Geekstorians

In the 1980s, a strange new box arrived in our living rooms — the VHS player. It was noisy, chunky, and occasionally tried to eat your favourite film… but it changed everything.In this episode, Dave rewinds through the story of how home video broke the monopoly of the movie studios, terrified censors, and accidentally created the first generation of fan-filmmakers. From Mary Whitehouse’s “Video Nasties” crusade to Kevin Smith maxing out his credit cards to make Clerks, this is the tale of how VHS gave ordinary people the power to choose what they watched — and in doing so, redefined geek culture itself.[MUSIC / SFX from the episode include: 1980s synths, tape whirrs, and the sound of a van full of forbidden treasures.]Listen for: • The forgotten role of a door-to-door video rental van • The panic that birthed Britain’s “Video Nasty” blacklist • How a New Jersey shop clerk became a cult-film icon • Why imperfection made VHS feel alive🎙️ Written & Presented by Dave Elliott 🔗 More at Geektown.co.uk

In the first episode of Geekstorians, Dave from Geektown travels back to the early days of science fiction to explore how fandom really began. Long before Comic-Con and long before the internet, readers were already finding each other through magazine letter pages, homemade zines and the earliest fan clubs and meet-ups. These small creative communities laid the foundations for the fandoms we know today.The episode looks at how those early fans connected, how ideas spread around the world and how the first generation of sci-fi readers helped shape everything that came after. From the rise of pulp magazines to the birth of fan culture in the 1930s, it shows how passion, curiosity and a love of stories built the roots of modern geek culture.Geekstorians blends storytelling, research and sound design to uncover the often forgotten history behind the worlds we love. This is where the story of fandom begins.

Geekstorians is a narrative documentary podcast uncovering the secret history of geek culture — from early fandom and pulp magazines to gaming booms, cult TV movements and the fan uprisings that helped shape modern entertainment. Hosted by Dave from Geektown, this trailer introduces the tone, format and focus of the series ahead of launch on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025.