Breakfast in the Ruins – Details, episodes & analysis

John is back in Derry & Toms to talk about another novelisation, but we're taking a break from Blakes 7 to focus on another early 80s obsession of ours...

Well. Two. They just happen to combine to glorious effect in the classic slice of Daily Mail wet dreamery that is Who Dares Wins. Therefore, we get to watch it again for the 8,000th time and discuss it alongside its novelisation, The Tiptoe Boys, by James Follett.

Some other bits that pop up along the way include:

• Nissan Almera ads from the 90s

• The Bullshitters

• Chas n' Dave as protest rockers

Be sure to check out Trystan Mitchell's work at The Bigfoot Studio

We're finally back to finish our reportage on Phoenix in Obsidian (AKA The Silver Warriors).

It's an epic tale of anguish and self-pity on an earth where the sun has dimmed, the moon has crashed down to simply be called Moon and the menace known as the Silver Warriors have extreme problems figuring out the point of polearms. How will Count Ulrik Skarsol endure...?

Loz is back alongside Phil for this one and we have a D8 Wandering Beer Table to boot.

Bob Haberfield: The Man and His Art is published by Jayde Design and available from there and the Bob Haberfield Web Shop.

Seeing as John and I had such a good time with Trevor Hoyle's first Blakes 7 novelisation and series watch-a-long, we thought sod it... let's do another.

And this time... it has Servalan, plus:

• Roy from Eastenders...
• Glynnis Barber...
• Woke blasters...
• Big Ron Tarr...
• TRAVIS!!!

IT'S GOT THE LOT!

Loz returns as we head up to the Roof Garden to ruminate over Corum's endless jawing with a slightly dubious sorceror in The Knight of the Swords Book Two.

Multiple varieties of pants are considered along with a couple of actually palatable beers. Progress I say!

It's Halloween, so Phil and I enjoy some spooky old fashioneds and engage with the horror of James Herbert's 1974 debut novel, The Rats!

It's got the lot. A creepy hero... out of order tramps... vicious critters... and an abundance of thigh references!

STAY SAFE!!!

We're back, and this time Phil joins me at Derry and Toms to conclude our coverage of The Eternal Champion.

Turns out Erekosë is just a horny jock. Who knew?

We also find that if you're being peer pressured into genocide you just need a bath, dinner and an intervention... it's just so relatable! 

We're back at Derry and Tom's and unfortunately so are the challenging porters.

REJOICE as we finally get around to covering Corum...

SIGH as we continue to fail to avoid weird beer...

DESPAIR as our energy levels dip in the second half...

GASP at chapter two of The Journal of Gerard Arthur Connelly...

Phil, Loz and I celebrate an all too brief interlude in lockdown life to drink weird porters and muse upon Moorcock’s treatment at the hands of tabletop role-playing games.

Phil taunts us with her syrupy beer avoidance skills, two-man canoes get far too many mentions and Loz gatekeeps Moorcock RPG play (the rotter).

Also, The Journal of Gerard Arthur Connelly debuts with chapter one.  There are 5 more to come (and if I don’t get pelted with rottent tomatoes I may write more).

Tash returns from her exile in Sri Lanka and finally we get together after a four month Covid delay to finish The Jewel in the Skull.  Stand by as we flatten the curve!

REEL at the variable sound quality as my Tascam once again has to do some heavy lifting.

MARVEL at the disagreements over the last few chapters.

HOWL at Tash's toilet allocation of an all new (to me) classification of a certain type of fantasy novel.

SHOEGAZE to the mellow sounds of Breakfast in the Ruins by the mighty Giantkind.