Nerdist Camp

Cup The Mic Productions

Kris Grainger & Andi Elliott present a weekly podcast that aims to free the geek! Join drill sergeants Kris & Andi as they set up camp and parade all things geek for your inspection. Each week they'll be raiding the barracks for all things gaming, music, hobbies, role-play, sci-fi, astronomy, science, conspiracy, unsolved mystery, toys, comics, cosplay, film, documentary, coffee, vinyl, home recording, computers, AI, retro-tech, radiation, cold-war, history, UFO...and so on. Join us under the canvas for a delve into the world of the nerd, and make suggestions on Discord for topics and questions that you'd like us to look into. From time to time we'll have guests in the mess tent who are experts in particular topics. So keep us on your podcast provider's radar and keep your comms open, because Nerdist Camp needs you to sign up right now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Silent Running

    21 MAR

    Silent Running

    It’s lonely out in space. It’s lonelier when you’re a plant-loving hippy and the rest of the crew not only hate you, but they’re totally indifferent about soil, plants and wildlife. When you’re only friends are droids and plants, but you feel like the one man to save what’s left of the Earth, in the hope that one day, there might be trees, lakes and nature there once again.  Today we trade the Nerdist Camp tent for a dome. So grab your watering can, load up the buggy, grab Huey, Dewey and Louis and head for the biodomes, but not too fast mind! For today we take a deep dive into the film, and the legacy of its message. Yes, today we look at Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 hippy epic, Silent Running.  This fortnight we are recommending Kris: Mike and the Mechanics debut album (featuring Silent Running). Crime Next Door: The Cop, The Kidnap and the Killer (good time to explain family links to this story - Higley and the break-in at the flat). WangsplainingOnce We Were Spacemen Andi: Paradise - Disney+Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - Apple TVScrubs, season 10 on Disney+ (Kris interject with The Roses mistaken identity story, Brooklin 99)How To Get To Heaven From Belfast - NetflixDisclosure Day - new trailer If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 5min
  2. Ghosts

    6 MAR

    Ghosts

    Have you ever worried about being scared by the ghosties, or grabbed by the ghoulies? Then today might be the chance you’ve been looking for to rip the covers off the mystery, or just stay away from that trap door. Ghost hunting has exploded in popularity over the last couple of decades, largely thanks to TV shows like Most Haunted, Ghost Adventures, and more recently countless YouTube and TikTok creators wandering around dark buildings with gadgets. But as the hobby has grown, so has the market for ghost hunting equipment, and that now includes a whole world of smartphone and tablet apps that claim to detect spirits, translate their words, or even display them on screen. So how much of this is genuine investigation, and how much is entertainment dressed up as evidence? NewsThere’s a tiny digital camera inside these retro 35mm film rolls | The VergeGhosts TV sitcom brought back to life as a feature film - BBC News This fortnight we are recommending Kris: The Roses (Jay Roach, 2025)You Heard It Here First (Chris Macausland, BBC Sounds). Ghost radio - Leopoldo GoutHunting Ghosts with Gatiss & ColesThe Anglesey Vampire Killer (Crime Next Door, BBC Sounds)A Ghost Story for Christmas Andi: The CreatorThe Last Frontier - Apple TVThe Mothman Prophecies - JustWatchRichard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf - podcast (writer of the Mothman Prophecies screenplay)Hannah Fry - AI ConfidentialKatee Sachoff Show - BSG rewatch Links Sandi Toksvig Billy Bragg records a radio broadcast and hears something very strange on Sandi's live show.If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 12min
  3. Airships

