Strong Female Leads

Hey there Leaders, It's that time again when you have to dip into your vast nerd knowledge to find a cool gift for your nerd friends or for when your civilian friends ask what YOU want. We're joined by Suze (@FunSizeSuze) Kundu to talk science toys and gifts, comics and merchandise and all things to stuff in your Batwoman stockings. We also have a little experiment with our first go at "The Shipping Forecast". Based on a silly tweet from our Debs we decide to see what weaponised fan-pic shipping is like. We are @strfemaleleads - @katemccabesays, @dj_appelby, @funsizesuze

Hey there Leaders! Regular programming resumes after our ClexaCon exploits with a look at the YA fiction genre. What is it, why is it and what have we loved and learned from it. So leave your district at twilight to practice your wizarding on your dragon and take a look at the figurative genre for your formative years. With us is aspiring YA author, cartoonist and comedian Heather Shaw. Catch her stuff @sardonicstork on instagram and twitter. Oh and we finally get round to reviewing T. Kingfisher's The Seventh Bride. Enjoy! @katemccabesays & @dj_appelby are @StrFemaleLeads Subscribe, review and get in touch with suggestions strongfemaleleads@gmail.com

Hey There Leaders, A complete diversion this episode as we report back on ClexaCon UK 2018, outside the US for the first time.  We have contributions from the usual suspects with extra input from Colleen Cheetham-Gerrard and a few interviews with attendees and a very quick chat with the directors of the con! Please give us a subscribe on the platform of your choice and a follow on Twitter @StrFemaleLeads. ClexaCon official videos are available here... ClexaCon YouTube

Hey there Leaders, This time we are joined by our Halloween scream queen regular Allyson June Smith to review "Slumber Party Massacre". A truly awful sobaditsgood style 80s slasher flick that was unique in many ways not least in being written and directed by women. That it was also meant to be a pastiche on women in horror movies a point that was missed by the men in charge who is not lost on the gang. We're then joined by the new Mrs Appelby (@kittykenz) to chat all things we love about Halloween.  Enjoy!

Hey there Leaders, We're back with a double main event! We are joined by the stars of "Fanatical" a new musical about fandom. Suanne Braun (@suannebraun) and Sophie Powles (@sophiepowles) join us straight from rehearsals to chat fandom, cons, cosplay and spoiler free about "Fanatical" Tix available at the box office... https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/fanatical-the-musical/ Finally, Chella Quint (@chellaquint) joins us to bask in the glory that was Episode 1 of Season 11 of NewWho. Finally, the Doctor has seen fit to regenerate into a proper body for once and we talk all things New Doctor.  We are, as always, @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby  

Hey there Leaders, Can you believe it's been more than 2 years since we had SI Deputy Editor, Hannah @thatdunleavy joining us from the mothership to discuss spoiler culture? Is that a spoiler? What's changed in that time? Are we more or less sensitive? Has the re-emergence of "Water-cooler" TV added to the problem? What happens when the MSM flat out spoils stuff on purpose? With the usual mix of facepalms we call news, picks and a look at some interesting bits of swag on offer we manage to stay sane for another fortnight of pop-culture (just). At least Debs doesn't mention Nazis for once. SPOILER!!  

Hello Leaders, Almost back to normal after a summer of house moves, illness, weddings and honeymoons (in that order and the odd holiday too). This time we follow up our interview with High Score Hero Billy Mitchell to delve into the obsession with playing games that are nowhere near as good as modern ones. Or are they. Joining us on the nostalgia fest is @lozmonmothma retro game guru and joke slinger. @katemccabesays & @dj_appelby

Hey there Leaders, In preparation for our up-coming retro gaming deep dive, Kate was able to leap over all the barrels to beat the high score of interviews by getting to chat with Casey Ross and the man, the legend, the high priest of high-scorers himself, Mr Billy Mitchell. Casey has brought "Arcadefire - The redemption of Billy Mitchell" to Indie Fringe this year, https://www.facebook.com/ArcadefireMusical/ and chats up Kate about the project and Billy's involvement. We'll be back with the full retro gaming episode as soon as Honeymoons and nuptials are complete. Get gaming!!

