🎙️Episode Overview

He’s back — and the annual TV autopsy has never been messier. Friend of the podcast Paul Critoph returns for his third end-of-year TV debrief, and within seconds we spiral from shower-screen disasters to xenomorph rage, religious reality-TV meltdowns, terrible teen dramas, plus the slow cinematic chopping of vegetables.

Listen as we discuss:

• Alien Earth: Why are the xenomorphs suddenly bulletproof?
• Squid Game 2 & 3: Terrible foreign actors (again), and that infuriating ending.
• Bad Teen TV: The Summer I Turned Pretty — why every character is a vacuum of charisma.
• Smoke: Steve’s sleeper hit of the year — Taron Egerton as a fire investigator in a show that looked glossy but turned out to be gripping.
• One Star TV Hell: The uncanny poshness of AI, American remakes nobody asked for, and All’s Fair — Kim Kardashian as a lawyer (no thank you).
• Star Wars Corner: Paul’s case for Andor as the best Star Wars thing since Empire — fascism, prison planets, and zero space wizards.
• Physical Asia: Paul's fascination with Asian competitive telly continues, and this year, there are additional Australians!
• Bonus: Plus Steve and Paul’s yearly battle to find even one show they both actually watched.

This episode is for anyone who loves television, hates television, or can’t stop watching it even when it’s objectively terrible.

Paul Critoph is a seasoned actor and cultural commentator known for his insightful analyses and engaging discussions on TV and film. With a keen eye for emerging trends and a deep understanding of the industry, Paul offers a unique perspective on the ever-changing landscape of television.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Paul Critoph – Actor & Cultural Commentator

Duration: 58 minutes

Release Date: January 1, 2026

Season: 4, Episode 32

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn.

Please buy my book 'You Shot My Dog and I Love You', available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Christmas week bonus episode, Steve Otis Gunn steps away from the usual guest format for a candid one-man-band chat. Reflecting on the pivotal fourth season and looking ahead to what comes next, Steve shares the behind-the-scenes realities of producing the show solo and hints at potential changes for the future. He also reviews his favourite podcasts of the year!

Subjects include:

• Creative Evolution: A look at the show's original focus and Steve’s pitch for a new comedy character inspired by his former life as a sound engineer.
• Listener Feedback: Steve discusses his desire for audience input on everything from the content to the musical interludes.
• Personal Anecdotes: A quirky dive into Steve's recent experience getting a flu jab and a story about a treacherous journey in Bolivia.

This episode will appeal to aspiring creators and long-time listeners looking for an honest, funny, and slightly unfiltered look at the creative mind behind the mic!

Steve Otis Gunn is a Podcaster, Writer/Performer, and former sound engineer known for his distinctive blend of dark humor, storytelling, and vulnerability. After years of working behind the scenes in the world of theatre, Steve stepped into the spotlight, transforming personal awkwardness into a rich source of comedy. His debut solo show, Steve Otis Gunn is Uncomfortable, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, earning a ★★★★ review for its bold, brutally funny exploration of growing up in a criminal environment and the lingering discomfort that shaped his perspective.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Steve Otis Gunn

Duration: 47 minutes

Release Date: December 21, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 32

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for a sci-fi-soaked comedy ride as Steve Otis Gunn chats with writer and co-creator of Red Dwarf, Doug Naylor. From the early days of radio comedy and Spitting Image to building one of Britain’s most enduring cult TV shows, Doug brings thoughtful, funny stories from a lifetime in entertainment. They explore Doug’s path through sketch shows, number one singles, and the moment Red Dwarf finally became the show he’d imagined. Doug spills the beans on why the American remake went sideways, and how he'll never get used to the strange feeling of meeting fans who say the show helped them through tough times.

They also touch on the big one: the ambitious new Red Dwarf project that was suddenly cancelled — and what Doug plans to do with it next.

