Pause whatever task you are heroically attempting (or heroically avoiding), ensure causality is still loosely attached, and make yourself comfortable as we once again board the indefatigable Nosferatu 2.5 — a ship so stubbornly historic that some of its systems insist on doing things the way they’ve always been done, even when no one remembers why. With Sophie Aldred guiding proceedings, our voyage continues through memory, invention, and the softly humming fault lines where fandom, craft, and time itself intersect.
Standing crisply at Sophie’s side is Hobbes, the ship’s automaton butler and vigilant custodian of propriety. All polished brass, anxious protocols, and finely honed disapproval, he monitors the ship with a practised eye and a belief that most problems can be traced back to “insufficient filing.” Between them, they manage temperamental machinery, philosophical uncertainties, and the persistent mystery of the door that steadfastly refuses to open — or explain itself.
This week, the Time Scoop activates with its customary lack of consultation and retrieves David Banks — actor, performer, and forever etched into collective memory as the chilling Cyberleader of Doctor Who. Across multiple appearances, David helped define one of the series’ most iconic adversaries, bringing authority, intelligence, and an unsettling calm to a role that demanded far more than a silver mask. Beyond the Cyber Wars, his career spans theatre, television, voice work, and audio drama, revealing a performer deeply engaged with character, discipline, and the mechanics of storytelling. Once disentangled from the Scoop (and after Hobbes conducts a stern evaluation of his suitability for command structures), David joins Sophie on the Sofa of Infinite Understanding to discuss performance, presence, and what it takes to give humanity to something designed to erase it.
No expedition aboard the Nosferatu 2.5, however, would be complete without a descent into the shimmering currents of the Ffantaface — that vast, shifting reservoir of fan knowledge, debate, and beautifully obsessive recall. Standing guard, as ever, is Mrs C, the Cockney goldfish, whose telepathic observations are sharp, unsolicited, and largely unconcerned with chronology. With the appropriate negotiations concluded, Sophie is granted access to this week’s guide: Beth Axford — writer, researcher, and a familiar voice within the pages of Doctor Who Magazine.
As a contributor to the magazine, Beth has explored the series from multiple angles, examining its themes, history, and evolving cultural impact with clarity and insight. A writer with a keen eye for detail and context, she brings both enthusiasm and analysis to her work, bridging the space between fandom and scholarship. Together, Sophie and Beth delve into writing about a show that never stops changing, the responsibility of chronicling a living mythology, and why Doctor Who continues to invite reinvention — both on screen and on the page.
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Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey stars Sophie Aldred with James Showers as Hobbes.
Special Guests- David Banks and Beth Axford
Music, Sound Effects and Sound Design by Michael Livesley
www.michaellivesley.co.uk
Programme Assistant Liz Whitmore
Written, Produced and Directed by Paul Carmichael.
Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey is an Eh? Aye! Production © 2026
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