Geektown Radio - TV News, Interviews & UK TV Air Dates

Dave is joined this week by Darryl from Hollywood North News for a packed episode covering the February BAFTAs, a tribute to the late Eric Dane, fresh show impressions, a report from the London Anime & Gaming Con, and a full run of UK and US TV news.Darryl brings early thoughts on Talamasca: The Secret Order, the new Netflix entry in the Anne Rice universe, and whether it works if you haven't seen the other shows. He's also been into Cross Season 2 on Prime Video and reports back on whether it lives up to the first. There are impressions from The Night Agent Season 3, and some thoughts on Ryan Murphy's The Beauty that may save you some time.Dave breaks down the February BAFTAs in full, including the biggest upset of the night in Best Leading Actor, why Marty Supreme's 0-from-11 night made history for the wrong reasons, and the moment involving Tourette's campaigner John Davidson that dominated post-show coverage — and why the BBC's handling of it was the real story.There's also a heartfelt tribute to Eric Dane, who passed away on 19th February 2026 at the age of 54 following his battle with ALS. Netflix has released his episode of Famous Last Words, and it's well worth your time.On the TV news front: UK cancellations, renewals including Can You Keep a Secret? and The Floor, an ABC renewal status update, Peter Krause eyeing a new NBC pilot, first-look photos for S.W.A.T. Exiles, Robert Carlyle joining Line of Duty Series 7, and the first original cast member confirmed for the Fox Baywatch reboot.For more information on motor neurone disease, visit mndassociation.org and myname5doddie.co.uk in the UK, and targetals.org in the US.⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro and welcome back 00:18 – Talamasca: The Secret Order (Netflix) 04:37 – Cross Season 2 (Prime Video) 09:41 – London Anime & Gaming Con report 14:45 – The Night Agent Season 3 (Netflix) 17:28 – The Beauty (Disney+) 19:53 – BAFTAs 2026: winners, upsets and the John Davidson moment 28:20 – Tribute to Eric Dane 33:53 – Dave's weekly catch-up: Starfleet Academy, The Rookie S8, Watson, Matlock S2, The Lincoln Lawyer S4 38:29 – Cancellations: You Bet, Jeopardy! UK, Virdee, No Strings Attached 40:06 – Renewals: Can You Keep a Secret?, The Floor, The Mistletoe Murders, The Night Agent S4 writers room 42:10 – ABC renewal status round-up 45:03 – Peter Krause and the Protection pilot for NBC 48:17 – S.W.A.T. Exiles: photos released, still no broadcaster 51:18 – Robert Carlyle joins Line of Duty Series 7 53:05 – David Chokachi joins the Fox Baywatch reboot 56:02 – Highlights for next week on TV 59:00 – Outro and where to find everyone

Language doesn’t just describe culture. Sometimes, it creates it.In the Season One finale of Geekstorians, Dave explores the hidden history of geek language — how fans invented their own slang, references, in-jokes, and shorthand, and how that language quietly shaped modern geek culture and the internet itself.From handwritten letters in the back pages of early science-fiction magazines, to fanzines, conventions, badges, and costumes… from Monty Python quotes and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, to arcade slang, tabletop role-playing games, online gaming, text-message shorthand, memes, and chat rooms. This episode traces how fandom learned to communicate long before social media existed.Along the way, we explore how shared language helped fandom survive moral panics, cancelled shows, shifting technology, and changing formats, not through manifestos or rules, but through jokes, references, and community shorthand.Geek culture didn’t just grow around stories. It grew around conversations.This episode marks the end of Season One of Geekstorians. All ten episodes, plus the Christmas special, are now available.If you’ve enjoyed the series, please consider rating, reviewing, or subscribing. It really helps the show find new listeners. You can also share your thoughts on Season One over at Geektown.co.uk or on social media.

