Hello.
My name is Toby. I am an actor, writer and comedian.
I was going to write this in the third person in order to give the impression that I have “people”. But I don’t. So, hello!
Here’s my latest news (September 2021):
I’m still largely isolating due t living with a vulnerable person, but still trying to keep busy and pay the rent…!
I have joined Coronation Street as a new character, Fergus Dunford, who has managed to escape the confines of Hadoke Towers, where I filmed his first scenes, and walk the cobbles (which Fergus patrols as traffic warden). You can see one of the Zoom scenes we filmed here, but keep an eye out for future episodes with Weatherfield’s geeky parking enforcement officer. Chez (my partner, who plays Izzy) and I were also on This Morning last month and I’ve been, erm, all over the papers….
Some wild speculation of the kind one has to get used to when one appears in a big TV show!
Tinsel Girl and the Pain clinic, another production in which I feature alongside Cherylee, is available on iPlayer for the next month, and also stars the amazing Julie Hesmondhalgh (from Corrie and Broadchurch) and the fabulous Krissi Bohn (from Vera and Innocent). You can hear it here.
The cast of Tinsel Girl and the Pain Clinic – Lou Ramsden (writer), Cherylee Hosuton, Krissi Bohn, Kathryn Pemberton, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Me, Kevin Davids.
XS Malarkey – my award winning, 24 year old comedy club – has opened its doors again after over a year of lockdown shows (we ran weekly throughout the pandemic). We have some great acts and shows coming up – including John-Luke Roberts, Rob Rouse, Thanyia Moore, Sophie Duker, Bethany Black and Ed Knight more – and they kick off at 8pm at our usual venue of The Bread Shed in Manchester. Our online shows went so well we are going to continue with them, bringing you fantastic acts from around the world on the first Sunday of every month at 8pm on our Twitch channel.
Back on stage where I belong at XS Malarkey…
I had great fun doing the audio books of Piggy Handsome and Piggy Hero, a pair of fabulously naughty tales of a pesky guinea pig written by Pip Jones. They are available here from Audible and are well worth a listen. According to Pip “Toby Hadoke performs them both absolutely brilliantly, he’s got Handsome absolutely spot on” which is lovely to read…
My podcasts are all up and away. They just clocked up nearly 100, 000 downloads over 100 episodes which I am told is very good (we only launched 10 months ago)! They are all about Doctor Who : there’s Too Much Information (a fact-filled, episode-by-episode breakdown), Indefinable Magic (whimsical vocal essays inspired by some random aspect of the the show), and Happy Times and Places (commentaries with the aim of positivity). They are released under the blanket title of Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels. My Podbean podcast page is here. My Patreon Page is here.
The Doctor Who adventure The Web of Fear has been released with an animation submitting for the missing third episode. I recorded a commentary before Christmas with cast and crew, which included contributions from two lovely gentlemen, actor Ralph Watson and cameraman Roger Bunce who have, sadly, since passed away… RIP to both gents who it was as privilege to get to know over the years.
Recording The Web of Fear commentary in lockdown with producer Paul Vanezis plus Tina Packer, the late Ralph Watson and Frazer Hines.
I am back in The 7th Dimension chair on Saturdays and Sundays at the end of September and the beginning of November, introducing horror and sci-fi and loads of terrific fantastical stuff on BBC Radio 4 Extra at 6pm and midnight.
I have been doing more Doctor Who related stuff that I can’t talk about I detail yet bar saying that I have three documentaries and a commentary in the can that will be released over the next year or so.
I have directed, and am in, a new comedy pilot by Jonathan Morris – it’s a Dan Dare/Buck Rogers type spoof called Dick Dixon in the 21st Century and is very funny. It has a great soundscape and a terrific cast including Kieran Hodgson, Dan Starkey, Terry Molloy and Sooz Kempner. Jonny has packed it with jokes and characters who will definitely strike a chord with anyone who likes what I like. The pilot episode here. and I am very pleased to say that we will be recording more episodes soon: watch h this space.
And here’s the general stuff about me if you’re interested (which I’m guessing you might be as you are here, so thanks!):
My one man show Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe before embarking on a national tour, international dates and a West End run. The radio version was released on CD by the BBC and was nominated for a Sony Award. The follow up – My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver – joined its predecessor for a double bill at the Garrick Theatre in 2013. My radio work includes afternoon plays, a Fright Night presentation and topical comedy and has been nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award.
I am a regular performer at the Comedy Store, Manchester (New Stuff every second and last Sunday of the month), the 99 Club Leicester Square, and have been resident compere at the award winning XS Malarkey comedy club for 23 years.
I also like old TV and can spot a character actor in a crowd from space. I have written about such passions for national newspapers and magazines, and spoken about them on documentaries and TV news programmes. My podcast, Toby Hadoke’s Who’s Round, has run to over 250 episodes, and my new lot, Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels, have hit 50, 000 downloads.
But I’m an actor really. I have appeared in Holby City, An Adventure in Space and Time, Phoenix Nights, The Forsyte Saga, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Casualty 1907, the forthcoming feature film Six Minutes to Midnight (2020) and dozens of radio plays. I also present the weekend science fiction hour, The 7th Dimension, on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
