Wired.com presents the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy. And here is your host, David Barr-Kirtley.

Hello and welcome to episode 181 of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy.

Our guest today is Bill McGoldrick, head of original programming at the SciFi Channel.

He was brought in two years ago to oversee a major overhaul of the network's lineup, which is designed

to lure hardcore science fiction fans back to the channel with smart, ambitious shows.

The new lineup includes adaptations of many classic fantasy and science fiction novels, including works by Arthur C. Clark, Aldous

Huxley and Frederick Paul, as well as books by newer writers who've been guests on this show such

as Dan Simmons, John Scalsie, James Essay Corey, and Lev Grossman. And now here's our interview with Bill

McElderick. All right so we're here with Bill McElderick. Welcome to the

show. Thank you. Okay so first of, just tell us a bit about how you first got interested in science fiction.

Well, I was that kid that liked to read a lot, read a lot of everything but then you know in those teenage years

probably like most of your listeners I was very attracted to sci-fi because I found

it more interesting and more challenging that the books that were sort

of being jammed on your throat in school.

So it was just it was probably through books, probably through comic books, probably through TV shows and and things like that where I you know just

develop the appetite for it. I mean so what were some of those books that you were

reading that you thought were challenging and interesting?

Well, a lot of them, you know, the great part about my job is some of them are airing very soon and

I, in childhood men and Arthur C. Clark was an early influence on me.

You know, Asmanoff, like everybody else, you know, I was looking for short stories back then.

I was a big, a big DC Comics guy, big Batman fan.

So anything that was either the original

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