• Monkey Shadow Boxing

    11 August 2020 /

    A celebration of the second season of Netflix's The New Legends of Monkey, and in particular its final episode, 'Shadow Boxing'.

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  • Fantasycon 2018

    18 October 2018 /

    Newly arrived in Chester, UK for the start of the always-fun Fantasycon weekend, I’m dressed appropriately. I’ll be on the following panels: 5 pm on Saturday, 20 October The Horror Writers Association Panel I’m moderating, and also attending is Marie O’Regan, Ramsey Campbell, CC Adams and Phil Sloman 6 pm on Saturday, 20 October Screenwriting for TV I’m moderating a panel with Stephen Volk, Terry Grimwood, Gavin Williams and Stephen Gallagher. 8 pm on Saturday, 20 October Brave New Words I’m on the Brave New Words podcast with Ed Fortune, Anna Stephens, Rebecca Derrick, Anne Fortune and Claire North 1 pm on Sunday, 21 October Strange Fictions I’m on the…

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  • It’s a sitcom miracle

    6 March 2018 /

    February can be a bit of a dour month, so I watched comedy to offset the grey. In particular I like the half-hour format, which feels like a delightful popcorn snack. I re-watched four seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix, which was a fun binge. Casting about for something else, I struck upon One Day at a Time on Netflix, about which I’d heard some positive buzz. What an enchanting surprise awaited me! A wonderful, progressive, humourous (and often poignant) story about a family of Cuban descent, which explores issues to do with feminism, racism, mental health, gender, citizenship, religion, veterans’ issues, and the legacy of cultural traditions all while…

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  • Talking at The Kitchen Table

    26 October 2017 /

    Thanks to Clare Mclaughlin for chatting to me for a segment on The Kitchen Table show on 103.2 Dublin City FM, which is airing tonight from 9 pm -10 pm. We talk about a couple of TV shows I’m watching currently – such as Supergirl and the recent Netflix show Mindhunter – and we also discuss the panel I’ll be contributing to on Saturday as part of the Bram Stoker Festival, Dublin: Slayers and their Vampires.

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  • Fantasycon 2017

    20 September 2017 /

    I’ve always found the British Fantasy Society’s annual convention, Fantasycon, to be a welcoming and friendly event, so I’m looking forward to another fun weekend of conversation and perhaps the occasional tipple at Fantasycon 2017 (29 Sept – 1 Oct). Here’s my schedule for the event: FRIDAY Writers and Computer Games – 4 pm (Panel Room 1) Maura McHugh (mod), Chris Brookmyre, Allen Stroud, Nate Crowley, Jonathan L. Howard Book launches by PS Publishing – 5 pm (Broadway Suite) I’ll only be at the event for a short time, but it should be a fun occasion TV Treasures – 5.30 pm (Panel Room 2) Maura McHugh (mod), Anne Lyle, Stephen Gallagher, Steve J. Shaw, Gavin Williams SATURDAY…

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  • We Are The Martians – The Legacy of Nigel Kneale

    19 May 2017 /

    After a change of publishers I’m delighted to say that the We Are The Martians – The Legacy of Nigel Kneale, edited by Neil Snowdon, is now available for pre-order from PS Publishing. It is due to be published next month. This is a collection of essays and observations about the film and TV work by the incredibly influential and ground-breaking British screenwriter, Nigel Kneale. Here’s the Table of Contents for this terrific anthology, which will be a must for anyone who was a fan of Kneale’s work. CONTENTS Foreword – Mark Gatiss Introduction – Neil Snowdon King Of Hauntology – Mark Chadbourn The Literary Kneale – Tim Lucas The…

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  • a whole new world…

    10 July 2013 /

    I’m not new to the concept of Cosplay and multi-media conventions. Last year I attended MCM Expo in London, along with Rob Curley and Stephen Downey, because our comic Jennifer Wilde was nominated for an Eagle Award. It’s one of the biggest cons of this type in the UK, and they got about 60,000+ people through the door. I thoroughly enjoyed the event, even if it was overwhelming at times due to the sheer volume of people attending. And at 2D Comic Book Festival in Derry there’s been an increasing Cosplay presence over the past three years. ArcadeCon is the first convention of this type I’ve attended in the Republic…

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  • Kapow! – with added women

    8 April 2011 /

    The Kapow! Comic Book convention is going on this weekend, and it’s good to see that in the face of criticism over its initial all-male line-up the event has adjusted its guest list. I was not the only one who pointed out the lack of women, and I’m not claiming this result is due to my input alone. Honestly, this is a positive response, and I hope it means more women featured at the event (if they hold it again) when they have time to include women in the planning from the very beginning. Millar is even talking up the female angle now, mentioned a 30% female readership in this…

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