Adrian Munsey discusses Wonderland: Science Fiction in the Atomic Age

Hello! Adrian Munsey, the director and writer of the Sky Arts series Wonderland: Science Fiction in the Atomic Age joins James McLean to explore this four-part documentary.

The chat is available in video form exclusively on our Patreon, where you can enjoy it completely free.

Kicking off on April 3rd, the weekly series comprises four episodes:

• Episode 1: Mary Shelley to Isaac Asimov (April 3rd): Dive into the origins of sci-fi, from the gothic horrors of Shelley to the robotic visions of Asimov. Expect discussions on the atomic age anxieties and the chilling predictions of nuclear apocalypse. As John Clute remarks “It may be a triumph of American science fiction, that we did not end the world in 1963.”
• Episode 2: Arthur C. Clarke to Ray Bradbury (April 10th): Explore the space age optimism of Clarke and the dystopian warnings of Bradbury. Get ready for a deep dive into 2001: A Space Odyssey and the “inner space” explorations of J.G. Ballard.
• Episode 3: Margaret Atwood to Ted Chiang (April 17th): Discover how sci-fi has challenged gender norms and explored diverse voices. From Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale to the modern works of Liu Cixin and Ted Chiang, this episode highlights the genre’s evolution. Tade Thompson argues that: “From my perspective, the aliens are the colonisers.”
• Episode 4: Quatermass to Christopher Nolan (April 24th): Trace the journey from classic British sci-fi like Quatermass and Doctor Who to the blockbuster spectacles of Nolan and Marvel. See how cyberspace and AI have become central themes, and how “Cli-fi” takes center stage.(More in-depth details on the series.)
  

Big thanks to Adrian Munsey for spending his afternoon chatting with us. Be sure to check out the series — we’ve viewed the preview copies and were really impressed. It’s the sort of in-depth look you would normally find in a text book, with a good selection of academic expert talking heads.

This podcast will be published as an audio-only edition at the weekend, then launch on Spotify/Apple Podcast/wherever next week.