musician - Nick Helm!  Nick starred in the hit BBC Three show  Uncle  for which he was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award and he was nominated for a BAFTA for his short-film  Elephant  which he co-wrote, directed and starred in. His musical career includes the albums Nick Helm is F*cking Amazing  and  Hot ‘n’ Heavy .   His new live show No One...

This week's guest is Emmy nominated journalist – Melissa Chan. In a bit of a different episode this week we delve in geopolitics! Melissa's reporting focuses on transnational issues often involving China – as well as the rise in global authoritarianism.  She has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, the Guardian – and many more. Melissa also co-authored the graphic novel  You Must Take Par...

This week’s guest is comedian, radio presenter and now actor - Jon Richardson! Jon has been entertaining audiences on stage,on our screens and across the airwaves for over 20 years. He's a regular team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, presenter of the Saturday Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio and co-host of Down The Dog with Matt Forde. And as we find out, he's also a huge horror and St...