nerdfest Podcast: Movies, TV, Trivia and Fun!

Join us, won’t you, for a Nerdfest recommendations special, with not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but SIX! nerds together on the podcast to discuss their top picks for lockdown entertainment.

Andy kicks us off with a YouTube channel presented by Tom Scott, where he’s been learning such things as "Do the numbers on toaster dials mean minutes?", "What really classifies as a mountain?", and "What really is sea level, anyway?"

Dan reviews Netflix’s first foray into improv comedy, with 'Middleditch & Schwartz'. Find out what he thinks their secret ingredient is.

As Ian Mayor is perhaps one of the few people on earth yet to watch “Parks and Recreation”, lockdown provided the perfect opportunity for him to get acquainted with Lesley Knope and the gang. We then all delight in reminiscing about the series.

Find out what Jon makes of new TV series 'Devs', starring Nick Offerman in a very different role to Ron Swanson.

Peter covers the Netflix Chris Hemsworth-starring movie, “Extraction”, a rip-roaring actioner that has divided us nerds.

And finally Hazel tells us what she thinks of new Apple TV + drama 'Defending Jacob' with Chris "Captain America" Evans and Michelle "Downton Abbey" Dockery. How does America’s finest ass handle a more down to earth role?

Have a listen, and of course join in the discussion @nerdfestuk on Twitter and Facebook.

Welcome to another nerdy lockdown episode - as Jason Nesmith was fond of saying, “Never Give Up! Never Surrender!”

Which leads us nicely in to this episode’s Shameful Gap, as Hazel has, quite shockingly, never seen 'Galaxy Quest'! Hear her thoughts as she watches it for the very first time, and bring yourselves on a nostalgic trip back to 1999 with Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, a bunch of delightful Thermians, and one heck of a concept.

Also in this fun-packed episode we have our Film Buff or Film Bluff quiz where we try to outwit each other with made up facts about Superman in the media, actor’s crazy demands on film sets, renegade and trailblazing women in film, 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and actors who’ve been in video games.

P.s for any Thermians listening to this and thinking that the Nerdfest podcast is actually a historical documentary, we would very much like to fly a spaceship, please and thank you.

Looking for some lockdown inspiration? Our nerds discuss our most recommended distractions across movies, TV and comics.

Hazel gets the ball rolling with a review of new Apple TV+ production, “The Banker” starring Samuel L Jackson and Anthony Mackie. Jon recommends TV show “Succession” with the one and only Brian Cox (not that one). Dan promotes the virtues of offbeat documentary “The Imagineering Story” which charts the success of Disney’s theme parks. Peter covers satirical comedy/ horror with “The Hunt”, and finally Ian Mayor actually joins us live (well, within social distancing rules) from the void to recommend 'Sabrina' (not the teenage witch); a comic novel which he absolutely raves about.

We then have not one, but two quizzes! Dan's‘5 by 5’ tests our knowledge of the fifth film in a series. And Jon has us guessing which celebrity autobiographies he’s been reading, from ‘revealing’ lines taken from their pages.

Stay safe and well everyone!

Can our nerds go the distance, as we attempt to trick each other with fiendish Buff or Bluffs on ludicrous "X-Men" characters, composer Hans Zimmer, the videogame "Donkey Kong" and seminal Edgar Wright masterwork, "Spaced"?

Then Andy fills another shameful gap (how many can one man have?) by watching movie classic: "Rocky". What does he think of it? "Adriaaaaaaaan!" and we discover Peter and Ian's involvement in the "Rocky" videogames.

We also discuss the rumours of James Mangold-taking over Indiana Jones 5. and what that might tmean for the franchise?

As Hazel and Dan watch Hamilton on opposite sides of the Atlantic, Jon is keeping the host’s chair warm as we offer up a brand new set of nerdy recommendations. Make yourself a tea (Earl Grey, hot) as the nerds discuss Patrick Stewart’s return to Starfleet in ‘Star Trek: Picard’, and 'Doom patrol', 'I’m not OK with this', and 'Midnight Family'. And Andy provides a quiz to test our knowledge of movie taglines. Whoever wins, you win!