Stephen Amell leads a Baywatch reboot. David Boreanaz headlines a Rockford Files revival. Apple takes full control of Severance. Marvel drops Wonder Man.Welcome to Geektown Radio Episode 485.Gray joins Dave this week to break down the biggest TV and streaming news, including Fox’s new Baywatch series with Stephen Amell as Hobie Buchannon, NBC rebooting The Rockford Files with David Boreanaz, and ITV picking up Stephen Amell and Minnie Driver crime drama The Murder Line.We also cover:• HBO Max launching in the UK and Ireland • Sky bundling Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu • Apple Studios acquiring Severance in-house • The final 90-minute chapter of Good Omens • Renewals for The Assassin, Off Campus, and FOX favourites including Doc and Animal Control • Netflix cancelling Terminator ZeroOn the reviews side, we talk Marvel’s Wonder Man, Star Trek: Academy, 9-1-1, Watson, and the new game Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown, which lets you rewrite Voyager history.Plus ITV dramas, Netflix thrillers, The Traitors Ireland, and what to download for a long-haul honeymoon flight.—What We’ve Been WatchingGray:BetrayalLootDinosaurHijackFBIDeath in ParadiseMock The WeekHis & HersBlack OpsHeated RivalryEnglish TeacherThe Traitors IrelandSecret GeniusSchitt’s CreekDave:Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown (Game)Wonder ManStar Trek: Academy9-1-1Watson—TV Renewals, Cancellations & Pick-UpsCancelled:Terminator Zero (Netflix)The Fortune Hotel (ITV)Renewed:The Real Housewives Of London (Hayu)Off Campus (Amazon)The Assassin (Prime Video)FOX Update:DocMurder In A Small TownBest MedicineMemory Of A KillerAnimal ControlGoing Dutch (on the bubble)—Coming Next WeekThe Night Agent Season 3 – NetflixThe Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 – Apple TVWalsh Sisters – BBC OneParadise Season 2 – Disney+The Lady – ITVX—Subscribe for weekly UK TV news, streaming updates, premiere dates, renewals, cancellations and geek culture discussion.Visit geektown.co.uk for daily TV updates and UK air dates.

Toys were never just toys.In this episode of Geekstorians, Dave traces the rise of the Plastic Empire — the moment when action figures, model kits, bricks, and collectibles stopped being side products and started becoming entire universes.From the Star Wars Early Bird box that accidentally rewrote the rules of merchandising, to the 1980s cartoon-toy industrial complex, moral panics, and the birth of gender-segmented aisles, this is the story of how plastic shaped imagination, identity, and fandom itself.Along the way, we explore LEGO’s uneasy relationship with licensed worlds, Gunpla’s transformation of fandom into craftsmanship, Warhammer’s hobbyist ecosystems, the rise of collector culture and shrine shelves, the collapse of toy superstores like Toys “R” Us, and how blind bags, loot-box logic, and digital skins quietly gamified collecting.Finally, we look at the strangest evolution yet — a future where fans no longer wait for companies to make their toys at all, but design and print their own.Because the Plastic Empire didn’t disappear. It decentralised.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you’re subscribed or following Geekstorians wherever you listen, so you don’t miss future deep dives into the hidden history of geek culture.You can find every episode at https://www.geektown.co.uk, along with Geektown Radio, our weekly show covering the latest TV, film, and gaming news.

Geektown Radio returns after its longest break, with Dave and Matt back for Episode 484 to catch up on months of TV, film, gaming, and industry news.Matt talks about revisiting The Last of Us Part II using the new chronological mode and how it reshapes the story, alongside reviews of films including Honey, Don’t! and Hamnet.Dave runs through what he has been watching, including Fallout Season 2, Hijack, The Night Manager’s long-awaited return, The Witcher Season 4, The Lincoln Lawyer, early impressions of Star Trek: Academy, and the new Muppet Show anniversary special on Disney Plus.The episode features a major TV news round-up, with renewals and cancellations across Netflix, CBS, Apple TV, and HBO, including Black Mirror being renewed again and The Pitt racing ahead to Season 3.There’s also discussion of HBO Max launching in the UK, Prime Video developing a Fallout Shelter reality series, casting news for Amazon’s God of War adaptation, HBO developing a Baldur’s Gate TV series with Craig Mazin, and why a Blake’s 7 reboot could be one of the most intriguing genre projects in development.Plus upcoming TV highlights for the week ahead and what’s coming next for Geektown Radio and Geekstorians.