    13 FEB

    Airships

    Hello and welcome to Nerdist Camp. Today we look at an uplifting topic, and hopefully we’ll have a filling that’s not just a load of hot air. If you’ve ever been to an American Football game in the states, or grew up in the UK in the 70s, then you’ll know exactly what we mean. They’ve been the things of dreams, and the things of nightmares. They can be uplifting or a sign of dread. Some are luxurious and made for tourists, and some are completely functional. What is their continued appeal, and why do the bad guys seem to like them so much? This may seem like an odd topic for us to cover, but as you know, we’re planning to do some deeper dives into topics this season, so it should be a “Good Year!” Yes, today we invite you to come “up, up and away in our beautiful balloon,” as we take a deep-dive into…Airships.  Airships in filmsBlack Sunday (1977)Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)A View to a Kill (1985)Blade Runner (1982)Castle in the Sky (1986)Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)Charlie Chan at the OlympicsThe Golden Compass (2007)Metropolis (1927) This fortnight we are recommendingKris: Seven Days on MarsJohn Gacy drama ITVX (tbc)The Carman Family Deaths (Netflix)Andi: Smoke & Mirrors + Other Things- The Eden HouseIt got suggested after listening to The Mission. It’s a collaborative music project, tons of people, lavish, brooding. Nice. Julian Regan features on one track. Halt & Catch Fire, - ITVXDeparture - NetflixLinks mentioned in this episodeThe Island at the Top of the WorldThe Rocketeer, Airship Explosion Black Sunday (1977)Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)A View to a Kill (1985)Blade Runner (1982)Castle in the Sky (1986)Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)Charlie Chan at the OlympicsThe Golden Compass (2007)Metropolis (1927)Wikipedia - Detailed History of AirshipsHindenburg radio coverageThe Lincolnshire Poacher - Radio StationThe Pink Floyd AirshipRare Airship PhotosIf you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 14min
  4. In the SHADO of UFO

    31 JAN

    In the SHADO of UFO

    Hello, and welcome to the first episode of season 2 of Nerdist Camp. We have a slight gear change this season as we head full on into 2026. This season we’re going to focus less on genres and overviews of topics we love, and we’re going to be taking a deeper dive into specific films, books, TV, music etc.  Liked Thunderbirds, Stingray, Joe 90, and Captain Scarlet, but couldn’t get past the marionettes? Ever thought, those scale scene models are wasted on puppets, they should make a real science-fiction. Then look no further, for today we have you covered. In a series where Gerry Anderson takes the action and replaces lumber for luvvies, we look at UFO, the 1970 live action series that would combine model work with, some would say, acting more wooden than the puppets, and would only run for one season. Was it the Firefly of its day, or should it be filed away? UFO is available to watch, for free, now on ITVX UFO Episode List (original production order):1. Identified  2. Exposed  3. The Cat with Ten Lives  4. Conflict  5. A Question of Priorities  6. E. S. P.  7. Kill Straker!  8. Sub-Smash  9. Destruction  10. The Square Triangle  11. Close Up  12. The Psycho bombs  13. Survival 14. Mindbender 15. Flight Path  16. The Man Who Came Back 17. The Dalotek Affair 18. Time lash 19. Ordeal 20. Court Martial 21. Computer Affair  22. Confetti Check A- OK.  23. The Sound of Silence  24. Reflections in the Water  25. The Responsibility Seat  26. The Long Sleep This is the order they were shown in on ATV in the Midlands but every broadcaster showed them in a different sequence. First broadcast: 16th September 1970 Last of run: 7th August 1971. NewsJohn Carpenter‘s The Thing has been selected by the Library of Congress as one of this year’s 25 films to join the National Film Registry due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.John Carpenter's 'The Thing' Has Been Added to the National Film Registry - Bloody Disgusting This fortnight we are recommending Kris: Death Cap: The Mushroom MurdersWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out MysteryThe Secret Service (ITVX)Alien Earth soundtrack (Jeff Russo). I got the limited edition vinyl with the cellulose cover.  Andi: Shrinking - Apple TVRelinq - Convert Music Links Between Spotify, Apple Music & YouTube Music'Bigfoot' sighting at Staffordshire beauty spot as dad says 'it moved so fast' - Stoke-on-Trent LiveFlying Toasters Screensaver — Classic After Dark ReturnsStar Trek: Starfleet Academy - Paramount+MAN MACHINE - NEW NIGHTMARES SEASON C4. 1993 - YouTubeThe first of three documentaries transmitted in 1993, in conjunction with the MOVIE NIGHTMARES film season in which artists, scientists and writers offer insights into their vision of the future. MAN-MACHINE looks at the latest developments in artificial intelligence, robotics and plastic surgery. Contributions from `cyber-punk' authors William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, artist Hr Giger, scientist Marvin Minsky (Head of Computing at MIT) and Dr Joseph Rosen, leading exponent of 'virtual reality' surgery. “Right about now - ish” (anniversaries we might have missed)40 years since Challenger (28th January)Brief clip of Childrens BBC Newround show breaking Challenger Shuttle disaster news - YouTubeIf you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 4min
  5. 9 JAN ·  BONUS

