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 (May 2021):
I mean, there’s a pandemic on but sure, I’m still keeping pretty busy.
My podcasts are all up and away. They just clocked up 50, 000 downloads which I am told is very good! 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.
I was in a wonderfully sinister production of Dan Rebellato’s adaptation of Ionesco’s Killer for Radio 3 with an amazing cast – Toby Jones, Christine Bottomley, Liz Carr – which is available on iPlayer until May 17th. Get it here before it vanishes, it’s well worth your time: unnerving and funny and odd. There’s a brilliantly written scene between the other Toby and me which I think works really well.
I am back in The 7th Dimension chair every Saturday and Sunday from 8th – 23rd May, 6-7pm and midnight-1am introducing Dan Dare, Edgar Allen Poe and all sorts of other terrific stuff on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
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. There’s a Kickstarter and the pilot episode here.
XS Malarkey has continued to be an online presence every Tuesday – giving you the best of the live circuit despite lockdown and the near paralysis of our industry. We have just become even more creative and have won awards and acclaim for being so – and crucially, we are providing comedians with an income and a locked down audience with access to funny people for a minimal financial outlay (in fact for free – the financial outlay is discretionary). In 2020 Marcus Brigstocke, Robin Ince, Josie Long, James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Nathan Caton, Colin Hoult, Mark Watson, Tom Allen, Jordan Brookes, Randy, Rob Rouse, Eddie Pepitone, Judah Friedlander, Hal Cruttenden, Zoe Lyons and many more came and gigged for us, and all really rose to the occasion. Find our channel here. The shows remain available for 14 days after broadcast but there are a load of clips and highlights there for you to access too.
It’s a gig, but not as we know it – XS Malarkey has been adapting to the brave new world we find ourselves in…
Oh, and there’s a pretty big announcement coming soon… maybe next month (I start work on it this month – whatever it is…) … so keep in touch …
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.
