About this episode

Jon Culshaw joins the hosts to discuss his childhood influences and the fears that shaped his storytelling.

This week on Scarred For Life, Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence are joined by impressionist, comedian, actor and lifelong Doctor Who fan Jon Culshaw. Jon takes us on a wonderfully nostalgic journey through the television, books and documentaries that shaped his imagination growing up. Along the way he explains why fear is really a form of curiosity, discusses his fascination with butterflies, ghosts, UFOs and aliens, and reveals how childhood scares helped inspire a lifetime of storytelling and performance. His three scars are the terrifying Sea Devils from Jon Pertwee's era of Doctor Who, the chilling 1977 BBC UFO documentary Out of This World, and the wonderfully unsettling Usborne Book of Ghosts. It's a conversation full of classic British sci-fi, paranormal mysteries, television nostalgia and some spectacular impressions along the way. Plus, Jon shares his thoughts on AI, explains why the communal experience of watching television is disappearing, debates the existence of extraterrestrial life, and recalls why Doctor Who always made children feel safe, no matter how frightening the monsters became. To join Scarred Club and get fortnightly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andy Bush, Dave Lawrence

Guest: Jon Culshaw

Topics covered

• nostalgia
• Doctor Who
• impressionist comedy
• paranormal
• childhood fears
• sci-fi
• television

Keywords

• impressionist
• comedy
• Doctor Who
• UFOs
• ghosts
• childhood scares
• television nostalgia

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Doctor Who, Out of This World, Usborne Book of Ghosts

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