🌟 Episode Highlights

• Writing The Chicken Song and deliberately topping the charts
• How Red Dwarf survived rejections, strikes, rewrites, and producing issues
• How Craig Charles pestered his way into Lister, and Danny John-Jules turned up as the perfect Cat.
• The bizarre financing story behind the unmade Red Dwarf movie

This episode is perfect for anyone curious about how Red Dwarf found its staying power — or for those who can still fire off a Kryten line or a Lister rant without missing a beat.

Doug Naylor is a British writer, producer, and director best known as the co-creator of Red Dwarf, one of the UK’s best-loved comedies. After early work in radio and sketch shows, he wrote for Spitting Image, co-created a chart-topping single, and helped shape modern TV satire. His blend of character comedy and science fiction earned Red Dwarf generations of fans. Beyond TV, Doug has written novels, screenplays, and now children’s fiction.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guests: Doug Naylor - Writer, Author & Co-Creator of Red Dwarf

Duration: 55 minutes

Release Date: December 18, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 31

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Steve Otis Gunn sits down with Luke and Paul from Orbital FX, the North-East–based practical-effects and prop-building team whose work spans Star Wars, Marvel, Disney theme-parks, and fan-favourite replicas for collectors around the world. They dive deep into the lost art—and unexpected resurgence—of practical effects: from Ray Harryhausen to The Mandalorian, from clunky 80s prosthetics to cutting-edge CNC and 3D printing. Luke and Paul explain how they build everything from screen-accurate helmets to carbon-fibre Darth Vader pieces, giant convention displays, and even props that end up being purchased by Disney itself for use in productions. Along the way, they share behind-the-scenes stories involving Star Wars fandom, the 501st Legion, building a full-size Millennium Falcon event piece, restoring the original Boba Fett blaster for Adam Savage’s Tested, and navigating the strange legal/industry grey-area of replica prop making.

It’s an episode full of nostalgia, technical nerdery, industry insight, and the occasional existential dread about the future of AI, streaming, and the entertainment industry.

Highlights include:

• Why practical effects are making a real comeback
• The surprising ways modern CGI artists depend on physical props
• Prop-building tech: moulding, casting, carbon fibre, CNC, vac-forming, electronics

🎭 About Orbital FX

Orbital FX is a UK-based practical-effects and prop fabrication studio. They specialise in 3D design and printing, mould-making, casting, carbon-fibre builds, CNC machining, vac-forming, silicone work, electronics, leatherwork, soft goods, and full costume fabrication. Their work has appeared at global fan conventions, in Disney Cruise Line’s Avengers: Quantum Encounter, across major Star Wars costuming groups, on Adam Savage’s Tested, and in film-adjacent commercial and live-event productions worldwide.

From screen-accurate helmets to large-scale display pieces, Orbital FX blends high-end craftsmanship with genuine fan passion.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guests: Luke & Paul from Orbital FX

Duration: 58 minutes

Release Date: December 11, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 30

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🎙️Episode Overview

Strap in for a brilliantly bonkers conversation as Steve Otis Gunn chats with comedian, illustrator, author, and all-round mischief-maker Olaf Falafel. From gaslighting his mum with a fart machine to reinventing kids’ comedy one parp at a time, Olaf brings stories as colourful as his graphic novels. They dive into his early days on the stand-up circuit, his sideways leap into children’s books, the chaos of school visits, and the surprising depth of misheard lyrics. Steve and Olaf also bond over comfort-TV favourites (The Office, Red Dwarf, Quantum Leap), celebrity-podcast fatigue, Gregg’s gingerbread muffins, and the eternal mystery of whether mayo counts as dairy.

🌟 Episode Highlights

• The joys of performing toilet humour for kids (and Brownies)
• How a love of sci-fi, mischief, and doodles fused into his new graphic-novel series The Far Out Five
• Why comedians secretly make the best children’s authors
• Teaching kids to make the perfect “inward duck fart”

This episode is perfect for anyone who loves clever silliness, creative chaos, and comedy that’s as joyful as it is ridiculous — or who just wants to know which animal makes the best fart.

