Episodes

  • S04 E10 - The Intelligence Men (w/ A.J. Black)

    S04 E10 - The Intelligence Men (w/ A.J. Black)
    Jun 3 2025
    We're at the end of series four already. Our second series as part of The Film Stories Podcast Network, so to celebrate we're joined by Mr FSPN himself, A.J. Black, to talk about one of the biggest BritCom institutions ever, Morecambe and Wise. The inimitable double act made three movies before joining the BBC from ITV, and we'll start at the beginning with the first instalment, the spy pastiche, Intelligence Men. It is hard to imagine Morecambe and Wise before the BBC series and Christmas specials that endure in the memories of all Brits of a certain age, but the pair had been going long before The Stripper, long before Andre Previn, Angela Ripon, and Glenda Jackson, and The Intelligence Men is very much part of a different era. As well as the film, we'll dive deep into Two of a Kind, the Morecambe and Wise ITV series of the 1960s. As if that wasn't enough, all three of us count down our top three British comedy double acts. All this, plus the culmination of the series four quiz. Join us for the first in a much lesser-known trilogy. Morecambe and Wise - Two of a Kind with the Beatles https://youtu.be/Qw9dJG8GnmY?si=5X1bUeXhjHpjRSZL Morecambe and Wise - Two of a Kind with Roy Castle https://youtu.be/gC1XaYGGJVc?si=-0PD0oJrWfHZTNbu She'll Have to Go - With Bob Monkhouse https://youtu.be/BpvRcXADNXA?si=zPn8OD00B9yumRJu Morecambe and Wise on The Sweeney https://youtu.be/yXuLlhOt1xk?si=mrI5ZcCGrKAFGsbr Two Ronnies - Mastermind https://youtu.be/QRhyc56aVb0?si=bPoG9lMJf7p3cL08 Morecambe and Wise - Mastermind https://youtu.be/HEjdJszBbY8?si=93WNU3b8bHYa-FCk Ellie and Natasia - Saturday Kitchen https://youtu.be/XDVECscArVQ?si=G-CzJ9zFsuvI4fmF Adam and Joe - Room For Change https://youtu.be/b-d0RZKexNA?si=CJbwCMB1K5mRMvva Derek and Clive - The Pope https://youtu.be/RPcDREaxsu8?si=4ORwpEJdN5Pr_8cK Vic and Bob - Hernia Hotline https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdBSmt9v/ Vic and Bob - The Club https://youtu.be/LjjjVApPePw?si=YPZ-LIm6XiMkciJu French and Saunders Go to the Movies https://youtu.be/BczGvH60a38?si=aGjHp-_h6orIQ-iY Derek and Clive - Cancer https://youtu.be/KDerCtj3-RI?si=GqcvD16BqP8zUgvq The Intelligence Men - Full Movie https://youtu.be/kGy5HRI8plg?si=NfDWYezPONaLSgYC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 48 mins
  • S04 E09 - Powder Room (2013)

    S04 E09 - Powder Room (2013)
    May 27 2025
    It's only from 12 years ago, yet Powder Room is not a British indie that sticks in the memory. Indeed, it didn't exactly perform at the box office. Only 2,100 people went to see it in British cinemas, making it the least successful film we've profiled so far.  A micro-budget adaptation of a hit Edinburgh play, starring some big and up-and-coming names from British TV, as well as a pop star! But chief amongst Powder Room's cast was Sheridan Smith. Now a huge West End and television star, but at the time, she was known primarily for Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.  The early 21st-century three-camera studio sitcom has been the butt of many a sneering industry joke, but was incredibly popular and ran for over a decade. Its creator, Susan Nickson, was something of a prodigy. She started writing Two Pints at the age of 18, having already seen success in short film competitions. An unsung heroine of British comedy, episode nine will do its best to honour an undeniable and prolific talent. Susan Nickson on Channel 4's Lloyds Bank Film Challenge https://youtu.be/iQ6qz4nyX0M?si=U7iSIUXz3_nOsTQi Two Pints of Lager - Biscuit Rap https://youtu.be/anRKT3hYz60?si=d5m5JoDntsBAN_5j Two Pints of Lager - Phone Messages https://youtu.be/m8IM-MFeKvk?si=gaxjVJOHeLsI-JfA Newport State of Mind - Directed by MJ Delaney https://youtu.be/Eijc2tGe-zM?si=MMhLXUeRLsqEPyhz That One Guy Who's Always Preaching - Key and Peele https://youtu.be/GrYbMbudILQ Powder Room Trailer https://youtu.be/77Eb6NsLFqE?si=kY3j-hhxs3KYutwN Powder Room - Bad Night https://youtu.be/KlUG46H4W8o?si=iTee2ZuyYNIIIyfu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • S04 E08 - Take a Girl Like You (w/ Jain Edwards)

