Scarred For Life

Come and See Scarred For Life LIVE with special guest Rhys Thomas - Sunday 18th October at The Bedford - London - if you can't make it in person, buy tickets for the livestream!

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

What would happen if you took a group of ordinary people, dropped them into an abandoned American town with no running water, no electricity and barely any food, and told them to survive for 28 days?

That’s exactly what happens in Channel 4’s Apocalypse, and this week on Scarred for Life, we’re joined by producer Jo Harcourt-Smith and contestant Stephen McKell to find out what it’s really like to live through it.

Stephen spent 28 days inside the abandoned Indiana location, where hunger, exhaustion, social tension and the constant pressure of survival pushed the contestants far beyond their comfort zones. We hear about food being stolen, rivalries developing, the psychological effects of hunger, going without phones or TikTok for a month, and the surprising ways people change when survival becomes the only thing that matters.

Jo also reveals what went into creating the experiment, how contestants were psychologically assessed and supported, and why the producers deliberately chose ordinary people rather than survival experts.

But then we get to the real scars…

Jo reveals her lifelong fear of getting lost, abandoned buildings and labyrinths, while Stephen explains how Deep Impact gave him a lifelong fear of tidal waves and why watching Scream 2 as a child left him terrified of Ghostface for years.

There’s also a 1970s survival manual, childhood prepping, haunted psychiatric buildings, Gremlins, the terrifying prospect of being trapped in a maze, and plenty of discussion about the fears and films that can stay with us long after childhood.

So… could YOU survive 28 days in an apocalypse?

And what childhood film or nightmare has stayed with you for years?

📺 Watch Apocalypse on Channel 4.

🎃 Welcome to a very special Scarred for Life Halloween episode.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @NikkiMacabreLondon

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Leigh Francis — the man behind Keith Lemon, Avid Merrion and Bo’ Selecta! — joins Scarred for Life to talk about the things that genuinely scare him, the films that shaped him, and the strange experiences that have stayed with him for decades.

Leigh reveals his three scars: The Exorcist, frogs and long division. From watching The Exorcist as a child and being terrified by its demonic themes, to a childhood encounter with a frog that left him with a lifelong fear of amphibians, Leigh explains where some of his biggest fears came from.

He also talks about growing up obsessed with films, horror, comedy and physical media, getting into older-rated movies as a kid, and why 1970s horror still has a particular ability to unsettle him.

But this is also a conversation about the career behind some of Britain's most recognisable comedy characters. Leigh talks about creating Avid Merrion, the origins of Bo’ Selecta!, his love of celebrity culture, working on Through the Keyhole, Keith Lemon, Celebrity Juice, and how social media has completely changed the idea of celebrity.

There are stories about Star Wars, collecting movie memorabilia, famous clothes, Pamela Anderson, horror films, art college, long division, and why Leigh would much rather draw something than deal with numbers.

Leigh also talks about making things independently for YouTube, his Keith Lemon Forever channel and his Work Experience series — and explains why Keith Lemon is very much a fictional character rather than Leigh himself.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

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Come and See Scarred For Life LIVE with special guest Rhys Thomas - Sunday 18th October at The Bedford - London - if you can't make it in person, buy tickets for the livestream!

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

Filmmaker Jed Shepherd joins Scarred for Life for the first of our special Halloween deep dives during October into the horror industry — and we explore the strange films and TV shows that scared him growing up.

Jed is the writer of HOST, the lockdown horror phenomenon made almost entirely through Zoom, which went from a prank between friends to one of the most talked-about horror films of 2020.

So how did HOST actually happen? Jed reveals how an innocent Zoom prank became a viral sensation, how the feature film came together, why some of the actors were genuinely surprised by what happened on screen, and how the limitations of making a film during lockdown became part of what made HOST so frightening.

We also get into the horror of isolation, why the unknown can be scarier than showing a monster, the psychology of being trapped behind a computer screen, and how a film made for a relatively tiny budget ended up reaching audiences around the world.

But this is Scarred for Life, so we also need to know what scared Jed Shepherd as a kid.

His three scars take us through some wonderfully strange corners of British and Australian television: ROUND THE TWIST, including the unforgettable fox with lemons for eyes; CHOCKY, which still genuinely unsettles Jed decades later; and SPITTING IMAGE, whose grotesque puppets became something altogether different when viewed through the eyes of a child.

Jed also talks about growing up as a horror obsessive, discovering classic horror films, collecting VHS, hunting down obscure and hard-to-find movies, and why physical media still matters to him in the age of streaming.And if you've ever dreamed of making your own horror film, Jed has some very practical advice. He explains why you don't necessarily need film school, why making short films is the best place to start, and how modern phones give aspiring filmmakers access to technology that previous generations could only dream of.

