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 (August/September 2026):

I’m busy in the theatre – two jobs back to back – which is lovely. First up I am playing Dad in the UK Premiere of the Simon Stephens play Maria at 53Two which is being directed by the brilliant and talented Sadie Mears who has just finished a residency at the Royal Exchange (as assistant director). It’s a fascinating play with a great cast and is on from 2nd to 11th September and you can get your tickets here. Then it is off to the Dukes, Lancaster, for a three day run of Vignettes from 17th-19th September: I will be in a piece called The Rescue by the fabulous Debbie Oates, reuniting with excellent director Ellie Rose who helmed the JB Shorts play I was in last year.

The cast of Maria

 

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 was a guest at the Film is Fabulous screening of The Daleks’ Master Plan episodes 1-3 at the Leicester Phoenix, sharing a panel with the mighty Peter Purves on August 15th. A great day was had by all. In September I will be returning to the Derby Quad as a guest of Steve Hatcher and his gang for what promises to be another super event – Whoverville 17. 

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)

The Doctor Who Season 21 Blu-Ray is out and I feature on it quite prominently – I’m already on some of the extra features from the old days of DVD but I have also participated in some new programmes made last year: 48 Hours With Fielding finds me spending the weekend with abrasive Davison cohort Tegan, aka actress Janet Fielding, and I am on a mission to find the softie she really is; I also helm a new Making of… documentary on controversial story The Twin Dilemma; and… well, my third new contribution is a surprise. But let’s just say that there is plenty of me. 

It’s the twins from The Twin Dilemma!

 

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. I am also in the new series of Sophie Aldred’s podcast – download my episode here. 

I did a few tellies last year – popping up in Ridley, Waterloo Road and, most recently, Are You OK? With Alan Partridge. The latter two are still on iPlayer and whilst the most recent one was no more than a cameo it was worth it to be part of the Partridge-verse and to enjoy the added bonus of working with the legendary Roger Sloman.

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”