You’ve listened to (part of) Welcome to Night Vale!!!! Who was your favourite character? Did you have a favourite episode or plot bit?

If I am honest, probably episode 1. It’s just such a strong opener. That said: All hail the glow cloud

Hi Alex! What's your glasses prescription?

Interestingly I don’t wear glasses any more. It turned out I was part of a very small and lucky number of people who’s eyesight improved in their late twenties. (some kind of growth thing). I will need them again soon but it was a nice reprieve :)

Hello. I would like to say your horror is indeed moist. I wonder what other words you'd use to describe it?

I’ve been told mine is “brutal” and “cruel” which makes sense, I am a bit misanthropic.

Now I'm curious--if you don't really think people are people, what do you think they are?

Overambitious microbiomes with delusions of grandeur.

Hey Alex

Kind of a random question but

Have you ever dyed your hair and/or would you want to do it? (With like a natural colour or bright colours etc.)

I used to have blue hair, had a lot of piercings and habitually wore a My Chemical Romance Jacket. (I hadn’t even heard their music, I just thought it looked neat.)

I actually might be adding colour again soon but only for a day this time. I still have to look like a grownup for business stuff, blerg.

if needles hugged mr bonzo, do you (noncanonically, knee-jerk) think he’d pop like a balloon? or would he texturally be more like putty? pepperoni?

Hmm, I think it would more be like piercing rotten chicken stuffed inside a nerf football that’s covered in perished rubber. But that’s just a kneejerk response, don’t quote me on that.

what is something you think more people should know about?

So much.

First thing that comes to mind though is the hierarchy of information. I think the world would be a better places if we prioritised wisdom over intelligence.

Hello, Alex!

I'm new-ish to the TMA universe, so I apologize if you've answered this one twenty times already.

I was recently re-listening to Ep. 118 The Masquerade, and I wondered if you would talk a bit about how you approach directing scenes in which you're also performing, especially really visceral ones like the one between Elias and Martin?

Thank you!

It’s quite annoying really. it’s easier these days since I have more help so producers and editors can call me up on stuff. Mostly it was just a case of going by feel. If it felt wrong then I need to figure out if it was me or someone else and go from there. Truthfully though I never really developed a system beyond “really pay attention” which isn’t great advice really.

Who do you think would win in a fight between The Boneturner and Mr bonzo?

Why on earth would they fight? That’s the steamiest romance of 2025.

Hey Alex this is random but have you watched good omens

Yes. Read the book years ago then have watched the series with interest.

Truth be told I think the TV series actually has a more satisfying narrative arc. Season 2 was especially enjoyable, which is damn hard by the way, getting second season at all is an achievement, making one that actually is arguably better than the first is nigh on impossible. Kudos to the team working on it!

Sidebar: I have been told there is a super obscure Magnus Easter Egg in there somewhere in the visual design but I didn’t catch it while watching.

if people aren't people, are there any beings that are?

Probably not. At risk of getting to “real” on here, I often suspect that consciousness is a mirage and that even if it is real it is so fleeting that it is not our default sate of being. So in a lot of ways the idea of a person is kinda meaningless philosophically speaking.

That said I am not one of those hardliners who thinks this justifies not treating everyone like people. In fact I am sort of the opposite, if it quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, I act like it’s a duck because generally speaking you’re on the wrong side of history when you decide something doesn’t deserve kindness.

[Braces himself for the 100s of comments explaining how wrong and ignorant his half-baked take on existentialism is]

hi hi hello! in recent months, i have (semi-willingly) become the number one lena kelley fan. and i've been wondering, on a scale from horrible to excellent, what type of decision have i made by caring about her so much?

This question is based on a flawed premise that “horrible” and “excellent” aren’t at the same end of the scale.

With that in mind my answer is: …yes?

Sir boss man, Alexander J Newall.

I've been stuck on tma/tmp for the past however long now.

I just saw a post of yours mentioning fluff.

Is there a place for us(magnusiners[I will never use this term again,]) to like submit stuff for that? Or do you just go search around for that kind of stuff?

I think you misunderstand. For Season 1 Jonny has been forced to write a fluff episode himself. I am writing the “what if” episode.

That said, whilst it’s always nice to hear how people engage with our work we don’t have any formal method for taking submissions for stuff such as this.

Is there ever a possibility for your/rusty quill’s work to be adapted into different mediums, or is it a hard “no, we won’t be doing this”?