Anime is everywhere now. Streaming platforms, cinema screens, fashion, music, TikTok, gaming. But it didn’t arrive in the West through studios, marketing campaigns, or corporate strategy.It arrived through fans.In this bumper-length episode of Geekstorians, Dave uncovers the real, messy, rebellious story of how anime travelled from post-war Japan to British living rooms and American college basements. It’s a journey that begins with lone animators and wartime propaganda films, explodes into giant-robot fever, and eventually spreads across the globe through mail networks, tape-trading rings, fan-subtitling groups, Channel 4’s late-night experiments, the chaos of SMTV: Live… and one film that hit like a cinematic meteor: Akira.This is the tale of the people who carried anime by hand, copying tapes at 3am, mailing fanzines in brown envelopes, hosting screenings in overheated hotel rooms, building early websites on dial-up, and refusing to let shows like Gundam, Yamato and Macross slip into obscurity.It’s the hidden history of how a scattered, passionate, wildly inventive fandom reshaped global pop culture, long before the industry realised the world was watching.If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to follow, rate, and share Geekstorians. It genuinely helps the series grow and reach more listeners. And for more geek culture deep-dives, visit Geektown.co.uk.

In the 1980s, Dungeons & Dragons became the focus of one of the most unusual moral panics in modern history.A tabletop role-playing game built around imagination, storytelling, and collaboration was suddenly accused of promoting occultism, psychological harm, and even violence. Dice were framed as sinister objects. Rulebooks were treated like dangerous texts. And ordinary teenagers playing fantasy games found themselves caught in a storm of fear and misinformation.In this episode of Geekstorians, Dave from Geektown unpacks how D&D was pulled into the wider Satanic Panic, and why it became such a powerful symbol of adult anxiety about youth culture, imagination, and control.The story begins with a missing student and a media myth that refused to go away, then follows the rise of anti-D&D campaigners, sensationalist talk shows, and made-for-TV dramas that blurred fiction and fact. Along the way, we explore how moral crusades spread, how “experts” were created for television, and how a game about fantasy became a real-world scapegoat.But this is also the story of what actually happened around the gaming table, and why Dungeons & Dragons endured attempts to ban it, blame it, or brand it dangerous. Long after the panic faded, the game went on to influence video games, television, film, and modern fandom itself.A deep dive into the Satanic Panic, moral hysteria, and the unlikely survival of one of the most influential games ever made.I’m Dave from Geektown.And this is Geekstorians.

Gaming didn’t just grow up... it took over.In this episode of Geekstorians, Dave dives into the chaotic, brilliant rise of gaming fandom: from the arcades of the late ’70s and the night Space Invaders caused Tokyo to mint extra coins, to the Atari 2600 bringing pixelated magic into the living room, to the bedroom coders who unknowingly kick-started a creative revolution across the UK and US.We trace the console culture wars - Nintendo vs Sega, Mario vs Sonic, identity vs identity - and how gaming magazines, tip lines and school-yard myths became the pre-internet backbone of fan knowledge. Then it’s onto LAN parties, MMOs that became entire eras of people’s lives, the WoW meteor strike that reshaped the genre overnight, and the moment consoles finally connected the world through Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Halo 2’s multiplayer explosion.Finally, we reach the age of Twitch, YouTube, esports arenas, indie devs, Discord servers and sprawling online communities. A culture that is messy, generous, chaotic, creative, and very much alive.This is the story of how gamers built one of the most influential fandoms on the planet... one joystick, one cartridge, one guild, one livestream at a time.

n this episode of Geekstorians, Dave dives into one of the most heated and strangely human conflicts in modern fandom: the battle for canon.From the moment Star Wars quietly shifted a blaster bolt in 1997, the ground beneath our favourite universes began to move. Suddenly, creators weren’t the only ones shaping continuity. Fans were scrutinising every frame, showrunners were building puzzles inside their storylines, and entire franchises were juggling multiple timelines at once.We explore the rise of forensic fandom, the chaos of competing continuities, the fury of finales that don’t land, the strange elegance of narrative retcons that do, and why video games blew the old idea of a single canon to pieces. Along the way we revisit Lost, Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, The Witcher, Fallout, Baldur’s Gate 3, and more — all to uncover how canon became an ecosystem rather than a single authoritative truth.And ultimately, we ask:Why do we care so deeply about what “really happened” in worlds that only exist because we love them?For more episodes and everything else we do, visit Geektown.co.uk.For weekly TV news, reviews and release dates, check out Geektown Radio, wherever you get your podcasts.