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 (April 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 old Comedy Store sketch show, The Unbroadcastable Radio Show, returns for one night only on XS Malarkey’s Twitch channel at 8pm on April 11th (and will available there for two weeks afterwards). It is totally free and is a topical and character-based sketch show that ran successfully sat the Comedy Store during the 2000s. We’ve decided to get the band back together!! (Said band are myself, Helen Copley, Tony Kinsella, Alfie Joey, Peter Slater, John Warburton and Dom Woodward). Join us or watch it on catch up – here’s a trailer.

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. 

Big Finish have released their latest In Conversation CD which is produced and presented by me – I’m in conversation with the amazing and very open and honest Carolyn Seymour. What a woman! Details here.

Carolyn Seymour (c) Tony Whitmore

Six Minutes To Midnight – the film in which I appear alongside Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Izzard and James D’Arcy is now Sky Cinema. It’s very good – a gripping tale with a great cast and it looks beautiful. And I have splendid costume even if I am only in it for a very quick cameo…

Standing out from the crowd in 6 Minutes to Midnight

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… 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.