{"podcast":{"title":"General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast","slug":"general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772","podcast_index_feed_id":3516772,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003","website_url":"http://www.generalwitchfinders.com","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003/1772694982754-eb0af34b-8742-48c8-a3e1-0d3fc0433f39.jpeg","author":"Ross Cleaver, Jon Pountney, James Randall","episode_count":82,"summary":"General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast Welcome to General Witchfinders, a podcast dedicated to the dark heart of British horror and classic Hammer horror films – officially selected for permanent preservation in the British Library’s National Sound Archive. If you are passionate about British horror cinema, Hammer films, classic folk horror, Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass, and the chilling legacy of British supernatural television, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by lifelong friends Ross, Jon, and James, General Witchfinders dives deep into the world of British horror, gothic cinema, and unsettling archive television. We explore everything from Hammer horror’s blood-drenched vampire classics – starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing – to the eerie landscapes of The Wicker Man, Tigon’s The Creeping Flesh, and Amicus anthology films. Whether it is cinematic British horror icons like Dracula AD 1972 and The Curse of Frankenstein, modern independent UK folk horror like Possum and In The Earth, or sci-fi horror thrillers like Event Horizon and The Medusa Touch, we unearth the films that shaped the genre. We cover the definitive British sci-fi horror of Nigel Kneale – includ…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772"},"episode":{"title":"65b: K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981) – BBC – Writer Terence Dudley – Elisabeth Sladen, John Leeson & Bill Cole – Doctor Who Spinoff Special","slug":"65b-k9-and-company-a-girl-s-best-friend-1981-bbc-writer-terence-dudley-elisabeth-sladen-john-leeson-bill-cole-doctor-who-spinoff-special","published_at":"2025-12-31T01:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/65b-k9-and-company-a-girl-s-best-friend-1981-bbc-writer-terence-dudley-elisabeth-sladen-john-leeson-bill-cole-doctor-who-spinoff-special","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772","url":"http://www.generalwitchfinders.com/","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003/e/69501aba09314afbec752dc4/media.mp3","summary":"In this episode, we explore the 1981 television pilot K-9 and Company, a unique and historic entry in the Doctor Who universe. Produced as a proposed Doctor Who spin-off, K-9 and Company stars the legendary Elisabeth Sladen as investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith alongside the robotic dog K9, voiced by John Leeson. While both were iconic former companions of the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who, they had never appeared together on screen until the K-9 and Company pilot episode, titled A Girl’s Best Friend. Broadcast on BBC1 as a Doctor Who related Christmas special on 28 December 1981, K-9 and Company remains a vital piece of the Doctor Who franchise history despite not being commissioned for a full series. The existence of K-9 and Company was largely due to Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner, who wanted to bring Elisabeth Sladen back to the Doctor Who family. His initial 1980 plan for the actress would have seen Sarah Jane Smith travel in the TARDIS during the Doctor Who transition from Tom Baker to Peter Davison. However, Sladen wanted a role that evolved beyond her previous Doctor Who narrative. Simultaneously, the Doctor Who production team was struggling with the logistics of K9. While K9 was a massive hit with Doctor Who viewers, the prop was technically awkward and made the Doctor Who heroes too capable. The solution was K-9 and Company, a child-orientated Doctor Who spin-off where Sarah Jane Smith would be the central heroic lead. Before K-9 and Company, Elisabeth Clara Heath Sladen built a career in theatre and television, appearing in Z-Cars and Doomwatch. Her work on Z-Cars led directly to her casting in Doctor Who. Interestingly, the Doctor Who role of the new companion for The Time Warrior was originally cast with April Walker. However, Doctor Who lead…","meta_description":"In this episode, we explore the 1981 television pilot K-9 and Company, a unique and historic entry in the Doctor Who universe. Produced as a proposed Doct…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5154,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/episodes/65b-k9-and-company-a-girl-s-best-friend-1981-bbc-writer-terence-dudley-elisabeth-sladen-john-leeson-bill-cole-doctor-who-spinoff-special/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/65b-k9-and-company-a-girl-s-best-friend-1981-bbc-writer-terence-dudley-elisabeth-sladen-john-leeson-bill-cole-doctor-who-spinoff-special.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}