The Nosferatu 2.5 has a problem.
It is running blind, the controls are behaving strangely and, rather worryingly, the ship has decided that Sophie is no longer its Captain. With the usual systems refusing to cooperate, who better to call upon than the mathematical genius who once found himself at the controls of a spaceship with rather catastrophic consequences?
This week, Sophie is joined by Matthew Waterhouse, best known to Doctor Who fans as Adric, the brilliant but occasionally exasperating mathematical prodigy from Alzarius. Matthew joined Doctor Who in 1980, appearing alongside Tom Baker before continuing with Peter Davison, and Adric's final story, Earthshock, gave the series one of its most memorable companion departures. Having seized control of a Cyberman freighter, Adric managed to send it back in time and save countless lives, although the resulting impact also caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. So, naturally, we thought he would be the ideal person to take the controls of a ship lost in the Neverwhen!
Matthew has returned to Adric several times over the years, including a substantial body of audio work with Big Finish, beginning with The Fifth Doctor Box Set in 2014. He has also worked extensively as a writer, including his novels and memoir Blue Box Boy, and has continued to perform on stage and in audio.
And joining Sophie in the Ffantaface is Emily Cook, writer, script editor and producer, former Doctor Who Magazine writer and editor, Big Finish contributor and now Development Executive with Haunted Barn. Emily was also one of the driving forces behind the extraordinary Doctor Who Lockdown initiative in 2020, bringing fans and Doctor Who performers together online during the pandemic. She is also the author of the 2025 Doctor Who novel Fear Death by Water.
Oh, and there is the small matter of the Quantum Quickfire.
Let us simply say that someone, we are not naming names, develops a somewhat relaxed interpretation of the sixty-second rule. So relaxed, in fact, that Hobbes is eventually incapable of containing himself.
There may be consequences.
There may be indignation.
There may even be mathematics.
And somewhere aboard the Nosferatu 2.5, a spaceship that really ought to know better is about to put its fate in the hands of the boy who once flew a spaceship into Earth.
What could possibly go wrong?
Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey stars Sophie Aldred with James Showers as Hobbes.
Special Guests- Matthew Waterhouse & Emily Cook.
You can find us all over your social media.
Bluesky/Instagram/X: @aceodyssey63
Facebook: Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey
Emily's Twitter: @Emily_Rosina
Emily's Bluesky: @emilyrosina
For listeners who want even more adventure, you can step inside the Ace Odyssey Patreon Community-
*Episodes released early and ad free
*Two exclusive podcasts every month
*Online meet-ups and interactive events
*Direct involvement in the evolving universe of the show
www.patreon.com/aceodyssey
Music by Graeme Allan
Sound Effects & Sound Design by Gavin Rymill
Programme Assistant Liz Whitmore
Written, Produced and Directed by Paul Carmichael
You can follow Graeme Allan on Bluesky @graemeallan and listen to more of his music at www.youtube.com/brassbandit
You can follow Gavin Rymill on Twitter & Bluesky @themindrobber, and you can watch his superb Dr.Who series Terry Nation Army on www.youtube.com/dalek6388
You can follow Paul Carmichael on Bluesky @paulcarmichaeluk and on Threads @paul.carmichael.1213
","author_name":"Sophie Aldred"}