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 2020):
I will be presenting The 7th Dimension on Radio 4 Extra again on the the 4th and 5th and 11th and 12th April, and thereafter the station goes little bit automated, though my voice will continue to feature throughout the lockdown. Programme-wise we’re celebrating 42 years of The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and revelling in some glorious Vincent Price goodness among others. 6pm and midnight – see you there.
The coronavirus has made XS Malarkey get a little bit creative, and so with the live gigs cancelled for the forseeable future, we’re broadcasting every Tuesday night on Twitch with the very best comedians from the circuit mucking about. So far we’ve had the likes of James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Mark Watson and John-Luke Roberts. Coming up we have Robin Ince, Tom Allen, Jordan Brookes and many more. We’re also raiding our archives and playing past performances from classic Malarkey nights. Find our channel here.
The documentary The Doctor Who Cookbook – Revisited which I present has been nominated for a Royal Television Society Award (Best Factual Entertainment and Features) which is rather delightful.
Because we are in lockdown, I (alongside my other half, Cherylee Houston off of Corrie) have done a stupid video which is a sort of sequel to the above. In it we do a bit of cooking… Have a look here.
I have a new regular page in Doctor Who Magazine called Space Time Visualiser which details the current activities of Doctor Who folk and includes, naturally, obituaries for the recently departed. Next issue I’ll be telling you all what’s been going on with your favourite Who stars under lockdown.
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.
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.
Terrible swimmer though.
