C Is For Class


After the Doctor saves the day and vworps off in the TARDIS, very little thought is given as to what happens next. Until now, that is.
YA spinoff Class pits a ragtag group of mismatched youths left in charge of a rift in space-time against alien threats. Nothing like a DW retread of the Buffyverse, then…
To be fair, Class is smarter and much more watchable than the setup suggests. Join Rob, Clive and Curiosity as they check out the pilot episode!

S Is For The Stone Tape


 

Onwards with Spooky SFF month, as we discuss a massively influential slice of hauntological freakiness: Nigel Kneale’s terrifying The Stone Tape.

It ticks all the boxes: 70s setting, shot on video, Radiophonic Workshop soundtrack. A sharply empathetic performance from Jane Asher helps to elevate this story, but the whole thing is deeply unnerving and still bloody scary.
This is what happens when you try to solve the science behind hauntings…

Includes the first instance of a new term from Rob: cathode-punk.


GUYSGUYSGUYS! The Stone Tape is on Cosmic VideyouTube! Dim the lights, pour yourself a scotch and indulge.

K Is For Kinda


Kinda, unfairly, has a reputation as one of the worst episodes of Davidson-era Doctor Who, largely based on the slightly duff effects at its climax. OK, sure, the ‘terrifying embodiment’ of the villainous Mara is pretty poor by today’s standard…or any time, frankly.
But, as Rob and Clive make clear, there’s a hell of a lot more to Kinda then one ten-foot-tall rubber snake. Cycles of life and death, good and evil, peace and war. A satirical take on colonialism. And some eerily effective dream sequences, that still have the power to un-nerve us even now. A deeply atypical episode of Fifth Doctor goodness. Join our gestalt mind and discover more…

T Is For Trials And Tribble-ations


 

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 is often thought of as the darkest of the franchises, but it had its lighter moments. Take the 20th Anniversary commemorative episode, a goofy, utterly delightful celebration of everything that makes the show such a beloved SF benchmark for so many people.

It’s got time-travel, Terry Farrell in THAT dress, a proper cantina fight and an exploding Tribble! What more could you want?

Hey, if you have Netflix, you can check out Trials And Tribble-ations right snecking now! If not, here’s a taster…

A Is For Alternative 3


There is a history under the history you think you know. A history where the space race never ended. Where Mars was explored back in the early 60s. Where the elite are preparing to evacuate a world dying in the face of catastrophic climate change.

Join Rob, Clive and Curiosity as they explore the secret conspiracy known only by the codename Alternative 3…


Those of you with appropriate secure clearance codes (level A323 and above) have access to the full briefing.

A Is For Aeon Flux (The Animated Series)


 

A female assassin clad in leather straps, dealing in extreme violence, having sex whenever she feels like it with multiple partners… did we mention this was an animated series that went out on MTV in the early 90s?

Aeon Flux is a strange mixture – a kinky, arty mashup of Euro sci-fi style and arch, deliberately impenetrable storytelling. Rob and Clive try to figure out what the hell was going on…


 

A Is For Angel


A show that started as a spin-off from one of the most successful fantasy shows of all time managed a rare feat–carving out its own voice and identity.

Rob and Clive celebrate the David Boreanez-starring Angel, and mourn a endlessly inventive show that unfairly disappeared before its time. I mean, how can you not love a programme that featured eps where the brooding hero was turned into a puppet, or revealed his inner thoughts through the medium of karaoke?

A Is For Airwolf


 

In the crowded arena of TV shows featuring super-fast, super-secret helicopters, Airwolf was the stand out. Mean and moody lead? Check. Comedy sidekick? Checky-check. Conspiracy and tension between the Airwolf crew and the agency they ostensibly worked for? Check-o (in the first season, at least).

Rob and Clive run through the story, dig out the old cello and yes, even take a pass at the theme song…*

 

*I didn’t say it was a good pass…

A Is For Adam Adamant Lives!


60s espionage-adventure doesn’t get any more sparky, charming and downright fun than Adam Adamant Lives!

Join Rob and Clive as they don their cloaks, grab their sword-sticks and launch themselves into the fray in exploration of this great little dose of escapism from the golden age of Brit-TV.


Chummy over there looks in need of a dose of RAPIER-JUSTICE to the armpit, what?

Chummy over there looks in need of a dose of RAPIER-JUSTICE to the armpit, what?

Clive mentioned the peppy, parpy theme tune, which for some reason is excised from most CosmicYouTube uploads of the show. Here it is in all its glory…


and here’s the first episode.