Episodes

  • 151: Only Ding-Dong for Good and Not for Evil

    151: Only Ding-Dong for Good and Not for Evil
    Jan 15 2026
    John is trying, Alison is watching a video and Liz is humming. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Global inequality (letters of comment), harassment (Montreal discussion) Letters of comment Christopher J Garcia (email) “Kenya: Where Can You See Lions?” Darin Briskman (see below)Fredrick V Coulter (Facebook)Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky) and España Sheriff “Barbarella Meets the Matmos” Lilian Edwards (Facebook)Meg MacDonald (Facebook)Paul Weimer (email)Renay (see below)Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)Tommy Ferguson (emails)We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Brina Nisbet, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, Kev McVeigh, Mike Scott Smofcon 42 I’ve mirrored all the Q&As on my own Dropbox because I’m grumpy Worldcon 2027: Montréal They got a website!The organisation chart A list of blogs on the René Walling harassment incidentGenevieve Valentine’s original report Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles Join by 31 January to nominate in the Hugo Awards Hugo Awards Renay (of the fanzine Intergalactic Mixtape) has written a great guide on how to participate in the Hugo Awards“Anyone Can Vote in the Hugo Awards — And Here’s How” by Molly Templeton on Reactor“I Bet You Didn’t This Was Hugo-Eligible: Some of My 2025 Picks” by Kat Kourbeti The Last War in Albion Picks John: The Umbrella AcademyAlison: KPop Demon HuntersLiz: Astronomy Photographer of the Year The winning photograph Credits Cover art: “Three Lions Relaxing” by Liz Batty Alt text: Three lions photographed on a safari in Kenya, with glasses photoshopped onto two of them to make them look very slightly more like John and Alison. The top has words reading “Octothorpe 151” and the bottom has words reading “Definitely not about the cricket”. It is unclear why, because John edited all the cricket out. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 150: I Would Describe Them As European

    150: I Would Describe Them As European
    Dec 18 2025

    John doesn’t want to pass out, Alison is a wuss, but Liz doesn’t think it’s gratuitous.

    An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

    Content warnings this episode: Gore and vampirism (Liz’s pick)

    • Letters of comment
      • Chris Garcia (email)
      • Fredrik Coulter (Facebook)
      • Ivan Sinha (email)
      • Nicholas Whyte (email)
      • Paul Weimer (email)
      • Roseanna Pendlebury (email)
      • Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)
      • We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Farah Mendlesohn, Kev McVeigh, and Mike Scott
    • Chris Barkley got his Hugo Award!
    • Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden
      • The Q&A
        • Videos of the Q&A on YouTube
          • Kayla Allen notes on File 770 that the sound is very poor in places
        • Smofcon 2026: Smofcon 43 in Lisbon, Portugal
        • The Worldcons that presented:
          • 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles, USA
          • 2027: Montreal, Canada
          • 2028:
            • Brisbane, Australia
            • Nuremberg, Germany
            • Kigali, Rwanda
          • 2029: Dublin, Ireland
          • 2030: Edmonton, Canada
          • 2031: Texas, USA
          • 2032: Nantes, France
            • Nantes Utopiales
          • 2033: No interest
          • 2034: Glasgow, Scotland
            • Vision statement
          • 2035: Poland
          • Unknown: Czechia
            • Festival Fantazie
    • Picks
      • John: Your Wish is My Command by Deena Mohamed
      • Alison: The Lost Nose by John Sladek
        • Sort of collected in Maps: The Uncollected John Sladek by John Sladek
      • Liz: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Alison is Still Obsessed with Ukuleles” by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: A Mahalo Flying V, an Uma Blue Pineapple, and a Brunswick soprano are hanging on a Christmas tree beneath the words “Octothorpe 150”.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    59 mins
  • 149: Real-Time Toilet Monitoring

    149: Real-Time Toilet Monitoring
    Dec 4 2025

    John is going to Smofcon, Alison has FOMO, and Liz is a horrible person.

