Reality Check: John dies at the End of the Quest for the Game Child
Alex Fitch talks to director Don Coscarelli about his new film John Dies at the End, a slacker-apocalypse comedy with guest appearances by Paul Giamatti, Doug Jones and Clancy Brown. Also, in a Q and A recorded ate last year’s SCI-FI-LONDON, youtube phenomenon Stuart Ashen and director Riyad Barmania discuss their movie Ashens and the Quest for the Game Child.
Stills from Ashens and the Quest for the Game Child / John Dies at the End
In an hour long show looking at titles aimed at different ages of young readers, Alex Fitch talks to three female authors about their work. Graphic designer Lotta Nieminen talks about her first picture book, Walk This World, which depicts various cities and locations around the world, in a highly stylised rectilinear fashion; YA author Sally Gardner discusses her Carnegie Medal winning dystopian novel Maggot Moon and new illustrated fantasy title Tinder; and debut novelist Fayette Fox explores the background of her coming of age novel The Deception Artist, whose young narrator may be in contact with a visitor from the future… Includes readings from Tinder and The Deception Artist performed by Robert Madge and Fayette Fox. Originally broadcast 23/01/14 as a Clear Spot on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)
Covers of books by Sally Gardner, Fayette Fox and Lotta Niemenen
Andrew Hickey talks to Lawrence Miles about his work, including Doctor Who novels Christmas on a Rational Planet and Alien Bodies, plus his Faction Paradox series. Andrew and Lawrence also discuss the latter’s unrealised plans for the nature of ‘The Enemy’ in the BBC Books Time War, the vaguaries of cover design and how his first book was nearly lost down the back of a cupboard!
In an hour long show looking at the long tradition of Doctor Who novelizations and original novels, Alex Fitch talks to five novelists who have written books and monologues based on all eras of the show: Jenny Colgan, Paul Cornell, Tommy Donbavand, Marc Platt, and script editor (1970-1974) Terrance Dicks. Recorded in front of a live audience at SCI-FI-LONDON, Spring 2013. (Originally broadcast 12/12/13 on Resonance FM)
Covers of Doctor Who novels by Terrance Dicks, Mark Platt, Paul Cornell, Jenny Colgan and Tommy Donbavand
Continuing a month about comic book creators who collaborate together, Alex Fitch looks at Doctor Who comic strips in the 50th anniversary week of the TV show. In a panel discussion recorded at SCI-FI-LONDON, artists Adrian Salmon and Mark Buckingham plus writers Scott Gray and Andrew Cartmel (also the TV script editor from 1987-1989) discuss the various adventures of the Doctor in sequential art, including the ‘wilderness years’ when the show was off air in the 1990s and comics were the only continuing visual adventures of the Time Lord. Recorded May 2013 in front of a live audience at SCI-FI-LONDON, Stratford Picture House.
Originally broadcast Monday 18th November 2013, on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)
Doctor Who comics by artists Adrian Salmon, Mark Buckingham, and writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray
For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org
To coincide with this weekend’s Oktoberfest, we have a pair of QandAs from the Spring SCI-FI-LONDON festival, in which Alex Fitch talks to the directors of a couple of the more cerebral SF films that screened at the Stratford Picturehouse. Kristina Buozyte discusses her erotic techno thriller Vanishing Waves in which a scientist travels into the mind of a coma patient to try and revive her consciousness. Also Shezad Dawood talks about his feature film Piercing Brightness where cultures and alien encounters collide in an elliptical film shot on the streets of Preston, Lancashire.
Stills from Piercing Brightness and Vanishing Waves
This autumn’s mini Science Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival takes place from 11th – 13th October 2013 at Stratford Picture House, Stratford, East London. Premieres include The Battery, Haunter, The Colony, The Machine, Battle of the Damned and Rewind This. Retro screenings include new prints of Tokyo Fist, Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Ikarie XB-1, themed allnighters include anime, X-Com and MST3K marathons and a second chance to see the Spring SCI-FI-LONDON film of the festival, Channelling.
