A perfect Sunday with...Scott Handcock
Black pudding, The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart and the retro-ritual of vinyl
Every week, a top writer, artist, actor or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today is Scott Handcock, author of Doctor Who: 73 Yards.
Scott's perfect Sunday… brunch
Definitely need to start the day off with a coffee. I've a stupidly sweet tooth, so most likely a vanilla latte. And while I love a good old-fashioned fry-up, there's something really comforting about a bit of corned beef hash with some avocado, beans, and a poached egg on top. Extra points if there's a slice of black pudding (sorry).
Scott's perfect Sunday… read
I'm tempted to say The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu, which is a beautiful, funny, melancholy adult fairytale. I first read it maybe twenty years ago, and it reduced me to tears. It's a short book too, so ideal for a Sunday afternoon read.
Otherwise, I recently blasted through August Thompson's debut novel Anyone's Ghost which is simply stunning. It really delves into the complexities of male friendships and platonic intimacy, and the fear of it maybe becoming more than that. Simple, engaging and brutally honest. Much like life.
Scott's perfect Sunday… comic
Confession: I'm not a huge comics reader, but I do have a soft spot for Dan Abnett's The New Deadwardians. It's a bit Upstairs, Downstairs, but with vampires and zombies.
Scott's perfect Sunday… movie
My perfect Sunday movie probably depends on the time of day. If it's early, it would probably be Paddington 2 — something bold, colourful and unashamedly silly. It might just be the perfect film, and Hugh Grant is clearly having a whale of a time (his joy's infectious, frankly). That said, if we're creeping into the evening, I'd probably plump for The Grand Budapest Hotel. It's equally bold, colourful, silly, but with a bit more of an edge. Either way, I could happily watch either, again and again.
Scott's perfect Sunday... TV binge
Oh, there are so many brilliant shows I have on my binge-list right now, but my TV equivalent of comfort food would probably be Hustle. It has the best ensemble cast; the plots are sublimely ridiculous, but that's part of its charm. It knows what it is, and it knows that you know what it is, and so it just enjoys breaking the fourth wall, having a good time, and being surprisingly moving at times too.
Scott's perfect Sunday… podcast
My Mate Bought a Toaster is a great listen. Every episode has host Tom Price delve through a different guest's Amazon order history — sometimes dating back decades — and then charts the reasons why certain purchases were made, what point they were at in their lives, what was good, what was bad. It's amazing the range of topics it ends up covering, and Tom's an effortless interviewer. Bags of fun!
sister mary of the forest
Scott's perfect Sunday… album
I'm really into Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox. If you've never heard of them, look them up on YouTube and prepare yourself to be lost down a rabbit hole of modern tracks performed in vintage jazz styles. Honestly, the level of talent is amazing, and their energy is off-the-scale. I really got into vinyl during the 2020 lockdown, and their music really suits that retro ritual.
Scott's perfect Sunday… treat
Depends on the time of year. If it's the summer, I'm very lucky to have beaches a short drive from Cardiff. It's nice to just hop in the car and head to somewhere random and just hike along the coast for an afternoon. Otherwise, as the cold dark nights draw in, I'll take myself off to a little arty cinema like a Cursor or Everyman and just enjoy a good film. That feels more like a treat because it's a little bit decadent, but it's also nice to know you'll be watching a film with a small group of other filmgoers who won't be talking or checking their phones. It's a proper time to switch off and enjoy.
Scott Handcock's Doctor Who: 73 Yards is out now!
How long is 73 yards?
Haunted by a sinister presence, Ruby must cope with losing the Doctor and the life she once knew. With her new life without her best friend becoming bleaker by the day, something terrifying is unleashed, and it’s up to Ruby to stop it.
This eerie episode from Russell T Davies is novelised by series script editor Scott Handcock, featuring the Fifteenth Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa and Ruby Sunday played by Millie Gibson.
Scott Handcock is a writer, producer and director, best known for his work on a range of horror and science-fiction series from Big Finish Productions including Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Confessions of Dorian Gray. Since 2006, he has lived in Cardiff, most recently working for Bad Wolf on the latest series of Doctor Who and its spin-off Tales of the TARDIS.