About Us

Steven Schapansky and Erika Ensign are a married couple living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They met through Steven’s podcast, Radio Free Skaro, so podcasting is not just a vocation, it’s a lifestyle.

Steven has a diploma in broadcasting and worked in television for many years. He started podcasting in 2006, when he helped launch Radio Free Skaro, the world’s most renowned Doctor Who podcast. Over the last 10+ years, he has recorded hundreds of hours of audio, grown a sizable and enthusiastic fan base, and interviewed well over 100 creators of the BBC’s flagship drama. He has since launched several other podcast endeavours, which include some of the most fervently beloved podcasts in Doctor Who fandom.

Erika has a degree in communication arts with a concentration in radio, television, and film. She’s done everything from telephone captioning to technical writing to quality assurance to wrangling psychiatrists (yes, really). She discovered Radio Free Skaro in 2011 and realized podcasting was the perfect way to put her schooling to work doing something she loves. Despite her full time job (currently as a writer for the government), she threw herself into podcasting and swiftly became a “podaholic”. She may have started a new podcast since you started reading this paragraph.

Our Podcasts

Here’s a list of Erika and Steven’s personal podcast ventures:

  • Radio Free Skaro – Steven co-founded, moderates, edits, and performs most of the interviews for this first-rate Doctor Who podcast, which is also co-hosted by Warren Frey and Chris Burgess.
  • Verity! – Erika co-founded, co-hosts, and is technical producer/editor for this award-winning feminist Doctor Who podcast, which features women from across the globe: Deborah Stanish, Katrina Griffiths, L. M. Myles, Lynne M. Thomas, and Tansy Rayner Roberts. (Awards: Parsec Award)
  • The Incomparable – Erika is a frequent panelist on the award-winning flagship show of Jason Snell’s Incomparable Podcast Network. Steven also appears occasionally. (Awards: multiple Parsec Awards)
    • Lazy Doctor Who – Steven and Erika met and got married because of Doctor Who and podcasting, so it was only natural that they start their own Doctor Who podcast. In this aptly-titled show, they watch episodes of their favorite programme, and then sit on the couch and talk about them.
    • Beginner’s Puck – Erika and her Verity! cohost Deb keep their love of hockey separate from their other podcast loves in this show which is great for both long-time fans and those who are new to the sport. Women, PoC, LGBTQ, NB encouraged to listen. There is a place for you in our fandom. (Steven edits this podcast.)
    • Earp Chirp – Erika and her two Albertan co-hosts, Annette Wierstra and Kirsten Goruk, provide a local, enthusiastic perspective on Wynonna Earp, a genre tv show filmed and set in Alberta. Erika records this with a live, in-person multi-mic setup, and Steven edits the podcast.
    • In The Village (a sub-show of the TeeVee podcast feed) – To celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest spy-fi shows in history, Steven and Erika created a spin-off of Lazy Doctor Who. In The Village, we chatted about each episode of The Prisoner on the 50th anniversary of its initial release in the UK. Be seeing you!
    • Total Party Kill – Erika plays Dungeons & Dragons on both video and audio for this geeky podcast. She also edits most of the episodes–in both video and audio format.
    • Game Show – Both Erika and Steven enjoy their semi-regular appearances on this delightful podcast where a group of friends play family-style games over the internet. Erika hosts a fan-favorite called “Random Pursuit”. Both Erika and Steven edit episodes as well.
    • The Incomparable Radio Theater – Both Erika and Steven have played multiple characters in this original radio drama that pays homage to classic mid-20th century radio while giving a nod to modern pop culture. Commander Jetpack, Jasmine the Tinynaught, Galaxy Scouts, Inspector Farthing…the list goes on.
    • Afoot – Erika was a co-conspirator and occasional panelist on this mystery-themed podcast, hosted by Glenn Fleishman. (Currently on hiatus.)
  • The Memory Cheats – Steven and his co-host take a weekly walk down their personal memory lanes on this beloved Doctor Who podcast. Steven edits every episode.
  • The Audio Guide to Babylon 5 – Erika co-founded and shares moderation duties with Chip and Shannon Sudderth on this episode-by-episode guide to one of the 1990s’ best sci-fi shows. She also edits the occasional episode.
  • Uncanny Magazine Podcast – Erika and Steven co-produce the award-winning short fiction/poetry/interview podcast for co-hosts/co-editors-in-chief/co-publishers Lynne M. and Michael Damian Thomas. In addition to being hands-on producers and editors, Erika reads short stories and poetry, and Steven reads and often writes ads and outros for the podcast. (Awards: Two Hugo Awards, one Parsec Award)
  • Hockey Feels – Steven’s interests range far beyond Doctor Who, and this podcast is proof of that. He and co-host Rachel Donner (and occasionally Rachel’s cat Charlotte) talk about all things hockey, with an emphasis on the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers.

Awards

We keep referring to award-winning podcasts, and we can back that up!

Uncanny Magazine Podcast

We co-produce Uncanny Magazine’s monthly podcast. Each episode includes an intro section, short story, poem, and interview. Erika is one of the podcast readers, and Steven reads the ads and the outro.

Verity!

Verity! is one of the world’s foremost Doctor Who podcasts. Erika is co-host and technical producer.

Radio Free Skaro

Radio Free Skaro is the world’s foremost Doctor Who podcast. Recommended by Doctor Who Magazine itself, RFS is the gold standard in Doctor Who podcasting. Steven is co-founder, moderator, editor, and primary interviewer.

The Incomparable

Okay, so the real credit for The Incomparable lies firmly with its founder and host-with-the-most, Jason Snell, but Erika is a frequent panelist (and Steven, an infrequent one). Erika doesn’t pretend to take more credit than that which a panelist deserves, but that is still some small measure of credit, and she enjoys the heck out of her two trophies!