    S04 E08 - Take a Girl Like You (w/ Jain Edwards)
    May 20 2025
    It's another visit back to the old school this week. We go all the way back to 1970 for a rom-com...of sorts. The Jonathan Miller-directed Take A Girl Like You. As it is directed by Miller, we're also going to talk about his comedy breakthrough Beyond the Fringe. A show without which we might not have any modern comedy. So for extreme old-school source material, it made sense to have a new school comedian on the show to discuss the origins of her craft. The hilarious Jain Edwards joined Rob and Guy to assess the lasting impact of Beyond the Fringe, as well as the, let's say, dated attitudes of Take A Girl Like You. A standout cast of Hayley Mills and Oliver Reed, as well as supporting roles of the British kings of satire John Bird and John Fortune, this sex comedy couldn't be all that bad... could it?! Oliver Reed on the Word https://youtu.be/EvCh6bbSQDg?si=6W7dHB7jmAqRkiCb Hayley Mills at Disney https://youtu.be/zeAmQ2zmVoY?si=M1XVL-Jbll6_r3t1 Hayley Mills in Twisted Nerve - Trailer https://youtu.be/BWoMM6-fpAA?si=dp1BF04ormKHe5aZ Beyond the Fringe https://youtu.be/KUd1OxPbKk4?si=k4QDTCsOkVAgwYgJ One legged Tarzan https://youtu.be/lbnkY1tBvMU?si=Tbv38-0BRHtOZzP4 Take a Girl Like You - trailer https://youtu.be/AZzpyfJZwMs?si=s-GiYaSW1UQn6qkb Take a Girl Like You - Dick Thompson https://youtu.be/KF5pXwpwEH4?si=G4UVv8kutnrW_aao Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • S04 E07 - Wicked Little Letters (w/ Tracy Milnes)

    S04 E07 - Wicked Little Letters (w/ Tracy Milnes)
    May 13 2025
    For episode seven, we have another movie from 2024. Wicked Little Letters is Jonny Sweet's retelling of the curious case of the Littlehampton Letters. A falling out involving some incredibly creative, foul-mouthed penwomanship. As the film is written by Jonny Sweet, it made sense to also talk about his similar time-period sitcom Chickens, which he co-wrote with Simon Bird and Joe Thomas. Joining Guy and Rob to discuss both these works was Tracy Milnes. Herself already a big fan of the film, could she convert Rob and Guy to the Church of Wicked Little Letters? There'll be plenty of Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Timothy Spall chat and some suspicious quiz scoring. Check out episode seven! Johnny Sweet in When Boris met Dave https://youtu.be/KiM3uUqsO7E?si=VzIXB-87kVDhMITv Olivia Colman in bruiser https://youtu.be/MA6ksn6oNYk?si=daNVOzPUw6tc5r1z Olivia Colman in Peep Show https://youtu.be/3l1mbCSUw-0?si=mq5-7M5mtj-nJqTc Olivia Colman in Look Around You https://youtu.be/g7JrUGhfcTI?si=K8N0npre5iAlnunS Jessie Buckley in I'd Do Anything https://youtu.be/yKiCTEf6Xn0?si=hhUGfPlA-onr26Dv Jessie Buckley in Beast https://youtu.be/cdzfnve-10A?si=L4cV6If2bc5RW2Ik Jessie Buckley in Chernobyl https://youtu.be/xqbUJYgd8_E?si=p_aNMcjvdsCuPo23 Chickens Episode 1 https://youtu.be/B6ydb5Nb__Y?si=WrN5PyhYhADTmWlJ Wicked Little Letters Trailer https://youtu.be/SeTeCWbF8KY?si=9FF89S2vkxsxFJkb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • S04 E06 - The Lovers (1973)