I mean sure there is a possibility but it’s much harder than you think and ultimately isn’t really up to me. When adapting to a new medium it’s on the people already in that medium to open the door for you. It’s nigh impossible to do without someone giving you a helping hand. We’ll keep trying though because we think it would be cool but I wouldn’t hold your breath or anything.

Do prime numbers still function as primes in any base?

Yes but you should really be doing your homework yourself. It’s the only way you’ll learn.

Hii! How do you feel about claims within my friend group that you are not a human man and instead something extra terrestrial sent to create some very good podcasts?

I find it fascinating to hear you think I was sent here rather than hid here.

Hi Alex! If you had to pick, which classical author and/or artist would you say you have the most petty beef with? Not necessarily in a moral sense, but in the sense that you think they're overhyped, have dumb takes, etc.

I admit that Dickens rubs me the wrong way a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, the guy shone a light on important social issues of the day, he had original ideas and he could turn a phrase. All that said though, I always found his stories a bit… coincidental. The world always felt small with everyone secretly related to one another or whatever. I’m probably just being a pedant though since I liked Alexander Dumas and he was another of the paid-by-the-word novelists.

do you have a favorite shakespeare play?

I once got to see The Tempest with Patrick Stewart as Prospero. Let’s just say it made an impression.

Always had a soft spot for The Scottish Play though.

Feel free to ignore if this counts as "questions about canon" but can you play Dune on Mr. Ceiling?

Only doom I am afraid.

Hello boss man!

So like

What would one have to do to get that Easter special back into Spotify for those of us that just wanna play it really loud on repeat for like no reason in particular. Not because it pushes buttons in my brain or anything.

Never gonna happen. I like our composer Sam too much to steal his kudos like that.

You can however listen to the entire Magnus Protocol soundtrack to date here and Bonzo’s theme is available here.

Can you please give me a niche fun fact (about any topic) that will impress my fellow nerd friends?

According to UK law, once bees are swarming no-one owns them. Whoever is the landowner of the spot they settle in becomes their new owner. Beekeepers may ask you politely if they can collect them but technically they belong to their new landlord.

What’s your favourite type of triangle?

5-Cell.

Hey Alex!! Been a big fan of yours for a while and I wanted to ask,

Who's your favorite NPC in rqg to voice?

Cheers!!

Probably Einstein. Fun fact though I was saving my terrible Goillum, Gurgy and Christopher Walken impressions for characters but never got a good enough opportunity. (Barret nearly had Christopher Walken’s voice )

Hello Alex! Out of pure curiosity, what are your thoughts about mint chocolate ice cream?

Nice but not nicest.

Opinions on Rollercoasters?

Yes please.

Fun fact: Due to queuing weirdness I was refused entry to Nemesis in Alton Towers because I had ridden it so many times in such a short space of time that I was “at a non-negligible risk of an embolism.”

Hey Alex! I was watching some of the bts in the rusty bits and came across the timelapse of you guys setting up the studio. I know it was a wile ago now but has this/will this ever be realeased in a full version? You mentioned at the beggining talking through how you set up a studio and the tech involved. As someone looking to go into the recording industry i think seeing the process would be really interesting.

I honestly don’t remember if there is any more to show… I know that I recorded a tour but no idea what happened to the footage (I thought it was already released).

As with most of these things, I’m hoping to make a guide at some point but it’ll probably be a long time as it’s not a high priority due to other work.

what is the creepiest part of the human body, according to you?

The belly button.

It is the origin of you.

As an embryo you grow out from there meaning once upon a time your face and your belly button were the same thing.

Also fun fact from someone who has had surgery in that area, all the nerve endings for your belly button are actually spread all over the place making pain responses in the area super weird.

It has no real function after birth, is hardwired into your nervous system and let’s not forget WAS A HOLE THAT CONNECTED YOU TO YOUR MOTHER THROUGH BLOOD.

Seems pretty straightforward to me.

OH also ideal pokemon team??? very very important question

Answering this extremely important question but because I am an Old Man I will have to limit myself to the original 151.

For winning:
Blastoise
Charizard
Venasaur
Alakazam
Zapdos
Articuno

For Fun:
Ditto
Gengar
Magmar
Mewtwo
Golem
Gyarados

Whats your favorite saw trap?

