The Story Behind the Cathode Ray's Television Podcast
Cathode Ray's Origins
Hannah really likes chatting about archive telly with nice people, and she wanted to do more of it. She likes sharing things she enjoyed and found interesting with other people. Starting a podcast where people could appreciate all kinds of old TV seemed like a good way of doing this.
Pete had also been thinking about starting a TV podcast. He wanted to find different ways of looking at old telly, tying different shows together with a theme. He had lots and lots of ideas.
After chatting about it in pubs, convention bars, and on journeys to visit Blake’s 7 filming locations, Hannah and Pete came up with Cathode Ray’s.
Meet the regulars at Ray's café
Welcome to the café where the telly in the corner is always on.
Hannah
Host
Hannah was born in the 1990s, which was probably a mistake. She spent her teenage years getting into ’70s rock music and The Sweeney.
In her twenties, she discovered that ‘her people’ were actually online, at TV screening events and wearing Granada ident t-shirts in bars.
Hannah likes fun TV shows, fights and car chases, dystopian worlds and anti-heroes. She has a tattoo of The Saint logo and has seen every episode of Eldorado.
Favourite TV show: Callan
Pete
Host
Pete was born in and scarred by the 1970s. He was quietly and permanently unsettled by encounters with eerie “children’s” television. Nonetheless, he could procrastinate during a plane crash.
He grew up with a taste for Eurovision and the offbeat. He has a spreadsheet solution for everything, and this explains a few things about his youth.
Pete likes ambitious ideas, European pop, overlooked classic and television’s great oddities.
Favourite TV show: Refuses to narrow it down
Hannah & Pete
Hannah and Pete met online some years ago, where they liked to chat about old TV with other online friends. They heard one another on scaborous podcasts and both thought the other person seemed fun.
Pete started making Blake’s 7 GIFs and Hannah started using them as her main way of communicating.
When Pete and Hannah met at a convention weekend, they discovered they lived pretty near one another, so agreed to meet up. It was August, it rained, and Hannah pointed out a former bank that Maurice Colbourne came out of in an episode of Gangsters as Pete hurried towards a dry pub.
They have since enjoyed many more lovely days chatting about the archive telly they both like, sometimes over beer, tea and/or cake.
What Cathode Ray's Listeners Say
Here’s what our awesome listeners have to say!
Who is this Ray bloke?
Ray’s Cafe is where Pete and Hannah meet the podcast’s guests to chat about TV over a cuppa. Partly because Ray makes the best cup of tea in the West Midlands, and partly because of his fondness for TV programmes that were broadcast once in a baffling timeslot and then quietly forgotten.
Ray seems to love old TV as much as we do, so he installed a CRT telly in the corner of the cafe. He said we could do our podcast from the cafe, as long as we only covered British CRT-era television programmes.
The cafe attracts unusual phenomena, a strange collection of customers and Ray iss known for undertaking drastic, ill-advised revamps. We’re still getting over the week an actual iron curtain appeared.
We don’t know much about Ray himself or his mysterious past, and he’s a quiet presence on the podcast. We’re not even sure what his favourite TV show is, but it’s probably missing, presumed wiped. Ray did not approve this page.
Become a regular at Ray's café
Ready to join us at Ray’s café? Start exploring the latest episodes.
Join the Journey
A Fun Look Back at Our Podcast Milestones
Ever wonder how we got here? Our podcast has taken flight through a series of fun milestones. From our very first episode to the latest nostalgic deep dives, each moment has been a step toward creating a vibrant community. We cherish every chat, every laugh, and every memory along the way. Let’s stroll down memory lane together!
First Episode Released!
We kicked things off with our debut episode, sharing our passion for CRT TV shows. It was a blast!
100th Episode Celebration!
We celebrated century with our listeners, sharing favorite moments and tons of nostalgia!
Special Guest Appearance
We welcomed a beloved TV star to chat about their experience in the industry. What a treat!
Launch of New Series!
We dove into a fresh series exploring the gems of British TV history. Exciting times!
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