The first episode of Geekstorians is officially here, and we are incredibly excited to kick things off! This new documentary-style podcast explores the hidden history of geek culture, tracing how our favourite worlds, communities and traditions took shape long before most of us ever discovered them. Across the series, we shine a light on the people and moments that quietly changed everything, from early fan clubs to internet pioneers.
Episode 1, “The Birth of Fandom,” takes us right back to the start. Long before streaming, forums, or social media existed, fans were already finding each other through the post. They built clubs from bedroom desks. They argued about stories in magazine letter pages. They created the first zines. And they helped turn scattered readers into the earliest organised fan communities. It is a world that feels old-fashioned on the surface, yet instantly recognisable once you hear how they behaved. The passion, the arguments, the shared imagination, it is all there from the beginning.
This opening episode sets the stage for the rest of the season, which explores how geek culture kept growing and reinventing itself across the decades. Over the coming weeks Geekstorians will travel through the rise of modern comics, the battles over VHS that reshaped access to cult TV, the moment geek television finally broke through, the birth of online fandom, the early days of gaming, the strange moral panic that surrounded Dungeons and Dragons, the underground networks that spread anime long before it hit the mainstream, the explosion of merchandising that turned collecting into a global industry, and the sprawling universe of fanfiction that has become one of the largest creative communities on the planet. We even have a Christmas special dedicated to the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which is a story all of its own.
Episode 1 is the best place to begin. It reveals the spark that lit everything and helps frame the journey ahead. You can listen to the full episode right here at the bottom of this post.
Settle in and enjoy the start of the series. There is a lot of history waiting to be uncovered.
Geekstorians will be released weekly. You can find it by searching for “Geekstorians” wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for a direct link to subscribe on Apple, or here for the RSS feed. And if you’re searching for the latest TV reviews, UK air dates, and streaming news, don’t forget to subscribe to our sister show, the Geektown Radio podcast! If you want to support the show, you can now do that here via the Acast supporter’s link, and find us on Acast here.
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