    An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

    Content warnings this episode: None

    • Letters of comment
      • Andreas Davour (email)
      • Chris Garcia (email)
      • Ed Morland (BlueSky on 147, 148)
        • Cyclo-cross
        • Mathmo.org
      • Emily January (email)
      • Karen Schaffer (email)
        • Literal antivirus
      • Paul Weimer (email)
        • Centrale Montemartini
      • We also heard from Alan Fleming, Ali Baker Brooks, Andrew Thompson, Brian Nisbet, Bridget Bradshaw, DC, Duncan MacGregor, Ivan Sinha, Jan Harley, Kev McVeigh, Malcolm Hutchison, Mike Scott, Neil Ottenstein, Shi Lala, and Tommy Ferguson
      • Famous Belgians: Simon Stevin
    • Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden
      • Smofcon Q&As
        • Salute of the Jugger
        • How to stream it in the UK
      • John would like to thank Glasgow 2024 for a travel bursary allowing him to attend!
    • Novacon 2026: Novacon 55 in Buxton
      • Una McCormack
    • Picks
      • John: The Truman Show
      • Alison: Pluribus
      • Liz: The Summer War by Naomi Novik
    • Credits
      • Cover art: ”Archaeologists“ by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: John and Alison, dressed in clothes reminiscent of The Mummy, look down some stairs upon Liz’s tomb, in which her skeleton still holds her Hugo Award, framed by stonework. The words “Octothorpe 149” appear at the top of the image.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 148: I’m With Liz

    148: I’m With Liz
    Nov 20 2025

    John, Alison, and stunt Liz Emily Tesh are live from Novacon 54!

    An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

    Content warnings this episode: It’s a live recording!

    • Thanks to Emily Tesh for being our stunt Liz!
      • You can find Emily at her website, with links to socials at the bottom of the page
      • Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones
    • Visit Stow Shirts for all your Octothorpe merchandise needs
    • Picks
      • John: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
      • Alison: Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler
      • Emily: The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Live from Novacon” by Steven Cain and Alison Scott
        • Alt text: Emily Tesh, John, and Alison stand in front of a suspiciously purple background which may indicate that the real background has been subtracted by nefarious photo editing. The words “Octothorpe 148 Live from Novacon” are overlaid.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • 147: What? What?! No!

    147: What? What?! No!
    Nov 6 2025
    John is ready, Alison had forgotten, and Liz is surprised. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Animal torture (letters of comment) Letters of comment Chris Garcia (email)Ed Morland (BlueSky)Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook) Pictcon 2026: PictCon 2 in Perth, 17 October Finbarr O’Reilly (email)Kev McVeigh (Facebook)Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)Paul Weimer (BlueSky, email)Tammy Coxen (Facebook)Terry Gibbs (Facebook)Raj (Mastodon)We also heard from Mike Scott, Neil Ottenstein and Tammy Coxen 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Ebon Moss-Bachrach on the red carpetEvent broadcast on YouTube LAcon V opens Hugo Awards Base Contest36th Galaxy Awards Roderick Leeuwenhart Tianwen Awards Ersatz Culture on Mastodon BKK Comics Art Festival #4 The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SFBelgian comics Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) “Walking The Walk With RPGs In Malaysia” (paywalled on Rascal) Picks John: The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship Shut Up & Sit Down’s reviewBoard Game ArenaThe dice tower Alison: The Word for World exhibition at the Architectural Association Secret Maps at the British Library Liz: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Star Wars is being properly remastered?Credits Cover art: “Nepal Spotter’s Guide” by Paul Weimer (text by Alison Scott) Alt text: A photograph of the mountains of Nepal with text overlaid, reading “Octothorpe 147 Official Octothorpe Nepal Identification Guide* (*apparently never gets old)** (** Liz might like to go to a comics con there)”. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 146: It Winds Me Up Something Chronic

    146: It Winds Me Up Something Chronic
    Oct 23 2025

    John is on holiday, Alison said she’d have T-shirts ready, and Liz is back!

