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 (December 2024):

I have been working for Hammer Films recently. I featured in the Sky Arts documentary Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters which was broadcast on Halloween (it is available on catch-up on NowTV). I have also made a film with Chris Chapman, House of Clemens, which is a profile of the TV genius Brian Clemens and features me staying at his house with his wonderful family, plus contributions from Joanna Lumley, Sue Holderness and many more illustrious folk associated with his work. That will feature on the release of Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter. I am currently recording some more Hammer material for future Hammer projects.

Action! For Hammer!

I have three TV appearances in the can – one has been on in the USA : I guest star in the new series of Ridley, clashing with Adrian Dunbar’s dogged investigator whilst married to Christine Bottomley (who I killed in the last thing I was in with her, so that’s an improvement). Not sure when it’ll be on in the UK but if you enjoy seeing me being a bit unpleasant then it’ll be worth the wait. The other two are still hush-hush, one will air in January 2025 and the other involved working (albeit briefly) with one of my comedy heroes.

With “wife” Christine Bottomley in the new series of Ridley.

Out on December 5th is the CD release of my Radio 4 Extra show Surviving Doctor Who:  An A-Z which, to be honest, was a hastily convened schedule-filler that went down way better than I expected and now has a physical media release! And one which bears the legend “Presented by Jo Whiley & Toby Hadoke”. I’ll take that. And you should too, if you need a stocking filler for the Doctor Who fan in your life.

There will be a new edition of Absent Friends – my annual tribute to the heroes of UK sci-fi who have died in the past 12 months – on BBC Radio 4 Extra at 4.45pm and 12.45am on 29th December. Keep an eye out for my annual In Memorian Video for Doctor Who folk as well. That will be on my You Tube Channel and Patreon Page.

The box set for Season 25 of Doctor Who is out and I am on it! The documentary Looking For Dursley goes in search of the legacy of Dursley McLinden, the young actor from Remembrance of the Daleks who was part of that generation so blighted by the terrible HIV virus. Among those I speak to about him are Sophie Aldred and Russell T Davies.

With Sophie in a certain classroom of Remembrance


With Russell T Davies at the Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff (I’m clearly standing in a hole!()

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I am currently working on another Doctor Who themed documentary and my film for the next, as-yet-unannounced Doctor Who Blu-ray set is already in the can and has been through an initial edit. We also have two films ready for an as-yet-unscheduled box set because we are future proofing the range. 

Oh, and there are some more Thomas & Friends in the can, so Toby the Tram Engine will ride once more.

My monthly comedy night – Testing, Testing – at the fabulous 53Two venue in Manchester City Centre, has been going great guns and celebrated its first birthday in June. 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. 

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.

I have nearly finished the first of my Quatermass books which will be published by Ten Acre Films: it should be in the shops early this year. These were going to be released in two volumes but now each of the 1950s serials is getting its own book. The Quatermass Experiment will be out first, of course. It’s official, it must be, as I even talk about it on Newsnight (this is the episode, have a look about ten minutes from the end for a sizeable and really nice segment that I think turned out very well).

With Kirsty Wark on Newsnight!

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 this year and are even doing a New Year’s Eve Show with Phil Ellis, Josh Jones, and Bethany Black. In 2025 we have some fantastic acts promised, including Josie Long, Lorna Rose Treen, Helen Bauer, Johnny Candon 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 – and I did some special eiditions to tie in with the broadcast episodes of the latest series. They were written in a very small time window but have had some excellent feedback. They have clocked up over 500, 000 downloads across 350 episodes 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. 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 am 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 27 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, has hit 300, 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 2020 feature film Six Minutes to Midnight and dozens of radio plays.

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

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