nerdfest Podcast: Movies, TV, Trivia and Fun!

After a quick chat about our fears and hopes for “Deadpool & Wolverine”, our nerds review "Twisters", "Monster", "Nope" and "Longlegs". Then see if you can beat the team to safety in Dan's Disastrous Quiz!

Welcome to this very special LIVE edition of the Nerdfest podcast, recorded during local improv comedy group Spontaneous Wrecks’ 10th anniversary gig. To celebrate, we did our Buff or Bluff quiz - topics included the 10th film in various franchises, silent movies with giant monsters, and actors who've lent their voices to video games. We also had a Nerd Debate on the Best Action Movie Of All Time. Cue fierce arguments and audience interjections. Let us know what you think of our final decision! And finally we held a great big Nerd Quiz bonanza, where two members of the audience joined two of our nerds to fight for the ultimate crown of True Nerd. We had so much fun recording this episode, and we hope you enjoy listening to it!

Is it really safe to go back in the water? In this week’s episode the nerds go fishing for Parisian sharks in “Under Paris”, giant radioactive lizards in “Godzilla Minus One” and Daisy Ridley in “Young Woman and the Sea”. Hazel can’t decide if “The Bikeriders” is a recommendation or not, as her opinion changes throughout the episode. And Ian McLaughlin makes a triumphant return to the pod with “Dead Mens Shoes””. Catch your favourite nerds LIVE during Spontaneous Wrecks’ 10th birthday celebrations on 7th July. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/spontaneouswrecks

What happens when movies about the exact same idea are released within months of each other? Find out the winners in our surprising quiz. We also have both true and made-up facts about Werner Herzog, what inspired some famous dragons (snakes, mostly), and the weird things movies get titled in other countries. Can you even tell what's true any more?

It’s stunt performers vs unrelenting bleakness in this week’s round of recommendations! Hazel enthuses about “The Fall Guy” which also inspired Andy’s recommendation “The Boy Who Lived”; a documentary about David Holmes, who became paralysed from the chest down after a stunt went horribly wrong on the set of Harry Potter. Peter discusses what is it about the Netflix series “Baby Reindeer” that makes it so compelling, before Jon does an immaculate impression of a genuine recommendation - the Sydney Sweeney starring horror film “Immaculate”.

In a jam*-packed show we stump each other with "facts" of variable truth about Immovable object Jack Reacher, twisty Xmen plotlines, weird movie reviews and the lost art of the DVD menu. Dan has a quiz on daft Star Wars character names. And we find out which of our nerds know NOTHING about cricket. (*contains very little actual jam)

We recommend new Netflix sci-fi series “3 Body Problem”, the nostalgia-fuelled “X-Men ‘97” which got the whole internet talking, Hitchcockian style thriller series “Ripley”, and (because after nearly 7 years of podcasting, Jon still doesn’t understand what a recommendation is,) "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire". We also discuss our initial thoughts on 'Fallout- amidst various bursts of football-related heartbreak from Jon who isn’t giving the podcast his entire full attention during the first 5 mins.

A very special episode awaits, as we are LIVE at Nerd Fest with five incredible guests- including Diane Youdale, "Jet" from the original UK series of Gladiators, who takes us behind the scenes of the show and tells us what she thinks of the new BBC series. We also talk to Alex Forman who played Behemoth in 'Loki' season 2. He has some wonderful stories from the set, and how he was brought on for scenes he wasn’t in so the other actors could act against him. Mike Norris is a fantasy comedy author whose first novel 'Reap, Sleep, Rock, Repeat' garnered great reviews. He talks about battling imposter syndrome and writing during Covid. Rudi Jennings is the author of fantasy novel 'The Last Myon' which sold out on its first day on Amazon. He has become known for a very distinct writing style inspired by an interest in psychology and the countryside. And Ross Mullan is an actor known for playing white walkers in 'Game of Thrones' and has a CV that includes 'Dr Who' and 'Clash of the Titans'. He talks about bringing life to physical characters and finding a love for acting.

On today’s show we have our Buff or Bluff quiz where we’ll try to outfox each other with both true and made up nerd trivia. Today’s rounds include the “You wouldn’t steal a…” advert, Shakespeare facts (so sorry Dan), the 1992-2000 series of Gladiators, “versus” plot lines, and some random stuff from Peter! And, it’s that time again! It’s hats season, aka Hazel’s world famous, far too complicated Oscars sweepstake. And what’s that?! ANOTHER hat? What could it be for?