    Review of 2025

    Hello there and welcome to a very special bonus episode of Nerdist Camp. I'm joined by my regular partner in crime, the ying to my yang, the Mulder to my Skully, the sausage to my squishy buns, Andi Elliot. Welcome to our review of 2025. We'll take a look back at the episodes of the year, the topics we covered, and we look if anything we talked about needs updating. We're also going to read out some listener's comments that have come into the show, so thanks to everyone who has contributed to those, and we'll be looking if we have anything further to add, or any updates on the topics we covered. We'll also look forward to next year, the topics we will be covering, the features we'll keep, and those we might drop in order to focus on the bits we all love. Our 2025 Episodes: Science fiction  Computer Games  Bond, James Bond  80s Gameshows  Disaster Movies  Nuclear Disasters  AI  Board Games  The Promise of Space The War of The Worlds  UFO!  Titanic  Heist Movies  Adult Fans of Lego (AFoL)  Music Formats and the Rise of Digital  John Carpenter  Bunkers & The Cold War  Bear with me, it's good (films you might give a miss that are worth the time)  Christmas Films  Christmas Toys Tech newsMeet the Archival ‘Magician’ Restoring Massively Degraded Tape Recordings Before They’re Lost to TimeDisney Brings Olaf to Life: The Engineering Marvel Behind a Walking, Talking Robot | The NeuronGoogle Gemini Is Taking Control of Humanoid Robots on Auto Factory Floors | WIREDIn partnership with Boston Dynamics, using their Atlas robotBlu-ray hits 20 years old, and it isn't dead yet — optical disc format was introduced to the public at CES 2006 | Tom's HardwareAccording to Wikipedia various dates are mentioned, but a lot happened in 2006.The first Blu-ray Disc titles were released on June 20, 2006: 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, Underworld: Evolution, xXx (all from Sony), and MGM's The Terminator. The earliest releases used MPEG-2 video compression, the same method used on standard DVDs. The first releases using the newer VC-1 and AVC formats were introduced in September 2006. This fortnight we are recommendingKris: BBC Radio 4 - One Person Found This Helpful - Frank Skinner.  Route MastersThe War of the Worlds - Graphic Novel (Kindle: Dobbs, Cifuentes) - 99p  Titanic Sinks Tonight - BBC iPlayer Andi: Carry On Up The Podcast Susan Calman and podcaster and journalist Mike Muncer as they embark on a bumpy chronological journey through every film in the iconic 'Carry On' series...from 'Sergeant' to 'Columbus' via 'Screaming' and 'Camping'! As well as reviewing and ranking each film in the series, Susan and Mike will be discussing the lives and careers of its iconic stars, from Sid James to Kenneth Williams to Barbara Windsor. Deepest Dive - Podcasts on AudibleIn light of the renewed robotic search for MH370 (The company is best known for providing the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust with submersible experts and underwater robots that helped to locate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship Endurance in 2022).Was it one of the largest ever acts of mass murder, a hijacking that went wrong, or was it something less sinister like technical failure? Co-presented by journalist and broadcaster Jana Wendt and Peter Waring a former Australian naval officer who worked on the search. It re-examines the evidence and tells the inside story of those whose lives have been consumed by aviation’s most perplexing mystery.Dealgorithmed × 001 • Buttondown, a newsletter about the web“The web is still a fucking awesome place. Sure, you can spend an hour doomscrolling Instagram, but you can also browse antique maps and atlases, play delightful word games, watch mesmerizing wind patterns simulations, listen to radio stations from all over the world, generate wacky typographic animations, or learn how to survive a drone.” If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 16min
  6. Christmas Toys