Plus: VHS horror collecting, The Blair Witch Project, lockdown, Zoom séances, childhood nightmares, British horror, filmmaking, and Jed's new horror projects.

🎃 Welcome to a very special Scarred for Life Halloween episode.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here - https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @NikkiMacabreLondon

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Comedian, writer and podcaster Alasdair Beckett-King joins Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence on the Scarred for Life podcast to talk about the films, books and television that left a lasting impression on him as a child.

Alasdair reveals three very different childhood scars, beginning with the unsettling 1970s animated series Murun Buchstansangur, before moving on to a disturbing playground story inspired by Iain Banks’ The Wasp Factory and, finally, one of the ultimate childhood nightmares: Return to Oz.

We get into what makes Return to Oz so genuinely creepy, from the Wheelers and Princess Mombi to its bleak atmosphere, disturbing imagery and unsettling storyline (electroshock therapy anyone?). Alasdair also discusses British sitcoms, children’s literature, The Chronicles of Narnia, his love of unsettling production design and why good children’s books never really have an age limit.

Plus, we talk about his comedy and podcasting career, including Loremen and Eleanor and Alasdair Read That, as well as his Montgomery Bonbon mystery books for children.

If Return to Oz traumatised you as a kid, this is definitely an episode for you.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @NikkiMacabreLondon

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You love him and we do too, so much so that we asked him to join us LIVE on stage in London. It's the monstrously funny, devilishly handsome and soon to be de-possesed - Rhys Thomas! *CROWD GOES WILD*

Come and join Dave, Andy, Producer Nikki & special guest Rhys Thomas for scars, scares and severed heads at Scarred For Life LIVE - Sunday 18th October 4pm - The Bedford - London OR, if you can't make it in person, you can buy tickets for the livestream event. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cheerfulearful/2352831

There will be plenty of interactive fun, a chance to meet the your hosts and share your scars with us live (if you're brave enough)

Be there or be...somewhere else not having as much fun as you'd have watching the Scarred For Life Live show.

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Come and See Scarred For Life LIVE with special guest Rhys Thomas - Sunday 18th October at The Bedford - London - if you can't make it in person, buy tickets for the livestream!

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

This week on Scarred for Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by returning guest Lisa Bowerman for a nostalgic deep dive into the classic British TV programmes and theme tunes that soundtracked our sick days, school holidays and afternoons on the sofa.

From Bod, Crown Court, The Sullivans and General Hospital to Rooms, Farmhouse Kitchen, Paint Along with Nancy and The Way We Used to Live, Lisa, Dave and Andy revisit the strange world of daytime television — the shows you watched when you were off school with a bottle of Lucozade, a flannel on your forehead and absolutely no choice about what was on the telly.

They talk about the comforting voices and gentle presentation style of classic children's television, the unsettling themes that could instantly make you feel ill again, the bizarre educational programmes that taught children about history, painting and country life, and why a few seconds of music can bring back incredibly vivid childhood memories.

Lisa also shares a particularly personal connection to The Way We Used to Live, after discovering a clip of her own brother being killed off in the historical educational drama.

Expect plenty of nostalgia, obscure British TV, bizarre theme tunes, memories of 1970s and 1980s television, and the kind of daytime programming that could only exist in a pre-streaming world.

What TV theme tune instantly takes you back to being a kid?

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here - https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @MacabreLondon

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What makes a film soundtrack genuinely terrifying? And why can a few notes of music stay with us for decades?

This week on Scarred for Life, we’re joined by legendary film critic Mark Kermode and writer Jenny Nelson, authors of Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music, to explore the strange, powerful and sometimes downright disturbing relationship between film, music and memory.

Mark and Jenny discuss how film scores can create fear, tension and atmosphere — from Bernard Herrmann’s iconic Psycho score and the unsettling theremin sounds of The Day the Earth Stood Still, to Pino Donaggio’s haunting music for Don’t Look Now and the chilling childlike vocals which wrap out The Night of the Hunter. They also get into Utopia, Twin Peaks, Rosemary’s Baby, Poltergeist and why children singing can be one of the creepiest sounds in cinema.

Mark also reveals one of his earliest cinematic scars: the wonderfully bizarre but surprisingly disturbing Dougal and the Blue Cat, while Jenny recalls the childhood trauma of Flowers in the Attic.

