nerdfest Podcast: Movies, TV, Trivia and Fun!

It’s that time again! The Nerdfest Oscars sweepstake is here. And if you can find a more complicated sweepstake anywhere, we’ll eat all 6 of the hats Hazel used during this episode. Who will win F1 roulette? What’s these rumours about a secret hat? What film will Nicolas Cage get this year? You’ll have to listen to find out.

Well, we took a short break. Just 10 months. Barely a nap. We decided to get the band back together for an enormously fun 2025 review extravaganza. Hazel, Peter, Dan, Andy and Jon each reveal their top 3 favourite things of the year, from movies to TV shows to books to music to games and even a bit of theatre (darling). Andy also came up with a 12 Days of Christmas quiz. We know Christmas has been and gone, but this quiz is part trivia/ part recommendations on what to watch over the Christmas break while enjoying round 4 of pigs in blankets. We missed you! We missed doing this. We hope you enjoy the show :)

It’s Nerdfest Oscars sweepstake time! Now in its sixth year, Hazel has outdone herself to make the 2025 version even more ridiculously complex. The sweepstake now includes 5 hats, a trivia section, jokers, and a regrettable round of roulette. Before that the nerds offer quickfire recommendations of the movies and TV shows we’ve been enjoying recently. And an in-depth review of 'Captain America: A Brave New World' (or is it?) Beware of mild spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet.

Join Jon, Dan, Hazel Andy and Peter as we squee excitedly about all the new stuff coming this year, including new movies for Captain America, Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, Superman, Mission Impossible, Knives Out 3,Jurassic World Rebirth, Del Toro's Frankenstein and Liam Neeson's Naked Gun. New TV shows for Daredevil, Spiderman Ironheart and Wonderman and a return for Andor, Severance, The Last Of Us. Stranger Things, Black Mirror, Squid Games and So much more! Plus a very funky quiz!

It’s our end of year special! Our nerds each count down their top 3 favourite things of 2024-from films, TV shows, games, books, and music. Join us as we recap all that 2024 had to offer in the world of entertainment. We would love to hear what you enjoyed most this year, and let us know if you agree with our choices or you feel aggrieved by them. We’re at Nerdfest UK on Facebook. Thank you for listening this year! Our 2025 film and TV preview will be next.

What do you get when you get four nerds to review the sequel to a controversial film about a Batman villain? We’ll tell you what you get! You get what you **** deserve! Sorry, we went a bit Joker there. Jon braves the grim prison underworld of Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’. Peter keeps the crime spree going with ‘Sweetpea’, featuring Ella Purnell in a killer role. Ian Mac returns to watch Norwegian kid superhero movie ‘The Innocents’ … and those kids are not so innocent. Thank goodness then for Dan, whose musical documentary recommendations, ‘Music by John Williams’ and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Road Diary’, are only criminal because they’re criminally good.

On today’s show we have a group discussion about how we’re finding 'Agatha Alrighty Then' (or 'Agatha All Along', if you’re into accuracy). We then catch up on all the movies and TV we’ve been enjoying over the last month, including 'The Substance', 'The Penguin', 'A Different Man', 'Will and Harper', and 'My Old Ass' (which is a film, not a review of our anatomy, thank you very much)

We’re back from our summer break and there’s lots to catch up on! The reunited nerds have a whole bunch of recommendations, including 'Alien: Romulus', 'Bad Monkey', 'Thelma', and 'It Ends with Us'. We also start the show with our much-delayed review of 'Deadpool and Wolverine', a discussion on the second series of 'Rings of Power', and a strong unrecommend from Peter for new Netflix series 'Kaos'. It’s a fairly expletive-ridden show as the nerds show their disgruntlement with everything from TicketMaster to people needing the toilet at the cinema, so bear in that in mind if the kids are around!

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!

We're ALL in a Barbie world this week- as Jon, Peter and Andy are joined by Louise to review both halves of the Barbenheimer double bill. Plus "Evil Dead Rise" and murder mystery comedy show "The After Party", and we uncover shortages of pink paint and Prosecco.

On today’s show we talk about how excited we are for Barbenheimer, and what the repercussions of the actors’ strike might be. We then have a group discussion on Mission:Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1. Our main reviews and recommendations include going all the way back to “Prehistoric Planet” from National Treasure Sir David Attenborough. In an unfortunate segue, we then chat about asteroids in Wes Anderson’s latest, “Asteroid City.” Andy recommends “1976”, a Chilean drama set against the backdrop of the military coup. Jon then takes us into the speed force via “The Flash”, an experience he enjoyed much more than he expected (WARNING: skip if you don’t want spoilers). And finally Hazel recommends “Hijack” (although for legal purposes, it should be clear that she’s recommending the new Apple TV show, not the practice). And….we’re just so, so sorry about Jon’s song choices in this episode. Enjoy!

We give you our (spoiler free) reactions to 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.' We’re split on this one - how did you find it? Plus the first two episodes of 'Secret Invasion'- most of us are hoping it gets…less boring? Plus, we have our Buff or Bluff quiz, with topics including Indiana Jones rip off films, and some little known facts about popular songs, The Dark Knight, and Glastonbury.