On today’s love-filled show, our nerds talk passionately about the movies and TV shows they’ve been gorging on recently- including 'All of Us Strangers', 'American Fiction', 'Mr and Mrs Smith', and 'The Holdovers'. And in the spirit of St Valentine Hazel concocts a quiz about famous romantic movie quotes as you’ve never heard them before.

That’s right it’s episode 150! To celebrate we’re bringing back some of our favourite games to play. Dan takes on Andy in Nerd Court - will 'Spider-Man No Way Home' be sent to Nerd jail? Will the judge be unbiased for a change? Will objections be raised? Plus, many hijinks were had in our game of Buff or Bluff, a game we’ve been playing since episode 1. But are there any movie facts left? Turns out, yes, as we tackle subject areas including the number 150 in film, some of the odder “What if” comics, movie locations, the plots of strange sports movies, and octopusses in film! Can we work out the truth from our nerds’ pack of lies? Thank you all so much for listening, whether you’re brand new to Nerdfest, or you’ve listened to all 150 episodes (in which case, we’re so sorry).

We’re back! For our first podcast of 2024 we chat about the films and TV shows that we’re most looking forward to. We also reveal the number one thing we most enjoyed watching over the Christmas break. To round things off, Dan has an enormously fun quiz. Know how many gallons of water it took to flood the grand staircase for Titanic? Come and play your cards right…

It’s our end of year special as Peter, Dan, Andy, Jon and Hazel each countdown their top 3 favourite things from the year. From entire TV shows to specific moments in episodes, it’s a great recap of what captured our imagination in 2023. But what claimed the top spot? Plus, Hazel has a quiz to test the nerds knowledge of what happened this year.

"Completely average size" apparently, as Dan, Jon, Andy and Peter execute their bluffs with Military precision. We have 'facts" of questionable veracity about bizarre comic book crossovers, the Cinema of North Korea, the great Napoleon, and some famous TV and movie vehicles. And Santa (Dan) comes early this year for our nerds.

For Fleurken’s sake, it’s another Nerdfest episode! This time we’re delighted to be reunited with Ian Mayor, who is a puddle of excitement about “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”. Also we review David Fincher’s “The Killer”, sci-fi romance “Fingernails”, Palme D’or winner “Anatomy of a Fall”, the bizarre “007 Road to a Million”, and the MCU’s latest, “The Marvels.”

This week’s show is a particularly funny one. No, not funny like a clown per se… Yes, it’s time for some Wise Guys in the second instalment of our “Something old, something new” where we get to discuss a Martin Scorsese classic: Goodfellas (which, for one of our nerds, also marks a Shameful Gap). The “something new” is Loki Season 2. Which isn’t making us laugh so much as leaving us rather bewildered. Plus, we open the show with a quickfire round of recommendations, and pay tribute to one of our favourites- the great Matthew Perry.

It’s Buff or Bluff time! Can we work out the manufactured lies from this week’s lineup of entertainment facts? Our topics include “Return to Oz”, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, Dr Who baddies, and Alfred Hitchcock. Plus, with Halloween being just around the corner, we discuss some of our favourite horrifying movie experiences, including one recent hell-raising experience that resulted in the exchange of gifts between Andy and Jon.

We recorded this episode remotely due to a bout of Covid in the ranks, but still had the best of times discussing everything we’ve been enjoying recently. Recommendations this week include original sci fi movie 'The Creator', and Bob Mortimer’s first-ever novel 'The Satsuma Complex'. We also talk enthusiastically about Netflix’s adaptation of Japanese manga 'One Piece', as well as Celine Song’s fantastic feature debut 'Past Lives.' As Jon was too "busy" to write a review, Dan makes him do an epic forfeit. Plus! It’s the return of Shameful Gap, as one (or maybe two) of our nerds watches 'An American Werewolf in London' for the very first time.

We’re shaking things up at Nerdfest this week and introducing a new format: Something Old, Something New. Hazel, Jon, Peter, Dan and Ian discuss their fondest memories of an old favourite "Jurassic Park" and what makes that movie stand the test of time. Then we head into the land of "Ahsoka" and are given some much needed context on the series from Dan. Plus we have a quick-fire round of reviews of "Men", "What We Do In The Shadows", Shyamalan's "Old", "Lincoln Lawyer Season 2" and "Elemental". And finally, can you beat the team in Dan's quiz where you match the actors to their Action Hero punchlines?

It’s a quiz-tastic episode! Today’s Buff or Bluff covers topics ranging from almost-made Godzilla crossover movies, movie costumes, evil sea creatures, and films set in Las Vegas. Plus! Join in on Andy’s fun quiz, as he gives us two movies from the same year and we try to guess which made the most money. Yay Capitalism!