Plus, Mark talks about his experiences improvising live music for silent films, and the pair explain what readers can expect from Surround Sound — a book packed with first-hand stories from composers, directors and the people who actually make movie music.

If you've ever wondered why film soundtracks stick with us and how some have evolved into musical synonyms which can be sung instead of using a particular word (Psycho, JAWS), then you're really going to enjoy this episode.

CONTENT WARNING: there is brief discussion of adult themes (sexual assault) in the episode so please be advised.

Scarred for Life is the podcast about the films, television, books, music and experiences that left a lasting mark on us — The Podcast for Traumatised Nostalgics

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here - https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @MacabreLondon

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Why are some places more frightening than the monsters that live inside them? This week on Scarred for Life, Andy Bush, Dave Lawrence and Nikki Druce take a deep dive into the horror of liminal spaces, unsettling buildings and locations that are more creepy than comforting.

From the eerie office corridors of Severance and the endless yellow rooms of The Backrooms, to the 1999 remake of House on Haunted Hill, La Cabina, the Psycho house and Portsmouth's infamous Tricorn Centre, we explore why mazes, empty buildings, brutalist architecture, strange corridors and familiar places that suddenly feel wrong can be so deeply unsettling.

Is it the fear of getting lost? Being trapped? The feeling that you're somewhere you shouldn't be? Or does this kind of environmental horror tap into something much more primal?

Along the way, we revisit childhood memories of school trips, 1970s interiors, nicotine stained wallpaper, Rigsby's flat in Rising Damp and the strange smells that can transport us straight back to childhood.

It's a Thursday deep dive into liminal spaces, psychological horror, creepy buildings, nostalgic horror and the places that scarred us for life.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here - https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @MacabreLondon

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This week Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by the Jobseeker himself - it's Jason Williamson from Sleaford Mods.

Jason joins Scarred for Life to talk about the things that genuinely scared, disturbed and scarred him throughout his life.

From growing up in Grantham and the terrifying stories surrounding the local Hills and Hollows, to the government public information films that traumatised an entire generation, Jason looks back at childhood fears, the threat of AIDS, nuclear war and the strange ways we learn what danger looks like.

He also reveals the horror films that have stayed with him — including The Exorcist, Hostel, and The Wizard of Oz. Jason explains why Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West terrified him as a child, why Hostel left him sleeping with the light on well into adulthood, and why modern horror is often more frightening when it explores the darkness of the human mind.

And then there's his third scar… a truly revolting school toilet horror story involving a ceiling covered in dried greenies. Yes, really.

Along the way, Jason talks about Sleaford Mods, touring, performing, forgetting lyrics on stage, social media, modern anxiety, growing older, running, acting, his appearance in Peaky Blinders and striking up a friendship with Cillian Murphy.

Expect childhood nightmares, video nasties, horror movies, 1980s public information films, social media anxiety, working-class Britain, Sleaford Mods, and one of the most disgusting school stories we've ever heard on Scarred for Life.

Scarred for Life is the podcast about the things that scared us, scarred us and stayed with us.

Featuring Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here - https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @MacabreLondon

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School trips were supposed to be fun, weren’t they? A day away from the classroom, a packed lunch, a coach ride and the promise of something vaguely educational. But for many of us, they came with a healthy dose of fear, embarrassment, danger… and occasionally someone throwing up into a sandwich box.

For this Thursday deep dive, Andy Bush, Dave Lawrence and producer Nikki take a trip down memory lane to explore the creepy, chaotic and downright traumatic world of school trips.

From terrifying public information films and being trapped on questionable 1970s coaches, to quarries, creepy churches, red lakes, wasps in Coke cans and the ever-present fear of the sick kid on the bus, the team revisit the things that could turn an innocent school outing into a childhood nightmare.

Nikki recalls taking a school trip to the London Dungeon — and the time she found an actual human skull while working at Highgate Cemetery. Dave remembers a particularly traumatic geology field trip involving a quarry and a blood-red lake, while Andy recalls the legendary school-trip disasters that have stayed with him for decades.

Plus, we hear your memories of school trips gone horribly wrong, including vomiting on fairground rides, dead sheep in Snowdonia, disastrous hotel rooms, seasickness, accidental nudity and a school cruise involving vomiting teachers and a child apparently being left in Lisbon.

So pack your soggy sandwiches, grab your cagoule and make sure nobody gets left behind…

This is Scarred for Life’s deep dive into the terrifying world of school trips.

Sleep well. Do have nightmares.

Get your live show tickets now at: https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/lineup

To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and access to the members forum - sign-up here - https://scarredforlife.supportingcast.fm

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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @MacabreLondon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.