Hello Leaders, This time we get UP and be BRAVE as we leap into our CARS, 'rush' off to MONSTERS UNIVERSITY in order to FIND NEMO & DORY who have a real TOY STORY to tell us. INCREDIBLES, no? That's right it's all Pixar all the time, despite Debs being constantly confused about what is and isn't a Pixar film and ending up talking about nazis like most old people. Luckily we have Edy Hurst (@edyhurst), comedian and Pixar nut to help us re-live this BUG'S LIFE of an episode. ENJOY!!   @katemccabesays & @dj_appelby are your @strfemaleleads

Hey there Leaders, The summer of turmoil continues with McKabe moving house and old Debbie McGee getting hitched soon but we've managed to find some time on Kate's sparkling new broadband to record what the internets had been saying about this years big one San Diego Comic-con. With trailers galore hitting our timelines we look into the reactions and what it means for the ladies this time round. Remember, the universe is calling. Apologies but there are some swears in the news because, you know, nazis got James Gunn fired and Kate was stupid enough to ask Debs what she thought. As always we are @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible

Hey There Leaders, This time out we take @katemccabesays on her first foray into MMO land as @dj_appelby holds her hand and generally dances them through the first few levels of Guild Wars 2. No guest this time as we had to be quick between Kate returning from Trumpland and moving house. To see the gameplay section in full video check out... https://youtu.be/pCzgQgBrsFQ

Hey there Leaders... This time we take a step back from the onslaught of tent-pole, franchise, super-hero, sci-fi, crazy box office nerd properties and look at deep, heartfelt and often funny autobiographical comics and graphic novels. Our guest is autobiog fan and TV producer Naomi Bridges. We are as always @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby

Hey there Leaders, We're back again, tucked up in our Wonder Woman PJs on a Saturday morning devouring bowls of cereal in front of our fave cartoons and wondering, damn, where ARE the ladies? Joined by ace improvisors from across the pond, Mary-Michael LeClair and Shée Ashbrook we examine the dearth of Strong Female Leads in kids cartoons and look back at our own varied childhoods with this in mind. Finally Kate & Debs dust of their casting couch to bring grown up cartoon fave "Archer" to glorious live action life with another dream casting session. Enjoy!!

Hi There Leaders, This time we're firing up our mutant X-Genes and boarding our very own SR-71 Blackbird to fly off to the Shi'Ar Empire and back as we talk all things X-MEN!  We welcome back Alex Wiggan to delve into the mythos surronding the whole X-Family and Marvel's extended "Mutant-verse". We also break the fourth wall into smithereens reviewing Deadpool 2 and spoil the Heckins out of the Kessel Run looking at Solo : A Star Wars Story. You can find more of Alex over at It's a Stampede https://itsastampede.com/category/news/ Your Strong Female Leads are as always @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby on the tweets

Hey there Leaders, We are back again with top guest @hannahtheplatt to talk all things to do with "The Simpsons" fandom. So don't have a cow man, get those lines finished, grab your skateboard, put on some bleeding gums Murphy, make sure you have no radioactive rods in your top and cram onto the Strong Female Leads couch gag. It's... The Simpsons. @strfemaleleads are @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby

Hello True Believers, Welcome to the scintillating spoileriffic season three kick off cavalcade as your favourite Strong Female Leads battle a bullpen beset by alliterative attentions as... Oh I give up. I don't know how Stan Lee did that for decades it's really hard on the brain. Suffice to say we're back with guest Colleen Cheetham-Gerrard, and following up on out MCU retrospective we return to spoil the bejeebas out of Avengers Infinity War. Nuff said, Excelsior!   @dj_appelby, @katemccabesays, @thecolleeencg

Hey there Leaders, welcome back to Podcastville. This time, with AVENGERS : Infinity War on the horizon, we take a retrospective deep dive into what we love and don't love as much about the amazing TEN YEARS of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nuff Said Marvelites, on with the show. EXCELSIOR! We are joined by SFL super fan and MCU guru Colleen Cheetham Gerrard We are, as always, @strfemaleleads, @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby

Hello Leaders, Welcome back to Podcastville and what a doozy it is this time round. We all love a bad movie, right? Some of us (mentioning no names DEBS!!) like them a little too much but there is just something fun about loving a movie everyone else hates. Some of them turn out to be genuine diamonds in the rough that go on to become cult hits, whereas some of them, well, they just stink because they are genuinely bad. So our lovely ladies try to convince you to carve into three of their fave turkeys this Easter. Our fab guest is barrister, actor and SFL Fan Girl Jessica Tate. Enjoy!   @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby Present Strong Female Leads.

Hello Leaders, Once again we take flight through the wonders of geekdom, this time with a cast of 100s. "Orphan Black" has more female leads than you can poke a test tube at and most of them are played by the same actress.  We are joined by the hilarious Taj Ruler, Actor, Improvisor, Voice Artist and much more to talk all things Leda and Castor. Send in the clones. Taj can be found at @cloneclubmpls @no_tweet_taj on Twitter, https://TajRuler.com Instagram @rulert @katemccamesays @dj_appelby

Hey there Leaders, this time on SFL we're talking of our love of the brick. Lego comes in all shapes and sizes just like we do but has the drift toward licensing taken some of the fun and imagination away. Joining us is podcaster, comedian and improvisor Eddie French, the Clutch Powers of the North West as we click into place and talk... LEGO @katemccabesays and @dj_appelby present... Strong Female Leads.