Hello.

My name is Toby. I am an actor, writer and comedian. I have a Patreon Page here with all sorts of goodies.

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!

You can see me every Tuesday at XS Malarkey Comedy Club in Manchester, and every last Sunday of the month at Testing, Testing, the popular new material night at 53Two.

I am also a regular presenter on The 7th Dimension on BBC Radio 4 Extra and as an actor I pop up on TV and radio. I am also a prolific voice-over chap and a walking anorak who does a lot of Doctor Who and Old Telly related stuff. I’m mostly harmless.

Here’s my latest news (October/November  2026):

I am presenting a couple of movie screenings at HOME, Manchester – it’s a selection sure to put you all in the Halloween mood. Jack O’Lanterns at the ready on 29th October for a double bill of Dracula and Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (tickets) and then on 1st November it’s an absolute THILL to be heralding the incomparable pairing of Quatermass and the Pit and Lifeforce (tickets). Andy Murray will be my partner in crime so hopefully between us we will have all bases covered.

Then I will be putting the finishing touches to my second Quatermass book which will be officially announced shortly. I am very excited about this but also need to polish it off and make it as good as it can be : but I have uncovered lots of new material and I am really looking forward to getting it out there. The first one  – on The Quatermass Experiment – just enjoyed a fifth reprint which sold out very quickly, thanks in no small part to some great reviews and being Book of the Week in the Radio Times.

“Superb – seeing TV history being presented so richly in this manner means that celebration is more than earned by this engrossing, skilfully assembled publication.” : Andrew Pixley – downthetubes

“If you’ve got any interest in Quatermass then you need a copy of this on your bookshelf. It’s always tempting fate to say that something is the last word on the subject – but I really think this is. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in British SF or the development of British television in the 20th century. 10/10” : Paul Simpson – Sci-Fi Bulletin

There’s a little trailer for the first book here.

With Mark Gatiss at the BFI launch of The Quatermass Experiment

I have managed to squeeze in some on-screen and commentary duties for Hammer films with contributions to their forthcoming Blu-ray specials of The Abominable Snowman and X – The Unknown. Get them now!!!

I will be introducing the surviving first three instalments of The Daleks’ Master Plan at Riverside Studios on 31st October and then there will be an extensive panel discussion during which I will be question John Franklin and Sue Malden from Film is Fabulous. Tickets are available here. 

I have contributed some more obituaries to the Guardian recently – comedian Jimmy Cricket, a lovely man, that fine character actor Tom Chadbon, the director and actress Kay Patrick, whom I knew well, and that lovely actor Michael Keating.

With the lovely Kay Patrick who died recently (picture courtesy of Fantom Publishing)

I was a guest on The Peter Purves Podcast, in which I am interviewed by the great man himself, here. I am on a number of editions of the brilliant Smershpod too. The latest is on one of my favourites, The Day the Earth Caught Fire (find it here), and the previous one on X-The Unknown and can be found here. Night of the Demon is promised for Halloween week too. I am also in the new series of Sophie Aldred’s podcast – download my episode here. 

Keep an eye out for Quatermass Day in Derby (at the Quad) at the beginning of December. Should be loads of fun. I will also be a guest interviewer and panellist at the Festival of Fantastic Films (it’s becoming an annual pilgrimage, this) in October – interviewing Louise Jameson and talking about Quatermass II.

With Roger Sloman and Jennifer Macbeth on location for Alan Partridge…

My monthly comedy night – Testing, Testing – at the fabulous 53Two venue in Manchester City Centre, has been going great guns. We never announce who is going to turn up but so far we have had Sarah Millican, Justin Moorhouse, Colin Hoult, Gary Delaney, Nick Doody, Amy Gledhill, Rob Rouse, Daliso Chaponda and many more pop in. There are some great line-ups coming up too: TV names aplenty.  It will showcase the very best circuit acts trying out their new material in a friendly environment on the last Sunday of the month. As ever with the stuff I do it is accessible, low cost and friendly. The 53Two website is here – follow the link for tickets. We are having the summer off though : back later in the year!

With Jonny Pelham, Sarah Millican and Gary Delaney at Testing, Testing. It’s a new material night in Manchester which I will compere on the last Sunday of every month.

XS Malarkey – my award-winning, Manchester-based comedy club – continues to provide great value laughter for a very small entry fee.  It is now based full time, and every Tuesday, at 53Two. We’ve had a great year and 2026’s Edinburgh preview season had some crackers including Elf Lyons, Madeleine Brettingham, Rob Auton, and Rachel Fairburn. It was an absolute treat!. We have some fantastic acts coming up, including Joe Lycett, Stephen Bailey, Lara Ricote, Alex Kealey, Eleanor Morton, Ruby Carr and many more. Find out more about the club here. 

With Colin Hoult, Hayley Ellis and Joe Lycett at XS Malarkey (on the road!)

My podcasts are going strong. My epic three parter (total – 7 hours!) on the missing episodes of Doctor Who had vocal contributions from Russell T Davies, Mark Gatiss, Peter Harness and DAVID TENNANT! In total I have clocked up over 900, 000 downloads across 500 episodes which I am told is very good! The podcasts are, of course, 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. The podcast version is now also on You Tube and all the usual podcast places. My You Tube channel is here. My Podbean podcast page is here. My Patreon Page is here.

 

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. For TV I have written for children’s series Biff and Chip.

I was a regular performer at the Comedy Store, Manchester and was the Wednesday night MC at the 99 Club Leicester Square for a decade, and have been resident compere at the award-winning XS Malarkey comedy club for 28 years. I have also overseen Manchester’s premier Sunday new material night (first at The Comedy Store, now at 53Two) for over 20 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 latest effort, Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels, is very much holding its own in a crowded field, frequently hitting the Top Ten and enjoying regular positive feedback and very special guests.

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 2020 feature film Six Minutes to Midnight and dozens of radio plays.

“SUPERIOR STAND-UP SKILLS: VERY, VERY FUNNY”