Choo choo! It’s another hugely enjoyable, thought provoking and downright filthy episode of Nerdfest! It’s recommendations time, and today that includes “Reality” a very-much-based-on-a-true-story drama about a pivotal moment in U.S politics. Peter diagnoses “The Patient”; a psychological thriller series starring Steve Carrell. Andy reviews “8 Mountains” (Everest is lovely at this time of year apparently). Jon gives us an arty car boot viewpoint from Quentin Tarantino, with a review of his book, “Cinema Speculation”. And Ian Mac has a cunning plan…

We bring you our first reactions to seeing "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse" together. Plus, it’s a Buff or Bluff episode, and that means mindgames and trickery as we try to sort the true facts from the all-out lies! Topics include the iconic Geena Davis, "Happy Days" spin offs, First Lines, Time Travel Movies, and "Spaceballs"!

Today’s show is a medley of what we have been enjoying recently, starting with "Guardians of the Galaxy 3". Andy recommends the incredible “Still: A Michael J Fox film”. Dan heads into the “Silo” to tell us about Apple’s new post-apocalyptic series. Peter is empowered to talk about Prime’s intriguing new drama “The Power”. Jon is a “Deadringer” for someone who actually recommends something good for a change. And Hazel waxes lyrical about “The Diplomat”, written and produced by a West Wing alumni. We definitely don’t spend too much time saying “diplomatic immunity” a la Lethal Weapon 2….just kidding, of course we do.

It’s all lies and deceit as we play our monthly round of Buff or Bluff. Among the topics are the repercussions of the 2008 Writer’s Strike (leading us to a rare thoughtful discussion about the current strike). We also tackle TV show crossovers, as well as “facts” about one great actor and one awful one: Viggo Mortensen, and Shia LaBeouf. And Peter tells us about the times Keanu Reeves replaced Johnny Depp in movies. Which is a trend we’d like to see often repeated. And it’s the return of our Shameful Gap feature, where one of our nerds watches an older film for the very first time. Today, that film is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Come and reminisce with us!

On today’s show Jon reviews “Renfield” and has the opportunity to see his beloved Nic Cage in the role of a lifetime. Andy recommends the rollicking French adaptation of “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan” (before we get interrupted by the UK government’s emergency alert test). Hazel talks about the joy of seeing “Rye Lane” and why people who normally turn their noses up at a rom com should give it a go. Peter talks everything “Schmigadoon” and how it’s a must for musical lovers. And Ian recommends the flawed, but oh-so-fun “Studio 666”, featuring a very possessed Dave Grohl. We also discuss the wonderful Christopher Reeve and celebrate 45 years since he made us all believe a man could fly.

It’s another Buff or Bluff episode! Our nerds try to pick out the truth from the lies on topics including the Planet of the Ape reboots, surfer themed movies, Super Mario, and fictional food brands. Plus, Dan is on the ground at Star Wars Celebration in London. He brings us his thoughts on what Disney has in store. And we hear some interesting interviews that Jon, Peter and Ian conducted at the annual Nerdfest festival in Newcastle. MUSIC Surf Shimmy by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) is licensed under a Creative Commons license

It’s reviews and recommendations time! Our top recommendation is to not go down in the woods today as you may get an unpleasant surprise - Jon reviews “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” Sometimes, it seems, copyright law is a good thing. Hazel has a double recommendation, consisting of two of Jon’s favourite things in life: “Women Talking”, and the return of “Ted Lasso.” Andy yet again takes the podcast in a much needed highbrow direction, with his review of the Iranian dark thriller “Holy Spider”. Peter enjoys the return of Christoph Waltz to the screen in the new mysterious and dark comedy series, 'The Consultant'. And Ian Mac delights us with an oldie but goodie - the Argentinian film 'BomBon', about a very good dog!

It’s buff or bluff time! Can you work out the truth from the nerds’ devious lies? Topics today include method acting in boxing films, the incredible career of Frances McDormand, and the life and times of Stanley Kubrick. Plus sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, as Peter investigates real life espionage activities for his Buff or Bluff. Stay tuned for Andy’s fun quiz at the end: guess the movie title from two clues in one!

It's reviews and recommendations time! We cover the start of Marvel Phase 5: 'Ant Man and the Wasp: QuantumMania'. Plus, 'Our Flag Means Death' has finally made it to these shores, much to Dan’s delight. Peter reviews 'Extraordinary'. Jon revels in Blumhouse’s latest horrifying creation, 'M3GAN'. And Hazel tells us why 'Till' should be winning all the awards. Speaking of awards, Hazel’s got her hats out! It’s time for our annual Nerdfest Oscars Sweepstake. But this time, all rules have been thrown out the window…. (An apology to our listeners as we did indeed get the date of the Oscars ceremony wrong! We were a week early :))

It’s time to lie to our closest friends again, as we play our Buff or Bluff quiz. Can you work out the truth from stories about the entertainment industry? Rounds include facts about re-used props in movies, the ridiculous diets that some stars undertake to prepare for a role, Sir Christopher Lee’s record breaking antics, and the weird and wonderful guest appearances of Sherlock Holmes. Plus, Hazel gets us all excited for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film, by befuddling us (and herself) with the elaborate plots of previous Barbie outings. We round today’s episode off with a “Higher or Lower” game of how many times movie stars have died in their movies. It’s a really fun one folks - enjoy!