A highlight of the festival is a rare chance to see the feature debut of youtube phenomenon Stuart Ashen in Ashens and the Quest for the GameChild with a Q and A after the screening with the star, plus an all day symposium about spaceship construction at The Crystal, Royal Victoria Docks E16 1GB
Alex Fitch looks at the science-fiction sub genre of Alternate History, talking to three novelists about their works that imagines the past and near future if historical events had taken a different path. Charles Stross discusses his parallel worlds series “Merchant Princes” which depicts travel between various 21st Centuries where Europe is still feudal or has only just seen the industrial revolution plus his collaboration with Cory Doctorow “Rapture of the nerds”; Max Brooks talks about “World War Z” which depicts the present day Earth after twenty years of a war with zombies; and Ken MacLeod discusses his novella “The Human Front” and novel “Intrusion” which look at the kinds of police states that might exist in this county if various political movements had access to more advanced technology.
Originally broadcast Tuesday 3rd September 2013, Resonance 104.4 FM (London)
Covers of World War Z and Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks, Intrusion and The Human Front by Ken MacLeod, The Bloodline Feud by Charles Stoss, Rapture of the nerds by Stross and Doctorow
In advance of his appearance at Edinburgh BookFest, Alex Fitch talks to Robbie Morrison about his career in comics so far, from his fifteen year tenure as the writer of Nikolai Dante in 2000AD, working with artists such as Simon Fraser and John Burns, to his new graphic novel DrownTown, published by Jonathan Cape.
Covers of comics written by Robbie Morrison – Nikolai Dante, 2000AD featuring Shakara, DrownTown
The longest running British comic book festival, now in its 21st year returns to the East Oxford Community Centre, off Cowley Road. Guests include Rian Hughes (Dan Dare), Andrzej Klimowski (Stanis?aw Lem’s Robot…), Danusia Schebal (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde graphic novel), Al Davison (Doctor Who comics), Paul Collicutt (The Murder Mile), Vicky Stonebridge (Dogbreath), Karen Rubins (Victoria & Albert Museum comic artist in residence), Ian Rakoff (V & A comics lecturer, writer “The Prisoner: Welcome to Harmony”) and Charles Cutting (The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter), Glenn Fabry (Preacher) and many more.
August 24th / 25th, East Oxford Community Centre, 44 Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1DD
The weekend includes panel discussions, workshops, a book group, quiz and much more. Tickets: £6/day or £10 for the weekend.
This year’s Edinburgh Book Fest starts on 10th August 2013 with guests including Cerys Matthews, Ben Aaronovitch, Lauren Beukes, Roy Hattersley, Oliver James, Ken MacLeod, Alexander McCall Smith and many more. Within the festival there is also a dedicated graphic novels weekend – Stripped on August 24th / 25th – with guests including Kieron Gillen, Melinda Gebbie, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison and Hanny Berry.
The Cartoon Museum is proud to present a selection of Ralp Steadman’s iconic cartoons to celebrate his 77th birthday. To accompany the exhibition there is a programme of events and talks, including Anita O’Brien discussing the use of the weird in Steadman’s work – 3rd September, 6.30pm
Panel Borders: Parasites, stem cells and microbes!
Continuing our series of shows looking at depictions of illness and medicine in sequential art, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Edward Ross and Sci-Fi novelist Ken MacLeod about their comic Hope Beyond Hype, an educational title about “stem cell therapies from lab bench to hospital bedside”, funded by the European Community Research and Development Information Service. Edward also discusses his other medical comics Parasites! and Malaria: The battle against a microscopic killer, while Ken talks about the similarities between comics and science-fiction novels as a way of presenting science fact to the general public.
Originally broadcast Monday 10th June, 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)
100 tiny moments no.80 by Edward Ross / Malaria by Ross and Jamie Hall / Hope beyond hype by Ross, Ken MacLeod and others
For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org
In a panel discussion recorded at SCI-FI-LONDON, Alex Fitch talks to producer Stephen Woolley, writer Moira Buffini and star Daniel Mays about the new British vampire movie Byzantium, directed by Neil Jordan, which depicts the back story and current lives of a pair of female vampires living in modern day Hastings. (Byzantium is released in the UK on 31st May). (Originally broadcast 24th May 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM)
Reality Check: John dies at the End of the Quest for the Game Child [ 38:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
