Phil Nichols - Bradburymedia

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Happy Birthday, Ray!

Today is August 22, 2026. This would have been Ray Bradbury's 106th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Ray!

And...

Onward!

Around this time, I usually do a visual version of my Bradbury 100 podcast - and this year is no exception.

Given all the media attention recently given to Ray's "prediction" of the end of civilisation as we know it - August 4, 2026, as "predicted" in his classic short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" - I thought I should chime in. So here you will find my celebration of that story, tracing its origins and influences.

As usual, there will be an audio version of this podcast episode, but to get full enjoyment you'll probably need this visual one, as there's a lot of visual material:

But if you'd prefer the audio-only version of the episode, check your usual podcast app - or play it right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 79 - There Will Come Soft Rains

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Amazon Music - Audible - Castbox - Deezer - Fountain - Listen Notes - Player FM - Pocket Casts - Podbean - Podcast Addict - Podcast Index - Podcast Republic - Podchaser - Podfriend - Podlink - TuneIn - YouTube

Thursday, May 07, 2026

New podcast episode: Reviewing the MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION Bradbury tribute issue

In this episode of Bradbury 100, I review an old magazine published as a tribute to Ray Bradbury.

Back in May 1963, the award-winning Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (which is still running today) published its second-ever author special, and it focused on Ray Bradbury. Join me in skimming through this landmark publication. You can find the full issue of the magazine for free on the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/Fantasy_Sci…963-05_PDF/mode/1up

The idea of reviewing an old magazine is, of course, not new. We've been doing it on the other podcast - Science Fiction 101 - for several years. Check out our recent episode where we went back to the first issue of the world's first-ever magazine devoted to science fiction, Amazing Stories: https://101sf.blogspot.com/2026/04/were-back.html

You can find the new Bradbury 100 podcast episode using your podcast app, or through any of the podcast platforms listed at the bottom of this post.

Or you can simply click play, right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 78 - The 1963 F&SF Bradbury Special Issue

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Thursday, April 23, 2026

New podcast episode: How Truffaut Came To Make Fahrenheit 451 in 1966

My Bradbury 100 pod returns with another celebration of the 60th anniversary of the release of the feature film version of Fahrenheit 451...

In a previous episode, I detailed how François Truffaut's film had an impact on Ray Bradbury. In this new episode, I go back a few steps, and look at how Truffaut became connected to Ray in the first place.

It's not an obvious story. Truffaut was no fan of science fiction, and had no knowledge of Bradbury's writings until 1960, when a friend urged him to read Fahrenheit 451. Truffaut was an extraordinary bibliophile, and delighted in Ray's book about books, with its meditation on the significance of literature in an increasingly illiterate culture.

Join me as I re-trace Truffaut's steps on the way to completing his 1966 film.

You can find the new pod episode using your podcast app, or through any of the podcast platforms listed at the bottom of this post.

Or you can simply click play, right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 77 - How Truffaut Came To Make Fahrenheit 451 in 1966

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Thursday, April 09, 2026

New podcast episode: Chronological Bradbury, 1945 (part 2 of 3)

Bradbury 100 returns with another "Chronological" episode, this time continuing with the year 1945. In this year, Ray published no fewer than thirteen stories.

In this episode, I cover the next five stories:

Skeleton (first version, first published in Script, April 28 1945 (no online version of this story exists))
The Watchers (Weird Tales, May 1945)
Dead Men Rise Up Never (Dime Mystery, July 1945 (no online version of this story exists))
Corpse Carnival (Dime Mystery, July 1945 (no online version of this story exists))
The Dead Man (Weird Tales, July 1945)

This batch of stories is once again a mix of crime stories and weird fantasy, clearly Ray's preferred genres at this time.

You can find the new pod episode using your podcast app, or through any of the podcast platforms listed at the bottom of this post.

Or you can simply click play, right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 76 - Chronological Bradbury 1945 (part 2)

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Thursday, March 26, 2026

New podcast episode: Fahrenheit 451 film and play

Francois Truffaut's film of Fahrenheit 451 is sixty years old! In this episode I revisit the film and talk about how it came to be made, and then move on to discussing Ray Bradbury's reactions to the film.

Not only did Ray review the film for the Los Angeles Times, but he also borrowed elements from the film when he later developed his own stage play of F451.