    An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

    Content warnings this episode: None

    • Letters of comment
      • Doug Faunt (Facebook)
        • Corflu 2026: Corflu Pickled in Santa Rosa, CA, USA
      • Ian Hillman (DM)
      • Jonny Baddeley (Facebook)
    • Eastercon 2026: Iridescence in Birmingham
      • Hotels are open: Check your emails for the link
      • Merch should be available by the time you read this
      • Bursaries are open for applications, deadline of 31 October
      • The volunteer form is open
      • Haruhicon 2026: Birmingham
      • Carrots, vitamin A, radar, and British propaganda
    • BristolCon 2025
    • World Fantasy Con 2025: Brighton
    • Armadacon 2025: Plymouth
      • British Firework Championships
    • Novacon 2025: Novacon 54 in Buxton
    • Pictcon 2025: Pictcon1 in Perth
    • Satellite 2026: Satellite 9 in Glasgow
    • Worldcon finances
      • Worldcon 2013: LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, TX, USA
      • Worldcon 2015: Sasquan in Spokane, WA, USA
      • Worldcon 2016: MidAmeriCon II in Kansas City, MO, USA
      • Worldcon 2020: CoNZealand in Wellington, New Zealand (but mostly online)
      • Worldcon 2023: Chengdu, China
      • Worldcon 2024: Glasgow, UK
        • Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden
    • Picks
      • John: Tactical Breach Wizards
      • Alison: Here East
        • Conrad Shawcross – Umbilical (The Nervous System)
        • V&A East Storehouse
      • Liz: The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Treasures of the V&A Storehouse” by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: The Torrijos Ceiling at the Victoria & Albert East Storehouse. An elaborate, gilded and octagonal ceiling. Why yes, Alison has a new phone, how could you tell?
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    53 mins
  • 145: James Bacon and His Enthusiasms

    145: James Bacon and His Enthusiasms
    Oct 9 2025
    John might, Alison won’t, and Tommy would (in a heartbeat). An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Animal torture (aftershow) Letters of comment Brian Nisbet (Bluesky)Chris Garcia (email)Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)Paul Weimer (Bluesky)Scott Edelman (Bluesky)Tommy Ferguson (email)We also heard from Caroline Mullan, DC, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, and Neil Ottenstein Octocon 2025 in DublinTommy’s fanzines: TommyWorldGötterdämmerungGötterdämmerung Redux Prolapse’s issue for Irish Fandom Day James Bacon’s article on the fan history starts on page 5! Corflu 2023 in Belfast: Corflu Craic Corflu Craic’s programme book Including the con report of the Leeds Corflu that Tommy mentions Marcin Kłak’s con report Eastercon 2025 in Belfast: Reconnect Eastercon 1986 in Glasgow: Albacon IIIPrevious Belfast conventions: NiconMeConTitanCon Replay is not quiiiiite ready yet, sorry listeners, it’ll be there soon! Pictcon 1 in Perth (8 November 2025)Novacon 54 in Buxton (7–9 November 2025)Norncon 2026 in Belfast (8–9 May) GoHs: Anna Smith Spark and Adrian TchaikovskyThe Norn Scene from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung Eastercon 2027 in Glasgow: Unconfined Tommy is working on Communications Worldcon bid for 2029 in DublinPicks John: Spirit Island App StoreSteam Alison: Strong Message HereTommy: Sleeper Beach by Nick Harkaway The sequel to Titanium NoirCahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford Credits Cover art: “Norns Weaving the Rope of Fate” by Alison Scott Alt text: John, Alison and Tommy are weaving ropes of fate as norns. The ropes lead to little spools, above their heads, reminiscent of a sculpture called Umbilical by Conrad Shawcross which Alison will explain in more detail in Octothorpe 146. The words “Octothorpe 145” appear at the top, and “Looking forward to Norncon” at the bottom. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 144: I Have Opinions on Women

    144: I Have Opinions on Women
    Sep 25 2025

    John, Alison and Liz watch Dredd (2012).

    An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

    Content warnings this episode: Justice.

    • Things that happened since we recorded:
      • Going Rogue released an episode about Dredd
      • Taika Waititi is making a Judge Dredd movie
    • Credits
      • Cover art: “Judge Coxon Pain Scale” by Alison Scott
        • Alt text: Six cartoons of John as a Judge from MegaCity One with the Clarke Award logo on his helmet, all of which are identical. Beneath them follows text. 0: NO HURT. 1: HURTS A LITTLE. 2: JUST A FLESH WOUND. 3: MINOR GUNSHOT. 4: BULLET THROUGH GUT. 5: FALL OFF SKYSCRAPER. The JUDGE COXON Pain Scale™. The words “Octothorpe 144” appear at the top of the cover.
      • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
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    48 mins