The Magnus Protocol
Fear takes many forms
“The Magnus Institute was an organisation dedicated to academic research into the esoteric and the paranormal, based out of Manchester, England. It burned to the ground in 1999. There were no survivors. Now, almost 25 years later, Alice and Sam, a pair of low-level civil service workers at the underfunded Office of Incident Assessment and Response, have stumbled across its legacy. A legacy that will put them in grave danger…”
A “sidequel” to The Magnus Archives, *The Magnus Protocol *was born out of long-running conversations between co-creators Jonathan Sims and Alexander J Newall about what a continuation of the Magnus universe might look like. The idea truly took shape after Alexander played Control (Remedy Entertainment), which sparked new inspiration for the direction of the story. This would eventually form the Office of Incident, Assessment and Response, where mysterious governmental bureaucracy and dysfunctional IT systems meet the horrors of the Magnus universe.
When Rusty Quill launched a Kickstarter to fund the project, the response was overwhelming; the campaign hit its goal in under a minute, proving just how eager fans were for Magnus to return. It went on to raise over £700,000, allowing for a range of stretch goals including several guest writers from the Rusty Quill Network, a video documentary on the making of the series, and a theatrical live show based on events in the series that will be taking place in October 2025.
To celebrate the launch of The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill hosted its first-ever in-person premiere event in Manchester, bringing its fan community together for the beginning of a new chapter. The public release soon followed on in January 2024, with season two currently airing as of March 2025.
Interesting Facts
- RQ hosted an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) as one of the Kickstarter stretch goals, which introduced players to many key concepts and characters that would appear later on in Protocol – for example, Mr. Bonzo, who UK listeners will likely recognise as being based on Mr. Blobby
- Alex hated the character Needles when he was first suggested, as the conceit seemed far too basic for the Magnus universe, but he became an instant hit with fans when the episode aired
- The core cast have a diverse knowledge of the original The Magnus Archives, with Lowri Ann Davies having worked on the show, Anusia Battersby being a huge fan of the series prior to auditioning, and Shahan Hamza and Billie Hindle never having heard the show before they were cast. Billie has since finished listening to the whole series, but Shahan is still on season one!
Reviews
“The Magnus Protocol” is a very engaging podcast. I even got chills from a few of the episodes, and I have become incredibly invested in the mystery of the overarching plot and the fates that each of the characters may face. Plus, the series includes a lot of naturally implemented representation for the LGBTQIA+ community, which I find very uplifting. Personally, I’d rate it five stars and recommend it for any fan of horror!” - Natalie Meyer, the Ewtonian
In terms of the metaplot, “Protocol” starts very strong right off the bat. The cast is amazing and grabbed me from the first few scenes, immediately setting up the terrible workplace drama that will inevitably get even more messy as the horror ramps up. The voice actors have so much chemistry together. There are stand out performances from Billie Hindle as the sardonic Alice Dyer, and Anusia Battersby as her ambitious and self-important work frenemy, Gwendolyn Bouchard.” - Ceil Shandell, The Brandeis Hoot
THE MAGNUS PROTOCOLS (2024 - ) is a very interesting side (spinoff) series of the great “The Magnus Archives” horror podcast. This series adds to the world of the previous original series.
Like its predecessor, this series is excellently crafted, created and acted. …Overall, this a much welcomed edition to “The Magnus Archives” world. Recommend for fans of fictional horror podcasts.
- IMDB Review
Merchandise
Find out more about The Magnus Protocol and listen on the Rusty Quill Website.