Olaf Falafel is an award-winning comedian, illustrator, and bestselling children’s author known for his brilliantly silly humour and distinctive artwork. He’s the creator of Old MacDonald Heard a Parp, Trixie Pickle Art Avenger, and the graphic novel series The Far Out Five. His work blends jokes, art, and imagination — appealing to kids, parents, teachers, and comedy fans alike.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Olaf Falafel – Comedian, Author & Illustrator

Duration: 52 minutes

Release Date: December 4, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 29

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🎙️Episode Overview

In this episode, Steve Otis Gunn talks with award-winning writer, comedian, and playwright Henry Naylor, whose career has spanned British sketch comedy, blockbuster advertising, and some of the most politically charged theatre of the past decade. Henry explains how he first broke into the industry on Smith & Jones, how he met Armstrong & Miller through his sketch group, and what it was like to star alongside Rowan Atkinson in the hugely successful Barclaycard adverts. Henry also divulges stories from Spitting Image—the legal battles, its political influence, and the chaos of producing weekly satire. He also reflects on his move into political theatre with plays such as Games, Afghanistan Is Not Funny, and Monstering the Rocket Man.

Highlights include:

• Filming million-pound commercials around the world
• Being the first writer to mimic Tony Blair on television
• The short-lived but groundbreaking CGI satire Headcases
• How even great shows can suffer when actors are miscast

Henry Naylor is an award-winning writer, comedian, and playwright. After early success on Smith & Jones and Spitting Image, he co-created the animated satire Headcases and appeared with Rowan Atkinson in the iconic Barclaycard ads. In recent years, he’s become one of the UK’s leading political dramatists with powerful works like Games, Afghanistan Is Not Funny, and Monstering the Rocket Man, earning major awards at the Edinburgh Fringe and touring worldwide.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Henry Naylor – Playwright, Actor & Director

Duration: 43 minutes

Release Date: November 20, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 28

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Steve Otis Gunn chats with legendary choreographer and director Stephen Mear CBE, whose work has illuminated stages from the West End to Broadway.

From growing up in Loughborough with dreams of dancing, to working alongside icons like Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Dame Judi Dench, Stephen’s story is one of passion, precision, and pure musical magic.

🎬 Episode Highlights

• From chorus boy to showbiz choreographer
• Working with Victoria Wood, Miriam Margolyes & Oasis
• Life between the West End & Broadway, and how each stage tells a different story
• British TV, lockdown madness & why After Life made him sob

Stephen Mear CBE is an Olivier Award-winning choreographer and director celebrated for his work on Mary Poppins, Hello, Dolly!, Crazy for You, and Gypsy. With a career spanning theatre, television, and film, Stephen is known for his impeccable musicality, inclusive approach to casting, and ability to make choreography feel effortless and emotionally charged

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Stephen Mear – Choreographer, Dancer & Director

Duration: 51 minutes

Release Date: November 20, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 27

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Steve Otis Gunn sits down with comedian Helen White — a Geordie pocket rocket who started stand-up at 50 and has been lighting up the UK comedy scene ever since. From growing up between army bases in Germany and Northern Ireland to teaching in Teesside and tackling the chaos of gong shows, Helen’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and finding laughter in unlikely places.

This is a Gen X–heavy episode, featuring talk of Angel Delight, BMX bikes, fish paste sandwiches, and the laissez-faire attitude of boomer parenting.

🎬 Episode Highlights

• Performing alongside childhood heroes and getting pointers from newcomers
• 90 Day Fiancé, and why 'real' telly is not quite so real anymore
• The secrecy around tampons and how some of them can be a tad minty
• The questionable food choices of a 1980s childhood
• How receiving the wrong bicycle is worse than getting nowt

Helen White is a stand-up comedian from the North East of England. Known for her quickfire gags, smart observational humour, and disarmingly honest stage presence, she’s fast becoming one of the most exciting voices on the regional and national circuit — proving that the best comedy always comes from real life.

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Podcast: Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Helen White – Comedian

Duration: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Release Date: November 13, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 26

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book, You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.