Nerdist Camp

Quatermass

Hello and welcome back to season 2 episode 7 of Nerdist Camp. Today we have all our usual features, a deep dive into our main topic, updates on the world of tech and geekdom, and of course Grainger Things, where we look at the unusual, unexplained or declassified from history. The barracks of the nerdist camp has a sealed perimeter, because we’re deploying into one of the most influential broadcasts in British science-fiction history. Before Doctor Who, and well before the modern era of televised space horror, there was a transmission that rattled living rooms, redefining what science fiction could do on screen: The Quatermass Experiment. First broadcast in 1953, Nigel Kneale’s story follows Professor Bernard Quatermass and his rocket research team as they recover a spacecraft that returns from orbit… and it is not empty. What comes back instead is a cosmic contamination that slowly turns the single survivor into something no longer human. Today we are raiding the archives and inspecting this early Cold War-era nightmare. We’re asking what made this serial so unsettling for its time, how it shaped decades of British genre storytelling, and why its influence still echoes through modern sci-fi and horror. So fall in and keep your comms open—and welcome to Nerdist Camp. We’ll look at how it moved from TV to film, from B&W to colour, and why it’s still one of the best British Science Fiction franchises.  RELATED MEDIA YOU MIGHT LIKE * The Stone Tape (BBC, 1972) — Kneale's other masterpiece, ghosts as recordings in stone * Beasts (ATV, 1976) — Kneale anthology, includes the brilliant "Baby" * Threads (1984) — not Kneale, but the natural endpoint of British apocalyptic TV * Ghostwatch (1992) — owes its DNA to Kneale's mockumentary instincts * Atomfall (2025) — Rebellion's post-apocalyptic videogame, openly Kneale-influenced * Mark Gatiss's various documentaries on British horror and ghost stories LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT: * The Cold War Nuclear Tower [https://youtu.be/7ed2geKcVyc?si=Zza-F3N5QklnfJRH] * Quatermass — Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatermass] * Nigel Kneale — Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Kneale] * The Quatermass Experiment (1953) — Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quatermass_Experiment] * Quatermass and the Pit — Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatermass_and_the_Pit] * BFI Nigel Kneale collection [https://www.bfi.org.uk/] * EDC Belt Pouch [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PTZGJ4N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1] (various colours) * Spitfire notebook [https://manninc.co.uk/products/endless-spitfire-explorer-refillable-leather-regalia-paper-journal?shop_consented_scopes=email%3Averified+openid+pay%3Asession_token+profile+shop%3Aaccount_uuid&shop_sign_in=true&variant=47964548497683] * Swan Nordic air cooler [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D224PWGH?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1] THIS FORTNIGHT WE ARE RECOMMENDING Kris: * This is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist (BBC iPlayer) * Nuclear War: A Scenario, by Annie Jacobson (Penguin) * Once Upon a Time in the West…Country, by Tony Hawks (Audible) Andi: * The Pitt - HBO Max * For All Mankind season 5 - Apple TV * Project Hail Mary - home release * The Expanse [https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B08B49F1LK/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r] (Prime Video) * Quatermass and the Pit - JustWatch [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/quatermass-and-the-pit-1967] * War of the worlds Thanks for listening, see you next time, under the canvas! 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 [nerdistcamp@gmail.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Top 5 Films

We all know a good film when we see one. And we sure as hell know a bad one when we see one. But some films go deeper than that. Some films challenge the boundaries of good or bad. For some films, quality doesn’t matter, especially if they don’t age well. Some films are not about the content, the acting, the dated SFX. Some films transcend that to become part of our very being, the films that define and route us in a moment from our past.  Yes, today we’re not talking about the greatest films of all time (although we may think they are), today we’re talking about the films that mean something to us. The films that transport us to a time in our lives when they meant something to us. Today Andi and I look at our very personal Top 5 Films, what they mean to us, and why quality is irrelevant when a film is part of your soul. You'll have to listen to the episode, of course, to find out what we chose! THIS FORTNIGHT WE ARE RECOMMENDING Andi: * For All Mankind season 5. Incredible. * S4: The Bob Lazar Story [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/s4-the-bob-lazar-story] * Kate Nash on Davina Macoll’s podcast “Beginning Again” Kris: * Untold: Chess Mates (Netflix) LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE * Sci-Fi Graveyard [https://youtu.be/ZoCEAxBBWy0?si=1IXqfdjoPHlzU2It] (10 Classic Sci-Fi films that define the genre, but you probably missed).  * S4: The Bob Lazar Story [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/s4-the-bob-lazar-story] * Voyager 1 [https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/nasa-shuts-off-another-voyager-1-instrument-as-humanitys-most-distant-spacecraft-prepares-for-risky-big-bang-maneuver-to-save-power] * Coyote vs. ACME | Official Trailer - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-43VeYGiPM] * UK powers on supercomputer that runs 21 quintillion operations/sec [https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/uks-most-powerful-supercomputer-goes-live?utm_source=tech.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=babies-born-from-3-parent-ivf] * Bluetooth tracker hidden in a postcard and mailed to a warship exposed its location — $5 gadget put a $585 million Dutch ship at risk for 24 hours | Tom's Hardware [https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/bluetooth-tracker-hidden-in-a-postcard-and-mailed-to-a-warship-exposed-its-location-a-eur5-gadget-put-a-eur500-million-dutch-ship-at-risk-for-24-hours] * Olight 19th Anniversary Sale: Baton Pro Ultra [https://uk.olight.com/store/baton-4-pro-baton-ultra-compact-torch-high-lumen] and an ArkLite Pro Ultra [https://uk.olight.com/store/arkpro-series-flat-edc-torch].  * DAP (Mp3 player): Hiby R4 [https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r4?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20271192925&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20262115131&gbraid=0AAAAApqI4MWp-ckp1lc4RnPvWWHsuYPHi&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRIxrmPqF6ioHxa0oYV95ELOqIbQdN7qdAosDEdYPypxrwHHCsUqAtRoChgUQAvD_BwE&variant=44798572298456]  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 [nerdistcamp@gmail.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Artemis II

Have you ever had one of those holidays where you’re all stuck in a caravan together, with the environment outside being so hostile that you daren't venture out? As if that wasn’t bad enough, just as you’re heading to your destination, the toilet backs up. Well, imagine that scenario but instead you’re orbiting the moon, and they haven’t even given you a bunk bed! Yes, it’s been 50 years, but finally, we’ve been back to the Moon! For the first time in over fifty years, four humans have successfully flown around the Moon. NASA's Artemis II mission launched on April 1st, 2026, and this week the crew completed their lunar flyby, breaking the all-time record for the furthest any human has ever been from Earth. They're currently on their way home. So what actually happened up there, why did it take this long to get back, and what does it all mean for the future of human space exploration? RELATED MEDIA YOU MIGHT LIKE * For All Mankind (Apple TV+) — alternate history where the Space Race never ended. Excellent. * Apollo 13 — still holds up, and weirdly relevant given the distance record connection. * NASA+ / NASA YouTube — the live flyby coverage was genuinely worth watching. * The Martian (Ridley Scott, 2015) — if the Moon conversation leads to Mars. * The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983) NEWS * Project Hail Mary cinema success * Nick Pope, UK UFO expert passed away * Claude: We formed Project Glasswing because of capabilities we’ve observed in a new frontier model trained by Anthropic that we believe could reshape cybersecurity. Claude Mythos2 Preview is a general-purpose, unreleased frontier model that reveals a stark fact: AI models have reached a level of coding capability where they can surpass all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities. GRAINGER THINGS * When Soviet Youth Bootlegged Western Rock Music on Discarded X-Rays: Hear Original Audio Samples | Open Culture [https://www.openculture.com/2026/03/when-soviet-youth-bootlegged-western-rock-music-on-discarded-x-rays.html] So yeah, you could listen to The Beatles “I’m looking through you”, whilst having an X-Ray of someone’s broken bones on the turntable.  THIS FORTNIGHT WE ARE RECOMMENDING Andi: * See how far you’ve travelled through space so far in your lifetime - Cosmic Odometer - Space Travel Calculator [https://www.cosmicodometer.space/?ref=DenseDiscovery-383] * BBC Audio | 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II [https://www.bbc.com/audio/brand/w13xttx2] * Foundation, Apple TV * Shrinking season 3 Kris: * Public Service Broadcasting - The Race for Space * Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1972) * Tangerine Dream - Zeit * Michael Jackson: An American Tragedy [https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002trr2/michael-jackson-an-american-tragedy] (BBC iplayer) “Right about now - ish” (anniversaries we might have missed) * Apple tuned 50 on 1st of April (Apple: The First 50 Years: Amazon.co.uk [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-First-Years-David-Pogue/dp/1398561967/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H2QVXQDFIKBR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8S8x1ZUhzBXAgkWrCs837w.wiM7ieuzw4Jemn0E77Og-rCLhrUNl1fEcJLXZgES-wM&dib_tag=se&keywords=apple+the+first+50+years&qid=1775728967&sprefix=apple+the+first+50+yea%2Caps%2C343&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.95fd378e-6299-4723-b1f1-3952ffba15af]) * Portmeirion [https://portmeirion.wales/] turned 100 on 2nd of April (Sir Clough Williams-Ellis) Links mentioned in this episode * How a piece of military tech changed music forever - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHCMEImKpWY] * Project Glasswing: Securing critical software for the AI era \ Anthropic [https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing] * Ostation Pro 2 [https://uk.olight.com/store/ostation-2-series-3-in-1-smart-battery-hub-for-aa-aaa-rechargeable-batteries?sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=559319&utm_source=awin&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=44264057252&os=8888&oc=default&awc=19285_1775729626_b0f4bb88931d427bec2d861b3848e214] (Battery charging, testing and management) * ISS Live Now [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/iss-live-now/id1138994692] (Mac) * ISS Live Now [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nicedayapps.iss_free&hl=en_GB] (Android, also available as a Family version) * NASA TV [https://www.youtube.com/nasa] (YouTube) 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 [nerdistcamp@gmail.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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 [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mkfzv9] (good time to explain family links to this story - Higley and the break-in at the flat).  * Wangsplaining [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00057qs] * Once We Were Spacemen [https://www.youtube.com/@OnceWeWereSpacemen] Andi: * Paradise [https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-2b4b8988-50c9-4097-bf93-bc34a99a5b4f] - Disney+ * Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - Apple TV [https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/monarch-legacy-of-monsters/umc.cmc.62l8x0ixrhyq3yaqa5y8yo7ew?itsct=atvp_brand_omd&itscg=MC_20000&mttn3pid=Google+AdWords&mttnagencyid=a5e&mttncc=UK&mttnsiteid=143238&mttnsubad=OUK20191083_1-795587234551-c&mttnsubkw=154320728878_kwd-2262788607281_ABg8nChq_&mttnsubplmnt=_adext_] * Scrubs [https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-14a72768-5dcb-4adb-83d6-25af66c5b5e2], season 10 on Disney+ (Kris interject with The Roses mistaken identity story, Brooklin 99) * How To Get To Heaven From Belfast - Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81758849] * Disclosure Day [https://youtu.be/SCYT8vb2siQ] - 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 [nerdistcamp@gmail.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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? NEWS * There’s a tiny digital camera inside these retro 35mm film rolls | The Verge [https://www.theverge.com/tech/878701/opt100-neo-film-35mm-digital-camera-japan?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-gb] * Ghosts TV sitcom brought back to life as a feature film - BBC News [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62d05wr5ylo] THIS FORTNIGHT WE ARE RECOMMENDING Kris: * The Roses [https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-7df81cf5-6be5-4e05-9ff6-da33baf0b94d] (Jay Roach, 2025) * You Heard It Here First [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001kh74] (Chris Macausland, BBC Sounds).  * Ghost radio [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Radio-Novel-Leopoldo-Gout-ebook/dp/B001FA0UH2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mhfU4hiCtwbhidXUAe__9AyN7IgjmdchDzcwQqbwrG7q1ufpVtJ82_RNxLOkc4xmdU8LJD9btFDLm12D5LhZdWtASaF6229Xu4dtzBSIKHWTbG6haHHVjnTB0Uqz2H4jR_FjnVmCGifXE2u4Nk0cSeb8IqnJeSnKRwOgTyz_IucFfvNUD5pjmO0nh3wKYYx4GENHNMxK9yqAOZeUma68O9acCEvqiM9hKcvAPRDNS2Y.J5zv2V-N3Arir6sL5IpGw44VeMber5Cqj5z33cvt34I&qid=1772711425&sr=8-1] - Leopoldo Gout * Hunting Ghosts with Gatiss & Coles [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001ghp4] * The Anglesey Vampire Killer [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hvvqqr](Crime Next Door, BBC Sounds) * A Ghost Story for Christmas [https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001gmdt/a-ghost-story-for-christmas?seriesId=unsliced] Andi: * The Creator * The Last Frontier - Apple TV [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-last-frontier-0] * The Mothman Prophecies - JustWatch [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-mothman-prophecies] * Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf [https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/] - podcast (writer of the Mothman Prophecies screenplay) * Hannah Fry - AI Confidential [https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002q76b/ai-confidential-with-hannah-fry] * Katee Sachoff Show - BSG rewatch Links * Sandi Toksvig [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p05kt53s] 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 [nerdistcamp@gmail.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.