Dan discusses the similarities between Spielberg’s mostly autobiographical 'The Fabelmans', and Terry Pratchett biography 'A Life with Footnotes'. Andy conducts a TARiffic review of 'Tar' (sorry, the puns don’t get any better….). Jon reviews post-apocalyptic zombie thriller 'The Last of Us' (as an avid fan of the game, will he be converted?) Hazel recommends 'This is Us'. which she accidentally stumbled across when looking for 'The Last Of Us' and has completely fallen in love with. And Peter reviews the Gary Oldman MI5 thriller series “Slow Horses”, with apologies in advance to our Slough-based listeners…

Jon, Ian, Andy and Peter riffle through the dusty attic of Ian's brain, attempting to find at least ONE thing he actually enjoyed over the past few weeks! We also play Buff or Bluff about early TV music shows, dodgy 80's computer game licences, famous actors' debut performances, and some ridiculously terse movie plotlines- Can you beat the team to guess which movies they describe?

It’s the first Nerdfest of 2023, and Jon, Peter, Kerris and Dan have each been making ‘most anticipated’ lists of the stuff we’re hyped for in ‘23. Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs! 'The Last Of Us' on TV! The return of Ghostface! A "fourth" Indiana Jones movie! And something about 'Groundhog Day'… What’s on YOUR "must see" list? Get in touch and let us know!

It’s our end of year show! Today our nerds - Peter, Jon, Hazel, and not one but TWO Ians, are all counting down our top 3 favourite things from the world of entertainment in 2022. It can be films, it can be TV shows, it can be games, it can be anything! So join us as we reminisce over what brought us joy in 2022. (Although, we do have to issue a warning- We start on an extremely controversial note, but the only way from a 'Moonfall' is up!) We wish all our listeners a fantastic Christmas. We’ll see you in January with our countdown of what’s coming in 2023.

We bring new reviews and recommendations, including the return of Benoit Blanc in 'Glass Onion', the onscreen adaptation of 'Matilda the Musical', and a TV show all about everyone’s favourite day of the week: 'Wednesday' ( the new series charting Wednesday Addam’s school years). Dan talks about his love for 'Andor', as he reflects on what this series has meant to him (no spoilers if you haven’t finished it yet!) Plus, we finally give in and let Jon review a new 'Hellraiser' film. Strap yourselves in!

We give our initial, spoiler-free thoughts on the latest offering from the MCU- 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.' Plus, in our Buff or Bluff quiz we have rounds on terrible films inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 'The Birds', and the life and career of the T1000 himself, Robert Patrick. We also delve into some political history, with facts about the movie-watching habits of US presidents, and Jon brings his special blend of nonsense with trivia about the Amityville horror franchise. And we have the return of our 'Getting to Nerd You' segment, where we reflect fondly on some of our favourite movie-going experiences. Here’s the crowdfunding link for Boho Arts that we talk about at the beginning. Thank you! https://www.spacehive.com/help-a-new-arts-venue-in-newcastle

We review the TV shows and films we’ve been enjoying recently, including Brendan Fraser’s welcome return in ‘The Whale’, Korean Hitchcockian thriller ‘Decision to Leave’, Stephen Moffat’s new drama ‘Inside Man’, and we head back to the Quick Stop Convenience store with Kevin Smith’s ‘Clerks 3.’ Dan went to “that London” recently and saw ‘Back to the Future: The musical’- his review has us all reminiscing about the 1985 classic, and unfortunately also inspires Jon to come up with some alternate musical ideas… Plus, Andy has a fun film quiz for us all at the end of the episode, which sees us try to guess the film titles from their adapted synopsis.

We’re live and direct from Newcastle Fright Fest this episode, as Hazel, Jon, Peter and Ian pod in public to fill a Shameful Gap of ‘A NightMare on Elm St’. We also Buff or Bluff each other about the wide range of Freddie tat to accompany that series, some implausible film festivals, the worlds crappiest superheroes, and historically bad movie reviews. Jon interviews Simon Donald (http:/simondonald.com), one of the founders of ‘Viz’ comic at the show, and the team disentangle some tortuous puns with a Change A Letter quiz.

In today’s episode we give our first reactions to the newest Star Wars TV show on the block, Andor (that Squeeeeeeeee you heard was courtesy of Dan Watkins). Then it’s Buff or Bluff time, where the nerds have to work out the truth from facts about Hollywood script doctors, franchise monsters in space, film dancers and dances, and Marvel theme park attractions. Plus, Andy has three plots for movies with tenuous links to whales, in honour of the wonderful Brendan Fraser and his return to leading man status in “The Whale”. And finally, if you’re in the area, come and see the nerds podcast LIVE on Sunday 9th October at Newcastle Fright Fest. We’ll be recording a live episode, as well as interviewing lots of interesting guests. If you’re coming, please come along and say hi - full details can be found at https://www.boilershop.net/events/2022/10/09/nerd-fright-fest-2022