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...
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Episode 199 - The Wrong Arm Of The Law (1963)
Reel Britannia
When the crooks and the coppers join forces, London’s criminal underworld is in very confused hands. For Episode 199, Reel Britannia slips into the sharply dressed, cheerfully crooked world of The Wrong Arm of the Law, a 1963 British crime comedy in which the nation’s criminals discover that even dishonesty was better organised in the old days. Peter Sellers stars as Pearly Gates, a suave London gang boss who divides his time between running a fashion house and supervising a criminal organisation with the efficiency of a suburban business. His employees may be thieves, but they enjoy...
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Episode 198 - Hammer Britannia 024 - Nightmare (1964)
Reel Britannia
Hammer opens the door to a nightmare where every shadow has a secret. For the latest episode of Reel Britannia, we step into the chilly corridors and troubled dreams of Nightmare, Hammer’s 1964 psychological thriller from director Freddie Francis and writer Jimmy Sangster. This is Hammer without the fangs, capes, castles, or buckets of Kensington Gore. Instead, it gives us something colder and more unsettling: a black-and-white tale of fear, memory, manipulation and madness, where the terror creeps in quietly and then refuses to leave. The story follows Janet, a young woman haunted by...
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Episode 197 - The Tall Guy (1989)
Reel Britannia
Episode 197 - The Tall Guy (1989) “What in the name of Judas Iscariot's bumboy is going on?” Dexter King (Jeff Goldblum) is an awkward American actor stranded in London, suffering from severe hay fever and a chronic case of career stagnation. His day job consists of being repeatedly humiliated on stage as the hapless straight man to Ron Anderson (Rowan Atkinson), a spectacularly arrogant and insecure British comedian who wields his ego like a blunt instrument. Dexter's miserable existence takes a sharp upward turn when a trip to the clinic for allergy shots introduces him to Kate...
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Episode 196 - School For Scoundrels (1960)
Reel Britannia
Episode 196 - School For Scoundrels (1960) "Hard cheese old boy!" School for Scoundrels is one of those wonderfully sharp British comedies that takes something faintly ridiculous and plays it with a completely straight face, which of course makes it even funnier. Released in 1960, it follows Henry Palfrey, a polite, mild-mannered man who seems to be permanently stuck on the losing side of life. He is decent, respectable and reasonably successful on paper, yet somehow he always ends up second best, especially when faced with people who have more confidence, more nerve and rather fewer...
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Episode 195 - Home At Seven (1952)
Reel Britannia
Episode 195 - Home At Seven (1952) He came home on time... a day too late. Home at Seven is a neatly unsettling British mystery that begins with one of the simplest ideas imaginable and turns it into something deeply unnerving. David Preston, a mild-mannered bank clerk, arrives home after work expecting an ordinary evening with his wife. Instead, he is met with shock, confusion and growing alarm, because as far as everyone else is concerned, he has not been gone for the day. He has been missing for over twenty-four hours. David is utterly baffled. To him, nothing is wrong. He left work,...
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Episode 180 - A Kind Of Loving (1962)
"You know, it's a funny feeling. Sometimes I really fancy her, and the next day I can hardly stand the sight of her."
More kitchen sink drama this week as Scott and Steven step into the vibrant, bustling world of early 1960s Lancashire with "A Kind of Loving," a wonderfully spirited and heartfelt romance. The story centres on Vic Brown, a wisecracking and ambitious young draughtsman with dreams bigger than his industrial town. His world is instantly brightened when he sets his sights on the lovely and charming Ingrid Rothwell, a typist at the same company.
What follows is a delightful and utterly believable courtship, crackling with the electric energy of new love. Through trips to the pictures, countryside walks, and witty banter, a powerful attraction blossoms between the two. The film perfectly captures that exhilarating, head-over-heels feeling of a first romance, buzzing with the optimism of a new era. Vic's determined pursuit of Ingrid is full of charm, and their developing connection is a joy to watch unfold.
As their initial flirtation deepens into a more passionate and meaningful relationship, life throws the young couple an unexpected curveball. They are suddenly forced to confront adult responsibilities much sooner than planned, putting their affection to its first serious test.
Without giving anything away, the film poses a timeless question: can the intoxicating spark of initial attraction survive the very real pressures of commitment and family expectations? "A Kind of Loving" is an engaging and hopeful look at two young people navigating the complicated journey from infatuation to a more enduring love, all set against the rich and authentic backdrop of a changing Britain.
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Thanks for listening
Scott and Steven