    24/12/2025

    Christmas Toys

    We all remember and know that feeling, not being able to get to sleep the night before due to the pure excitement, the nervousness, the anticipation. Will Santa get it right? Has he listened to what you said when you met him in the shopping centre, on the train, or at the local village hall? Did he read that letter, and did Bernard (head elf), put you on the naughty or nice list? How will he get them down the chimney, and what brand of mince pies does he prefer?  So I hope you’re all listening, tucked up in your beads, having been very good boys and girls this year, as we take the wrapper off today’s episode, will it deliver joy and lifelong memories, or will it break straight away or just not come with the batteries? Yes, today we talk about that most wonderful, acquisitional time of the year, those Christmas toys that we loved as a kid, and that we still buy for ourselves as a bigger kid! Today we look at Christmas Toys, old and new.  Tech news Russian cosmodrome platform collapse 20 ton. Pin forgottenNew Tomb Raider games - legacy of Atlantis (TR1) and new game set now. Young Lara and modern Lara This fortnight we are recommendingMr Inbetween, Disney+Colin From AccountsBBC model shop We’ll be back with a new Season on the 9th Jan so look out for us then! Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 4min
  7. Christmas Films

    13/12/2025

    Christmas Films

    It’s Christmaaaaaaaaaas, well nearly. Yes it’s the run up to the silly season. Whether you’re of the religious persuasion or not, it’s still a time when there might be something interesting on telly, when you might get something you want, and will probably get things you don’t, when you can go “well tacky” with the decorations and completely get away with it and when you can over-eat and over-drink because, let’s face it, the diet is in January! So grab that box of pretzels, the matchmakers, after eights and the Elizabeth Shaw mints, the Celebrations and the Doritos with the regrettably hot dip and slump into your chair, ready to be entertained whilst you much away in your ironically funny Christmas Jumper, even though you’ve just eaten 3 courses of unbelievably rich food, because today, we’re looking at Christmas Films: Tech newsDisney OpenAI Deal McDonalds pulls AI advert Gemini gaining on ChatGPT (650 vs 80p million users) This fortnight we are recommendingKris: The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo (Netflix, 2025)Inside Job: Animated Comedy Series (Netflix, 2022)Thanks to Andi, loving Man on the Inside and Future ManJust started Season 3 of Resident Alien on Now TV. Kit Betts-Masters (e-ink reviews)Anthony Marinelli Music (hightly recommend the videos on scoring Wargames and Blue Thunder)Andi: Memento Mori: Mexico City - Depeche Mode (concert film and live album)Landman - Paramount+Tested.com - the favourite things videos. Adam, Norm, CayteIf you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 14min
  8. Bear with me, it's good!

    28/11/2025

    Bear with me, it's good!

    Sometimes there's a film, a film that just chimes with you. Sometimes it's a low budget indie production, shot on a shoestring. Sometimes it's a triple A Hollywood production with a bigger marketing budget than it probably pulled back in release sales. Sometimes, just sometimes, it's that obscure film that you missed the first time around, but once you found it, you just can't live without it in your life.  Yes, today we look at those films that are either so bad, that they're actually good, or are hidden or massively underrated gems, that have gained a cult following fire to their utterly unappreciated brilliance. Or, they’re just bad but we love them anyway - a celebration of those weird, awkwardly-shaped films that for some reason just stick with you.  There will be honourable mentions, there might be disagreements. Either way it’s a Battle Royale at the Camp! This fortnight we are recommendingKris: Rainy Sunday Afternoon, the Divine Comedy.The Monster of Florence Among Us: Crewmate Edition. Andi: A Man On The Inside, season 2Obligatory Stranger Things mention. Not bothered, but I’ll probably enjoy it. Bit like that long planned event you know you have to go to.The Reunion - The Commitments - BBC SoundsWar Of The Worlds - The Concert Tour LinksWizard of Oz at the Sphere If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 9min

Trailer

About

Kris Grainger & Andi Elliott present a weekly podcast that aims to free the geek! Join drill sergeants Kris & Andi as they set up camp and parade all things geek for your inspection. Each week they'll be raiding the barracks for all things gaming, music, hobbies, role-play, sci-fi, astronomy, science, conspiracy, unsolved mystery, toys, comics, cosplay, film, documentary, coffee, vinyl, home recording, computers, AI, retro-tech, radiation, cold-war, history, UFO...and so on. Join us under the canvas for a delve into the world of the nerd, and make suggestions on Discord for topics and questions that you'd like us to look into. From time to time we'll have guests in the mess tent who are experts in particular topics. So keep us on your podcast provider's radar and keep your comms open, because Nerdist Camp needs you to sign up right now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.