This is the first chance we’ve had to bid a fond farewell to Terry Jones. So, we open the show by reminiscing about his best moments (Python and otherwise), and chat about some of the lesser known cultural influences he’s had.

Then we have our Buff or Bluff quiz, featuring facts on Michael Palin, musicians in the movies, swearing in cinema, film production stories, and a lucky dip!

Finally, we have the return of Shameful Gap! We scare the pants off Dan by making him watch ‘The Exorcist’. What did he make of it? And how much behind the scenes knowledge does Jon have? Have a listen to find out!

Oh, and the first few seconds will reveal why this episode is called ‘Clucking Hell’. Don’t worry, Hazel’s fine...in a manner of speaking...

Welcome one and all to the newly-created Nerdfest 'Cats' Support Group. Curiosity got the better of Dan and Jon, and so they recall their cat-astrophic experiences of watching Tom Hooper’s 'Cats', with what little remains of their souls. As Dan remarks, "curiosity killed the cat, but Cats might kill your curiosity..."

On a lighter note, we chat happily about the various Oscar winning films that we haven’t had a chance to talk about in depth yet, including '1917' and 'JoJo Rabbit'.

We also have brand new recommendations for you, including the supremely interesting 'Song of Spider-Man' book about the doomed musical ‘Turn off the Dark’.

Jon has (surprise surprise!) another Nic Cage film to recommend - 'Color out of Space' but he is forced to admit that the Cagester is not the best thing in it! What could it be?

Hazel also recommends 'The Show that goes Wrong', a new BBC series that sees acclaimed slapstick theatre company The Mischief Theatre perform 6 different plays in front of a live studio audience. Shenanigans ensue.

We cap off this episode with a thunderously entertaining quiz where our nerds have to guess which actor or director links various movies. During which Hazel has to change her scoring system on the fly!

If you’re enjoying our shows it would mean the world to us if you could give us a little rating or review wherever you listen to us. Thanks friends!

In one of our notoriously bad segues, we begin this week’s episode not with a Buff or Bluff quiz, but with a trip to the gateway of the Hellmouth, the home of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Hazel has been rewatching the series from the start, and so our nerds discuss the groundbreaking storylines, the amusing consequences of remastering it for widescreen, and how they feel now about certain episodes.

Once we get back on topic, our Buff or Bluff quiz features facts about the most unusual reasons for becoming a supervillain, the musical 'Cats', previously unknown tidbits about 'The Rise of Skywalker', and the all-time worst TV shows.

Also in this episode is the return of Hazel’s needlessly overcomplicated Oscars Sweepstake. Our nerds (and a few special guests) discover which Best Picture nominee they have drawn, and how pleased (or not) they are with their picks.

What with 'Wonder Woman 1984’, 'The Eternals', 'Black Widow', 'Ghostbusters Afterlife' and more, the lineup for 2020 releases is looking mighty fine indeed, as our nerds count through the year, naming the movies we’re really looking forward to... and 'Candyman'.

Also join us for our deep-into-spoiler-territory review of 'The Rise of Skywalker'. We’re joined by the much-missed Ian Mclaughlin, overcoming a prolapsed disc in his back to give his thoughts on J.J. Abrams’ closing chapter. We discuss everything about this 40-years-in-the-making movie, including character background notes from Dan, who’s been swotting up with the Visual Dictionary.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on TROS - send us a tweet or Facebook message @NerdfestUK

It’s our 50th episode! To celebrate, we reflect back on some of our favourite recording moments from the past 2 years, and Hazel has a special quiz to test our knowledge of, well, ourselves!

Also in this episode we each count down our top 3 films of the year. There are some surprising inclusions, and we debate and discuss how we feel now about certain movies.

Any 50th episode would be remiss without our Film Buff or Film Bluff quiz, so this round includes questions on Murder She Wrote, James Bond, Nicholas Cage (thanks, Jon) and some of the earliest female filmmakers, which gives us all a chance to chat about this long lost era.

Last but not least, we’d like to wish all our listeners a very happy new year, and a huge thank you for supporting us for the last 50 episodes. We really appreciate it, and long may it continue :)