    S04 E06 - The Lovers (1973)
    May 6 2025
    Time for a good old-fashioned Rom-Com, although not as old-fashioned as you’d think from a 1970s spin-off. Rob and Guy delve deep into ITV sitcom The Lovers, a show neither of our hosts knew much, if anything, about before the other week! A very young Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox landed their first leading TV roles in a will-they/won’t-they kitchen sink sitcom, set against the permissive society making its way to Manchester. Written by Coronation Street writer and creator of London’s Burning Jack Rosenthal, this forgotten gem (well, by anyone under the age of 50 anyway) is not as widely lauded as many of its 1970s contemporaries, and we get right to the heart of just whether that’s fair or not. After two series, there was the inevitable 1973 movie spin-off. With a lavish premiere, sweeping rooftop shots of the Manchester skyline, and a liberal amount of Old Trafford football and cricket stadiums, this adaptation took the sitcom from its more humble studio roots to show off the burgeoning metropolis in which it was set and the talents of its two central stars. But, would the movie version fall foul of the number one mistake nearly every other spin-off we have seen so far on this podcast and not live up to its small-screen counterpart? Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out. There’s Percy Filth Galore as we take on The Lovers! The Lovers – SE1EP1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SGqWcSRdQ Ms Jones & Son – SE1EP1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHj5TxGSMiY The Family Way - Trailer https://youtu.be/p2azcOdkRbU The George Best Boutique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndQC483D7s The Lovers! – Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku9vQ2ERD9s The Lovers – Old Trafford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Ci5lWFGbY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • S04 E05 - Blackball (w/ Stuart Laws)

    S04 E05 - Blackball (w/ Stuart Laws)
    Apr 29 2025
    Episode five and time to talk about a BritCom legend. Paul Kaye was at the cutting edge of a new wave of punk comedy in the 90s thanks to his unforgettable character Dennis Pennis, who was incredibly first seen by audiences in the middle of the ruddy day on BBC2's The Sunday Show. A few specials later and Pennis was on everyone's lips (Yeah, that's right.) Before jumping the shark, Kaye ditched the character that allowed him to hit the big time, in favour of branching out. We discuss one such role, his first cinematic lead in fact, as we take on 2003's Blackball. The Mel Smith-directed, National Lampoon’s affiliated, sports rom-com set in the dangerous world of Devonian bowls. Where else could you hope to find Johnny Vegas and Vince Vaughn share a screen? To help us dissect this curiously gentle comedy, one of the best British comic talents of recent years and a cinephile extraordinaire, Stuart Laws. So if you are a Paul Kaye fan, or just wondering how it is Blackball came to be, check out episode five! Perfect World - Boys Pub Chat https://youtu.be/UYmv0vjvTtk?si=I_57z9EZQ4yEkGBL Paul Kaye in pulling https://youtu.be/KgHKlCM-7Wk?si=uh4X1oBobWLR51y1 James Cromwell as Ewan Roy in Succession https://youtu.be/ZnxZGgRUGFk?si=Smlh639tEDNiaw9p Flint Street Nativity https://youtu.be/cpiECTOR4Ok?si=j2VMxkHrjsLB8_VE Early Pennis The Sunday Show https://youtu.be/CBAYFrS6cWM?si=s-sOrOaavnpdzO4K Dennis Pennis - Michael Jackson https://youtu.be/ZcOhglTtAok?si=SulMf4nsk7-IQNeT Dennis Pennis - Demi Moore https://youtu.be/dIYEm50YOiQ?si=so0Kpf3NpaZzFOo4 Blackball trailer https://youtu.be/v8MuNXR_lCY?si=77YTsVmo_vx4N4HQ Blackball - County Championship https://youtu.be/bL4eT1cd4fc?si=2UdCSKdidvpsXGf2 Sky One's The Villa with Mark Little https://youtu.be/4z6mXy68NtI?si=ZZ7DDjPCbbEyprou 30 Rock - Tracy Jordan boys and girls club https://youtu.be/qEilcGAPvMg?si=Ti517GtHnWmAqGYz Hail Caesar - Would that it were so simple https://youtu.be/G629a_3MkkI?si=XMSxKI3se8n63-il Stuart Laws - Michael Caine saying Never https://youtu.be/AloLTaSV8jY?si=cHXRW9lgK28odSoc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • S04 E04 - Clockwise (w/ Don't You Want Me?)

