Bonus Episode - An Audience with Caroline Munro
Reel Britannia
From Hammer Horror to 007 – A Conversation with a British Screen Icon We're doing something a little different on Reel Britannia this week, as we bring you a very special bonus episode featuring an interview with one of British cinema's most beloved leading ladies, the wonderful Caroline Munro. From her unforgettable appearances in Hammer classics such as Dracula A.D. 1972 and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter to battling prehistoric monsters in At the Earth's Core, sailing into adventure in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and sharing the screen with Roger Moore in the James Bond...
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Bonus Episode - Bryan Forbes at 100
Reel Britannia
BRYAN FORBES AT 100 Celebrating the life, films and extraordinary career of one of British cinema's finest talents. Some filmmakers are remembered for one great film. Others spend their careers working within a particular genre. Bryan Forbes was rather more difficult to pin down. Actor, screenwriter, producer, novelist and director, Forbes was one of the great all-rounders of British cinema. Whether exploring the innocence of childhood, the brutality of war, the absurdities of Victorian society or the quiet desperation of old age, he brought intelligence, sensitivity and a distinctive...
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Episode 207 - Ghost Stories (2017)
Reel Britannia
A Skeptic’s Guide to Things That Go Bump in the Night For our latest episode of the Reel Britannia podcast, we are turning down the lights and hiding safely behind the sofa for a properly unsettling slice of modern cinema: 2017’s Ghost Stories. Directed and penned by the brilliant duo of Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman—adapting their own smash-hit stage play—the film follows Professor Phillip Goodman (Nyman), a professional skeptic who makes his living debunking fraudulent psychics and supposed supernatural phenomena. However, his rigid worldview is thrown into chaos when he is...
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Episode 206 - Ladies Who Do (1963)
Reel Britannia
Taking the City to the Cleaners For our next outing on the Reel Britannia podcast, we are grabbing our mops and buckets for a wonderfully inventive slice of 1963 British comedy, Ladies Who Do. Directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and penned by the writing duo of Michael Pertwee and John Bignall, the film follows a formidable crew of London charwomen—led by the irrepressible Mrs. Rubin (Miriam Karlin) and the commanding Mrs. Higgins (Peggy Mount)—who spend their evenings scrubbing the offices of the City's financial elite. When they stumble across lucrative stock market tips...
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Episode 205 - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner (1962)
Reel Britannia
Jogging On with the Ultimate Angry Young Man For episode 205 of the Reel Britannia podcast, we’re lacing up our running shoes and taking a rather defiant jog into the heart of the British New Wave with Tony Richardson’s 1962 classic, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Adapted by Alan Sillitoe from his own celebrated short story, the film introduces us to Colin Smith, played with smouldering brilliance by Tom Courtenay in his breakout role. After a minor scrape with the law, Colin is packed off to a bleak youth offenders' institution. There, the establishment's pompous...
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Episode 204 - Carry On Jack (1964)
Reel Britannia
All at Sea with a Slightly Different Crew For episode 204 of the Reel Britannia podcast, we are taking to the high seas and hoisting the mainsail for the 1964 nautical romp, Carry On Jack. The story follows the earnest but hopelessly inept Albert Poop-Decker (the brilliant Bernard Cribbins), who takes a commission as a midshipman on the frigate Venus. Naturally, things go pear-shaped before he even leaves the tavern, leading to a frantic voyage involving a stolen identity, a remarkably resourceful young woman named Sally (Juliet Mills), and the decidedly cowardly Captain Fearless...
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Episode 203 - Casino Royale (1967)
Reel Britannia
A Licence to Confuse and a Swinging Sixties Spectacle For episode 203 of the Reel Britannia podcast, we are tumbling down a deeply psychedelic cinematic rabbit hole with the delightfully baffling 1967 spoof, Casino Royale. The premise, should you choose to try and follow it, sees the original, legendary Sir James Bond (David Niven) coaxed out of a genteel retirement to take down the nefarious syndicate SMERSH. His tactical masterstroke? Confusing the enemy by renaming every single active agent—male or female—James Bond. Naturally, absolute chaos ensues. Produced by...
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Episode 202- The Square Peg (1958)
Reel Britannia
Digging Up Trouble Behind Enemy Lines For episode 202 of the Reel Britannia podcast, we’re trading our civvies for khaki and marching straight into the chaotic world of a genuine British comedy icon. This time around, the team is discussing the 1958 Norman Wisdom classic, The Square Peg. Directed by John Paddy Carstairs and written by Jack Davies, the film follows the hapless road mender Norman Pitkin (Wisdom, naturally) and his perpetually flustered boss Mr Grimsdale (Edward Chapman) as they find themselves unexpectedly drafted into the Pioneer Corps. Before long, the pair are...
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Episode 201 - The Commitments (1991)
Reel Britannia
Dublin soul, magnificent music and enough creative differences to sink a small record label. This episode was recorded a couple of weeks ago, before the terribly sad news of Glen Hansard’s death earlier this week. We remember him with great affection as Outspan Foster, one of the unforgettable faces and voices at the heart of The Commitments. Dublin has the music. Jimmy Rabbitte has the ambition. What he does not yet have is a band, any money, or the faintest idea how to keep a roomful of volatile musicians from throttling one another. This time on Reel Britannia, Scott is joined by...
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Episode 200 - Porridge - The Movie (1979)
Reel Britannia
Fletch Gets Out. Getting Back In Is the Tricky Bit. For its landmark 200th episode, Reel Britannia is heading behind bars for Porridge – The Movie, the 1979 big-screen outing for one of Britain’s best-loved television comedies. Ronnie Barker returns as the wily Norman Stanley Fletcher, still doing his best to serve his sentence with the minimum possible effort. Alongside him is Richard Beckinsale as the good-natured Lennie Godber, while Fulton Mackay’s fearsome Mr Mackay and Brian Wilde’s endlessly flustered Mr Barrowclough attempt to maintain something vaguely resembling order at...
info_outlineDublin soul, magnificent music and enough creative differences to sink a small record label.
This episode was recorded a couple of weeks ago, before the terribly sad news of Glen Hansard’s death earlier this week. We remember him with great affection as Outspan Foster, one of the unforgettable faces and voices at the heart of The Commitments.
Dublin has the music. Jimmy Rabbitte has the ambition. What he does not yet have is a band, any money, or the faintest idea how to keep a roomful of volatile musicians from throttling one another.
This time on Reel Britannia, Scott is joined by Maurice in Melbourne, Kerry in Boston and Tom from just down the road for Alan Parker’s joyous, foul-mouthed and gloriously chaotic 1991 musical comedy. Based on Roddy Doyle’s novel, The Commitments follows Jimmy’s attempt to bring soul music to the working-class streets of Dublin by assembling a group whose talent is matched only by its ability to argue.
The team discusses the film’s extraordinary cast, including Robert Arkins, Andrew Strong, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Bronagh Gallagher, Colm Meaney and Glen Hansard. There is also plenty of admiration for the thunderous soundtrack, the sharp dialogue and Parker’s knack for making the whole enterprise feel as though it might either conquer the world or collapse before the next rehearsal.
So pull on your sharpest suit, warm up the brass section and try not to mention creative differences. The Commitments are ready to play, although whether they will all still be speaking by the encore is another question.
This and all previous episodes are available wherever you download your podcasts and at:
https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia
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