I have never seen any Saw film. No shade, they just don’t interest me enough for me to have gotten around to them. As a general rule for me, the more gore, the less I am interested. Sam reason I never saw hostel or human centipede (and don’t worry, I am not considering these all equivalent)

Hello boss man sir, I was wondering what your favourite subject was in school? (This question is merely just for fun)

I was always a bit of an all-rounder. I used to put in a lot of extra time into Design Technology though (woodwork/metal work/ foundary/ shop class/ CADCAM etc.).

It helped that my teacher liked me because I came up with weird over-ambitious ideas.

Do you have any clothes other than suits? If so, what’s the go-to?

I own some steel. armor, 2 cloaks, medical scrubs and multiple pairs of socks. I tend to wear the socks most. Hope that helps.

What's your go-to karaoke song? (In case you don't have one, what's one song that you like singing that fires you right up?)

Hmmmm. I do a pretty mean phantom of the opera?

heyooo!!! i was recommended to read vurt by you a while back, and i finally finished it! what a crazy book, i really enjoyed it :) do you have any more suggestions?

The Windsinger Trilogy

Roadside Picnic

Children of time

The machine gunners

The Count of Monte Christo

Project Hail Mary

The Shape of things to Come

The Dark Tower

Monstrous Regiment

American Gods

Strange and Norrel

The Prince

The Art of War

Havamal

Beowulf

Children of Men

Abhorsen trilogy

Bartimeous Trilogy

The Dark magician trilogy

The Belgariad

The Mask of the Red Death

Lanark a life in four books

The Knowledge

Neuromancer

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

The poetry of Gérard Manley Hopkins

I hope that tides you over for a bit.

best icebreaker for a first date?

I know a lot of people are pushing chainsaws these days but there is something classic and reliable about your old-school Ice-pick.

Have you ever watched Game Changer or other Dropout stuff? and if so did you like it? (because I personally like to imagine that you would be absolutely hilarious on Game Changer with all the chaos gremlin energy you've got going on)

Lol, so I have a minor goal of being on with with Brennan Lee Mulligan. I think we have similar energies when provoked and I don’t know if it would be an alliance or a war but it would be fun either way. If you have their number do feel free to let them know I am 100% in!

Which TMA avatar do you think you could beat in a fight and which one would you never under no circumstances want to ever fight

I reckon I can take Callum Brodie as he appeared in Archives. (If he grew up though I am screwed!). (Also I am aware that beating up a child isn’t great PR but since you asked.)

I would never want to fight any of them though. That’s sort of the point.

Thoughts on the green goblin or goblins in general

1. Dafoe’s portrayal is absolutely iconic. A masterclass in deranged Villainy I am 100% here for.
2. I was actually a fan of the Raimi Spiderman films (especially 2) and really liked Goblin’s costume in that.
3. As a kid I preferred the Hobgoblin because he got that mega-glider with all the bells and whistles.
4. Goblins in general interest me although I am looking for a new take on them. The current “Goblin’s are actually nice”TM is getting a little old with me now. I’m more interested in them as still not nice but like, in an interesting/coherent way?
   
   (To be clear if nice gobbos are your think obviously fill your boots it’s not bad I am just always craving novelty I guess.)

How was it that in a podcast with some of the grossest sound effects I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, the sound of kissing was where you and Johnny drew the line? It's just funny to me xD

Because kissing is gross.

Well I mean, all human processes are gross but kissing… blerg.

Jokes aside, it’s hard to explain. I guess it is worse hearing something that is meant to sound nice and isn’t than something that was meant to sound bad from the start.

Certainly enough listeners agreed that I think I am onto something here, not sure yet.

why did you turn replies off on all your posts :(

Just trying to cut down on random haters. I set it to allowing fans to reply if they have followed me for a week. If this is some enormous Tumblr faux pas I was not aware of do let me know.

Your earth customs are strange to me.

hey alex! i love love tma and tmp so, so, so much!!!!!!!!!!

i just wondered if you could settle a debate for me? see, my friend, a relatively small person who refuses to exercise or sleep thinks they can thrash peter lukas in a fistfight while he has powers. can you please tell them they can't?

I dare not, lest your short and punchy friend correct me with a pugilistic retort!

Heyo! Folks be sending all sorts of questions so I'll give it a shot.

So you're a Star Trek fan right? Have you been watching and/or enjoying the newer series? Or are you partial to the older ones? (I'm the latter, ive preferred TNG, DS9 and Voyager best.) But if you're also enjoying the newer stuff I'd be curious about your thoughts on 'em?