    S04 E04 - Clockwise (w/ Don't You Want Me?)
    Apr 22 2025
    As we near the midway point of series four, it's time to really step up our punctuality with a good time keeper's worst nightmare. Yes, Rob and Guy have taken a trip to 1986 for the Michael Frayn farce Clockwise. We've enlisted the help of co-hosts of the wonderful, Don't You Want Me podcast: Catrin Lowe and Rich Nelson to not only run the rule over Clockwise, but arguably Britain's best-loved sitcom Fawlty Towers. We'll hear how a Fawlty film was close to production (something that would have suited this podcast down to ground) but never came to pass. We'll also hear some inside insight into the making of the iconic comedy series from someone very close to the cast. But Clockwise notwithstanding, could Frayn's knack for making Swiss watch stage farces translate to the big screen, with one of Britain's brightest comedy stars front and centre? Join all four of us to find out. Fawlty Towers - Irish Builder https://youtu.be/O4X_bdJox8w?si=yK86qSgj4niBdtKv Fawlty Towers - Waldorf Salad https://youtu.be/BZoUH43nI4w?si=fClIlPtwqqOGuX87 Fawlty Towers - Sea View https://youtu.be/MVMgtv9oIM4?si=9vx3CAazVZNTpuJS John Cleese in Die Another Day https://youtu.be/ICmuFRBvPmk?si=OADL6hj-b-2e8xuk The Fourth Protocol - Train Station scene https://youtu.be/p5_23EYddAE?si=j6HOh2E5TIQIcZ9h Parting Shots Trailer https://youtu.be/c3yjd7Y7rYI?si=nIftsul7zvcnhYKy Clockwise Trailer https://youtu.be/3oViEN1CxPQ?si=ZDD8pMonrjp1pZ-e Clockwise - Right https://youtu.be/-T5UG1GRe2A?si=XSglVswRq6m4wC3E Clockwise - Sherry Glasses https://youtu.be/j2idPywwrFQ?si=XC9MJe8FH_o2mFQD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • S04 E03 - Swede Caroline

    S04 E03 - Swede Caroline
    Apr 15 2025
    As we hit episode three of the series, Rob and Guy tackle their most recent film to date, 2024’s Swede Caroline. Starring mainstay of British film and television Jo Hartley, and supported by a talented array of comedians, thesps, and character actors. The film looks at the world of competitive giant vegetable-growing and what happens when proceedings are rocked by scandal. We also take a look at forgotten sitcom Bliss starring Stephen Mangan, Hartley, and Heather Graham. The show was created by American comedian David Cross and followed the trials and tribulations of a man trying to balance life with two families in the same city. Not adverse to controversial comedies, will Bliss leave us wanting more or wishing we’d not bothered in the first place? You’ll have to give the episode a listen to find out! Swede Caroline - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHhIHzOpl4k&ab_channel=BritFlicks Swede Caroline - Jo Hartley interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lmyBQ3TRh8&ab_channel=Channel4News Bliss - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWHQHuPsdyw&ab_channel=SkyTV Arrested Development - The Best of Tobias Funke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r52Z-GscUwU&ab_channel=PickleRick Mr Show - Larry Kleist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKE9W0O8bX8&ab_channel=F33bs Mr Show - Taint Magazine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-1EIdnDB9g&ab_channel=fansofdongeronimo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 32 mins