Pause whatever task you are heroically attempting (or heroically avoiding), ensure causality is still loosely attached, and make yourself comfortable as we once again board the indefatigable Nosferatu 2.5 — a ship so stubbornly historic that some of its systems insist on doing things the way they’ve always been done, even when no one remembers why. With Sophie Aldred guiding proceedings, our voyage continues through memory, invention, and the softly humming fault lines where fandom, craft, and time itself intersect.

Standing crisply at Sophie’s side is Hobbes, the ship’s automaton butler and vigilant custodian of propriety. All polished brass, anxious protocols, and finely honed disapproval, he monitors the ship with a practised eye and a belief that most problems can be traced back to “insufficient filing.” Between them, they manage temperamental machinery, philosophical uncertainties, and the persistent mystery of the door that steadfastly refuses to open — or explain itself.

This week, the Time Scoop activates with its customary lack of consultation and retrieves David Banks — actor, performer, and forever etched into collective memory as the chilling Cyberleader of Doctor Who. Across multiple appearances, David helped define one of the series’ most iconic adversaries, bringing authority, intelligence, and an unsettling calm to a role that demanded far more than a silver mask. Beyond the Cyber Wars, his career spans theatre, television, voice work, and audio drama, revealing a performer deeply engaged with character, discipline, and the mechanics of storytelling. Once disentangled from the Scoop (and after Hobbes conducts a stern evaluation of his suitability for command structures), David joins Sophie on the Sofa of Infinite Understanding to discuss performance, presence, and what it takes to give humanity to something designed to erase it.

No expedition aboard the Nosferatu 2.5, however, would be complete without a descent into the shimmering currents of the Ffantaface — that vast, shifting reservoir of fan knowledge, debate, and beautifully obsessive recall. Standing guard, as ever, is Mrs C, the Cockney goldfish, whose telepathic observations are sharp, unsolicited, and largely unconcerned with chronology. With the appropriate negotiations concluded, Sophie is granted access to this week’s guide: Beth Axford — writer, researcher, and a familiar voice within the pages of Doctor Who Magazine.

As a contributor to the magazine, Beth has explored the series from multiple angles, examining its themes, history, and evolving cultural impact with clarity and insight. A writer with a keen eye for detail and context, she brings both enthusiasm and analysis to her work, bridging the space between fandom and scholarship. Together, Sophie and Beth delve into writing about a show that never stops changing, the responsibility of chronicling a living mythology, and why Doctor Who continues to invite reinvention — both on screen and on the page.

You can find us all over your social media.

Bluesky/Instagram/X: @aceodyssey63

Facebook: Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey

Sophie's Instagram: @sophie_ace_aldred

Beth's X: @0hMySt4rs

For listeners who want even more adventure, you can step inside the Ace Odyssey Patreon Community-

*Episodes released early

*Two exclusive podcasts every month

*Online meet-ups and interactive events

*Direct involvement in the evolving universe of the show

www.patreon.com/aceodyssey

Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey stars Sophie Aldred with James Showers as Hobbes.

Special Guests- David Banks and Beth Axford

Music, Sound Effects and Sound Design by Michael Livesley

www.michaellivesley.co.uk

Programme Assistant Liz Whitmore

Written, Produced and Directed by Paul Carmichael.

Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey is an Eh? Aye! Production © 2026

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

Pause whatever noble or ill-advised task currently occupies you, check that reality is still behaving itself, and prepare for another courteous bending of the cosmic rules as we return aboard the indefatigable Nosferatu 2.5 — a vessel of such venerable pedigree that certain bulkheads still insist the universe is expanding “quite enough, thank you.” With Sophie Aldred confidently at the helm, our voyage continues through memory, invention, and those peculiar regions where fandom quietly rewrites the laws of time.

Attending Sophie with immaculate precision is Hobbes, the ship’s clockwork butler and self-appointed guardian of standards. All brass fittings, clipped vowels, and deeply entrenched mistrust, he oversees proceedings with an air of restrained alarm, firmly convinced that civilisation peaked shortly before the invention of plastics. Between them, they manage eccentric systems, unpredictable machinery, and the unresolved philosophical challenge posed by “the door that refuses to acknowledge it has hinges.”

