135. Stranger Things | Podding On

Our cultural artefact for this Podding On episode is the Netflix TV phenomenon, Stranger Things. Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross Duffer) that premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016, and concluded with its fifth and final season on November 28, 2025. Set primarily in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, the series follows a group of young friends who investigate the mysterious disappearance of their friend Will Byers, uncovering a secret government laboratory, a telekinetic girl named Eleven, and a terrifying parallel dimension known as the "Upside Down" that is home to monstrous creatures, all while being pursued by supernatural forces and government agents.   Over on Patreon, we podded off about Making Of documentaries and how the one about Season 5 of Stranger Things might have revealed a little too much sausage making. Support The Show We will never put adverts on this podcast, and to help keep it sustainable, we need your help. If you enjoy what we do, please consider supporting us in one of the following ways: Become our Patreon Subscriber (£3/month) and get access to all our Podding Off episodes and video versions of the show: https://patreon.com/aqnin9 Drop us a one-off donation and sponsor a future episode, like Jennifer Lee did for this one: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

Our cultural artefact for this Podding On episode is the 2006 album Sam's Town by The Killers, which was their follow up to their successful debut record, Hot Fuss. Why is Sam's Town our favourite of their albums? That's what we chat about. Over on Patreon, we podded off about second albums, deception in music production, pitch correction/autotune, and Noel Gallagher. Support The Show We will never put adverts on this podcast, and to help keep it sustainable, we need your help. If you enjoy what we do, please consider supporting us in one of the following ways: Become our Patreon Subscriber (£3/month) and get access to all our Podding Off episodes: https://patreon.com/aqnin9 Drop us a one-off donation and sponsor a future episode: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

The cultural artefact we are exploring in this Podding On episode is TV show, The Mighty Boosh. We walk through the three series that aired between 2004 and 2007. Thank you to our new patrons for this episode: David, Gemma, Sarah, Verity, and Zoe Support The Show We will never put adverts on this podcast.  Become our Patreon Subscriber and get access to Podding Off (private feed): https://patreon.com/aqnin9 Or drop us a one-off donation and sponsor a future episode: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9 Noel Fielding at Alan Partridge Presents The Cream of British Comedy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVWM1ktJS8A

The cultural artefact we are exploring in this Podding On episode is Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan's infamous rant about Alex Ferguson on 29th April 1996. We flick through Paul McCarthy's book, Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League 1992-2004, and reflect on some of the weird, wonderful, and bizarre aspects of the early days of the Premier League. We hope that whether you love, hate, or are generally (dis)interested in football, you will find something to enjoy in our conversation about this British cultural phenomenon thirty years on. In our Patreon-only Podding Off episode, we chat about the irritating, absurd, and sometimes delightful things sports commentators say. Join us there and let us know what we should talk about next! https://patreon.com/aqnin9 Thank you to our first patrons and sponsors for this episode: Donna Lane and Skinnydecaf Support The Show We will never put adverts on this podcast.  Become our Patreon Subscriber and get access to Podding Off (private feed): https://patreon.com/aqnin9 Or drop us a one-off donation and sponsor a future episode: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

We are not ready for the party (or our friendship) to end, so we are Podding On. After an email we received at 12:02am on New Year's Day, we decided to kick off this new season of the podcast discussing Black Mirror, Common People (Season 7, Episode 1). Any thoughts on this episode? Or do you fancy ranting about enshittification? We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected], or find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aqnin9.bsky.social  Support The Show We will never put adverts on this podcast.  Become our Patreon Subscriber and get access to Podding Off (private feed): https://patreon.com/aqnin9 Or drop us a one-off donation and sponsor a future episode: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

Today is a special day, whatever day you're listening.  Inside No 9 is now complete. In this episode, we crack open a beer and select our perfect series of Inside No 9 based on seven categories. What's on your list? We would love to hear! Email us: [email protected], or find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aqnin9.bsky.social  Thanks to Gemma for sponsoring this episode. Fancy supporting the show? Drop us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9 We will be back soon with something new...

We're looking through Series 9 again because the script book could tell us some new things about it. We'll be trying to pick up on things we missed first time round, and sharing new revelations (and ridiculous theories) brought to light by the books. We might need your help.  If you haven't heard our reaction episode to Plodding On, we recommend starting there: https://aquietnightinsideno9.libsyn.com/93-plodding-on-inside-series-nine-episode-six  Please get in touch with any of your reflections. Email us: [email protected], or find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aqnin9.bsky.social  Thanks to Jennifer for sponsoring this episode! Fancy supporting the show? Drop us a donation here (there is no minimum...or maximum amount we accept for a shoutout): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

We're looking through Series 9 again because the script book could tell us some new things about it. We'll be trying to pick up on things we missed first time round, and sharing new revelations (and ridiculous theories) brought to light by the books. We might need your help.  If you haven't heard our reaction episode to Curse of the Ninth, we recommend starting there: https://aquietnightinsideno9.libsyn.com/92-curse-of-the-ninth-inside-series-nine-episode-five  Please get in touch with any of your reflections. Email us: [email protected], or find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aqnin9.bsky.social  Thanks to Jilly for sponsoring this episode! Fancy supporting the show? Drop us a donation here (there is no minimum...or maximum amount we accept for a shoutout): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

We're looking through Series 9 again because the script book could tell us some new things about it. We'll be trying to pick up on things we missed first time round, and sharing new revelations (and ridiculous theories) brought to light by the books. We might need your help.  If you haven't heard our reaction episode to Ctrl/Alt/Esc, we recommend starting there: https://aquietnightinsideno9.libsyn.com/91-ctrlaltesc-inside-series-nine-episode-four  Please get in touch with any of your reflections. Email us: [email protected], or find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aqnin9.bsky.social  Fancy supporting the show? Drop us a donation here (there is no minimum...or maximum amount we accept for a shoutout): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9

We're looking through Series 9 again because the script book could reveal some new things about it. We'll be trying to pick up on things we missed first time round, and sharing new revelations (and ridiculous theories) brought to light by the books. We might need your help.  If you haven't heard our reaction episode to Mulberry Close we recommend starting there: https://aquietnightinsideno9.libsyn.com/90-mulberry-close-inside-series-nine-episode-three  Please get in touch with any of your reflections. Email us: [email protected], or find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aqnin9.bsky.social  Fancy supporting the show? Drop us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/aqnin9