You can find the new pod episode using your podcast app, or through any of the podcast platforms listed at the bottom of this post. Or you can simply click play, right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 75 - Fahrenheit 451 film & play

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Bradbury 100 new episode - "Skeleton"

Another new episode of my Bradbury 100 podcast, this time with a reading of Ray Bradbury's story "Skeleton" - but perhaps not the story you are familiar with...

In 1945, Ray published TWO short stories with the same title, "Skeleton". The more famous of the two went on to be collected in his books Dark Carnival, The October Country, and The Stories Of Ray Bradbury. The less well known "Skeleton" just appeared in an obscure magazine and has only rarely been reprinted.

The lesser known "Skeleton" is, by an accident of history, out of copyright - unlike the more familiar "Skeleton", whose copyright was diligently renewed when needed, and remains copyrighted.

I'll say more about the two "Skeletons" when I cover the story in a "Chronological Bradbury" episode later this season. But for now, just sit back and relax (as much you can when Bradbury springs a skeleton on you) and listen to this charming little tale.

You can find the new pod episode using your podcast app, or through any of the podcast platforms listed at the bottom of this post. Or you can simply click play, right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 74 - Skeleton

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Bradbury 100 returns - new episode!

Bradbury 100 returns for 2026 with another "Chronological" episode, this time starting us off with the year 1945. In this year, Ray published no fewer than thirteen stories.

In this episode, I cover the first four stories:

"The Poems" (Weird Tales, January 1945 - online here)
"I’m Not So Dumb!" (Detective Tales, February 1945 - no online version)
"Hell’s Half Hour" (New Detective, March 1945 - no online version)
"The Tombstone" (Weird Tales, March 1945 - online here)

There's a mixture here of two genres still favoured by Ray as a professional short story writer, namely the detective story and the weird tale; none of that science fiction stuff...

In my coverage of "The Poems", I also review Ray's "about the author" text which he supplied to Weird Tales magazine. It contains some interesting insights into his writerly process back when he was a mere twenty-four years old.

In future episodes of the podcast, I will review the remaining stories from 1945, including the two short stories called "Skeleton".

You can find the new pod episode using your podcast app, or through any of the podcast platforms listed at the bottom of this post.

Or you can simply click play, right here:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 - episode 73 - Chronological Bradbury 1945 (part 1)

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Coming Soon - a new series of Bradbury 100 pods!

It's been a while, but my Bradbury 100 podcast is returning soon!

Starting on 26th February and appearing every two weeks, I'll be bringing you a variety of topics. What I have planned so far includes the Fahrenheit 451 (1966) movie, The Illustrated Man at 75(!), and more "Chronological Bradbury".

Now would be a good time to check your podcast app and make sure you're subscribed. You should find a little trailer there very soon (although I've also put it down below).

While you're at it, make sure you're following the pod on Facebook, here!

Here's the trailer:

Bradbury 100 · Bradbury 100 Returns Soon!

Please subscribe to the Bradbury 100 podcast - it's totally free on all platforms. Where to find it:

Main platforms:

Apple Podcasts - Soundcloud - Spotify

Other platforms include:

Monday, November 17, 2025

Mars is Heaven!

I've just guested on another podcast - Postcards from a Dying World - discussing Ray Bradbury's classic Martian Chronicles tale "Mars is Heaven!" (aka "The Third Expedition"). Postcards is (among other things) working through the stories in the seminal anthology called The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, edited by Robert Silverberg.

You can listen to the pod via any good podcast player, or play it from the players below. There's an audio version, and a YouTube video version. Take your pick!

Here's the video version:

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Ray Bradbury - Theme Parks, Rides and Experiences

My own Bradbury 100 podcast is on hiatus at present, but I've just guested on the theme park podcast The Lowdown on the Plus-Up. I talk to the co-hosts about Ray Bradbury's involvement with Disney's Epcot and Disneyland Europe Projects, and Ray's creative work on various rides and experiences - everything from World's Fairs to planetarium shows.

Find the episode using your podcast app, or use this link:

https://www.lowdown-plus-up.com/2335588/episodes/18033314-the-true-story-of-ray-bradbury-and-theme-parks-with-dr-phil-nichols-or-pete-and-kelly-become-desperate-for-validation-and-call-an-expert

Part of our discussion is in response to a prior episode of the pod, which imagined that Ray's "Electric Time Maze" proposal had become a reality. You can listen to that prior episode here: https://www.lowdown-plus-up.com/2335588/episodes/17956594-ray-bradbury-s-theme-park-the-great-electric-time-maze