This week, the Time Scoop — once again operating with more enthusiasm than restraint — reaches into the timestream and extracts Sally Knyvette, forever celebrated as the cool, courageous Jenna from Blake’s 7. Actor, performer, and veteran of both studio drama and audio storytelling, Sally brings with her a career spanning cult science fiction, theatre, television, and the expanded universes of audio drama, including memorable work with Big Finish. Once safely released from the Scoop’s grasp (and after Hobbes has conducted a brisk assessment of her qualifications for surviving dystopian futures), Sally joins Sophie upon the Sofa of Infinite Understanding to reflect on performance, endurance, and what it truly means to fly fast ships in very dangerous times.

Naturally, no journey aboard the Nosferatu 2.5 would be complete without an immersion into the luminous depths of the Ffantaface — that vast, ever-shifting archive of shared fan obsession and collective memory. Guarding its gateway is Mrs C, the Cockney goldfish, whose telepathic commentary remains piercing, perceptive, and entirely unconcerned with relevance. Once appeased, she permits Sophie entry to meet this week’s guide: Tim Burrows, co-host of the Doctor Who Missing Episodes Podcast and a tireless explorer of television history.

With a scholar’s curiosity and a fan’s passion, Tim has spent years delving into lost episodes, recovered fragments, and the extraordinary detective work that keeps missing television alive in the public imagination. Together, Sophie and Tim explore the strange afterlife of lost stories, the joy of reconstruction, and why sometimes the gaps in the archive are just as fascinating as what survives.

You can find us all over your social media.

Bluesky/Instagram/X: @aceodyssey63

Facebook: Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey

Sophie's Instagram: @sophie_ace_aldred

Tim & The MIssing Episodes Podcast on X: @drwhopodcasters

For listeners who want even more adventure, you can step inside the Ace Odyssey Patreon Community-

*Episodes released early

*Two exclusive podcasts every month

*Online meet-ups and interactive events

*Direct involvement in the evolving universe of the show

www.patreon.com/aceodyssey

Sophie Aldred's Ace Odyssey stars Sophie Aldred with James Showers as Hobbes.

Special Guests- Sally Knyvette and Tim Burrows

Music, Sound Effects and Sound Design by Michael Livesley

www.michaellivesley.co.uk

Written, Produced and Directed by Paul Carmichael.

Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey is an Eh? Aye! Production © 20256

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

Ghost In The Machine is a standalone Christmas drama set within the world of Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey.

At its heart is Sophie Aldred, travelling the cosmos aboard the ageing but indomitable research vessel Nosferatu 2.5. At her side is Hobbes, the ship’s impeccably mannered automaton butler, whose devotion to protocol is matched only by his anxiety about malfunctioning systems and doors that refuse to open. Together, they explore time, memory, and fandom itself — occasionally dipping into the vast psychic archive known as the Ffantaface, where thought, history, and imagination overlap.

This Christmas, the ship drifts into dangerous territory.

As power falters and old systems begin to awaken, Sophie is drawn into a mystery buried deep within the Nosferatu’s past. A presence makes itself known. A song returns. And a door — long sealed for good reason — begins to matter. Ghost In The Machine is a haunting, atmospheric story that blends folk horror and science fiction, asking what happens when technology remembers the people who once gave it life.

A ghost story for Christmas… on a spaceship.

Cast

Ghost In The Machine stars Sophie Aldred

with Nicolas Briggs as Fred

Carole Ann Ford as The Pilot

Colin Baker as the Narrator

Russell T Davies as The Ffantaface

and James Showers as Hobbes

Music, Sound Design, Sound Effects and Post-Production: Michael Livesley

www.michaellivesley.co.uk

Written, Produced and Directed by: Paul Carmichael

About the Series

Every Sunday, Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey invites listeners aboard the Nosferatu 2.5 for conversations with guests from across film, television, and cult science fiction. Sophie has welcomed Sylvester McCoy, Katy Manning, Janet Fielding, Susan Twist, and Jamie Anderson, alongside deep dives into the Ffantaface — meeting people who turned Doctor Who into something more than a television programme. All the while, one mystery persists… the door we still can’t open.

Available on all podcast platforms.

Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey is an Eh? Aye! Production © 2025

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