So I admit I have fallen off on Star Trek recently and my opinions on star trek in general are often considered… controversial.

TOS: It’s fine I guess.

Next Gen: Good although a good chunk of season 1 and anything to do with Tasha Yar is less good. (Not because of Tasha’s Character or performance just the writing for her feels a bit tone deaf at times to a modern ear.)

DS9: I have bounced off this again and again. Never made it past about 10 episodes. I dunno why, I’ve watched worse without complaint. I wonder if it is to do with the religious portrayals, as these are the things I most struggle with in Sci Fi due to my own bias getting in the way.

Voyager: Wonderful once it finds its feet. I married the woman who was the closest to Janeway I could find in the real world. Coffee addiction, war scowl and all.

Discovery: Watched season 1 and enjoyed, subsequent seasons nI haver not had chance to view consistently due to UK licensing and not being able to afford every streaming platform.

Lower Decks: Frigging brilliant, no notes, but again I am behind as I haven’t the budget for additional media purchases right now.

Brave New Worlds: I couldn’t say. I hear good things but again, fragmented streaming is an expense I can’t justify right now.

Picard: Mixed. I was okay with the premise and S1 had it’s moments although it was harder to get through than I thought which is weird since it had so many components I liked. I dropped off with the introduction of seven of nine as I feel the character was done a bit dirty and with Protocol entering preproduction I had to prioritise my time and Picard didn’t spark enough joy to continue. I may return to it.

Star Trek films: Far too much to cover here. TLDR much like bond movies it swings between good and bad but I’ll always have a soft spot for any iteration of Kahn and I have seen First Contact most.

TLDR: Seen a bunch, not all, Voyager is my fave despite the well known flaws.

When you're writing do characters come first or situations?

It’s funny I haven’t really formalised my process in years.

Generally I go:

1) Conceit
2) Core Character outlines
3) research
4) plot premise
5) plot structure
6) Side characters
7) Scenic Breakdown
8) Draft 1

But I don’t have a hard and fast system right now so your mileage may vary. Especially since I also bounce back and forth between layers organically as it grows.

I know you probably can’t answer because of spoilers, but is there any chance you could confirm we don’t hear any harm done to children in Protocol? Jack’s introduction has set me a bit on edge, things happening to kids is a huge trigger for me.

Happy to answer this one. We are following the same rules as Archives, if you are introduced to an animal or child as a character, (basically if they are named) they will be all right in the end. They may encounter peril but will not be harmed. (see ep 19 as an example).

what is your favourite history fact?

1) Napoleon was a big fan of fax machines.

2) the pyramids were older to the Ancient Romans than the Romans are to us now.

3) One of the oldest pieces of written language is a complaint about a huckster.

4) The Antikythera

5) “Sea People” came and wiped out a lot of ancient cultures. Obviously they weren’t all Atlanteans but what if right!?

Hello!! This question is a bit out of the blue, but have you ever done any kind of theater acting or live performance work before? You're a very talented voice actor, so I'm curious if you've been on stage before too!

I'm aware that voice acting and theater acting are both VERY different and that some people thrive in one and not the other, but as someone who has done both, I'm curious if you've done the same :>

Yes I did a bunch of drama as a teen and in early 20s before I got into directing and my directing career started with Live Comedy. I also did a bunch of auditions but TV and Film but was always too short for roles!

which one would win: a billion lions or one of every pokemon?

1 of every pokemon. Easily. One of them is literally god apparently.

Please give us updates on your dog.

Refuses to eat experimental metallic crystalline fruit. Sad times, I just want somebody to play chess with.

After last episode I was wondering if you guys were Fullmetal Alchemist fans??

Yes and the references are intentional.

for the sake of your comfort and preferences of course, please feel free to ignore this one. But, if you're okay answering, where does your accent come from in England? I've been trying to place it because I'm practicing for a voice acting role, and they want something like your accent. If I can look up more examples from your region it would help greatly. Thanks! Have a lovely day, bossman!

Hah so I get this one a lot.

I grew up in the Greater Manchester area but my accent is not mancunian. I have a very specific regional accent from the area of Stockport.

Years ago I worked to reduce it because a BBC recruiter told me I’d have to move to London and lose my accent to get work. Then they made Salford a BBC production centre and prioritised regional personalities. (remember, just be yourself kids!)

My original accent is now returning since I moved back up to the rural north and if I’m not careful I am starting to drop my “h"s